EZ way to make MORE money… fast!

by carlinecole

Hiya CopyStar!

If you write the SAME THING over and over and over again… you make MORE money. It’s that simple.

What the heck am I talking about?

You see, I love stories. Really good ones. And all stories have something in common – a beginning, middle and an end. When I first started copywriting I loved writing short copy such as inserts and renewals.

Then I was introduced to magalogs and it scared the heck out of me!

Magawho? MAGALOGS! It’s a longer copy – a cross between a magazine and a catalog – get it… “maga-log”? It’s about the standard size of a magazine and the copy is anywhere from 24-32 pages.

“Yikes!” I thought. “I’ve got stories but that’s a whole lotta copy!”

Maybe.

Maybe not.

You see CopyStar…

… once I realized that packages were like stories… I focused on specific components. And the more I repeated this process – the more money came my way!

I’ve written over 100 different types of magalogs… and get this: Although I’ve written for different people in the industry… I’m writing the SAME thing, all over again!

EVERY ONE of my packages are created equal. It involves more than just having a good story. You’ve got to know the parts of what works… repeat… and repeat again. And it starts with a KICK-BUTT headline and multiple cover tests.

These are must haves with ANY package you write. Remember: If you’ve got these and do it really well, then, you’ve got a pretty darn good chance of getting a control!

So let’s get to it!

#1. Grab ‘em by the eyeballs – That means you need a strong HEADLINE. Stop them dead in their tracks. Doesn’t matter if it’s long or short. You want to make your prospect want to read on. I’ve had many successful promotions over the years with eye-popping headlines. Here’s an example:

HEADLINE #1: “A Remedy for Your Thyroid”

Did you like it? Did it pop out and grab your attention? How’s this remedy any different from the others out there? Ya can’t really tell from the headline, right? Does it really make you want to read on? Now this isn’t necessarily a bad headline – but let’s be real. It’s too general. It’s boring. It doesn’t make ya feel like, I’ve gotta read this!

Your headline needs to grab their attention, make ‘em stop what they’re doing and read on!

Now let’s try a stronger headline:

HEADLINE #2: “For over 20 years Virginia was trapped in her personal…Thyroid HELL”

Now how’s that? Ya think this would make the prospect stop and say: “Hey that’s how I feel – I’ve gotta read this!” “I wanna know her story!”? You bet! You’re talking to them in their own language. This was an actual headline I wrote that turned into a killer control!

Now that’s the beginning of a magalog. And now that you’ve got their attention…. what’s next?

Well you’re not quite ready to make the close yet. That’s the end and we’ll discuss that later.

What’s the in between?

The middle of course! You know what that means? It’s where the fun really starts! It’s where you add the juicy details and stories to win the prospect over!

This is where your prospect not only reads but can relate to the stories you write and it brings them closer to buying the product! Remember the whole purpose of a magalog is to sell a product to the prospect, right? So you don’t have to be linear! Use the next keys all throughout your copy.

#2. Tell ‘em WHY they need it – this is where your prospect learns how good he’s gonna feel, how great he’s gonna look when he uses the product – Ya gotta give ‘em good reasons why it makes sense to buy this product. Load ‘em with benefits throughout your whole package! I’ll talk more about that a little later.

Now think. What story do you have that will catch your prospect right at that moment? Make ‘em think: “Oh yeah, this is exactly what I need!” People love it when they can relate to the stories of others!

Don’t you? They love to see good results of problems they can relate to. When you share a story and list reasons why they need this product… they’ll get it!

Whatcha gonna include in your list of reason? Have a go at it with pictures, highlighted areas, bold and capitalized words! Drive home your point! Show them why they’d be so better off with it! Get my drift?

When they have reasons to believe this is good for them it’s as if you’re walking them to the sale. Yep, you’re getting them to the close CopyStar!

And while you’re doing this, make sure you:

#3. Prove it to them – You say it’s good, so what? Prove it! Magalogs usually have one product – but it doesn’t mean you only have one story. You can have lots of them! With any story, you have to prove that what you’re writing about is legitimate. Keep your stories fluid throughout your entire copy.

Use proof elements such as:

· Sidebars – These are lil’ thoughts separate from the article. So pick one thought that you want to showcase and put it in the sidebar. Tell a story!

For example: I wrote a magalog on a nutritional supplement for heart problems with my target audience being over 50. I told various stories thoughout the copy. I wanted to make a particular point pop so I used a sidebar with a picture of a young soldier. I called it: Young soldiers – WITH OLD ARTERIES? It was a true story about soldiers who died at the age of 26. Autopsy reports showed that they had seriously clogged arteries.

See where I’m going here?

If he’s 26 and his arteries were clogged, whaddaya think my target audience which was over 50 would think when they read this? You bet the wheels were spinning in their heads that they’d better do something about it! Now I didn’t exactly tell them that but I sure as heck made it so that my sidebar would lead them to that conclusion!

Are ya following me?

Paint a picture for them. Have sidebars throughout your copy. Why? Cause let’s face it… nobody reads an entire copy! Most scan it.

So you’d better make sure you’ve got those stories that grab their attention! Use highlights to make your points stand out. This could be all they need to buy the product

· Charts and Graphs – If you’re saying one product works 5 times faster than another, put it in a graph and show it… it! Have charts and/or graphs throughout your copy. Let them see the statistics and numbers to show why they need the product.

· Name Dropping – When you tell the story and you’ve got names… by all means… drop ‘em! People love to name drop whether it’s a doctor, writer, celebrity or someone or someplace well-known… they want to know who else agrees or knows about it. Quote them. Does this person or place have a story about it? Use it in your copy!

· Before and After Pictures – This is how John looked before trying the product… this is how John looks after using the product. See where I’m going here? When prospects see this visual you’re confirming what’s already in your copy!

· Testimonials – These give your product credibility, unbiased recommendation and makes it trustworthy. Take for example, implied testimonials. This can be somebody saying something about an ingredient in a product or a person representing the product but not the product itself.

I’ll give you an example of an implied testimonial for one of the controls I wrote. The control dealt with a product that contained a particular ingredient called Nattokinase. So I included in a sidebar a testimonial from a Dr. Milner who is an expert of Nattokinase. Why? He said how good Nattokinase is and I said as a writer of the product that Nattokinase was found in it!

Ya follow me? That’s an implied testimonial. No misquotes. I just stated exactly what he said about the product. So the prospect sees that what’s in the product is supported by a doctor. You’re putting it out there and leading the prospect to a conclusion that leads them to the sale!

Proof elements are powerful in magalogs! Can you prove it to yourself CopyStar? Do you believe what you’re writing? Do the stories make sense to you? If you ain’t believing it, they probably won’t either.

Are you feeling pumped? Again, writing magalogs doesn’t have to be linear. You’ve got your beginning and end. Make it fun in the middle as long as you get them to the close. It doesn’t matter how you do it.

Remember you’re telling a big story that you’ve got to support and keep fluid throughout your entire copy. You’ve got your proof elements, stories, sidebars, etc.

I told ya… all packages are created equal! Use these for every package you write. Are you just starting to write copy? Are you in the middle of one? Take time to dissect these components. I’ll stop here and pick up on the rest in my next ezine.

See, I told you it wasn’t rocket science nor earth shattering – but it’s what’ll help ya hear ka-ching! So, stay tuned CopyStar because in my next ezine I’ll continue with this and share with you one of the biggest mistakes copywriters make with magalogs that I don’t want to happen to you!

Yours for stellar results