I’m from Missouri – so, you gotta SHOW me!
Here’s how to punch up your copy with PROOF!
Hiya CopyStar,
OK — so I’m not really from Missouri — but the headline wouldn’t work if I said Maryland!
But even though I’m not a Missourian — I still need you to SHOW me — not tell me. And you know what — your market feels the same way.
So, in this issue — I’m going to SHOW you how to pack a powerful PUNCH to your copy – by adding PROOF elements!
Proof elements? What’s that you say? Well it’s your opportunity to help your prospect become a believer — and have the confidence to stick out his neck to buy your product!
You need to deliver concrete, believable proof!
You may know your product is awesome — but you’ve gotta prove it to your prospect! You want him to feel good about his decision to buy. So you’ll need to give him more than just your word on it!
Now let’s look at a few ways to deliver solid proof to your copy:
· Sidebars — These are lil’ thoughts…ideas…or interesting factoids you separate from the main letter. Sidebars work best when you stay focused. So, pick one thought/idea/factoid you want to showcase and create a powerful sidebar. For example…
… I wrote a promo on a nutritional supplement for heart problems. I knew my target market was over 60. I wanted to make a particular point pop — so I created a sidebar and added a photo of a young soldier. My sidebar headline: Young soldiers — with OLD arteries?
This was a true story about soldiers who died young. Autopsy reports showed these young men already had seriously clogged arteries — at just 26 years old!
See where I’m going here?
If a 26-year-old already has clogged arteries — imagine what yourarteries must look like at 60? Yikes! You better do something about it — and guess what? I have the solution!
Now I didn’t tell the prospect his arteries were clogged — I just helped lead him to the logical conclusion!
Are you following me?
A sidebar can help you paint a picture for your prospect. Write numerous sidebars throughout your copy. Why? Cause let’s face — nobody is going to read the entire promo from cover to cover!
Most folks are scanners. So — add short, pithy sidebars throughout the copy to help grab your prospect’s attention. Use yellow highlights to make a specific point stand out. A sidebar may be all your prospect needs to reach for the phone and place that order!
· Charts and Graphs — If you’re saying one product works 5 times faster than another — create a graph and SHOW it! That’s some serious proof! Statistics and numbers give credibility to your copy — so make sure to have a few charts or graphs showcasing an important point for your reader!
· Case studies — Tell a brief story about a patient or customer who used your product and found great success with it. Be specific. Don’t just say “John is an elderly man with joint pain” — say “When 76-year old John walked in my office, he was hunched over and grimacing from sharp back pain that ran down his spine”.
Or make the story a “From the medical files…” feel. That way your prospect thinks he’s getting confidential info! Don’t you just love it when YOU get an inside scoop? Well, guess what? So does your prospect! Create an intriguing study that makes your prospect salivate!
· Name Drop — When you tell the story and you’ve got important names — by all means DROP ‘em! People love to name drop. Whether it’s a doctor, writer, celebrity or someplace well-known — folks want to know who loves this product. Quote famous people if at all possible!
· Before and After Pictures — This is how John looked before trying the formula — and this is how John looks after using the amazing revitalizing nutrients in X. You already know before and after pictures work. The weight loss market makes bank using these types of pics. You can too!
· Testimonials — Why brag — when you can let others brag about you! That’s the power of testimonials! They give your product credibility… unbiased recommendation…makes you appear trustworthy. What if you don’t have actual testimonials to use? No worries — try using “implied testimonials”. Here’s how…
Find a quote from a famous person who talks about an ingredient that’s in your product. Then, put the quote near the product. Here’s an example…
I worked on a heart formula that contained Nattokinase. It was a new product, so I had no testimonials. But I found a quote from a well-known doctor who studied Nattokinase for many years.
So I wrote a sidebar about this doctor and his fascination with Nattokinase. Then I simply had the graphic designer place a photo of the product near the sidebar. I then wrote a short sentence that says “contains Nattokinase!” — and we placed that sentence right on the bottle!
Didn’t make any promise! I just told the prospect all the great things the doctor said about Nattokinase — and then showed him that amazing nutrient was right in the heart formula!
You better be from Missouri too!
Before you try to prove anything to your prospect — prove it to yourself! Do you really believe in the product? Then write with conviction! Do you have great testimonials about your awesome product? Then it’s your DUTY to let others know how great this formula is!
If you’re not believing what you’re writing — then your prospect probably won’t either! So dig up enough proof that makes YOU want to buy and use that amazing product — and write your killer copy!
Yours for stellar results,
Million-Dollar Copywriter & Consultant