Long v short copy: the truth
Every now and again, and against my better judgment, I get into it with somebody about the merits of long versus short copy. I don’t know why, it’s like a drug, I guess. You can go cold turkey but then that inviting …
Shake out a few new ideas
What’s the first thing you do when you buy a magazine at a newsstand? I’m guessing you hold it by the front cover and shake it vigorously to release the loose inserts (blow-ins in trade parlance). Me? I keep ’em. This month …
“I want” does get
Read any half-decent copywriting book and you’ll quickly realise that you’re supposed to focus on benefits, not features. What is a benefit? Well, it’s anything that makes your reader’s life easier or better in some way. Top of my head? Save money. …
Three tips for more profitable renewals
For many publishers, the cost per acquisition (CPA) for each new subscriber is enough to keep them awake at 3 am, palms sweating, heart racing. I’ve worked with publishers who are spending tens … hundreds of thousands of pounds (in a couple …
Do you make these 7 mistakes in your copy?
Many publishers say that their titles “include…”. They should say “give you”. Some use humour when they should be selling. Still others refuse to use copy on outers. They’re making mistakes, says Andy Maslen, that could be avoided. I’m lazy. I like …
It came from outer space, or, why do so many otherwise rational marketing people forgo massive boosts to profits because they don’t think envelope messages work?
Think about the last email you wrote. Or opened. How important was the subject line? I’m guessing very. So why is that? Well, it’s not rocket science is it? The subject line tells you what the email is about. It entices you …
Skip intro – or three types of copy the world will never miss
We agonise over the right words to sell our titles, and it’s time well spent. Other avenues for copywriting are a complete waste of time, says Andy Maslen, who names and shames three of his particular favourites here. Over the years, I …
How to profit from your own e-zine
Get your e-zine right and it acts as a source of highly qualified sales leads, orders, new clients, publicity and profits. Great, I hear you say. So we just migrate our current newsletter to the web then. Er, no. Here’s why. Old-school …
Words that (really) sell
This month’s article is adapted from the second half of a piece I wrote for the excellent InCirculation magazine. It’s aimed at subscriptions marketers, but keep reading if you’re not one. There are plenty of practical tips for general copywriting. Exciting, delighted …
How to double your profits by writing more
Our house is stuffed with story books. Some we can read in a few minutes, others take more like half an hour. Guess which ones my children prefer? This preference for engagement runs deep in the human psyche. And it may go …
Ten copywriting secrets
Secret #1 It’s NOT just business, it’s personal Remember at all times that your customers are people. Get to know them as individuals. Discover their innermost fears and desires. This goes double if you are in b2b. Where we are often told …
How to write case studies
I spend a lot of time telling you to focus on benefits in your copywriting. And it’s true, benefits make the sale. However, you can bring your benefits to life … dramatise them … with a case study. Case studies take time …
Stealth Selling
What do you do when you are selling to people with ultra-powerful hype detectors? Use stealth technology. You might have seen pictures of stealth fighters – they look like black origami planes and are light years away from the models I built …
“I kill people for a living”
At dinner a while ago, in Salisbury’s delightful Mill Gallery Café, I turned to my neighbour, James, and asked him what he did for a living. He told me something that stopped my forkful of chilli seafood linguine halfway to my mouth. …
How to write a press ad
If you’re going to write a press ad, you have one very important decision to make before you do anything else. Answer this question. What is the ad for? And PLEASE, if your answer is ‘to raise awareness,’ put your pen down …
Long copy, I myth you
It’s funny. Even people at the self-proclaimed ‘cutting edge’ of copywriting – the web – turn out to be as fond of myths as their Stone Age (ie print) cousins. Here’s one of my favourites… “Long copy doesn’t work on the web.” …
Parting is such sweet sorrow. (Actually, it’s just sorrow)
Magazine, journal and newsletter publishers know that existing subscribers are far more profitable than new acquisitions. That’s why they spend so much time, money and effort trying to hold onto them. Think of your customers as subscribers and you can use many …
Five tricks to keep ’em reading
Last month, we looked at a simple truth. Your readers are more interested in themselves than they are in you. And to keep them reading, you need to focus on them and their motivations. Big surprise, huh? This month, we’re going to …
Keep it interesting
At a workshop I was running last week, we got to discussing the merits of long copy (funny how this one just runs and runs). One of the delegates asked how you can keep people reading long letters. The answer, as of …
Membership marketing – keeping it fresh
I owe the idea for this article to Sarah Jakeman of Cognitum Database Marketing Services. Thanks, Sarah! Here’s her question. “How do you keep copy fresh when you are marketing what is basically the same service on an ongoing basis to the …
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