So, instead of using rules and secrets to teach our group of up-and-coming copywriters one year, we had them study dozens of the great sales letters of the past. Then, we told them the underlying secrets behind the successful promotions.
At the level of advertising, Pareto’s Law also holds true. About 80% of the emotional impact of any piece of advertising copy will be determined by the first 20% of the copy.
the structure of the direct response advertisement: that every well-formed sales letter has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Of the three, the beginning (or lead) is the most important. It is the first thing the prospect reads and the one chance you have of persuading him emotionally. If you don’t do that in the lead, you will lose him, regardless of what you do later on.
then quickly scan the rest of the copy. It
We could read the lead and ask, “Does this lead get me excited? Does it make me want to continue reading with a high level of anticipation?” If the lead accomplished these tasks, then we felt with a high degree of confidence that the promotion would work.
“A good lead may intrigue, build curiosity, create anticipation, open the reader’s mind, build trust, create a bond, and in a myriad of ways lay the groundwork for (and magnify the effectiveness of) the persuasion to follow. “A great one — ‘If the list on which I found your name … ’ ‘The American Express Card is not for everyone … ’ ‘You look out your window … ’ — can in itself elevate the reader to an entirely different level of susceptibility to our enticements.”
John pointed out that starting off in the headline with just one, simple idea has two major benefits: It makes the copy stronger It makes writing the rest of the sales letter easier “Finding the core idea,” John added, “of course, is the hard part. It has to be precise, not scattershot. You have to know your audience and know them well. Or, you risk missing your target completely.”
At ETR, we made this concept a “rule” of writing — the Rule of One. The mandate was very clear. Our contributors should write about one thing at a time. One good idea, clearly and convincingly presented, was better than a dozen so-so ideas strung together.
At ETR, we made this concept a “rule” of writing — the Rule of One. The mandate was very clear. Our contributors should write about one thing at a time. One good idea, clearly and convincingly presented, was better than a dozen so-so ideas strung together. That rule made a difference. When we obeyed it, our essays were stronger. When we ignored it, they were not as powerful as they could have been. Although this was clearly a copywriting principle that was extremely powerful, I found that I sometimes ignored it. If I had six good reasons for this, or 12 techniques for that, I couldn’t stop myself from including them all. The results were always disappointing.
The next year, I invited two of Agora’s most successful writers to make presentations at the annual meeting. One gave a very impressive speech about the 12 rules he follows when he writes copy. The other copywriter — Steve Sjuggerud — talked about only one thing: The importance of clarity in writing. Both presentations were terrific. But, it was Steve’s speech that people were talking about afterwards. And, it was Steve’s idea that became institutionalized at Agora that year.
Non-Writing Applications of the Rule of One The Rule of One can also be applied to your daily workday goals. Before you go into a meeting, think about what one thing you’d like to accomplish from it. Make that one thing your priority and hammer away at it during the meeting. You’ll be amazed at how often you will end up leaving the meeting with your goal accomplished. You can also use the Rule of One at business lunches, meetings, and even parties. Challenge yourself: “Who is the one best person I can network with?” and “What is the one best thing I can say to that person to capture his interest?” Spend some time today looking at work you’ve done — ads you’ve written, products you’ve created, goals you’ve set. How could you make them stronger by applying the Rule of One?
The Rule of One is not only one big, central idea. It’s a fully engaging piece of copy with five necessary elements. Using Bob’s example: One good idea: “There’s no product easier to create or sell online than a simple, straightforward instructional or how-to e-book.” One core emotion: “It is simple! I bet I can do it!” One captivating story: Told brilliantly in 17 words: “Would you be interested in investing $175 to make $20,727? That’s exactly what Bob Bly just accomplished!” One single, desirable benefit: “Now, I want to show you how to make huge profits creating and selling simple e-books … ” One inevitable response: The only way to get this book for $19 is to “click here now.”
“Also keep in mind that the more points you try to cover, the less effective each point, and therefore your ad, will be. An effective ad will actually have only one central focus, even if you discuss it from two or three perspectives. If your points are too diverse, they compete with each other, and end up pulling the reader’s attention in separate directions.”
The Rule of One. As a general rule, leads that follow the Rule of One are stronger because they do not have the emotional power dissipated by copy that goes in different directions.
The Rule of One. As a general rule, leads that follow the Rule of One are stronger because they do not have the emotional power dissipated by copy that goes in different directions. But, the Rule of One does not mean you can’t have a story and a secret and an emotionally-compelling fact in the same lead. It means that the lead is strongest that promotes one compelling idea by supporting that idea with all the appropriate techniques ... stories, predictions, statements, promises, and so on … but all unified by that single idea and by a single emotion that drives the sale.
To reiterate the most important points: Lead your advertisement with one, and only one, powerful idea Make sure that the idea creates an emotion, a single emotion, which will compel the reader to respond Support that idea with one engaging story or compelling fact Direct the reader to one, and only one, action
To reiterate the most important points: Lead your advertisement with one, and only one, powerful idea Make sure that the idea creates an emotion, a single emotion, which will compel the reader to respond Support that idea with one engaging story or compelling fact Direct the reader to one, and only one, action What is a great advertising idea? That could be the subject of another book. But, in short, a great idea is: Big (enough to stir interest) Easy to understand Immediately convincing Clearly useful (to the reader)
Ask a simple question, the next time — and every time — you start a piece of promotional copy, and you could see double or better the results you otherwise might get.
Ask a simple question, the next time — and every time — you start a piece of promotional copy, and you could see double or better the results you otherwise might get. In fact, answer this same question and you’ll immediately find it a lot easier to make many of the same decisions most marketers and business owners find challenging.
“The skill of writing is to create a context in which other people can think.” — Edwin Schlossberg
“If [your prospect] is aware of your product and realizes it can satisfy his desire, your headline starts with your product. If he is not aware of your product, but only of the desire itself, your headline starts with the desire. If he is not yet aware of what he really seeks, but is concerned only with the general problem, your headline starts with that problem and crystallizes it into a specific need.” In other words, even when you’re selling the same product to everybody, the people you approach will respond only to one kind of ad — depending on how aware they are of who you are, what you’re selling, and why you’re selling it.
First, you ask the simple question we have already mentioned: What does your customer already know? In other words, if you had to plot your prospect on the “awareness line” we diagramed, where would he land? If your customer has already bought something from you before and loves your brand, then he’s going to fall on the “most aware” end of the scale. If he’s never bought or heard of your product, but suspects there’s something out there like what you sell but he doesn’t know about your product specifically, then you might say he’s “solution-aware.” On the other hand, if he only knows the frustration of the problem he’s trying to solve, he’s better described as “problem-aware.” If he’s not even that much in tune, and carries only a general angst that you’ll need to channel, he falls into the category Schwartz labeled “unaware.” As you’ll see in the upcoming chapters, some leads will work extremely well to “most aware” customers but would most likely bomb to an “unaware” audience. The reverse is also true. Leads that can give you blockbuster success with “unaware” audiences would fall flat with customers that already know you and your products well.