Copywriting | RoosterMoon Publishing

How to Become a Recognized Authority

April 1, 2010 By Michel Fortin Leave a Comment

Next month (in mid-April), I’ll be speaking at Armand Morin’s Authority Event in Charlotte, North Carolina, which is part of the Brave The Wave series of specialized events.

(And yes, that website was designed and the copy written by yours truly. And yes, those are my affiliate links.)

Of course, Armand will be speaking mostly, covering topics like branding, positioning, public speaking, and a lot more. Watch this video to see what he’ll be revealing at the event.

I’m accompanying three other guest speakers, including Brendon Burchard who will speak on how to become a highly paid expert, Jim Howard on how to become a successful author, and Rick Frishman on how to attract massive publicity.

So what will my topic be?

Not copywriting. Not web design. And not positioning. In fact, this will be the first time I will be speaking on this topic. I’ll share things I’ve never revealed before. And that’s…

… Blogging and social media.

Now, hold your horses. Before you go off telling the world I’m claiming to be a social media expert, I’m doing no such thing. I’m far from being a social media expert.

(So many claim to be “experts” when they know less than my teenager daughter!)

However, having a blog with close to 80,000 subscribers without any paid advertising, and social media sites with maxed out friend limits without any kind of autofollowing or friend-scraping software, I guess you can say that I know a thing or two.

I don’t know what the other speakers have planned (although I have a pretty good idea), but here’s what I’ll be revealing at the event. It’s one of my most requested topics, too.

First, I’ll share how I attract close to 80,000 subscribers to my blog, and how my blog makes a decent four-figure monthly passive income without any heavy lifting, and without regular, frequent, or (what most would consider) “pro” blogging.

In fact, I’ll dive deeper into my content repurposing process that drives close to 70,000 visitors to my blog each month without any external marketing. Plus, I’ll be going through my plugins and personal, hand-coded tweaks I use to accomplish this and more.

In other words, I will be pulling back the curtains and reveal the backend administration on my blog. But more important, I will explain how I use my blog for expanding my reach — such as reprinting and distributing articles, and writing and posting blog posts.

Also, I’ll share my social media strategy on how I interconnect several platforms so they all work seamlessly, in tandem, which only takes me a few minutes a day.

Social media can be a huge distraction. It’s the web’s water cooler, so it’s easy to deviate from doing more productive activities. I’ll share with you how to avoid getting distracted or pulled into the social media madness, and how to use it less but more effectively.

I’ll reveal which platforms have provided the best results, and how I build, connect with, and engage my friends, followers, and fans on these networks.

(It’s more than just sharing affiliate links or tweeting what I had for lunch.)

Now, I’m going to do something a little unorthodox.

I do plan on delivering over an hour of solid content you can walk away with and start using after the seminar. At the end of my talk, I will be inviting you to join one of my programs if you’re interested, which you can purchase at the back of the room.

Regardless if you buy anything I offer or not, I promise to deliver great, usable content.

But here’s what I mean by doing something unconventional. I say “unconventional” because I’ve never done this before, and I haven’t seen other speakers do this. In the interest of being a bit more transparent, let me share with you what I will be offering.

(I may change my mind, although if I do it will be to make this program even better.)

It’s going to be a series of in-depth webinars on blogging and social media. I envision about 4–6 webinars (or as many as it takes to deliver the content I have planned). Each webinar will last a couple of hours, delivered weekly, and will consist of three major parts.

The first part will be training. I will go into greater depth on the topic of blogging and social media, reveal a few tips and tricks, and even dissect some of my other blogs.

The second part is the best. For each and every person who joins my program at the back of the room at the event, I will spend time on the webinar series to critique their blog, blogging strategy, or social media strategy. Whichever they feel is most pressing.

Want me to go over your plugins? Your design? Your list-building process? Your copy? No problem! Everyone who joins my program will get a critique. Plus, this will be done on the webinar so that other students get to watch, learn, and even pick my brains.

Speaking of which, this leads me to the third part…

I will be offering a question-and-answer session during the webinar series. I will answer any questions, or cover anything about blogging or social media you want.

Incidentally, I will be including a few cool bonuses. I don’t want to reveal those here, not because it’s some “secret” but because I’m still figuring out what I will be throwing in.

Finally, a couple of things to keep in mind. I don’t personally offer these critique consultations to the public anymore. I only offer them to established clients. And when I do, I still charge a hefty minimum fee per critique consultation.

I will only offer this program at Brave The Wave: Authority. This is the first time I will be offering this program. Unless I speak at future events, it will likely be the only time, too.

So if you want to learn how to become famous as a recognized authority and do in less time; if you want to learn my blogging and social media strategies; and if you’re at all interested in the program I am offering at the event; then I invite you to come join us.

This seminar is a full, three-day intensive training event unlike anything Armand Morin has ever given before. I’m really excited about it, and I hope to see you there.

Admission is only $497, and you can bring a guest (i.e., it comes out to less than $250 per person). This is pretty reasonable when you consider other high-priced seminars.

(To be clear, this does not include my program, which I will offer at the end of my talk. And my presentation is not some disguised, hour-long “pitch,” either. You will walk away with a lot of great, usable information, whether you decide to join my program or not.)

Click here to get more information about the event.

Superior Value Equals Superior Sales

February 7, 2010 By Michel Fortin Leave a Comment

If your car needed repair work, would you go to a garage that offers free estimates? You likely would. Today, most garages offer them.

Not only has it become a customary practice, but also everyone expects a free estimate from mechanics.

However, here’s an interesting scenario. Let’s say your car broke down at the worst possible time, and you are in a terrible hurry. (If you’re like most people these days, you are.) Plus, you specifically wanted a free estimate.

If you had to choose a garage quickly, which garage would you choose? Would you go to the one you only think that offers free estimates? Or would you go to the one you know for sure that does? Especially if you don’t have much time?

As simple as it may sound, by communicating something that’s usually taken for granted by your target market, you will be chosen more often. Rather than claiming superiority, like “we’re #1,” you’re implying it by demonstrating what makes you superior.

A mentor once told me, “Implication is more powerful than specification.” In marketing, it means that you should imply your superiority rather than claim it outright.

If you claim superiority, your claim appears self-serving and whatever you do say is suspect at best. But if you imply superiority, your claim, although not directly stated, is accepted as more credible, genuine, and, paradoxically, concrete.

People will unconsciously assume that you are superior. You are communicating your superiority, not in some marketing piece you wrote or paid for, but in that most elusive yet vital of places in all of marketing…

… Your target market’s mind.

So, rather than outright stating that you are superior (e.g., that you’re the “best,” that you have a product of superior or high quality, that you offer greater service, that you provide better rates, etc), explain specifically why you are superior.

In fact, the most critical word in marketing contains only three letters. It’s the word “why.” It is much better to communicate why you are original, special, or unique, or why you are better, different, or superior than your competitors, and not the fact that you are.

In other words, the point is that you should imply your superiority by specifying, as much as possible, what exactly makes you better than anyone else and not that you are superior. This approach is far more powerful, and the effect lasts longer.

By implying your value proposition, it pierces through your market’s natural psychological barriers, as people hate to be sold to. They hate making a bad decision. They hate being patronized. And more importantly, they hate being taken advantage of.

Realize that what makes you special, unique, or superior doesn’t have to be your product in itself, although it certainly can be. But the easiest way to make your product unique is by what you add to it — specifically, to its value — as to appear superior.

Simply stated, you may offer something that everyone else does. But you could also offer something more, above and along with your product, than no one else does.

Let me explain. Your product is composed of three distinct levels:

There’s the core product (the product’s main benefit),
The actual product (the product itself and its features),
And the augmented product (the product’s value, such as the added value — additional features and benefits — you specifically bring to the table).

The latter of the three is probably the area most marketers fail to adequately communicate. It’s also the easiest area you can use to develop or enhance your USP (or “unique selling proposition”). And it makes your product or service stand out among the crowd.

Here’s an example. People may or may not know that you provide a certain value-add. A value-add is an extra product benefit or service added to your core offer. And, more often than not, they only assume that you do, especially if it’s the norm in your industry.

Claude Hopkins, author of Scientific Advertising, revealed how he dramatically boosted Schlitz’ brewery sales by making their beer appear unique using this method.

In the early 1900s, a beer’s purity was important to consumers. Knowing this, most breweries claimed — but never really proved — that their beers were the purest available.

But instead of merely claiming purity, Hopkins would trumpet the reasons why Schlitz was purer than the rest. After a tour of the brewery, he began writing his sales copy describing in meticulous detail Schlitz’ vigorous purification process.

According to Clayton Makepeace, Claude Hopkins described:

“The 4,000-foot-deep artesian wells from which Schlitz drew its water… the wood pulp filters that ensured the water was 100% pure… the spotless plant and “clean rooms” with their filtered air… how Schlitz’s bottles were sanitized with germ-scalding steam… and more. But Hopkins did leave out one little fact: Pretty much every brewery made its beer just like Schlitz did!

By being the first to tell the public about Schlitz’ generally assumed (or in this case, ignored) purification process, everyone was convinced Schlitz really was the purest beer anywhere. It’s the main reason why it became the top-selling beer at the time.

Plus, the copy did double duty. Competing breweries’ purity claims simply made them appear as copycats — or at the very least, it would remind the public of Schlitz.

By turning the assumed into the assured in the consumer’s mind, even with a name in which people are assured that you do offer that particular service or benefit, your market will choose you over your competition many times over. Almost unconsciously.

And this is true, even when the value-add is the norm.

If I were Hopkins, I would have put a name on this purification process. That name would make the process appear unique. Even proprietary. It would help to instantly communicate this value-add, or at least cause people to want to learn more about it.

Using the earlier free estimates example, you might choose a garage offering “Hassle-Free Formulas” “Free Fix Finders,” or “No Greater than Guesstimate Estimates.” You might even choose one whose tagline is: “Where Smiles and Estimates are Free!”

In short, what you are doing — in this case, with a name, tagline, or marketing message — is turning the “assumed” into the “assured” in your market’s mind.

In this day and age where people no longer have the time to shop around and are bombarded with commercial messages, then when they’ll need the kind of service or product you provide, your name will pop into their minds — and will do so almost instantly.

On the Internet, time is a even scarcer commodity for most people. Click-happy online shoppers no longer have time to sit through countless, irrelevant search engine results, and pages upon pages of websites, to find exactly what they want.

Therefore, since people usually search the web by topics, interests, or benefits, and if the term “free estimates” was specified in your marketing efforts and especially on your website, then when people search for free estimates they will likely find your site.

In fact, many new Internet business models have emerged and became wildly successful — and profitable — based on that simple premise.

For instance, while one website may offer the same product with the same features at the same price as other websites, what makes that one site any different is in the way it adds value to its clients’ purchase decision. Its value proposition, in other words.

And it does so in the way it brands, packages, presents, or sells its product, even the way it delivers it to its customers. But above all, it does so in the way it communicates it.

You can certainly apply the same principle in your business.

If there’s something that’s a part of what you offer (such as free support, free delivery, free installation, etc), even if you must manufacture your USP by adding an extra feature or service to your product to make it unique, then put a name on it, too.

Once you do, you then need to communicate it clearly — with every promotional breath you take! You must make your value proposition your core marketing message.

This is the one area on which most businesses fail to capitalize. Why is that? In my experience, it’s because too many people think that a standard, conventional, or customary part of their business or product is too simple, unimportant, or unnecessary to market.

(You would be amazed to know how much such simple value-adds have become the pivotal elements upon which a large number of businesses have prospered and profited!)

Additional or complementary bonuses, features, or services are part of what is called the “augmented product,” simply because they augment the product’s value. More important is the fact they should be communicated and have benefit-based names just as well.

Remember that a product is more than a bunch of tangible features — it has three levels. In fact, the third level (i.e., the value) is where most competition occurs!

Here’s a greater description of each level:

Your core product is the benefit — your product’s relative purpose. It’s what people are really buying, in other words. If the name, packaging, or any of the features change, the core product remains the same. It comprises of the benefit (if it’s a product) or the solution (if it’s a service) that people seek.
The actual product consists of attributes, qualities, and characteristics — such as features, design, model, form, function, style, dimensions, name, package, label, ingredients, product mix (i.e., the breadth and depth of the product line), etc. In essence, the actual product consists of what makes the product or service.
But the augmented product includes complementary services or features – like warranties, guarantees, terms, financing, delivery, installation, discounts, toll-free customer service, reports, shipping and handling, after-sale service, consumption education materials or training, quickstart guides, etc. On the web, they also include things such as reminder services, search capabilities, email newsletters, online technical support, personalization, customization, information, and so on.

By adding a benefit-based name on your augmented product, it could actually become — or become part of — what is called your “positioning statement.”

A positioning statement is one that communicates your value proposition and specific position (i.e., what places you or your product above your competition in the mind).

Even if your product is similar to the competition’s, then your augmented product can isolate and differentiate your actual product from those of others. Your message should indicate so, although names and taglines can do this quite efficiently.

For example, remember that Domino’s Pizza, with its once popular tagline that said “delivered fresh in 30 minutes or less or it’s free,” is known more for its augmented product (i.e., home delivery) than its actual product (i.e., pizza).

In your case, do you offer an augmented product that’s not offered elsewhere?

Here’s an example. Say your website sells software.

Do you offer free delivery of the CD?
Do you offer a free upgrade reminder service?
Do you include a quickstart guide on how to use it fast?
Do you provide a special toll-free support line?
Do you have a unique money-back guarantee?
Do you provide any kind of payment plan?
Do you offer extended warranties or download times?
Do you have a special trade-up program?
Do you publish a best practices newsletter?
Do you give access to a private community of users?

The possibilities are endless! Regardless of what you do offer, these should be named and/or communicated as well. Sure, they might seem like standard practice. But don’t let people assume that you offer a certain additional benefit or service. Assure them!

If a competitor steps in and assures your market before you do, it might be too late. Thus, turning the “assumed” into the “assured” heightens perceived value and implies superiority over competitors who may offer the same, nameless services.

More important however is the fact that doing so also turns ordinary products into memorable ones. They become effective mnemonics. Or simply stated, one value-add can easily become your “hook.” Just like Domino’s delivery guarantee, for instance.

Finally, if you don’t offer anything that’s unique or special, then you might want to look at manufacturing your USP. Stated differently, you might want to define your position by simply adding something to your actual product in order to augment its value.

For example, while your product or service may be similar to the competition, you can be the first to cater to a specific market, the first to cater to a market in a unique way, or the first to customize a general product or service for a specific market.

Sure, you can have a superior product or service, and have either its core or parts of its actual product level different than your competition. If you do, then great. But keep in mind that, if your product is totally new and untested, it’s a huge risk.

But more often than not, the augmented product is the level at which many products create astonishing, memorable, and highly profitable USPs. The goal, therefore, is to communicate it in order to imply your superiority rather than directly competing with others.

Don’t claim it. Frame it in the consumer’s mind, in other words.

Can Copy And Content Commingle?

December 10, 2009 By Michel Fortin Leave a Comment

Last year, a bunch of copywriters who also blog — like yours truly — shot the breeze on the Nuts and Blogbolts talk radio show.

It was an interesting and at times spirited discussion.

After some talk about content and copy (or should I say, writing content versus writing copy), the show’s host, Mike Sansone, asked each panelist if we would individually respond on our blogs to this question:

“Writing for the visitor is more important than writing for the search engines. Can both be met without sacrificing quality?”

Ryan Healy posted his answer on the subject. Good answer. I agree with him, because he makes some great points. But I also disagree as I think there are ways around it.

So I guess my answer is both “yes” and “no.” Here’s why.

First off, I’m not a search engine optimization (SEO) expert by any stretch. However, I do know enough about SEO to know that it’s primarily based on three major factors:

Code, links, and content.

Let’s take a look at each one…

1. Code has to do with ensuring the content is presented in a way that makes it more appealing to the search engines. Said in a different way, the code is optimized so that the search engines can find your content and read it more easily.

Why is this important? Because, in reality, your code not only helps search engines to find, crawl, and properly index your content, but also helps them present that content, when searched for, in a way that appeals to their users. Human beings.

2. Links are links within your content, as well as links to your content — the latter being more important, of course. When people link to you, they are indirectly telling the search engines your content is of value, and therefore of interest to their users.

Undeniably, this requires some writing skills, such as knowing how to write content that creates interest (i.e., what you write), and write it in a way that makes it interesting, too (i.e., how you write it). Which, by the way, is still copywriting. Isn’t it?

3. Content, which is third in this list but by no means the least, is the one on which the question behind this post really hinges. I think a better question to ask is, “Can you write content and copy at the same time?” Yes. But there are three ways of doing this.

Ways of doing it that doesn’t force one to sacrifice the quality of the other.

First, understand the difference between content and copy. To me, content informs. Copy invites. Content educates readers. Copy elicits a response from them.

But can you be both informative and response-driven, too? Absolutely.

I do believe that you can write content that’s appealing to both the search engines and its users. At the same time. (And really, it’s all about the audience, isn’t it?) To ensure it’s capturing readers’ attention and informing them, while also generating a response.

Personally, I don’t spend time on keyword optimization, keyword density, or things of that nature. I simply try to create good content. I look at it this way: I try to give what my users want, and by the same token I will naturally give what the search engines want.

So the objective is to focus on your audience. Find out what they want and bring value to them. Because that is why your website exists in the first place, whether it’s to educate or to sell. (It’s also what makes copy truly compelling in the first place, too.)

In terms of what kind of content to write, you can post a lot of it so that you naturally multiply your keyword density. You can focus on a particular niche so that you can zoom in your target audience. And you can also write content that’s buzzworthy, too.

Do either one of these, and you will naturally attract a lot of organic traffic as a natural byproduct, without much extra effort. That’s been my sole, core strategy for as long time.

But what about blending copy? Well, if you want to maximize your content and make it response-driven at the same time, I believe there are three ways to accomplish this:

Guiding
Funneling
“Newsifying”

1. Guiding

The content guides people into taking action, whether it’s directly or indirectly.

You can certainly turn your content into copy to a degree. You use the content itself to elicit a certain response from your audience, or add copy to existing content to accomplish this. (The converse is what I call “newsifying,” and I will come back to it later on.)

Press releases, product reviews, and even articles can be both educational and promotional. But guiding can also be as simple as adding links or forms within the content, and even adding words or phrases that lead people to take a certain action.

Therefore, the copy may or may not be part of the content proper. If it is, you can massage your content so it leads the reader. Even if it’s just a few key phrases or pieces of transition copy, like “keep reading for…” “later on I will…” “next you should…” and so on.

But it can be separate and distinct from the content, and can either blend within the content, or be placed in sidenotes, in pullquotes, in Johnson boxes, or in sidebars.

However, in the case of a strictly long-copy salesletter, I agree your aim is to elicit a response and not satiate the engines. If you were to optimize your copy for the search engines, its quality may suffer at some point. So the trick is to find the proper balance.

As the saying goes, you can’t be all things to all people.

But this is where the next two options come into play.

2. Funneling

This is the process of using content to generate organic traffic, such as on landing pages, and siphoning that traffic to a copy-focused, response-driven page, site, or salesletter. It can be part of the same website, or it can be on another site altogether.

These content-only pages are beacons or baits that attract people who are interested in the content first and foremost, and are then led to take action elsewhere. Unlike “guiding,” this step involves two separate processes that are distinct from one and other.

Now, these may be concurrent or not. For example, you can funnel traffic to another page, or through a multi-step process where one only occurs after the first has been completed. Such as with optin pages, or what is often referred to as “reversed optin.”

For example, we see this in part with product launches that deliver content beforehand to increase exposure, create interest, and build lists of eager subscribers who are later notified when the product is launched and the sales copy published.

But whether it’s concurrent or consecutive, when you really think about it you are still directing your visitors, are you not? So the content acts like copy, to some degree. It’s still calling for some kind of action, even if it’s to get people to read more.

3. Newsifying

This third step is where the two blend.

The term “newsifying” means turning copy into some kind of newsworthy piece — such as copy that tells a good story, reads more like an article or editorial, or educates the reader whether they take action or not. It’s a salesletter in disguise, in other words.

Rather than adding copy to your content (as in “guiding,” above), in here you are doing the opposite. That is, you are adding content to your copy, or converting your copy into an informative, valuable, newsworthy piece in and of itself.

Even though the purpose is to elicit a response (a sale, in most cases), by making your copy read like an educational piece you also make it more palatable to both users and search engines — and perhaps even more so, since you’re not overtly promotional.

In other words, it appears as a softer sell, where the content doesn’t appear as an outright promotional or sales piece. But it’s not necessarily a “soft-sell” in all cases, too. You can newsify your copy and still be strong, hard-hitting, and benefit-rich.

For example, in my white paper, The Death of The Salesletter, I talk about the increasing popularity in copy that’s newsworthy, intriguing, and informative, rather than copy that’s overtly hypey, aggressive, and mimicking every other salesletter out there.

Tests show that salesletters providing valuable content in themselves are getting better results than salesletters that appear salesy, over the top, and patronizing. These look less like salesletters and more like articles or editorials (think “advertorials”).

Here’s a forinstance: you sell an information product on how to reduce stress. Rather than a salespiece that extols the virtues of stress reduction and the benefits of owning your product, you can write a free report on 16 tips for relieving migraines without drugs.

While the report talks about how to relieve headaches naturally, it connects with the effects of stress and how reducing it can help. Later, you introduce your product.

People will not only understand the real problem behind most headaches and become better educated on all the other effects caused by stress, but also understand the benefits of reducing it, and therefore the benefits of owning your product and ultimately buy it.

(Of course, I’ve just pulled this example out of thin air for illustration purposes only. I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV. But hopefully, you get the picture.)

Anyway, this is just one example. There are so many different ways of doing this. In the above scenario, you write content that logically fits with your product or market.

But you can also pull one topic from the many covered in your product, offer content that teases your audience to want to know more, or provide content that’s separate from your product but proves it, supports it, or emphasizes any of its key benefits.

(These articles are mini-salesletters in disguise, in other words.)

Nevertheless, the answer to the initial question is to use one of the above three steps. But in the end, keep in mind that we don’t — and shouldn’t — write for the search engines. Not really. Even when we do or think we do, we are still writing for the visitor.

Search engines exist primarily to help people find information. So the sacrifice, in many cases, is caused not by writing more for one or the other, but when we stray from either one by failing to focus on our audience and instead focus too much on ourselves.

Because I believe the more you focus on what people want and give it to them, the easier it will be to get both the search engines and your visitors to do what you want.

After all, it’s all copy.

Tangibilize Your Copy To Increase Response

December 3, 2009 By Michel Fortin Leave a Comment

I remember 10 years ago.

In the wake of rumored proposals to regulate the web, in 1999 the CRTC, comparable to America’s FCC, officially declared that the Internet is not a broadcast medium.

Now, that ruling was significant for many reasons.

Technically, the Internet is a medium. But the government based its decision on the fact that the web is interactive with its audience — unlike other unidirectional, one-way broadcast media such as the TV or radio. As a result, regulators concluded the Internet could therefore police itself.

(The “Net Neutrality” debate of late is a perfect example that it is different.)

Nevertheless, my point here is not a political one but a marketing-related one.

Unlike traditional media, the Internet is both user-driven and transactional. Active and interactive. Dynamic and conversational. Particularly in this age of Web 2.0. You can say that, in many ways, the Internet is more of a process than it is a medium.

And that this is reflected not only in its benefits but also its unique challenges. For one, its biggest limitation is the lack of tangibility. People cannot physically inspect the products they are buying like they can in a retail environment, for example.

Sure, you can easily develop rapport when meeting clients face-to-face, answer their questions on the spot, and allow your products to undergo their close scrutiny.

But on the web, those abilities are nonexistent.

That’s why copy has a greater job online than offline. Greater than most people think. Other than communicating the emotions that empower people to buy, and directing them to take some kind of action, copy must also develop a level of trust with customers.

You might say, “Sure, you must build trust.” But it’s a lot tougher in an intangible world!

The question is, should the responsibility rest solely on the words you choose? Not necessarily. Granted, with the growing popularity of video and new technology that allow more interactivity with sales copy, the Internet is becoming far more effective.

I talked about these in depth in my white paper, “The Death of The Salesletter.” Plus, some of them require quite a bit of technical savvy. So I won’t go over these here.

For now, let’s take a look at some of the easiest and most efficient ways to tangibilize and dimensionalize your sales copy using some very simple elements.

First off, we are predominantly visual. Our brains are wired in such a way that they translate what they’re being told into their visual equivalent. And they do so unconsciously.

Whether it’s books, cookware, vitamins, jewelry or even software, let pictures do some of the selling for you. As the old saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Stated differently, texts tell but pictures sell. Give them a visual idea of what they get.

For example, add a scan of your book’s cover and table of contents (like Amazon.com does), thumbnail pictures of your necklace line, a photograph of your vitamin bottles, or a 3-D graphic box shot of your software package (even if it’s digital and downloadable).

In short, give something people can visually appreciate.

Sure, videos would be the most effective way to accomplish this. But don’t forget low-tech ways, too. You can simply take your product out, put it on a table (preferably with a white tablecloth or background), and take a snap with your digital camera.

Do just like you would do if you were to sell your product on eBay or any other auction site, for example. (In fact, listings with pictures are proven to get more bids.)

However, a caveat: don’t overdo it!

Don’t go loading your site with graphics.

Remember, copy is more important. There must be a balanced mix of text and pictures. Also, pictures provide “eye gravity” and draw the eyes into the copy to get people to start reading it in the first place. But copy is more important. So use graphics judiciously.

Use thumbnails (i.e., smaller-sized pictures that can be enlarged when clicked). That way, your graphics will remain small and compressed for quicker downloads.

Plus, whether it’s physical or digital, have your packaging and covers professionally designed. The design is just as crucial in the trust-building process, because like it or not, people do judge books by their covers. Otherwise, you look smarmy or scammy.

I don’t say this lightly, either. If your cover art doesn’t communicate professionalism, value, credibility, and trust, it will be counterproductive and work against you.

Some people frown on the use of ecover art, especially with digital downloads. But tests show that they do improve response. My take is that people say this because most covers are poorly designed, and often accompanied by really poor copy.

(Here’s a great parody of most online salesletters these days that proves my point.)

What if you sell a service? Graphics still help. Take a picture of you in action delivering your service, possibly with a client. Or take one that represents the benefits or results of your service, such as before-and-after shots. Or include photos of happy clients.

But whether you sell a product or a service, logos are just as powerful.

Adding a logo that represents your company, website, product, or service, and especially its main benefit not only gives it an element of tangibility, but also communicates credibility, professionalism, trustworthiness, quality, and higher perceived value.

The lack of a logo on the other hand, or even worse the presence of a poorly designed one, makes you look “cartoonish,” as my friend Armand Morin would often say. A poorly designed, cartoonish logo would cause people not to take you seriously.

Here’s a tip: I often use Design Outpost for my ecovers, website designs, graphics and logos. You post your requirements, and designers will create mockups in an effort to bid for your business. You only pay for the work you select.

Also, graphs and charts also help to make the service more appealing because they can help to emphasize the benefits that your service offers. Add a graphic that communicates something important that’s relevant to your market and to the sale.

(Just look at some of the comparison charts and competitive analyses software developers use in their copy, often in tabular format, where you can see the superior features and benefits of the software, at a glance, or what’s included versus what’s not in others.)

Also, try to “samplify” your offer or your copy.

If your product or service can be sampled in some way, then great. But if they cannot be sampled somehow or if you prefer to avoid offering samples or trials, then provide an illustration or a visual representation that people can sink their teeth into.

Speaking of samples, screenshots are just as effective.

Screenshots can also be used in tours, demos, and above all, case studies, and testimonials. In addition to adding an element of proof to your copy, screenshots also can be used to provide examples, descriptions and illustrations to a point you’re making.

(I use SnagIt almost religiously and wherever I can in my copy.)

However, if your product can indeed be sampled somehow, choose the live version instead. Samples, free or limited trials, and live demos or tours help consumers to get a taste of what you’re selling before they make their decisions to actually buy.

Samples sell, not only because most of the time they’re free, but also because they help to reassure the client and communicate the value of what is being considered.

Virtually all products and services can, in some way, shape, or form, be sampled. Because of their nature, websites offer a plethora of possibilities. For instance:

A software can be turned into a time-limited shareware download.
A free online media kit can be presented to a potential advertiser.
A free online consultation can show a consultant’s expertise.
An initial assessment or needs analysis can reduce buyer skepticism.
A publisher can offer a few free chapters from their books.
A real estate agent can offer free online property assessments.
An exercise equipment seller can offer a free ebook on exercise tips, perhaps how to exercise more effectively, particularly using the equipment they’re selling.
A cookware seller can offer free recipes using the cookware.
Ad nauseum.

But what if you have nothing to offer for free? If so, offer a more economical alternative. A cheaper, scaled down version of what you offer is like a paid sample. A loss leader.

Sure, it’s a downsell. But offering a cheaper alternative can entice customers, whether immediately or over time, into buying the central or more expensive product or service.

But these “paid samples,” so to speak, do a lot more than that. They also help penetrate new markets, prequalify customers, and build on your customers’ lifetime value.

But let’s say you can’t add pictures, offer samples, or sell cheaper alternatives. What else can you do? In that case, another element you can certainly use — one you should use in any event — is adding an “FAQ” (i.e., a frequently asked questions section).

FAQs are powerful. A section offering stock answers to common questions also help to tangibilize the user’s experience, handle potential objections, and alleviate doubt about the product or service. (Just like a live sales representative would, for example.)

Sure, you could answer questions strategically in your copy, and should do so throughout — particularly in sections where specific objections are bound to crop up.

By adding this extra section and lumping answers together, they are not only easier to spot — whether they appear on the sales page or on a separate page altogether — but also clustered for greater impact. They can alleviate many questions in one fell swoop.

Plus, an FAQ offers another benefit many don’t realize. It may answer questions customers can have later on, after the sale and not necessarily at the time of purchase.

Your answers can more than reduce reduce customer support requests. They can also reduce post-purchase doubts and buyer’s remorse (also known as “cognitive dissonance”), which often needlessly lead to complaints, returns, and refunds.

You can certainly link to a separate FAQ page for offering further details. But I like to keep my clients riveted to the sales copy. That’s why I usually embed the FAQ section within the copy, or put them at the end of the page, likely in its own “P.S.”

(It’s also important to note that, other than the sales copy, if you have an optin page and lead generation process, having an FAQ within your follow-up autoresponder sequence is also a great sales strategy. It should be included in your autoresponder cycle.)

If you don’t have a list of common questions already, ask yourself:

“What are the most common questions people have about me, my product, my service, my business, my company, or my website? What answers do I offer repetitively?”
“What are the most common misconceptions about them?”
“What are they mostly confused about and have some difficulty understanding, even though I address them in my copy? What has the potential of being confusing?”
“What are some of the most common objections people have or may have about my product or service? What can keep them from buying my product or service?”
And, “What kinds of objections would I get (and how would I answer them) if I sold my product or service in the offline world? Face to face? Or in a store somewhere?”

Of course, it goes without saying that your copy should offer the usual suspects: testimonials with full names; strong guarantees; good, clear copy; easy-to-find contact information; a real, physical address, and clear, straightforward instructions.

But the more tangible the buying experience is, and the more senses you engage, the more people will buy. Anything you can do to make the sales experience more comfortable, easy, and secure will definitely impact your response rate in positive ways.

In the final analysis, people hate parting with their hard-earned money. And the buying process in this digital world can be a hurdle for most customers — let alone vendors.

But by giving something customers can see, appreciate, and “chew on,” you can lower that hurdle considerably. And of course, increase sales tremendously as a result.

How to Negotiate Better Copywriting Fees

November 26, 2009 By Michel Fortin Leave a Comment

After reading some of my articles on how to find copywriting clients, one of my students, Jeff, asked me an interesting question.

He’s an aspiring copywriter and wants to build his own freelance copywriting business. When he read that I wrote copy for free when I started my career as a copywriter, he told me he was thinking about doing the same.

However, he wondered if he should ask for something, anything, in return. In fact, here was his question…

“Mike, my friends have a very small business, and they have asked me to do copy for them. They say they can’t really pay me that much. I have told them I will do it for free as long as I get rights to the copy and can use it for a reference and in my portfolio. I think this is a wonderful opportunity to get more experience, but my wife wants to see some money on the table.

“I value your opinion. Can you help?”

Here was my answer.

Asking for a concession in exchange for offering one is always the way to do it. While I believe your trade-off is good in principle, it’s still meager. I would consider some money — or some larger concession on the part of the client. Here’s why…

Writing salescopy completely for free is never good. I know from personal experience. What you should be looking for is a return on your “investment” (because writing copy for free is indeed an investment on your part), for two reasons:

To stop potential nibbling, grinding away your time and resources. If getting such a valuable service for free was that easy, they are left wondering, “What else can get for free?” It’s illogical, but they feel cheated if they don’t get more.
And to add value to your services (because doing something supposedly of high value for free paints a low perceived value and makes you, or the services you provide and especially the final product you create, look cheap).

In essence, there’s a disproportionate balance between the value of your service and the value of the concession you’re making, which will inevitably harm you.

So the goal is, you want to take the focus away from a trade-off based on free copy to one based on a concession: apples to apples, or value for value, in other words.

Otherwise, it can lead to a few problems once the service is rendered — problems that will be more difficult to resolve if not impossible than they are to prevent.

For one, the person could ask you for more, and more, and then more, slowly nibbling away at your time, your money, and your resources. They feel they can get more since it was so easy. Again, it seems paradoxical. But that’s how your clients will react.

(It’s manipulation. While some will do this conspicuously, others will do this indirectly, nudgingly, and subtly, often even without your knowledge — especially if they’re friends of yours, since your willingness to help will also make it easier for them to do so.)

I know this from personal experience.

Early in my career, I’ve written copy for free for clients who, after delivering it, kept asking for small tweaks, here and there, all the time. I never got paid for the extra work.

The worst part was, this happened more often with clients whose copy I wrote for free, or copy offered at a substantial discount after they haggled with me on price.

Even in those cases, when there was a signed contract, they still found ways around it, and continued to ask me for more concessions after the copy was delivered.

Trust me. I’ve been in these situations too many times.

One of my favorite speakers is Larry Winget, author of “Shut Up, Stop Whining, and Get a Life!” and “You’re Broke Because You Want to Be.” On his program, “Success is Your Own Fault,” Larry quotes the Sanborn Maxim, which goes:

“The customers who are willing to pay you the least will always demand the most.”

(Re-read it. That statement is profound. It certainly was for me.)

Nevertheless, the problem is that there is a “concession mismatch.” Stated differently, the perceived value of each concession is not equal to each other.

It’s not because the copy is free but because it is free and what you’re asking for in return is meager when compared to the larger concession you’re making — the concession being a finished, completely written piece of sales copy.

Look at it this way: offering copy for free is like a marketing investment. (That’s how I looked at it.) But if you offer copy for, say, $2,000, would you therefore spend $2,000 on a single ad to market your services just to get that one client? Of course not.

Psychologically, by writing copy for free you are not adding enough value to your concession. More importantly, you are literally taking value away from your product.

Think about it. By making your end-product the concession itself, then the perception will be that the end-product will be of low value, too. Why? Because the concession they are making, in exchange, is meaningless in comparison. You get what you pay for, right?

Sure, building your portfolio is important to you. But giving you the ability to add their copy to your portfolio is worth how much to your client? How big of a concession is that to them? What are they really giving up in return? In many cases, not much.

Since you are not asking the client to make a significant concession in exchange for your concession, then you’re not only devaluing what you offer but also yourself.

To be clear, asking for tradeoffs is good and you’re doing well in asking for one. It adds value to any concession you’re making by always asking for something in return.

Never make a concession, even if it’s as simple as a discount, without asking for one in exchange. Call it a “counter-concession.” This is nothing new. Most of the top negotiating experts out there, like Roger Dawson and Herb Cohen for instance, teach this.

This is an important concept to grasp, even if they’re friends of yours: the perceived value of the service depreciates immediately after the service is rendered.

Why is this important? For one, if the copy doesn’t do as well as expected, who cares if you did it for free? (Your client certainly won’t.) But it goes further than that.

If all you had were rights to the copy and it did perform well, and if anything should happen between you two, would you ever consider stopping your friend from using your copy? Even to the point of sending them a cease and desist, or taking legal action?

Friendships notwithstanding, would you be willing to work twice as hard trying to satisfy an insatiable client when you could be working on other, better, paying clients?

It’s something to think about.

Asking for a larger concession before work starts helps to stop the potential grinding-away process after the copy is delivered. If they try, then each time they ask for a concession you in turn ask for one. Always ask for a counter-concession. Always.

Plus, by asking for a substantial concession in the beginning, you also increase the perception that each counter-concession you will ask with each one they request from you will be just as large, which will force them to think twice before nibbling for more.

If they are demanding (and cheap clients usually are), ask yourself:

“Am I prepared to do two to three times the work, deal with a high-maintenance client, and divert my attention away from other, paying clients (let alone away from marketing my services in order to find better clients), for a mere addition to my résumé?”

On the other hand, making a balanced concession — giving a discount instead of doing it for free, for example — will increase your perceived worth. And a good way to do this is to raise your fees. Raising your prices is not just about increasing perceived value.

By raising your fees and giving a more substantial concession will allow you to ask for a larger concession from them in return. So ask for something upfront, even if it’s little.

Say: “I understand this may be out of your budget range. In exchange for a special consideration (a discount), may I suggest (whatever concession you want them to make).”

Even better, let them make their counter-concession for you. They might surprise you, as it might be a lot more than you anticipated. Say something like: “In exchange, what can you do for me?” Then let them tell you what they’re prepared to offer you in return.

(Incidentally, doing it this way also gives you a pretty good idea of what they think of you, and how much value they place in your services and your copy.)

Ultimately, your copy no longer becomes the object of the tradeoff. Your consideration — e.g., a discount or whatever concession you’re making — is. Apples to apples.

Also, don’t limit yourself to a discount. You can offer a bonus (such as an extra revision, free of charge), an extra consultation, an extended guarantee, an add-on service (such as writing the opt-in page copy, formatting, or even testing the copy), and so on.

That’s why the key is to breakdown and denominate each component of your service — from research to revisions. In other words, give each component a price tag. Sure, give a flat rate. But break the project down into individual parts, with individual values.

Not only will each element have a price tag, which can be used in the negotiation, but also it will help to justify your higher fees. It will seem less “pulled out of thin air.”

When a prospect sees the value behind every individual component, they also get a better appreciation of what you do, how you price your work, and how much they are truly getting if you were to concede on any one of those elements.

For example, if a client asks for a discount, you can say: “As you can see Mrs. Prospect, your project includes one post-delivery revision, which is worth $1,000, absolutely free of charge. Here’s what I can do. I can throw in an extra one. Fair enough?”

In the end, you add weight to your tradeoff, and your copy thus retains its value.

On the flip side, your client’s concession doesn’t have to be just a mere addition to your portfolio, which is minimal at best. (In fact, adding your copy to your portfolio should be automatically included in your agreement with any copy you write, anyway.)

Remember, you want to match their concession with yours. Better said, you want to match the perceived value of both your concessions. Perceived value is key.

So here’s another option. Ask for royalties or commissions. You can offer your friends a significant concession in exchange for a percentage of gross sales your copy produces, for as long as they use your copy if not for a predetermined period of time.

If royalties are not an option (particularly if you’re new, or if you don’t know the client or their business well enough), you can ask for other things. For example, you can barter — in fact, bartering is often the most overlooked negotiation strategy.

Or have them write a testimonial about you, get them to give you quality referrals, or ask them to send a broadcast to their lists promoting you. The trick is to get this in writing, and to ensure they deliver their end of the deal within a specific period of time.

Remember, the perceived value of your service — including the perceived value of the concession you’re making — depreciates immediately after the service has been rendered. The longer they wait to comply, the less meaningful your concession becomes.

That’s why this is preferably specified in a written agreement before work begins.

If they they fail comply within a specified period of time, then you can charge them your full fee — or for the amount of the concession, if they already paid you (have an agreement in place before work starts, so you will have legal recourse to do so).

In fact, having a written agreement prior to commencing any work is essential. Get it in writing, even if it’s a simple letter of understanding or intent. When it’s written down, it’s more than just for legal reasons. It’s also a psychological commitment.

Finally, remember that it’s better to negotiate on a concession (whether it’s a discount or not) than it is on the entire copy itself — such as by offering it for free.

If they want apples, stick with apples. Not oranges. And certainly not the orchard.

Superior Value Equals Superior Sales

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