Issue # 117, 29-Jul-2005
ISSN 1447-4956
Copyright 2005 Jason Anderson. All rights
reserved worldwide
http://www.achievenetprofits.com/
Hello again, and welcome to this weeks
letter. I hope you are well.
I apologize for the large gap since the last
newsletter. Unless you joined during the gap,
you may remember that Marina and I were just
heading away on holiday to Sydney for a week.
The trip was great, but the pile of things to do
when I got back wasn't! So that, coupled with
getting my tax return ready, have tied me up
over the last few weeks.
I haven't finished my tax return, but
everything else has been sorted out now, so here
I am :-)
* * *
The compilation product I put together before
I went away just got bigger! In case you missed
it, I've put together a package of over 31 hours
of audio and video training on running a
successful Internet based business.
The individual pieces of the package have all
been created by Louis Allport, and their RRP is
over $379. I've compiled them together, and am
offering them at one-tenth of the price...
http://www.achievenetprofits.com/louiscollection/
But now the 31 hours has increased to 33
hours! Louis recently released a new set of
videos, titled "5 Easy Ways To BOOST Your
Website Traffic For Free".
Previous purchasers of the compilation
package should have already received an email
with the download link. If you are interested in
getting this new set of videos as part of the
larger package, just click on the link above (it
lists all the products, and has links to pages
that explain in detail what the videos are
about).
But if you are only interested in this
particular set of videos (or one of the others
in the collection), you can buy them separately
at a special subscribers-only price at...
http://www.achievenetprofits.com/special/
* * *
This weeks condensed interview is from Dan
Cauthron. Dan is involved in a number of
projects online, but the area I was most
interested in interviewing him was in the area
of copywriting. Often this means creating a
sales letter to sell a product, but it doesn't
necessarily have to. You can use the same ideas
and methods in email, and even use it to make
general web pages more appealing to visitors
(encouraging them to stay at your site a little
longer).
ANP: What is the most
important part of the sales letter, and why?
Dan: I'll bet a lot of your readers
are thinking, "the headline, of course."
Well, that's only part of the answer.
What's really most important is commonly
called in print publications the "top fold."
On the Net, that would be the first full
screen that appears when a visitor lands on
the web page. That is where she will see the
headline, possibly a product graphic, and the
first couple of paragraphs of the sales
letter.
She will decide, based on what she sees in
that first screen, whether to give the offer
further investigation, or to click away to
another site.
At most, the site owner has just a few
seconds to pull the reader into his sales
message. This is why the "top fold" is the
most important part of the entire sales
letter.
Now, back to the headline for a minute.
Sure, it's THE big attention getter, but
don't expect the headline to stand on its own
in terms of getting a reader to commit a few
minutes to your sales message.
It must be backed up immediately by a
compelling message in the first paragraph -
to pull the visitor further into the sales
letter. If the first paragraph is lazy and
non-committal, chances are slim that the
visitor will ever make it to the order
button.
ANP: Do you have any tips on coming up
with a "killer" headline?
Dan: Well, the bottom line here is
to make a strong appeal to emotion. If the
headline doesn't make the reader *feel*
something - she will probably click away to
find a headline that does. And two of the
quickest ways to arouse emotion in the human
animal is through curiosity or controversy.
They work every time.
ANP: What have you found is the best
way to structure a sales letter (eg: location
of testimonials, bullet points, stories,
etc.)
Dan: This model is old as the hills
but it still works. Any professional sales
writer will have developed his own variation
on this model, but the basics are still the
same - AIDA.
That translates to Attention - Interest -
Desire - Action.
As I mentioned earlier, the "top fold" or
first screen of the web page must get the
visitor's attention. Fail to do that and the
entire sales letter, no matter how good it
is, becomes pointless.
Interest can be generated in the first
couple of paragraphs with a good story,
backed up by one or two testimonials.
A strong bulleted list, laden with benefit
statements, serves to create a desire for the
product. Notice that I said benefits, and not
features. A prospective buyer doesn't give a
whit how many bells and whistles the product
has. She only wants to know what those bells
and whistles will DO for her.
The action stage should contain a short
and pointed wrap-up of what has been
presented so far, plus a restatement of key
benefits and the terms of your guarantee.
Then (and here is where some amateur writers
miss the boat) there must be a COMMAND to
take action. In other words, state precisely
what the reader needs to do next (ie. click
the order button) to get those key benefits
you've promised.
One last word here - the use of subheading
statements throughout the sales letter is
critical, since most online readers skim -
and seldom read anything word-for-word.
In fact, I want my subheading statements
and bulleted lists to be so strong that if
the visitor reads only those, and skips every
one of my text paragraphs, she will still be
convinced to buy my product.
ANP: What are the three most common
mistakes you see in sales letters written by
someone without much experience? What should
they do instead to improve the letter?
Dan: Probably most common mistake
is failure to use a logical progression of
ideas and information to prove why the reader
should buy the product. A rambling and
disjointed dialogue, even if it does contain
some good reasoning at points, will
invariably get the reader lost and
confused.
Another mistake is in making paragraphs
too long - presenting large blocks of text
for the reader to wade through, one word at a
time. No one reads that way online.
Practically everyone reads by skimming - so
paragraphs should be broken at a maximum of
six lines or so, and no more than 65 - 70
characters per line.
And then, amateur copy is often too stiff
and stilted - as if the writer was trying to
create an analytical piece for the Wall
Street Journal. I think it's important to
write in a easy-going, conversational style -
as if the writer were actually speaking
face-to-face with the reader.
In that light, the use of word
contractions and common slang terms is a good
thing within reason. Still, the letter should
be edited by a professional (or a kid with
good grades in English class) for accepted
grammar and correct spelling BEFORE it is
ever published.
-- Dan B. Cauthron, http://DanBCauthron.com/
Well, that's it for me this week. Be sure to
check out the compilation of training audio and
videos - it has over 33 hours of material on
just about every subject related to running an
online business.
http://www.achievenetprofits.com/louiscollection/
I hope you have a great week, and look
forward to the next time we meet.
Cheers,
Jason
"The individual activity of one man with
backbone will do more than a thousand men with a
mere wishbone." -- William J. Boetcker
Legal Stuff
Copyright 2005 Jason Anderson. All rights
reserved.
We accept no responsibility whatsoever for
the content, profitability or legality of any
published articles or advertisements contained
within Achieve Net Profits.
And, although all of the articles have been
selected for their content, the publishing of
such articles within this newsletter does NOT
constitute a recommendation of the products or
services mentioned or advertised within those
articles.
Be responsible! Always do your own Due
Diligence before responding to any offer.
