“Copywriting Success Shortcut

System”by Jason Fladlien 2008

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Quick Legal StuffIncome Disclaimer:

This document contains business strategies, marketing methods and other business advice that,regardless of my own results and experience, may not produce the same results (or any results) for you. I make absolutely no guarantee, expressed or implied, that by following the advice below you will make any money or improve current profits, as there are several factors and variables that come into play regarding any given business. Primarily, results will depend on the nature of the product or business model, the conditions of the marketplace, the experience of the individual, and situations and elements that are beyond your control.

As with any business endeavor, you assume all risk related to nvestment and money based on your own discretion and at your own potential expense.

Liability Disclaimer:

By reading this document, you assume all risks associated with using the advice given below, with a full understanding that you, solely, are responsible for anything that may occur as a result of putting this information into action in any way, and regardless of your interpretation ofthe advice.

You further agree that my company cannot be held responsible in any way for the success or failure of your business as a result of the information presented below. It is your responsibility to conduct your own due diligence regarding the safe and successful operation of your business if you intend to apply any of our information in any way to your business operations.

Terms of UseYou are given a non-transferable, “personal use” license to this product.

You cannot distribute it or share it with other individuals. Also, there are no resale rights or private label rights granted when purchasing this document.

In other words, it's for your own personal use only.

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Table of Contents

“Copywriting Success Shortcut System” ........................... 2 by Jason Fladlien 2008 ................................................. 2

Quick Legal Stuff ........................................................ 3 Terms of Use ....................................................................... 3

How to Write Near World Class Copy in One Sitting .............. 6 The 80%er Mentality ............................................................. 6

Copywriting Success Shortcut System ......................................... 6

80/20 Rule of Copy .............................................................. 7

Overview of the Copywriting Sucess Shortcut System ..................... 8

Step 1: Research ....................................................... 10

Fears, Frustrations & Anger ................................................ 10

Ranking Your Research ............................................... 11

The Ideal Solution ..................................................... 12

Step 1 Conclusion ...................................................... 12

Step 2: Offer ............................................................ 14 The 4 Elements of an Offer .......................................... 15

What They Get: ........................................................................... 16 Price Justification ........................................................................ 17 Risk Reversal ..................................................................................................... 23 Bonuses ..................................................................................................... 24 The Offer: Putting it All Together

................................................................................. 25

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Step 3: Scarcity ........................................................ 27 Time Based Scarcity ................................................... 28

Quantity Based Scarcity .............................................. 29

The Proper Way to Use Scarcity ..................................... 30

Step 4: Story ............................................................ 33 I Was Once Like You... ................................................... 33 I Experienced The Feelings You Now Experience... ...... 33 My Desires Let Me Down This Path... ............................ 34 Which Allowed Me to Discovered This Solution... ........ 34 That I've Now Decided to Share with You! .................... 35

Step 5: Benefits ........................................................ 37

Step 6: Proof ............................................................ 40 Testimonials ................................................................... 40 Facts & Statistics ............................................................. 40

That's $26,692.45 a Year Doing Nothing! .............................. 41

Visual Documentation ..................................................... 42 Quotes from Thought Leaders ......................................... 43 Valuable Information ...................................................... 43 Damaging Admission ..................................................... 44

How to build Proof Elements Quickly ........................................ 44

Step 7: Hook ............................................................ 46

Step 8: Writing the Copy ............................................. 48

Step 9: The Final Draft ............................................... 50

Conclusion ............................................................... 53 Resource Section: ............................................................... 53

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How to Write Near World Class Copy in One Sitting

The 80%er MentalityA “good” sales letter created in 3 hours is better than a “great” sales

letter created in three weeks... that's what I find to be true.

There are exceptions to this rule. For example, if you're a professional copywriter, and that's all you do, then you have the luxury to make it great. And this guide will show you how.

However, the main aim of this course is for information marketers who wears multiple hats and have to worry about far more than just writing copy.

Plus, there are other reasons to aim for “good enough” instead of great.

For example, the less time I have to spend writing sales letters, the more time I can spend with my family. The more time I can spend doing things I enjoy. The more sanity I end up having at the end of the day.

Finally, the reason why I created my Copywriting Success Shortcut System is because I wanted to have a way to conceptualize a product in the morning, create it in the afternoon, write the copy in the evening and be making sales at the end of the night.

I already had a system for product creation. I already have a system for quick traffic generation. I just needed a system for the sales letter. And that's how I discovered what I'm about to share with you...

The Copywriting Success Shortcut SystemHere's our goal – to create a sales letter in one sitting that is “good

enough” to get 80% of the potential profits.

Let's look at it this way. Let's say you wrote a super killer sales letter in a couple weeks that pulled in $100,000. Here's my theory – what if, instead, you wrote a sales letter in three hours that pulled in $80,000? Which is better?

You got 80% of the potential profits, but you only spent 5% of the time creating the letter!

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The point is speed of implementation. Nothing prevents success more than the delay of a good idea. Until you really get your own system developed and get a deep understanding of internet marketing, it's probably better just to get stuff out there as quick as possible, so you get as much experience as possible in the quickest amount of time as possible.

So how is it possible to write a sales letter in 5% of the time that can still pull in 80% of the profits? Here's how...

80/20 Rule of Copy There are a lot of great copywriting gurus out there who can show you

all kinds of fantastic tricks for writing copy. They have everything done to such an exact science that they truly are in a class of their own.

That's why they make millions of dollars.

You don't need to be that good. I would argue that you don't even want to be that good. Plus, I want you to consider this – I know a ton of internet marketers who make over a million a year...

And very few of them are fantastic at copywriting. But almost all of them are good at marketing. On the other hand, there are very few millionaires out there who do it on the strength of their copy alone. And the ones who do are also very good at marketing.

Here's some marketing “facts” I have found to be true in my business...

• The offer is GREATER THAN the sales letter

• The niche is GREATER THAN the sales letter

• Scarcity, Writing Bullet Points and Risk Reversal have more persuasion power than all other “tactics” COMBINED!

What I'm getting at is this... if you know how to create an incredible offer... if you know how the hot buttons of your niche... and you know how to use scarcity, write good bullet points and take the risk out of the sale...

You don't need to worry about anything else. And if you master those five things (that's it, just five!) you'll be able to write “near” world class copy that pulls in 80% of the profits... and do so in 5% of the time.

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Overview of the Copywriting Success Shortcut SystemHere's the nine steps I go through to create sales letters.

• Step 1: Research. What are my target audiences biggest fears, frustrations, and causes of anger, and what is the ideal solution they are picturing in their Mind?

• Step 2: Offer. How can I package the product I am offering to my target audience so it has as high of perceived value as possible?

• Step 3: Scarcity. What elements can I use to get my prospect to act right away, so they don't procrastinate on the order?

• Step 4: Story. How can I present my sales argument in the most engaging way possible, to keep my reader's attention through the whole letter?

• Step 5: Benefits. What are all the things my product does, and how will they increase my prospect's pleasure and decrease their pain?

• Step 6: Proof. How can I validate the claims I make in my letter so my reader will believe what I say?

• Step 7: Hook. What can I do to make my ad impossible to NOT read?

• Step 8: Writing the Copy. How can I combine the answers I came up with in the 7 steps above to create the most compelling sales letter in the least amount of time?

• Step 9: Final Draft. What are the quick edits I can make to polish my copy before I put it out there in public?

That's it. Those 9 steps above hit on everything required in order for your copy to sell. Within each of those 9 steps there are specific exercises you can perform that will help you best answer the questions presented in each of those 9 steps.

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Now that you know what the system look likes, let's get into each step more in depth.

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Step 1: Research

Fears, Frustrations & Anger

People are more desperate to avoid pain than they are to gain pleasure. The biggest mistake rookie copywriters make is they over-focus on all the great things the product adds to your life, instead of all the great pains it takes away from your life.

Here's how to make sure you never make that mistake in your copy.

The very first thing you want to research in your niche is PAIN. What are the dominant PAINS your prospects experience and are desperately seeking relief from?

Specifically, we want to know:

What are their top three “fear causing” pains?

What are their top three “frustration causing” pains?

What are their top three “anger causing” pains?

Now, there are two ways to do this research quickly. The first way is to already know your market. For example, I've written a ton of copy in the internet marketing niche. I never have to research my prospects. I know their fears, frustrations and angers intimately, because I've been where they've been.

However, if you're writing to a market that you don't know, there are is another quick way to do your research.

Just use three resources: forums, competitor copy and testimonials on your competitor's sales page.

That's it. You don't need to do any other research for “good enough” copy. In reality, if you can locate a good forum, then that is all you need.

So I start at the forums. I do a Google search and see what comes up. Then, I find the most active forum, and I start going through the recent posts made.

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Anytime I come across a post or a thread talking about a frustration, I copy it and paste it into my “information & thought organizer” worksheet (I've included this in the system).

Anytime I come across someone or something that makes the people in that forum angry, I copy and paste it into the appropriate section in my worksheet.

And I do the same for what causes them fear. Spotting fear is a little trickier, because people won't come out and say what they're scared of usually. But after a few days of reading between the lines, you'll be able to spot their fears a mile away.

When you find one, paste it in the appropriate spot on your worksheet.

I like to set a time limit for research. Otherwise, I tend to spend longer than I need. Once I have found a good forum and a couple of good sales pages in that niche, I'll set a timer for 30 or 45 minutes.

Then, I'll go through the forum and sales pages to get ideas of fears, frustrations and pains. No matter what I come up with, when the timer is up, I'm done and that's what I work with.

Of course, if I come up with everything I need before the timer rings, then I stop and move onto the next part of step one.

Ranking Your Research

Now go back to every fear, anger and frustration you found and put them in order of importance, in terms of what would cause them to take action. For example, a major fear is more likely to get someone to take action then a minor frustration.

When you're done, take your three biggest fears, frustrations and angers and list them out, so you can reference them whenever needed. This is what you're going to write most of your copy around, aim your benfits at, create your story from, and so forth.

Once you've done this, it's time for the last part of step one.

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The Ideal Solution

People don't buy products, they buy outcomes. They only purchase a product because they think it will help them achieve the outcome they most desire.

To understand this, I want you to do this: think about the time when you were happiest. When did everything seem to “go right” for you? When were you most alive? When did you feel like you were on top of the world?

Did you think of something? If you did, then the memory you conjured up was a “mental picture”. We think in pictures.

Here's why that's important: a large majority of the audience you're going to write your copy for are visualizing a certain solution in their mind to give them all the pleasure they desire and to relieve them of all the pain they are currently experiencing.

One of the best ways to sell someone something is to be able to paint out the exact picture they are picturing in their mind, in words, right on your sales page.

Even better: what if you write out that exact mental picture, right in your copy, as the result they can experience when they purchase your product? That's how to write persuasive ads.

So the last part in step one is to sit down and complete the statement below:

“Here is what I anticipate the ideal picture you make in your mind to be when you desperately dream of a solution to the problem you're currently having:”

At the very least, having the answer to this question to be able to reference whenever you need to will keep you on target as you write your copy. At best, the answer you write here will be copy and pasted, word for word, right into your sales letter.

More times than not, that's how I do it.

Step 1 Conclusion

To complete step one, you need to complete the following statements:

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1.Here is what I anticipate to be your biggest frustrations:

2.Here is what I anticipate to be your biggest fears:

3. Here is what I anticipate causes you the most amount of anger:

4.Here is what I anticipate the ideal picture you make in your mind to be when you desperately dream of a solution to the problem you're currently having:

Once you have done that, it's time to move onto step 2.

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Step 2: OfferDoing the research allows you to know exactly what your prospects want.

Now if you can create an offer that will give them exactly that, and make them feel that they are getting it for a bargain, then you could have a 13 year Peruvian girl write your copy for you and it will still pull.

I spend far more time on developing my offer than I do on writing my copy. If I had 10 hours to write the copy, I'd spend 8 working on the product itself to enhance its value, and then in the final two hours I'd bang out the copy.

Let me give you an example. Let's say you came to me with an ebook called “How to Kick Almost Anyone's Ass in Less Than 10 Seconds”. You want to sell it for $27, and you want me to write the ad for you and I have 5 days to do the copy.

Well, instead of trying to write the copy at all, I'd spend more time convincing you to enhance your offer. I'd say: “Look, ebooks don't have much perceived value. So why don't we do this. First, we simply record you reading the ebook, so now you have an ebook and an audio book. Then, we shoot some quick videos covering the major key points of each chapter, so now we have a video product as well. Finally, we create a “quick start guide” some worksheets, and come up with three bonuses where we interview different kung fu masters, and then sell all that for $27”.

Think about it. How long does it take to turn your ebook into an audio book? I've done it less than 24 hours. Even better is to create the video course, and then just export the audio from it as an MP3, and there's your audio portion automatically taken care of.

The videos themselves are simple. You don't need full motion video. Just a screen capture of you going over the content is good enough. And it's a better way to teach your information anyway.

The worksheets? You can create those in an hour or two. Same with the quick start guide. The interviews could be lined up quickly if you knew who to contact, and then you could record right over the phone!

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So now I'm writing copy for “The Ultimate Combat System” and not some boring ebook.

Put me up against any copywriter in the world... I don't care if it's Gary Benceivenga himself! Give him 2 weeks, and have him write the ad for the $27 ebook.

Then give me two weeks. During that time, I'll create the videos, the audio product, the worksheets, the quick start guide, and the interviews, and on the last day I'll quickly knock out the copy, and I'll sell the course for $27.

I'd be willing to bet you a large amount of money that my copy would pull better than Bencievenga's or any other world class copywriter on the planet. No, my copy wouldn't “flow” as well. No, it wouldn't be as pretty. Yes, it would have typos in it and other structural errors.

But it'd pull better.

Why?

BECAUSE THE OFFER IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE COPY!

Now here's the kicker: the above example just hit on two of the four elements of the offer -- “what they get” and “bonuses”. If you juice up all 4 elements of the offer, you'll create something even more powerful.

The 4 Elements of an Offer

1. What They Get

2. Price Justification

3. Risk Reversal

4. Bonuses

What They Get:There are two main aspects at work here. First, exactly what products

and services are you going to offer them? Second, how are you going to package those products and services to create the highest perception of value?

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Think of it this way. If you sell an information product, what are the various ways you can deliver that information? Even if the information is exactly the same, you'll pay more for it in some forms than in others.

That's what we mean by “highest perception of value”. You want to make your offer in the form where you basically give them what you planned on giving them, but packaged it in a way that it has the most value.

The easy way to do this is to run down a check list of all the different “packaging options” available.

Let's use an ebook for example. If my initial offer was an ebook, I'd run down my check list and ask myself:

• Can I create an audio download or Audio CD of this product, or related to this product?

• Can I create a video download or a DVD of this product, or related to this product?

• Can I create additional worksheets, checklists or spreadsheets of the information contained in my product to boost its value?

• Can I create a free forum where all my customers can offer each other additional support related to my product?

• Can I create a quick start guide so they can use a portion of my product and get results right away?

• Can I create a list of free resources that are related to this product, that can enhance this product?

• Can I do a teleseminar/webinar about a certain aspect of this product that would dramatically increase its value?

• Can I create templates, or other “done for you” material that will help my clients better use my product, or get quicker results?

• Can I create a free membership resource that compliments my product?

• Can I offer additional support, coaching or training?

• etc.

If you watch the videos, you'll see me go through a list of 18 different things I consider when constructing every offer I make.

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Ideally, you'll want to be conceptualizing all this before you even begin to make your product. But the fact remains – some of the things on the above list can be used to enhance the value of your product dramatically... and a lot of those things don't take much additional time, money or effort to do.

And notice that none of it has anything to do with writing copy?

Price JustificationPart one of step two was to find ways to maximize the value. For price

justification, your main focus is on minimizing price.

If you can make the value seem as high as possible, and the price seem as low as possible, you're going to really have a killer sales letter on your hands.

There are several ways to minimize the price to make it look so tiny compared to the value they get.

My favorite ways is “Selling dollars at a discount”.

With this technique, you show them that whatever they pay today will cause them to make far more in return... and make it back quickly. Think of it like this: If I showed you a way to make $10 instantly, and I only charged you $5 to show it to you, would you pay me?

Of course you would! You have no problem paying me $5 if you're absolutely certain that doing so will allow you to get $10 in return.

In fact, I used “selling dollars at a discount” to justify the price I charged for this very course which your purchased. On the next page you'll see the exact copy I used in my sales letter:

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“Let's say you're lazy and only put 10% of what I teach you to use. Well, I guarantee that even with minimal effort, you'll at least be able to cut your ad writing time in half.

And let's also say it took you 10 hours to write your last ad. And that ad didn't do so good and you only made $200 total. When the dust had settled, you realized you made $20 an hour.

Now, using my system, you're able to cut your ad writing time in half. So even if you did the same $200 measly bucks on your next ad, at least it only took you 5 hours to do it. So this time you made $40 an hour.

In other words, you made back more than you invested today...In Less Than an Hour!

But we're not even being realistic.

We're assuming your response rate doesn't improve. Even with a half assed attempt at using my system, I can guarantee your response will improve (more about this in sec).

So not only should it cut your ad writing time in half, it should also double your response. In reality, you should go from making $200 bucks in 10 hours to $400 in 5 hours. Instead of working for $20 an hour, you're now doing $80 an hour.

$80 an hour is $1.33 a minute. So even if you cut corners, it should still only take you 12.78 minutes to make your money back from this system.

And that's using conservative numbers. Imagine how much more money you could make if you really mastered the system.”

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As you see, I show you that if you even half-attempt to use my system, you should be able to get your money back in, at most, 13 minutes after your purchase! Didn't that make the price seem like practically nothing?

That's the first way to justify your price to make it seem so small compared to the value your prospect will get.

A second technique for price justification is “if you did it on your own”. In this case, you show them all the trouble, headache, money and time it would take them if they discovered what you're about to show them on their own, like you had to.

Think of it this way. You could spend 12 years cracking a combo to a safe. But what if I already knew the combo, and for a small part of the money in the safe, I'd give it to you.

What would you rather do? Spend all that time trying to figure out the combo yourself, or just ask me for it and pay me my small cut?

That's the approach “if you did it on your own” takes to justify price. All you have to do to make this technique work for you is to explain all the costs in both time and money it took you to develop the solution they are so desperate for, and how you're giving them all the shortcuts for a fraction of the price it cost you to learn them.

That''s a great way to make them feel like they are getting a deal.

A third technique to minimize price is a “reason why you settled”. To understand this technique, you have to know a bit about buyer psychology. Despite what you might think, people very seldom by on price. Price is a poor tool to persuade someone.

There are a number of reasons this is true, but the main reason is people don't like to think of themselves as “cheap”. A low price can have that effect on them. Typically low price is synonymous with inferior value.

People are more inclined to make purchases because they think they are getting an incredible deal more than they will on price. Let me prove it to you. I'm willing to bet a dime to a dollar that at some point in your life you found yourself at a flea market, yard sale or clearance sell buying junk that you ended up never using.

The main motivation for buying that junk was simply because it was such a low price. You couldn't pass up a great deal... even if it was for something you didn't need!

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However, you pass up low prices everyday, because they are usually low for a reason.

To really get people into a buying frenzy, there is a specific atmosphere you can create to make them think they are “getting a deal”.

To do that, you have to justify why your price is lower than it should be. If not, then people will equate your low price with inferior quality. That's why this technique is called “reason why you settled”.

It works like this: You explain that the price you're charging is way below market value, and far less than what you should charge. However, there is a specific reason you're dong this. Then, all you have to do is come up with that reason and you can put this technique to use.

Here again is another example right off of the sales page to this course:

Why Are Your Charging So Little For All This?

Are Your Crazy?

No I'm not.

Actually the reason I'm keeping the price low is simple -- In a few months I am planning on holding a high ticket seminar. The price is going to be $2,000 or more to attend.

To sell tickets to that event, I'm going to need a lot of satisfied people!

So if you put this copywriting system to work for you, and get hundreds of times the value out of it, it'll be much easier to get you to consider coming to one of my seminars a few months down the road.

I “settled” on a lower price because I'm hoping if you bought and enjoyed the product, you'd be more likely to come to a more expensive seminar later.

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Here is another example of this technique I used in the copy I wrote for my product “How to Create an Info Product In Under 48 Hours”

Even with all this value, I'm still not going to charge an arm and a leg for it. In fact, I'll make you a deal...

Right now, I'm only going to charge a measly $27 for this report. I know it's a tad absurd to charge this little for my system, because you should be able to make that money back in less than three days just by following the instructions in the report.

There is only one reason I'm offering it at such a low price -- I want you to become my customer for life.

If I can show you how to make a ton of money with just a simple report, and you go out and do it, how much more likely are you to want to buy more products from me in the future?

Very likely.

It's pretty much the same reason why. You're getting my product at a price that is significantly less than what it should be, and the reason is because I want to “hook you” so you become my customer for life.

This is a simple technique for making you feel like you're getting an incredible deal! Do this in your copy, and you'll increase its persuasion power.

A fourth technique for minimizing price is “price vs. cost”.

So let's say you sell a course for $97, and you know there are other courses out there for $27. However, can you demonstrate how you're course is more “complete” than the other? If so, you can justify that they're only likely to pay the $97 fee once to get your product. However, if your prospect bought something cheaper, in the long run it may not give them what the want, and therefore they'll end up having to make additional purchases anyway.

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So while the price was cheaper, the overall cost was greater. Plus it may have cost them in other ways. Let me give you an example you can appreciate. Let's say you went with the wrong merchant provider, and they ended up charging you 3% more per credit card order than another reliable merchant provider would have.

Now let's say the only reason you went with the more expensive merchant provider was because you purchased an inferior ebook that recommended that merchant provider. So the inferior product may have been cheaper upfront, but the information provided in it ended up costing you a lot more in the long run, because it wasn't GOOD information.

Do you see the difference between price in cost? You can use this tactic to address the price of your product.

To really understand this technique, remember this line: “price is something you pay only once, but cost is something you'll have to worry about for the life of the product”.

If you buy a pair of cheap sneakers for the price of $40 and they only last 2 months before they fall apart, then it cost you $20 a month.

However, if you buy a pair of good sneakers for the price of $80, but they last you a year, then it cost you $6.67 a month.

So what was the better deal? You ended up costing you less in the end for the more expensive pair of sneakers!

A fifth technique for minimizing price is “reducing the expense”. Here you reduce the price down to something insignificant. Your product isn't $30 a month, it's $1 a day. It's not one payment of $100, it's 5 payments of $20.

A sixth technique is the “price, quality and service” price justification method. Basically, we all want to buy the highest quality product with the best customer service at the lowest price. But have you really ever found such a product that exists? I haven't. In fact, nobody can offer all three.

However, when it comes to your long-term happiness, what would you rather give up – high quality, excellent service, or the lowest fee?

I don't think you'll find many people will say “I don't care if the product sucks and the customer service is poor as long as I get it at the cheapest price!” And if they do, they're not the kind of customer you want.

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So use the “price, quality and service” close to show them that in the long run, it's better to pay a little more than you planned instead of a little less than you should've.

Another technique is “apples to oranges”. The trick here is to compare it to another product that has higher perceived value. It's not an mp3, it's a “digital seminar”. It's not skin cream, it's a “face lift in a jar”. You pay high dollar for seminars and face lifts. You pay low dollar for audio recordings and skin cream.

Another method is “selling the bulk”. Here you break down the different elements of the product and assign each their own value. Then add the value up, and show that it is far more than what you're charging for the product as a whole. People assume that buying in bulk gives them a discount. Play into this perception by accenting the “bulk” of your product, to help them think that they are getting a discount because of it.

Use any of the techniques above that best compliment your offer. Often I will use two or three in combination with each other. Pretty soon, if you practice enough, you'll know these techniques by heart... and you'll automatically know how to present price in such a way that it seems so tiny compared to the value you're offering them.

Risk Reversal

Okay, here's what I find so funny about writing copy. I've spent all this effort building up the value of my product... then I spent all this additional effort explaining why my price was such a bargain...

Only to now tell you that none of that matters anyway! Why? Because there is absolutely no risk for buying my product anyway – that's because you can simply return it, no-questions asked and get a full refund if you're unsatisfied!

You should always offer a super-strong guarantee. At the very least, it should be a “30 day no questions asked money back guarantee”. First of all, if people want a refund, they're going to get one regardless of your policy. So you might as well use it as a selling point. Second, if you can create a strong enough guarantee that shows you assume ALL the risk, and they assume none, then it makes purchasing your product a no brainer.

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In some instances, I like to offer two guarantees – an unconditional one, and an aggressive conditional one. The unconditional guarantee is used to suck anyone in who is remotely interested.

The conditional guarantee is used to knock those off who are still on the fence, and who are skeptical. My favorite one is to put my own money online. For example, for my product on “How to Create An Info Product In Under 48 Hours” (http://www.48hourreport.com), my conditional guarantee was along these lines:

If you can show me one product you created using my method in the next 60 days, and it doesn't make any sales, then I will pay you $100 out of my own pocket

This is gutsy and that's why it works. And if you read the rest of the copy, you'll notice I also have an unconditional guarantee as well. The idea is that there is absolutely no risk for you to purchase my product.

A great offer with high perceived value and price justification coupled with a strong, bold guarantee is going to give you the majority of your success with your copy.

There is one final way to enhance the perceived value of your offer.

Bonuses

After you've created your product, it's really simple to go back through it and find ways to enhance certain portions of your product. Since you've spent the time developing it, what's the big deal about quickly writing an extra 8-10 page report that compliments your product? That'd be a perfect bonus to offer!

Here is my bonus checklist I go through to see what the best and easiest bonuses I can create to enhance the value of my offer:

• Is there an expert I can call and do a teleseminar with, and include it as a bonus?

• Is there a PLR product I can use or a product I can get a license to that I can add as a bonus?

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• Is there another one of my products that I can include with this one for free? Or, can I give them a month or two of free access to my membership site?

• Can I offer extended or additional customer support in any way?

• What additional training can I provide?

• Is there software I can purchase or create that will optimize the processes in my information product?

• Can I offer free email consultation or call in days?

• Can I offer product updates for free or at a reduced cost?

• Is there anything else I can use as a bonus to really make purchasing my product a no-brainer?

A final word about bonuses – sometimes you can take it too far. I have usually found offering three bonuses is optimal. If I offer more than three, it seems to decrease sales.

The Offer: Putting it All Together

All you have to do to come up with an irresistible offer is to fill in the blanks to these four statements:

Here is everything I'm going to give you:

Here's the price I'm going to charge, and here's why it's so little compared to the value you get:

Here's why you have absolutely nothing to risk if you order my product:

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Here are the bonuses I'm going to throw in to make purchasing my product a no-brainer:

Complete those and you'll have your offer. Then, as you're writing your sales letter, when it comes time to present your offer, you can just copy and paste from this section in your worksheet.

After you've came up with your offer, it's time to move onto step 3.

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Step 3: ScarcityScarcity gets a bad rap. Actually, I look at scarcity as a good thing and

here's why. People are hardwired to procrastinate, even when presented with an excellent opportunity.

If you truly have an incredible product to share with the world, and you don't create a sense of urgency for that product, then the people who need it most and could benefit most from it won't purchase it!

No one wins here.

Why does scarcity, when used properly, work so well? Let's look at a potential real world scenario. Bob has landed on your sales page and your copy has sucked him in. You have a killer offer that promises to relieve Bob of all the pains he's experiencing, and give him that solution he's been picturing in him mind.

The price is right. The proof is there. Everything is required to get the order. But Bob doesn't order. Why not?

Could be a number of reasons. Maybe the kids are crying in the background and Bob decides he should go quiet them done and give them some attention. Since you've created no sense of urgency, Bob reasons that he can come back later and order your product, when he has the time.

Yeah right! The chances of Bob doing this are slim. You probably lost your sale.

Other reasons why Bob wouldn't buy: he had to cut the grass, organize the garage and shave his beard off. Since he has so much to do, he reasons that he wouldn't have time to even use your product yet. So when he gets that stuff done, then he'll come back later and order your product.

Yeah right! The chances of Bob doing this are slim. You probably lost your sale.

There are a million reasons that Bob might not take you up on your offer, even if he believes your claims, even if it is perfectly matched to what he desires most, and even if the price is right and your copy is engaging, and easy to read and follow along to.

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You don't have to even to know the reasons, you just have to know this: It's easier to do nothing than something. Bob has two options when he gets on your sales page. Order from you (do something) or not order from you (do nothing).

So you're already at a disadvantage, since people by nature tend to put things off, even things in their best interest.

The best way to overcome this deficit is to use scarcity! By creating a sense of urgency, you'll increase your sales.

Let's go back to Bob. Now the kids are crying in the background, the trash has piled up in the garage, his beard is unkept, the phone is ringing in the background and the grass needs cuts and here you are trying to get him to buy your product.

And this time Bob does. Why? Well, he quickly discovered that if he didn't buy your product now, he might not be able to, because soon you were taking it off the market, and he'd miss out. Thus, ordering from you had a higher priority than answering the phone, cutting the grass, trimming the beard, consoling the crying children and the millions of other distractions Bob faces on a daily basis.

Remember earlier when we discussed pain being a greater motivation than pleasure? People want to avoid pain more than they want to enjoy pleasure.

What is scarcity!? It is pain: specifically, the fear of loss. You want your prospects to feel pain if they consider NOT buying your product, and scarcity is the best way to do this.

However, you have to use scarcity properly for it work. We'll discuss exactly how to use scarcity in a bit. First, let's go over the two different types of scarcity, and the numerous ways you can use each type.

Time Based Scarcity

The first type of scarcity is based on time. In other words, if they don't act within a certain amount of time you lose something.

Here are the thing I consider when I'm coming up with time based scarcity:

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This offer (or part of the offer) will only be available until “such and such” date

This bonus (or part of the bonus) will only be available until “such and such” date

This low price will only be available until “such and such date”

This special guarantee will only be extended until “such and such date”

Let's say you're running a special deal on a product because you're celebrating your honeymoon. So here's how you might handle it: “This product normally goes for $67. However, since I just got married and am leaving soon for my honey moon, I'm going to give you a special 'honey moon' price of $47. However, this is a limited time only offer. Once I get back from my honey moon on September 15th, then the price goes back up to normal. That means you only have a few shorts day to get in off this offer.”

Quantity Based Scarcity

The second type of scarcity is based more on a set number than a set time. Here's what I consider when using quantity based scarcity:

This offer (or part of the offer) will only be available until “X amount” are sold

This bonus (or part of the bonus) will only be available until “X amount” are sold

This low price will only be available until “X amount” are sold

This special guarantee will only be extended until “X amount” are sold

Let's say you're selling a product on dog grooming. One day you come across a killer report on “7 dog tricks your pet can learn in a single day”. You love this report, and you contact the person who created it, and ask him if you can use it as a bonus for your product on dog grooming.

He says sure, but he doesn't want to give that bonus away to everyone, because he plans on doing something with it one day. So you negotiate with

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him, and you guys work out that it will be a special bonus available only to the first 100 people who buy your dog grooming product.

This is quantity based scarcity on the bonus. In this case, the prospect misses out on a killer bonus if they delay their purchasing decision.

The Proper Way to Use Scarcity

There is only one way scarcity will work – it has to be believable. You can't just used scarcity for its own sake. You have to come up with a reason why you're using scarcity that you feel will be acceptable to your prospects.

I gave you two reasons why above. One was centered around a special event, and the other was centered around a factor that was out of your control. That's why those two examples would work.

The best type of scarcity is built in scarcity. This is where you don't have to come up with scarcity because it already exists. Those are the situations you want to seek out. However, the next best step is to engineer situations that require scarcity.

Let me give you some examples so you can see how to make your scarcity believable:

1. Testing Demand – Look, even though I think this product is great, I'm not sure how much demand there is for it. I am testing it now to see if it's worth my time to really promote this product. So if demand isn't great, then I'm pulling this product forever. However, if demand is good, then I'm raising the price. So if you don't act now, you might have to pay more later, or you might not be able to get this product at all!

2. Generating Feedback – This is the “beta” version of the my product. I'm releasing this now to get user feedback, which I will then incorporate into the “alpha” version of the product. Of course, when I make these changes, I'm going to raise the price. However, if you act today, not only will you get it at the lowest price, you'll get all future updates for free!

3. Only So Many Were Made – I have a special DVD bonus I'm going to through in to sweeten the offer up. However, I only have 137 of these

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left, and I don't plan on repressing this DVD anytime soon. So act today to guarantee that you don't miss out on this bonus.

4. Special Occasion – My daughter was just born and I feel great. And I want my customers to share in on my joy, so for a limited time, here is a special offer: if you buy two of my products, you get the third one free. Since this is such a great deal, I can't offer it forever. So this offer will expire at the end of the month.

5. Collecting Testimonials – The best way I know to sell this product is to get unbiased reviews from folks such as your self. So in an effort to do just that, I'm going to extend to the special “prelaunch” price of $37. When I get enough testimonials, then I'm going to take this product off the market, and get ready to launch it to the public. And when I do, the price is going to go up, since I'll have testimonials to show so people will have no doubt that my product does everything I say in this ad. So as soon as I get this testimonials, the product will go off the market for weeks or a month, and then come back at a higher price. If you don't want to have to wait for months and end up paying more, then order today!

6. Damaged Goods – The DVD packages were damaged during shipping. The DVDs themselves all play (I checked them), but the packages got ruined. So I've simply put them in CD cases. In total, 37 packages were damaged. So I'm selling these 37 packages at $107 off the actual price of the course. If you don't care about the packaging and just want the content, then you should order one of these today. However, I anticipate these going quickly, so don't delay or you might miss out on this deal!

7. Limited Resources – If you act today, you get this special bonus: a free, half hour consultation with me. However, I am only have a limited amount of time to devote to this bonus, so once I get booked up, this bonus will be taken off the sales page. If you don't want to miss out on this free, limited time bonus, then order right now.

8. Won't Work As Well – This product is killer, but I have to admit something to you. The more people that use the techniques in this product, the less effective it will become. That's why I'm only going to sell this to 150 people, and then it will be pulled from the market forever. So if you want to be one of those 150 people, you better act right now!

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9. Passing on the Deal – The printer owed me a big favor, so he agreed to run these books at cost, so I saved over 50% on production fees. Since I got a deal, I'm going to pass it off on you. However, he only agreed to run the first 500 books at cost, and then it's back up to the normal price. So when these 500 books are sold, the price will go up.

10. Reward Action – I like to be around action taker, because in my experience, those are the people that succeed. Therefore, I like to reward action takers and do business mostly with them. Since I like to encourage people to take action, I've took action myself and created three special “fast action” bonuses. These are going to be available to the early birds who purchase within the next 7 days, or until 100 copies are sold... whichever comes first!

11. The Honest Truth – Look, I know if you get my product in your hands and put it to use it could change your life. I also know that if you're like most people, you procrastinate. I find myself procrastinating all the time, and have missed out on a lot of great opportunities because of it. I don't want that to happen to you. In order to really compel you to take action today, I''ve created some special time limited bonuses. Here they are...

What I've given you above are 11 techniques, and one specific example for each of those techniques. Of course, there are several different ways to use the above techniques, and I encourage you to come up with your own ideas based off the examples above.

Also, I'd recommend you start assembling a “scarcity” swipe file. Scarcity with a good reason why is, without a doubt, the biggest motivator to get people to purchase your offer. So it'd be wise to master the use of believable scarcity.

When completing step three, this is what you have to answer:

Here is what you'll miss out on if you don't buy from me immediately, and here is why it's in your best interest to purchase from me immediately:

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Step 4: StoryIt's important that you use stories in your copy. It helps keep the readers

attention, and is a perfect way to build your case, explain the benefits and make them want what you offer.

Consider this – what's easier to remember, an engaging story or a list of facts? Your prospect will be able to better internalize the information you present in your sales letter if you encapsulate it all with a story.

The cool thing is, I have systematized a process that allows me to come up with a story really quickly.

It goes like this:

• I was once like you...

• I was experiencing the same pains, fears and feelings of frustration that you were and I was desperately searching for the solution you now find yourself looking for...

• My desire led me down this path...

• Which allowed me to find THIS solution...

• That I've now decided to share with you!

What an awesome story! And if you do it right, it works like gangbusters. Basically, you're starting at where the prospect currently is, and then you're taking them through a journey which ends with them being where they so desperately want to be!

I Was Once Like You...

When I first started in internet marketing, I desperately wanted to create a sales letter that would make profits. The only problem was, even though I had good information and word class instruction.. I still couldn't even finish a sales letter... much less create a winner!

I Experienced The Feelings You Now Experience...

I can't tell you how many sales letters that I started that I never finished. This not only made me incredibly frustrated, but it actually made me mad at myself. I knew I was capable of doing it, but I just couldn't figure out how to organize all the information, and present it in a persuasive fashion.

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Not to mention, I was getting a lot of contradicting information. One guru would tell that you should always end your sales letter with a P.S. that was restating the offer. Then I'd go to another guru's sales page, and he wouldn't even include a P.S. in his letters at all!

Nothing was making sense. I decided that the current information out there about copywriting just wasn't going to give me the answers I was desperately seeking. So I decided to figure it out for myself...

My Desires Let Me Down This Path...

As I struggled to earn a living online, I found myself being pushed up against a wall. The credit card debt was piling. The disgusted looks my friends and family would shoot my way were increasing... and frankly I spent a lot of nights staring at the ceiling, wide awake and afraid.

I knew there had to be an easier way. Then one day I thought to myself – if I could just force myself to sit down and write a sales letter in one sitting.. just hitting the most important things that I knew would help increase my chances of making sales.. and just throw it out there to see what happens...

Which Allowed Me to Discovered This Solution...

Maybe that would give me the insight I needed. And it did!

When I actually sat down to write the letter with this new mind state, I started realizing that my head was full of esoteric copywriting knowledge that I really didn't even need to worry about.

As I begin to write, I understood that as long as I covered the basics and fundamentals... and didn't get fancy... then I at least had a shot to write something that would make me money.

Then, out of nowhere I had a blinding insight of brilliance – if I wasn't that good of copywriter, why don't I just stack the deck in my favor? Why don't I just really pile on the value, and then make the price seem insignificant.

With a ton of value, I could make a lot of copywriting mistakes and my product would still sell. And what I came to discover is that once I had a sales letter out there, it was super easy to go back and fix it up and make it really shine!

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That I've Now Decided to Share with You!

With this shift in thinking, I begin to crank out sales letters almost effortlessly – and what I found was that they were all winners, usually pulling 3% or more!

As I continued to do it, I got better and better at the process until I eventually built a system. Let me tell you what it's all about...

What you've read above is the story of how this product came to be. I literally wrote the whole story in less than three minutes. Of course, I dressed it up a little and dramatized it when I took it out in public, but that was only after I sat down and wrote the story above.

But even the three measly minutes of effort I spent, just using my step by step story telling process, was good enough to create a pretty compelling story.

The fact is EVERY product has a story behind it. And that story is equally as important as the product. Just follow my guidelines, and answer the question on the story portion of your worksheet to write your own story.

Here are the statements you need to complete for this step:

Here was where I was at before I discovered my magic solution:

Here are all the bad things that happened to me before I found the magic solution:

My desperate attempt to find a solution led me down this path:

Here's how I finally did find that solution:

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And here is the reason I am now going to share that solution with you:

When you're done, you'll have finished story. Now you can polish it up a bit before putting it out there, or just copy and paste it as is, if it's good enough.

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Step 5: BenefitsBenefits are what you use to explain everything your offer does to bring

pleasure to your prospect, and everything it does to alleviate the pains, fears and frustrations your prospect is facing.

There are two ways to use benefits. The first way is to come straight out and say what you product can do for them. The second way is to present “blind benefits”. This is done with bullet points. Here, you promise them a benefit, but you don't tell them how to get that benefit. To learn that, they'll have to buy your product.

Here's how to use benefits both straight up and blindly.

The first thing you need to do is create a benefit list to draw ideas from. This is accomplished by sitting down and listing out every single thing you can think about what your product represents, and what it does.

For example, you might come up with a list like this:

1. my product shows how to grow bigger tomatoes

2. it shows how to stop weeds from growing in your garden

3. it explains which pesticides to use and avoid

4. it comes with a “quick reference guide”

5. etc.

6. etc.

Come up with a list of at least 50 things your product is or does. If it comes to you easily, keep going until you lose steam. Sometimes I come up with 200 or 300 things before I move onto the next part.

The next part is taking your list, and for each item on that list, asking this question: “But how will that transform my prospects life?”

For examples, “growing bigger tomatoes” might transform your prospects life because it will allow them be able to share their healthy treats

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with their neighbors, create amazing sauces and meals and saving money so they spend less for their gardening hobbies.

So for each item on your list, contemplate all of the ways that item can transform your prospects life. Once you have a massive list of ways your product can transform someone's life, then it's time to move onto the next part.

In this part, you go through each “transformation item”, and ask this question: “What will happen once my prospect's life is transformed by this?”

For example, “saving money in the garden” means being able to put that aside for retirement or their children's education. Even if they only saved $100 every year, and invested it and got 10% compound interest, that's a pretty good next egg!

Also, “being able to share more tomatoes with your neighbors” means you will enhance the relationship you have with others. I have discovered you're usually only as happy as the five people your closest too, so the easiest way to improve the quality of your life is to make the people near you happier!

See how I took something as mundane as growing tomatoes and made it sound like the ultimate key to happiness? Do you think that would help sell my product on growing bigger tomatoes quicker? You bet it would!

Once you are done with answering the last question, “what will happen once my prospect's life is transformed by this” then you'll have a huge list of benefits. Some benefits you'll get from the second part of this step, and some from the last part.

It doesn't matter. What matter is that you pick 30-50 benefits that you think are the absolute best and most believable benefits your product has to offer. And then you make it your goal that the copy you write will contain at least those 30-50 benefits. And if you can squeeze in any more benefits, all the better!

Some of these benefits you can just lace throughout your copy straight up. But some of these benefits you'll want to turn into bullet points.

So here's how you do that. First, you take out the swipe file that was included in this package.

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Then, you go through your 30-50 benefits and rewrite each one based on a random bullet point you pick out of the swipe file. I like to do it like this: randomly grab a bullet point. Scan down my list of benefits. Find a benefit on that list that can easily be based off the random bullet point I grabbed from my swipe file. Then rewrite that item on my list as a bullet point.

Of course, if you do this a few times, you'll get really good at writing bullet points, and then you should be able to do it off the top of your head. So if you don't need to use a swipe file, then don't! Do whatever it takes to quickly crank out killer bullet points.

When you're done, pick your most powerful bullet points and use those in your copy!

To complete this step, you really only need to consider these four things:

Here is everything my solution does:

Here is how those things will transform your life:

Here's what will happen to you when your life is transformed:

And once that happens, then you will also experience:

Once you've answered that question, you'll have a killer list of benefits, which you can twist into bullet points and/or and throughout your copy.

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Step 6: ProofThere are three things required to sell something to someone. First, they

have to want it. Second, they have to be able to afford it. However, even if they want it and can afford it, there is one thing you also need, otherwise they will never buy!

They have to believe you'll deliver on your end of the deal. For that, you need proof!

There are 6 main proof elements I find myself using more than any other. Of course, there are an infinite number of ways to present these proof elements, but you don't really have to take it super far.

But you have to have some sort of proof. Below are the six types of proof elements I use.

Testimonials

I'll often do a pre-launch of my product just to get testimonials for it, before I roll it out at a larger price. If I don't have any testimonials, I'll give it away for free just to generate some!

Now, not all testimonials are equal. Here's the best – a testimonial given by someone who gives you exact and specific results on how they took your information, used it, and got better results because of it.

It is my belief that everyone should have a blog that allows comments, just for the testimonials. Then, you can take snap shots or use video screen captures to show that your testimonials are indeed genuine. That's why I love the warrior forum (warriorforum.com) – you're testimonials are right there in the thread! That's powerful.

Facts & Statistics

These may be statistics generated from your own research, or from your own results. Or they can be from other people who have done research. I simply like to do a google search like this: “keyword +facts”.

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For example, if I was creating a product on self defense, I might type in “burglary facts” to prove that in recent years our home security needs have went up.

Here is an example of how I used facts and statistics to prove I was expert on making money online (facts and stats I've underlined and bolded for easy reference)

My name is Jason Fladlien and within the last 9 months I went from eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and painting houses to making some real money online.

For example, I made $87.06 on the 4th of July. Big deal you say? Well, considering the fact that I did nothing that day but drink beer and set off bottle rockets, I'd say it's a big deal.

It's called passive income. And I average $73.13 a day of it. Everyday. Like clock work.

That's $26,692.45 a Year Doing Nothing!

Do you know what the average median income is in the United States? It's $43,376 a year per household.

In the United States.

Based on my customer records, I know over 30% of my audience is from foreign countries, where the average earned income per year is a lot less.

And keep in mind, I'm a 25 year old live alone bachelor.

Now that's just the passive income that requires no effort. Let's talk about when I'm “actively” trying to make money.

Let's take last night for example. I woke up at 12:26 am. I couldn't sleep because I was thinking about writing this ad you're reading right now. So I got up and decided to “bump” an advertisement I had posted on a message board.

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If you click on the image on the right, you can watch a video documenting proof of this. It shows the fee I paid to bump the ad at 12:30 a.m.

It's now 12:11 pm the next day, and as I show in the video, when I add up all the figures, It comes to a total of $216 for 4 minutes worth of work.

If you watch the video to the end, you'll see that I ended up making $540 that day for those 4 minutes of work. Not including the upsell revenue I made, or the sales generated from my other products (I actually made over $1,000 that day).

Look how many facts I put into that passage above. One statement after the other, each number bigger than the last. Specific times and dates. This is much more believable than “I make a lot of money on the internet”. And if you did read that last passage, you also noticed I referenced a video documenting proof of showing my earnings.

I didn't believe just my claims on their own would be believable. But I knew if I gave something to substantiate those claims, it'd make believability go through the roof. So I used another proof element as well...

Visual Documentation

In the example above, I used video. Specifically, it was a screen capture of me logging into my paypal account, showing the time and date and the sales made during that period of time.

Without a doubt, video is the most compelling type of visual documentation. In another product, I used video to show a behind the scenes look at the download area. This was to show them everything they get, instead of just tell them. This added proof they were getting an incredible deal.

Another way to use video is to convey sincerity. People will believe you if they can look at you and get a good feeling that you're sincere. So I often create a video of me talking right into the camera when I'm trying to really bring home a point in my copy. For example, I almost always create a video

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of me talking about the guarantee to really show I'm sincere about it and stand behind it.

Quotes from Thought Leaders

If I'm selling to entrepreneurs, and I can link my ideas with similar ideas expressed by Donald Trump then I can “borrow” Trump's credibility.

So how can I do this? By quoting something he said in public or publicly. This is fair use. Let's say that the three biggest names in the “panic attack niche” said that the best medicines in 2009 will be certain natural supplements. And let's say you're selling those certain natural supplements. Wouldn't those quotes help prove your case that your product is the best solution for your target audience?

You bet it would. That's why anytime I'm reading something by a thought leader or an industry leader, and it helps strengthen a product I have created, or am thinking about creating, I clip it out and put it in my quotes swipe file.

Valuable Information

If you can write intelligently and coherently on a topic, people will perceive you to have some sort of specialized knowledge about that topic. If you can give them excellent information right in the sales letter itself, then sometimes that is the only proof you need to demonstrate that you're an authority and you know what you're talking about.

In fact, sometimes the best copywriting strategy is to take your best “secret” or strategy in your product, and give that idea away for free right in your sales letter If done right, it'll get people to say -- “wow, if this is the stuff he gives away for free, just think what he'll share with me if I buy his product!”

Perhaps the best use of this tactic I've ever seen in my life was in Gary Halbert's “Water Ad”. You can read that ad here:

http://www.thegaryhalbertletter.com/Newsletters/2005/11-09-05.htm

This is one of my favorite ads of all time. You don't have to be this good, either. Gary spent weeks upon weeks gathering this information. the main reason I showed this to you was to demonstrate how persuasive valuable information can be!

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If I lack other proof elements, sometimes I focus on giving them valuable information. My mind state in this regard is this – give them something of value for reading my sales letter, even if they don't end up buying from me.

Damaging Admission

Sometimes the best way to offer proof that you're credible, is to admit a flaw in your product, or that you personally have. This is a technique I use in every piece of copy I write.

Know this – nothing is the perfect solution. Everything has a drawback. When you bring that drawback right to forefront, and point out the fact that there are flaws, then anything in your product that isn't flawed will now take on more value.

The reason this seems to work is that it is NOT what most advertisers do. So you build credibility because you come across as more authentic. When you're perceived as more authentic, whatever you say is more believable.

Perhaps the strongest proof element is demonstrating in the copy that you're not trying too hard to sell your product. Because if you were, that'd mean you'd resort to all sorts of trickery to get people to buy your stuff.

How to build Proof Elements QuicklyStep 6 is all about assembling all your proof elements. What I like to do

is try to the complete the following six statements below:

Here is the most dramatic pieces of proof I have to support the claims that my product does everything I say it does:

Here is what other people have said about my product:

Here is what people you and I look up to have said, and here's how it supports my claims:

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Here is some little known information that will prove to you that I know far more about what I'm talking about than just about anyone else:

Here's the drawbacks of my product, and here is why those actually aren't anything to worry about:

Here are some demonstrations I can do, or have you do, to validate the claims I have made about what my product does:

You don't have to answer every question. Make sure to come up with the answer to the first one, and if you can easily and readily come up with the rest, then do so. But at the very least, you should never sit down and write your sales letter until you have figured out the most dramatic piece of proof you can offer to make your claims believable, and how you're going to present that proof.

And if you've came up with three or four of these, all the better!

Once you've finished this step, you only have one more. Then after that, it will be time to put together your sales letter.

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Step 7: HookOne of the biggest factors that will determine the success or failure of

your ad is whether or not anybody reads it. The world's best ad is no better than the world's worst ad if no one knows it exists.

So, to get maximum readership from your target audience, you need to create a hook that grabs their attention and gets them reading your ad. Here's how I do it.

After completing steps 1 through 6, I then go through and read each answer I came up with on my worksheet. I try to find the one singular thing that stands at more than any other that can hook my reader into my copy.

Sometimes I find the hook in the offer. If my offer is truly unique, and astonishingly incredible, then that's obviously going to be my main “sales argument”.

If I'm using an extremely unique and intriguing guarantee, then that will be my hook. Sometimes, my hook will come from one of my bullet points that is just truly too irresistible to be left alone.

Other times I'll combine something from one step with another to make a unique hook. This usually works well if the two things normally wouldn't go together, but that I can somehow twist and make fit.

Creating a hook for your copy is extremely valuable, because your hook is what you're going to use to write your headline and open your copy with.

However, it's super easy to come up with a hook if you've answered the questions and did your homework for each of the previous steps. Just read through your worksheet until you find something that just pops out at you and grabs your attention more than any other element.

That's your hook.

Once you got your hook, look at the headline swipe file to get ideas on how to turn that hook into a headline. Try writing your “hook” into several different headlines until you find one that seems to work best. I sometimes write 10-30 headlines, based on my swipe file, until I get something that works.

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Once I've came up with my hook, and wrote my headline based off of it, it's time to move onto the next step.

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Step 8: Writing the Copy

Okay, so if you've made it to this point, here's just some of what you've got.

• A crushing offer that has high perceived value, minimizes price, takes the risk out of purchasing and comes with some killer bonuses

• A great story that humanizes your copy and allows your reader to follow along and take everything in very easily

• A whole bunch of benefits that demonstrate advantages and bullet points that tease the heck out of your reader

• An idea of how you're going to use scarcity to get them to take action and buy from you as soon as possible

• A bunch of proof elements organized and ready to deploy to back up your claims

• A hook that you've discovered by pouring over the information you've compiled in your worksheet, and finding that one big idea that stands out above all else, which you've now turned into a headline

What's left? Figuring out how to take all that information and organize it into a killer sales letter. Here's how that's done.

First, you take your headline, which you created from your hook. You copy and paste that into the file you're using to write your sales letter. Then, you start writing your opening paragraph. Here's how you do that: you just expand on your headline to explain it more, and you promise the reader a large benefit for reading on!

What do you do next? Simple. You scan down your worksheet which you used to answer all the questions I included in each step, and you find the best piece in that worksheet that would go well with your opener. You then copy and paste it into the file you're writing your sales letter in.

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Then, you just go back to your worksheet, and find the next piece of information that seems to fit smoothly into the ad, and you copy and paste that in there.

You continue to do this until you've used up everything you've came up with in your worksheet that you think will help you sell your product.

Then, after that, you just write up an order form and ask for the order. For this, just find a good order form from an online sales letter you like, and model your it for your own. You can look at my order forms in the resource section to get ideas if you'd like.

When you're done, you'll have your first draft finished.

Now, you only have one more step left!

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Step 9: The Final DraftThe first draft is mostly about taking all the information you've

organized, and strategically laying it out so you have an idea of where you're going to show proof at, where you'll use scarcity at, when you'll present the offer and bonuses, and what they will be, and so forth.

Your final draft is just about smoothing out the transitions, cleaning up any rough spots, getting rid of any extra or unnecessary wording, and adding some final zing to your copy.

Sometimes, your first draft is your final draft. On more than one occasion I was so happy with my results that all I did was proof read my first draft, make some minor grammatical changes, and then called it good.

The most important thing to look over, when going over your final draft it make sure you use “reason why”. This means anytime you do something unusual or out of the ordinary, you have to give a reason for doing it. Your price is low... what's the reason why? You're giving all these bonuses... What's the reason why? Something is scarce... what's the reason why? And so forth.

So make sure you didn't leave out any reasons why to explain why you are doing things that are “out of the ordinary”.

The second thing you want to do is simply eliminate any extra or unnecessary words, so your copy is smooth. Replace “the fact of the matter is” with “the fact is”. Look at every time you use “that”. Most thats can be eliminated.

Also, look at your adjectives. Sometimes it's better to use a stronger verb than an “adjective + verb”. Let me show you what I mean: “He was very much liked”. The adjective here is “very”. The verb is “liked”. However, a better sentence is “he was loved”. The reason why you needed the adjective in the first sentence was because the verb was weak.

More times than not you can replace adjectives by simply changing the verb into something more descriptive. I prefer descriptive verbs over adjectives.

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However, don't go crazy with this. The rule is this: as you read over your copy, if anything jumps out as being rough or too wordy, then eliminate extra words or reduce them by using stronger verbs.

Otherwise, don't sweat it too much.

There are two other things I like to do with my rewrites. The first is to check the “bucket brigade”. In order to keep your reader interested in your copy, you sometimes have to start off paragraphs with “hooks”.

Things like:

“It gets even better, though...”

“Now here's the problem with that:”

“Here's why that's important”

“Here's the catch”

“But that's only the half of it...”

“If you think that sounds good, wait until you get a load of this:”

And so forth. These sentences all push the reader forward. So if you're reading through your copy and feel like a part of that copy might lose the reader's interest, add in a couple sentences like those above to keep them reading. Just place them at the beginning of a paragraph.

If you need to get ideas for “bucket brigade” sentences, then just study killer ads, and only read the beginning sentence of each paragraph. After a short while you'll notice that there are certain phrases used over and over to begin paragraphs.

Those are phrases you also want to use in your copy.

The final thing I like to do to make my copy exciting is replace stale verbs with action verbs. Verbs like walk, talk, listen, etc. are boring and over used.

Did he walk down the street, or did he zoom? Maybe he sped. Maybe he pin-balled down the street. Notice how much more action is conveyed in those verbs compared to walk?

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Did you talk to the crowd of onlookers? Or maybe you Babbled? Raved? Confessed? Reasoned? Chitchatted? Ranted? Mumbled? Uttered? Look how a slight change in verb usage gives the sentence a whole new meaning. So anytime I spot a verb that seems boring or stale, I just take out the thesaurus and find a stronger verb. Now, I don't do this as much as I probably should, so consider it optional. But it's a good way to add punch to your copy if you feel it's a bit flat after the first draft.

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ConclusionThere you have it – the nine steps I go through when writing my copy, so

it comes out near world class without having to spend a lot of time on it.

Put it to work for you and take action on this information as soon as possible. And if you take nothing else away from this course, then remember this:

If you have a killer offer, excellent proof to validate your claims, and believable scarcity, then it's almost impossible NOT to write a persuasive sales letter... the only requirement is that you be able to explain your offer and scarcity and show your proof.

Everything else is really secondary to that.

Using this system I've wrote winner after winner, and have never spent more than 3 days writing my copy. Nowadays I don't even spend 3 hours because I've gotten so good at this system. In fact, I create my products to be tailored made to this system, so that makes it even easier!

You can do the same if you sincerely apply this system and put it to use. Please do, and then share your results with me!

Resource Section:If you'd like to promote my complete article writing package and get 50%

of the sales, then sign up at http://www.3hourad.com/affiliates.php

To check out a swipe file I created of Gary Halbert Ads, and to see 55 videos of ad analysis of Gary Halbert's best copywriting strategies at work, go to http://halbertswipefile.com

If you enjoyed this product, perhaps you'd like to check my other product called “How to Create an info product in less than 48 hours that you can sell for $47-$97”. You can find that at http://www.48hourreport.com

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Also, for article writers I have “How to Write An Article in 7 Minutes or Less” at http://www.instantcontentcreation.com

And “How to Become a $40 an hour internet ghostwriter in Less Than 7 Days” at http://www.ghostwritingsystem.com

To learn a simple system I used to go from $0 to over $50,000 in under six months, go to http://www.internetmillionairerecipe.com

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