Writing enticing sales copy for ads, web sites, newsletters, etc. can often be a daunting task because so many different approaches seem to work equally well at a given time depending upon the target audience, the product being sold, the venue, etc.
At other times, nothing seems to work well. You scratch your head wondering if there is any way possible to make your copy stand out and seem appealing. It's like trying to sell sand to an inhabitant in the desert.
Here's a little "trick" to try the next time you get stumped and are not sure how to approach the task. Actually, it's not really a trick but just a different way of thinking about your ad layout.
Most all of us tend to frame our copywriting in terms of the way we think and tell others our stories.
When you tell a friend or your spouse about an experience you had, typically you "map out" the story in chronological order. You start at the beginning and relate the background details, then you give the particulars leading up to the climax. Your story builds one step at a time until you finally get to the "good stuff," the reason for relating the story.
After you've given the best information, the climax, the "point" of it all, you often wind down with your own observations of what happened, how you felt, why the story is important, etc.
When many of us tackle copywriting for sales messages, we tend to think in the same chronological step-by-step sequence.
The problem is, if the story isn't interesting or unique or thought-provoking, often the reader will get bored after the first sentence and leave. You will have no chance to make a sale without an engaged prospect.
Here's one solution to the dilemma: hit the reader with a 1-2 punch of a grabbing headline and the most important benefit (climax) right at the very start. Don't make him suffer through boring, story-building details.
Many experienced writers claim that 80% of the success of your ad will come from the headline alone. If that's the case, packing a 1-2 punch should give the reader maybe 90% of what he wants right off the bat.
If you can't engage the reader with the best shots you have (the 1-2 punch) you probably won't stand much of a chance to make the sale based upon the remaining 10% of your ammunition.
Getting the good stuff right off the bat is like eating your dessert first. If that doesn't get your attention, then the vegetables and bread aren't going to be much of an incentive to stay for the whole meal.
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