Preamble: I wrote this article back in 2003 and I rewrote it in early 2005. Back then, it was meant primarily for a copywriting audience. Now that I specialize in SEO, and seeing how the concept of “funnels” is gaining popularity, I took the liberty to slightly update it. One problem in SEO, copywriting, content, […]
Tag: credibility
The 4 Pillars Of Power Positioning
Back in 2002, I wrote a book called Power Positioning. It was an expanded version based on my booklet, The 10 Commandments of Power Positioning, which I wrote back in 1992. In it, I defined Power Positioning as a skillful blend of “the art of positioning” and “the science of direct response” because it has […]
Blowing your own horn can seem like a productive marketing effort, and it may seem to communicate self-confidence. But it’s often done wrong, which makes it ineffective and counterproductive, and can even backfire. Saying you’re the best in your field, your claim is suspect and dismissible at best, and arrogant and disdainful at worst. Either way, you […]
The 10 Commandments of Power Positioning
In 1992, I wrote power positioning as a way to help attract clients in my early career as a marketing consultant without the need for cold-calling or selling.
How I Write Copy in Seven Steps
A lot of people ask me how I write copy. I don’t mean the actual writing process (such as how I come up with headlines, bullets, offers, etc), but how I tackle the actual task of composing a new sales piece from scratch. Everyone is different. My writing process is one developed over many years, […]
The other day, an aspiring copywriter asked me a question that I hear all too often: “How do I distinguish myself from other copywriters?” The answer is not an easy one. It takes some thought, some time, and perhaps some inspiration. But time after time, I have found that most people tend to overlook one […]
Risk-Reversal’s Role Reversal
The greater portion of my career has been in copywriting, selling, and direct marketing. And one of the common denominators I’ve found in any successful piece of sales copy is the power of risk reversal. That is, taking a larger risk from the sale than the purchaser of your product. Risk reversal is a powerful […]
I covered headlines many times already. You can find posts about headlines here. But here are some additional tips. There are two huge mistakes people make when they write headlines. Either they are too bland and don’t say enough (such as when they attempt to simply summarize), or they say too much to cover all […]
The Death of The Salesletter
In late 2005 (and early 2006), I predicted the death of the text-heavy, long-scrolling sales letter and the birth of an interactive, content-driven, multimedia model.