Categories
Books

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.

Categories
Copywriting

How to Hook (More) Copywriting Prospects

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 […]

Categories
Copywriting

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 […]

Categories
Copywriting

When And How To Use An Alias In Business

A member of my coaching program asked a question about the legality of using a pseudonym or alias when writing marketing communications. In other words, can he use a pen name? Stated differently, is it legal to write the copy in the voice of a fictitious character? Or telling the story of, say, a fictitious […]

Categories
Books

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.

Categories
Copywriting

To Up Sales, Up Words With Upwords!

I first taught this technique in 1998. While there have been tons of improvements since then, today I still see copy on so many websites, sales letters, or emails using a language that only the person who wrote them understands. The bottom line is, most marketers and copywriters still seem to ignore the most important […]

Categories
Copywriting

60-Minute Naked Truth Salesletter Formula

One of the most popular threads on my now defunct discussion forum for copywriters was one started by my friend Dean Jackson. If you don’t know Dean Jackson, he is a Torontonian, a real estate mogul, an information marketing millionaire (author of many programs, including the highly successful “Stop Your Divorce!”), and a darn-fine copywriter. […]

Categories
Copywriting

P.S.: Don’t Forget to Include This in Your Copy

One of the most venerable and common elements of good salesletters, following the headline, is the postscript or “P.S.” at the end. The end of every great sales letter should be capped with a strong P.S. We are often told that the P.S. is the second most read part of a salesletter, because after reading […]

Categories
Interviews

John Carlton Interview

In 2005, I held three rarely given teleseminars with Gary Halbert and John Carlton. In this one, John Carlton shares timeless top copywriting lessons for free.