_ Principles of Kickass Copy

Kickass Copy Principle 1#

If I were to ask you what the most important thing to focus on with your copy, what do you think you’d say?

Could it be the unique benefits of your product, service, or position? That seems like a good one. Or how about the aspirational identity of your prospect—their underlying desires? That’s a big deal. Or, wait a minute, maybe it’s all simpler than that. … it’s a set of guarantees that’ll just knock their fucking socks off and leave them chomping at the bit for more. Is that it?

The benefits of your products or service? That facts and figures supporting your position? And of the many great [triggers] from the [Playbook]?

Well, no. Not exactly, anyways. While all of those things are important, the overall goal as a kickass copywriter should be this:

Getting the reader to read your copy.

It may seem obvious, and it is, but all too often we get caught up complete wastes of time: trying to be clever, the emotional impact of our brand, the perfect, benefit driven headline. And you know, that’s all well and good. But the fact is, if the prospect doesn’t read your copy, who cares about all that other stuff?

It’s the reading of the copy that will get you into your prospects heads. They’ll remember the stories, your product, your positioning… All those things you want them to remember and think about… But only if they read your copy.

Here are a few suggestions for getting them to do just that.

Kickass Copy Principle 2#

I like how Joe Sugarman teaches this principle. In his great book The Adweek Copywriting Handbook [LINK it] he explains that all the elements in a print advertisement are primarily designed to do one thing and one thing only.

Get you to read the first sentence of copy.

As he puts it:

“Each element, every element, serves a single purpose. To get you to read the first sentence of copy. Don’t challenge it. Just accept it. The logo? You think it has some other function? it doesn’t. It’s to get you to read the copy. Really.

That means your headline, subheading, picture, caption and even the design of your ad all share one singular goal: getting the prospect to read the copy. Again, it may seem obvious, but there is a trap. Think about your headline. You might assume it has to have something to do with the benefits of your product. It doesn’t. It just has to get your prospect to read the first sentence.

This also has to do with formating. If something looks hard to read—is a giant block of text, for example, fewer people will start the process. You want the copy to look inviting.

• Write short sentences. They’re easy to read. Short sentences are also easy to understand. That’s important if you want to get your point across. One point, one sentence.
• Don’t be afraid to start sentences with “And” or “Because” or “Or.” It’ll help keep your sentences short.
• Use dashes—makes your copy shorter.

“We all take our food supply for granted. And for good reason. Americans have always had plenty. But we may be heading for one of the most serious periods in our history. Let me explain.”

NOt copy, per say, but a great example of using short sentences (fragments) to tell a story. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut.

“He is short and I am tall. We were Mutt and Jeff in the war. We were captured together in the war. I told him who I was on the telephone. He had trouble believing it. He was up. He was reading.”

• I love this writing (above example). I find it rather audacious. Never use words like audacious in your copy. It makes you sound like a pompous ass. Pompous is just as bad. Not everybody knows what audacious or pompous means. Use words everybody knows.
• Break up your writing into short paragraphs. They’re less intimidating.
• Along those lines, use headings to break up the text. Some copywriters use headings (and headlines) that have nothing to do with the product (for reals!). It’s just a way to break up the text and make it more inviting
• Use bulleted lists where appropriate. They’re easy to skim. People love that shit.
• Nothing fancy. Hammer out the main bits. Do it clearly.

Kickass Copy Principle 3#

Now, you’ve got the prospect down to your first sentence. What do you think the goal of that first sentence is? I’ll tell you.

To get them to read the second sentence.

I know. This is relevatory shit. But if you aren’t deliberate, it’s easy to fuck up. Here’s how to get reader through the first sentence and on to the second.

Make it short.

So short—and easy to read—that the reader is almost sucked into it as if it were a vacuum. I’ll share a few good examples of opening lines here in a moment, but first I want to share the next principle.

• Solitary confinement.
• Secret’s out.
• Breaking news.
• This just in.
• It’s easy.
• It had to happen.
• Picture this.
• This may surprise you.
• Everybody wants to know.
• It has to be said.
• Here’s a story about.
• I liked oatmeal. But I didn’t love oatmeal. Until this.

Slide into next one…

Kickass Copy Principle 4#

Okay, continuing along our little journey here. What do you suppose the role of the second sentence is? Hmm? Can you guess? You seem real smart like that. I bet you can… WEll, here it is just in case.

To get you to read the third sentence.

Mind-boggling stuff, right? Well, here’s the gist of it. Reading is work, and the opening few lines of copy should be aimed at holding the reader’s attention at all costs. Don’t worry about anything else. If you can’t get them past the first few setnences, the rest is for naught. But get them to start reading down the page and you’re on a roll, so-to-speak.

See if you can keep the second sentence short as well

• Solitary confinement. Self-imposed.
• Secret’s out. Apple blew it. Here’s what that means for you.

But what about after those first few sentences? Here are a few more tips for getting them through the page. But what really separates the wheat from the chaff is the next principle.

Principle 5: Give Them Something to Look Forward To#

In a moment, you’ll learn a principle that makes your copy addictively fun to read.

Begin your sales presentation with a giant slab of curiosity and promise a payoff that keeps them reading and paying attention.

Plant Seeds of Curiosity#

• There are even more techniques which I will reveal later in this book.

Principle 6: Add Lubrication#

There is a term in copywriting circles called “the slippery slide.” It refers to the feeling of being drawn down through the copy all the way to the end… Like you want the reader to be sliding on down all the way to when you ask for the sale.

How do you make a slide more slippery? Ad lube.

Here’s the literary version of greasing up your slide real good. Ending your paragraphs with “clifhangers.” The have a hypnotic effect and draw you into the next line of copy. (At first I found these very cheesy. Now I love them.)

• This may surprise you. In fact, if my hunches are correct simply reading this article may change your idea of aging for the rest of your life. Here’s why.
• What made us switch from hating the thing to loving it? Read the following.
• That would seem to be the end of the story. But it’s not.
• But almost immediately, something strange happened.
• Big deal. What’s so great about that? Read on.
• This brings us very nicely to the next topic.
• But here’s something you may not have known.
• You think that’s weird? Check this out.
• Now here comes the good part.
• Let me give you an example.
• But I didn’t stop there.
• But there’s more.
• Let me explain.
• Consider this.
• He continues.

You want to keep them moving forward. Do it at the end of paragraphs, inside paragraphs, and at the end of sections. It really works.

Just get them saying “yes” “yes” “yes” or pique curiosity.

You want your copy to be so compelling people can’t stop reading. Like a car wreck. They can’t look away. Everyone knows you shouldn’t look but you can’t look away.

Start with stoeis. Offbeat, interesting and short. They don’t even have to be related to your product.

He was a prisoner confined to a cell block. “give him one last with” his wife pleaded… (heading and sub)… then he sold a rowing machine.

^ so, what are the features of your product? how can you relate them to something else? he wrote this and then confessed to making it up at the end of the ad. “copywriting is not easy and sometimes you go a little bonkers.”

Collect unusual stories!

Most of his stories were unrelated to the actual product. But they were fun to read and people read the ads and bought.