Web Copy Blog

Commitment/consistency element of influence is one of extremely powerful and seductive device that is used in web copy writing. 

Human beings have a nearly obsessive desire to be–or to appear–consistent to others and to ourselves. 

Once we’ve subscribed to something, voted for something, bought something, or taken a stand on something, we are under tremendous pressure to behave consistently with that commitment in order to justify our earlier decision.

I use this “element of influence” technique in writing web copy by first helping my reader express a firm stand or opinion about something, then presenting my product in a way that it plays to the stand my reader has taken. 

I first construct a question to which the reader could not possibly answer no, such as, “If I could show you a way to double or triple your sales closing rate–and teach you how to sell 50 to 100 percent of all prospects you come in contact with–are you willing to spend an entertaining 63 minutes to learn it?”

By asking this question, I have, in effect, extracted an unspoken commitment from the readers, even if I receive no audible reply. 

Next, I tell them to read the rest of the article, where I give the details of my offer.  After I’ve given the sales pitch, I say something like, earlier on, I asked you the question: 

“If I could show you a way to double or triple your sales closing rate and teach you how to sell 50 to 100 percent of all prospects you come in contact with–are you prepared to spend 63 minutes to learn it?”

Since you’re still reading this, I’m going to assume you answered, “Yes.”  Well, now that I’ve shown you unequivocally how Brian Tracy’s 24 Techniques for Closing the Sale can deliver on that promise–and have also shown you Brian’s first-rate credentials and the rave reviews he’s received–it’s time for you to act on this.”
As you can see, I remind readers that they need to behave consistently with the commitment they’ve made.  This is one of the most powerful weapons of influence.
What other techniques do you use to persuade your web copy readers to be glued with your website?

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Neurolinguistic programming is the science of how the brain codes learning and experience. 

This coding affects all communication and behavior.  NLP involves the use of proper syntax (or language). 

Using it properly can make all your written communications more persuasive.  There are several NLP devices that foster in writing web copy. 

Among them are embedded commands, presuppositions, linguistic binds, and reframing.

Embedded Commands
Web copywriting is direct-response writing, which means that its objective is to generate a response of some kind, such as getting your readers to pick up the phone and call your business, subscribe to your newsletter, sign up for your mailing list, or buy your product or service. 

Using embedded commands entails crafting the action you want your reader to take and wrapping it in the cushion of a casual, innocent-looking sentence.

Consider the following sentence:
I wonder how quickly you are going to buy this product.
It seems harmless enough. Your reader might consciously take it as a hypothetical comment. 

But notice the embedded command, which is quite hypnotic in effect:
. . . you are going to buy this product.

Using embedded commands in speaking calls for altering your tone of voice.  You would lower your voice and speak the command part of the sentence more slowly for emphasis and to produce a hypnotic effect.

In writing, however, you use the boldface type (or quotation marks, or italics, or a different color) to set off or outline your command. 

When you write, “I wonder how quickly you are going to buy this product,” use boldface type for the command, “you are going to buy this product.” 

The bold type plays a role in how effectively the command is communicated.  A person will respond to that part of the sentence as a command, and will follow the command without consciously realizing it.

In this way, you gain compliance effortlessly.  Your readers don’t even perceive that they’ve been given a command. 

Typically, they will obey your command as though they had received it directly, without any resistance whatsoever. 

Clearly, this is a very powerful tool.  Because embedded commands evade the scrutiny of the left brain (the critical, logical side of the brain), the readers are not aware of what is causing their desire.

Embedded commands motivate people to take action and compel readers to come to a quick decision. 

Advertisers have known this for years, and that is why they write slogans like, “Aren’t you glad you use Dial?  Don’t you wish everybody did?” 

The embedded command, of course, is “use Dial.”  The same is true of, “Wouldn’t you really rather have a Buick?”  Of course the embedded command used in the sentence is “have a Buick.”

How to Write an Embedded Command?
Start by constructing your command.  This is usually three to seven words articulated in the imperative voice; that is, you begin with an action verb that presupposes the subject “you.”

Examples of commands
Get your hands on this [name product].
Act on my advice.
Say yes to this offer.  Learn this secret.
Pick up the phone.

Next, simply embed the command in a sentence and set it off in bold type.  For example, if the action you want your readers to take is to “read every word of this article,” your sentence could read, “As you read every word of this article, you will discover advanced psychological tactics that will boggle your mind.”

Presuppositions
Powerful as the brain is, it usually can focus on only one major thing at a time.  Therefore, when bombarded by multiple thoughts, it is forced to presuppose (assume) and accept suggestions as facts. 

This is why using presuppositions in your web copy is such a powerful technique.
The question, “What will you do with the extra $2,500 you’ll earn next month?” is an example of a presupposition. 

Your brain is asked the question, “What will you do . . . ?” By its very nature, the human brain is compelled to answer it.  It’s an involuntary, spontaneous reaction. 

When your brain is asked a question, it instantly goes to work in search of an answer.  If you’ve ever had the experience of waking up in the middle of the night with the answer to a question you were thinking about earlier in the day, then you’ve experienced the profound effect questions have on the brain. 

The brain will keep working on the question subconsciously until it comes up with an answer (if not verbally, then mentally). 

The answer may not always be correct, but the brain will be satisfied only when it has produced an answer that it considers convincing.

The question, “What will you do with the extra $2,500 you’ll earn next month?” assumes that you will earn $2,500 next month simply by asking what you’re going to do with it. 

This is called an adjacency pair in NLP parlance, and the reader’s/listener’s brain pays attention only to the first part (“What will you do . . . ”) of the pair. 

A significant percentage of language processing takes place subconsciously.  To understand a question or sentence, we must subconsciously make assumptions in order to make sense of what is being asked or said. 

Therefore, in order to answer the question, your brain has to assume that the second part of the question “the extra $2,500 you’ll earn next month” is an established fact. Do you see how smoothly that just slides into your consciousness?

Presuppositions are often seen in the leading questions so prevalent in courtroom dramas.  These leading questions imply the existence of something when, in fact, its existence has not been established. 

Consider the following questions: “Why did you steal the money?”
The question assumes the existence of a sum of money.  It further assumes that the money has been stolen, that “you” have stolen it, and that you have a reason for having stolen it (“Why”?). 

When questions such as these are delivered by a lawyer skilled in the syntax of presuppositions–especially when fired in rapid succession (stacked presuppositions), the listener is often forced to tacitly accept the implied meaning of the questions, even when the adversarial questioning was designed to introduce damaging arguments.

Here’s another example of a presupposition:  What will you do when the government imposes a five-cent surcharge on every e-mail that you send out? 

The brain focuses on the first part of the adjacency pair (“What will you do. . . ”), which means it has to presuppose that the latter part of the sentence (about the government imposing a five-cent surcharge on every e-mail that you send out) is an established fact, when it actually is nothing but a rumor.

Here’s another example:  “Are you one of the 295 million people in America who’s tired of the nine to five corporate grind, who wants to start her own business?” 

The question presupposes that there are 295 million people who want to start their own business in America, when that fact hasn’t been established.  Heck, that figure even exceeds the total population of the United States!

Not all presuppositions come in the form of questions.  You can use presuppositional phrases like “As you know,” “I’m sure you know,” “Everybody knows . . . ” and presuppositional words like “clearly,” “obviously,” “evidently,” “undoubtedly,” “easily,” “readily,” “automatically,” and “naturally.” 

Any statement you put after any of these words is more likely to be received or accepted by your reader without resistance. 

For example, “obviously, these triggers usher in a revolutionary–and immensely more effective–era of selling that you simply can’t miss out on,” or “Clearly, investing in Adam Ginsberg’s program, Creating Successful eBay Business, is the fastest way to start earning eBay profits in as little as one day.

“Clearly” and all the other presuppositional words and phrases impart a halo of credibility around what you are saying and lead the reader to assume that the ensuing statement is true. 

It makes the statement take on the appearance (fact and therefore makes your sales argument go down smoothly.

I am not suggesting that you use this device to tell lies, use weasel words, or slip your readers a Mickey. 

I believe in telling the truth in advertising.  As with any powerful psychological device, you have to use presuppositions ethically and judiciously.

Linguistic Binds
A linguistic bind is a form of syntax that makes your reader say, “Why, of course, what you’re saying is true!” and is another powerful tool in the art of persuasion. 

Let’s analyze this linguistic bind:  “While you’re sitting there reading this letter, you begin to understand why you can’t afford to waste any more time getting less than everything that life has to offer.”
It consists of two parts.  Part 1 states something obvious (“you’re sitting there reading this letter”), and part 2states what you want your reader to think, say, or do. 

It is the command.  Curiously, this pattern makes your reader believe that what you are saying is logical, when in fact, parts 1 and 2 of your sentence are not linked by logic at all. 

Nevertheless, this device can make people agree with practically anything you say.
Here are some more examples of linguistic binds:

“Now that you’ve read this special report, I’m sure you realize that you need to beat your competitors to the punch by attending this seminar now.”

“As you sit there reading this, I know that you’re thinking about all the ways you can turn your book into a bestseller as a result of attending Mark Victor Hansen’s Book Marketing University.”

“As you think about what you really need in your business, you begin to realize that you have only one choice to make, and that is to invest in this [product or service].”
There are other variations of linguistic binds.  One is “The more you A, the more you B” syntax.  For example:

“The more you understand the power of this one psychological trigger, the more you’ll realize that you need to get all 30 of Joe Sugarman’s Psychological Triggers.”

“The more you read, the more you won’t want to be without this incredible product.”

Another is the cause-and-effect syntax:  “Taking advantage of this free trial of our water purifier in the comfort of your own home will cause you to fully understand why buying bottled water is simply not the way to go.”

Again, I caution you to use this powerful device judiciously and ethically.

Reframing
Reframing is the process of altering one’s perception of a person, place, or thing by changing the context in which it is viewed. 

Consider reframing in its literal sense.  Imagine a piece of canvas on which paint has been splattered, dripped, dabbed, and flicked in a chaotic manner, and then imagine hanging that canvas on a wall in a plain metal frame. 

You would most likely view it as just one big mess.  Now imagine that same piece of canvas reframed in an ornate museum-quality, solid-hardwood frame with custom moldings.  Suddenly, you perceive it as a work of art.

Our perception of a person, place or thing is altered simply by changing the context–the frame–in which it is viewed. 

In verbal or written communication, perception can be altered by using a technique known as reframing.

Reframing in the context of copywriting is a technique for communicating a flaw, a shortcoming, an imperfection, or it disadvantage in a way that transforms its meaning to one that is pleasant, desirable, or advantageous. 

Advertisers often abuse this concept by saying misleading things like, “When you purchase this camera, you will also get as a free gift this genuine, handsome, imitation-leather carrying case.” 

There is nothing genuine about imitation leather.  Don’t reframe in this way because it will insult the intelligence of your audience.

The key to successful reframing is to shift the reader’s focus to a desirable, sometimes hidden, aspect of a disadvantage and turn it into a plus. 

You may be surprised to discover how just about anything can be reframed into something desirable when you look at it in a different light or, more accurately, with a fresh set of eyes.

Reframing is an excellent tool to use to justify the price of what you’re selling.  In the following example, reframing was used to justify the $1,595 price tag for a one-day speakers’ workshop:

What price can you put on learning how to get as many speaking engagements as you can handle?  $25,000?  $15,000?  $10,000?  (Believe it or not, that’s how much other speaker trainers charge!)

If you paid me my standard consulting fee of $625/hour for the 7½ hours I’m giving you at the Speakers’ Workshop on October 18, it would cost you $4,687.50.

Would you believe it if I told you the workshop won’t even cost you $4,000?  No, not even $3,000.  Your investment in your speaking career–and your life–is only . . .
$1,595.

You’ll most likely earn at least twice that much on your very first speaking engagement.
Here, the price of the workshop ($1,595) is compared to: 

(1) How much other speaker trainers charge ($25,000, $15,000, or $10,000);
(2) The cost in consulting fees to receive an equivalent 7½ hours of training ($4,687.50); and
(3) How much the buyer would earn on his or her first speaking engagement (twice as much as the price of tuition to attend the speakers’ workshop). 

When reframed in this context, what could appear to be a prohibitive amount of money to spend on a one-day workshop suddenly seems reasonable–even inexpensive.

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There is a phenomenon called the Zeigarnik effect named after the Gestalt theorist.  It represents that state of mental tension, and unbalance caused by uncompleted tasks.

When applied to writing web copy, it means that you shouldn’t waste your website with a slew of subjects and topics that will distract your reader. 

It means that you must stick to a single message so that you can lead readers down your intended sales path.  This is the “linear path” method of writing web copy.

To understand this better, think of the psychology of a website visitor:  When web visitors arrive at your site, they scan through the entire site looking for things that interests them. 

If several buttons and links take hold of their attention, they make a mental note of them and start reading the one that interests them most. 

Now, here’ the interesting thing:  While they are reading that page, the Zegarnik effect takes over, creating that mental tension that comes from uncompleted tasks, which, in the case of your visitor, is the urge to click on those other buttons or links.

Since the brain is unable to pay full attention to the topic at hand until those other tasks are completed, this can create a problem, especially if you happen to be in the middle of making a selling proposition when the effect takes over. 

Not only will you lose your readers’ attention, it is unlikely they will go down your intended sales path or take action of any kind, because their brain is compelling them to do the other tasks. 

That’s why it’s advisable to minimize the number of unnecessary links and buttons on your website in order to keep your reader on the linear path.

Likewise, mental tension may appear when, in the course of reading your copy, your reader comes across unfamiliar concepts or terms. 

To combat this, I employ small pop-up windows to explain concepts that might create mental tension. 

That way, readers can click on the link, quickly ease the tension by reading the brief explanation in the pop-up window, and continue reading what I want them to read.  The other way, they might be tempted to click away, never to return.

The linear path concept and the Zeigarnik effect are both very powerful concepts that many web copywriters and website owners fail to understand. 

If you’re ever tempted to include advertising banners on your website, or reciprocal links with other websites, or links to other unrelated pages in your website that don’t contribute to the sales process, remember that you are violating the linear path concept and allowing the Zeigarnik effect to kick in.

Apart from points cited above, what do you have to share about possible causes of readers’ distraction reading web post?

What else should be done to combat potential distraction your web copy readers might have?

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What else do you do to give emotion to your web copywriting?

Let’s suppose you’ve written down the five steps of the blueprint:  You’ve identified the problem; you’ve described what’s possible; you’ve established why the problem hasn’t been solved; you’ve established what’s changed; and you’ve suggested what action should be taken. 

What have you got?  Is this your web copy?  Obviously not, but it is the heart and soul–the framework–for writing web copy.

Some people will buy simply based on your answers to those five questions, but to get most people to buy, you must flesh out the blueprint until it becomes a virtual salesperson who sells for you day and night, 24/7, weekends and holidays, 365 days a year, without a vacation or sick leave.

You have created your blueprint.  How do you build your house?  There are steps you need to take to flesh it out and make readers respond.

Step 1.  Inject Emotion
I don’t care how wonderful your vocabulary or how excellent your grammar is, if your words lack emotion, you won’t sell a thing unless you can appeal to an emotion. 

Remember, people buy on emotion and justify with logic.
Injecting Emotion into the Problem.  There are many ways to inject emotion.  Here are few examples:

  Does it frustrate you that your business is making only a small fraction of its profit potential?

  Doesn’t it make you furious that you could actually be making five times as much (or more) from your existing business–if only you knew how?

  Don’t you just get hopping mad every time you give a kick-ass sales presentation and your prospect still won’t buy a thing from you?

  Do you feel paralyzed by the fear of rejection every time you have to ask that “cruel” prospect for the sale?

  Does your ego get clobbered whenever your prospect says no?
Injecting Emotion into What’s Possible

  Imagine what your life would be like if all your debts were paid and you had triple-A credit?

  How would you like it if your business earned a fivefigure income every month–even while the economy is on a downswing?

  What would it mean if you were the featured guest of popular radio and TV shows?  Imagine thousands–potentially millions–of people hearing your story.

It’s seven o’clock Monday morning.  You’re not really looking forward to another grueling week of selling, so you turn on your computer. 

While you sip your morning coffee, you watch Brian Tracy on Real Video giving you 24 Techniques for Closing the Sale in 63 minutes flat.

It’s now 8:03 A.M., and you’re feeling unstoppable and positively empowered because Brian Tracy has just given you a personal coaching session that got you charged up with everything you need to get those sales.

The next moment, you’re out the door.  You talk to your first prospect, and moments later you make your first sale with the greatest of ease. 

Feeling high on your victory, you go on to your next prospect, and, again within moments, you’ve got another sale in your pocket. 

No sweat!  This goes on all day long, and you surprisingly find yourself smiling all the time.  Gone are the stress and fear that you used to have–and in their place is a deep-seated confidence that you can win over any prospect you speak to.  It’s never been this easy!

Then, toward the end of the day, you pick up the phone to set up your future appointments.  Every single prospect you call says yes, they’d be happy to see you or talk to you this week.

You think to yourself, “If only every day could be like this . . . why, I might just earn a six-figure income this year.”

Could this really happen to you?  Don’t be surprised if it does. A device I call the emotional scenario.  It paints a vivid picture of what it would be like for the reader to experience your product or service.

An emotional scenario such as this one accomplishes several things:
  It connects your reader to your product or service on an emotional level.  Emotion sells.

  It assumes that the sale is already made.

  It allows the reader to take ownership of the product and have a virtual experience of it with excellent results.

Step 2. Add Bullet Points, Bonuses, Guarantee, and Close
The formula for writing bullets is first to state the benefit and then follow up by painting a picture of how your viewer’s life will change when he or she gets that benefit or by elevating the desirability of that benefit by injecting emotion, drama, or intrigue.  Bullets need to be powerful and tight.

Mouthwatering Bullets.  Here are examples of great bullets (the first is an example of injecting emotion, drama, or intrigue; the second paints a picture):

  How to craft text links that are engaging–and highly clickable.  Here, I reveal some of my jealously guarded devices, and I’m swearing you to secrecy on these.

  How a self-made millionaire invented this irresistible tactic.  It virtually eliminates the need to close the sale because the sale will close itself for you–like a ripe apple dropping out of a tree into your hand.

I learned how to write bullets by studying and writing out by hand the bullets of great copywriters.  You can do the same.

Bonuses.  It is a widely accepted belief in direct marketing that significantly more sales are generated by an offer that includes a free bonus or gift. 

Although there aren’t scientific studies that support this belief, it stands to reason that receiving attractive incentives creates a significantly greater desire to purchase the core product. 

It is not uncommon for people to buy a product primarily because of the freebies they get by buying the product. 

A “gifts with purchase” has become a staple in cosmetic counters everywhere because they significantly encourage impulse buying. 

Obviously, the bonus or gift must be desirable to the target audience and must relate in some way to the product or service being offered.  If it has a dollar value worth noting, you should also mention that.

Free bonuses or gifts are particularly powerful when attached to a deadline for ordering, because the deadline injects urgency. 

You need to set a deadline to compel the reader to respond immediately instead of putting off the buying decision. 

That’s where a dynamic date script is helpful.  This is a small script that advances the deadline date displayed on your webpage every day. 

When people read your web copy, it looks something like this:
When you order the Memory Foam mattress pad by Sunday, April 11, 2004, you will also receive two (2) Memory Foam pillows absolutely free. 

These pillows are sold separately for $89.00 apiece, but they’re yours free when you purchase a Memory Foam mattress.

The day and date advance by one day every day, automatically updating your deadline.  Dynamic date scripts are widely available for free from various script sources on the web. 

You Simply decide how many days into the future you’d like your prospect to act on your offer, and any web developer or programmer (or anyone who’s familiar with html) can simply insert that into the script, and install the code into your webpage.

Guarantees.  Often, the sale is made with the promise of a money-back guarantee.  This is where you eliminate the risk to the buyer and remove any remaining obstacles standing in the way of making a sale.

TheClose.  Just because you have presented your offer doesn’t mean your prospect will buy what you’ve offered.  You have to close the sale. 

It’s no different from visiting a store and looking at a product you are interested in buying; even after all your questions have been answered, until a salesperson closes the sale with a question like, “How would you like to pay for that?” the sale isn’t made (unless you happen to be a highly motivated buyer, determined to buy that item then and there).

Before you ever ask for that order, it’s essential that the prospect be primed for the close.  The sequence of presenting copy elements (and hot buttons) is crucial. 

Unlike a store, where the price is out there for the buyer to see, in your web copy, you must wait until the end to reveal the price and ordering instructions. 

This puts your reader in the proper frame of mind to buy, because by the time you present the price, you would have laid out all the benefits and information your prospect needs.

This is another way to keep the editorial feel of your web copy and not reveal your “hidden selling” too soon.

This is one of the reasons I do not put an order button on the left navigation bar of websites over which I have total control. 

If I’ve gone to a lot of trouble to make my web copy look like an editorial, I don’t want to ruin that by putting an order button on the first screen, thereby removing all doubt that the editorial is actually an ad in disguise.

Another reason is that many web visitors click on the order button even before reading the web copy because they want to know what they are getting themselves into and whether or not they want what you’re offering. 

If they click before they read, the order page then determines whether visitors read your web copy or not. 

It defeats the purpose of your copy, which is to use the power of your copy to get readers happily involved with your product or service.

In addition, an order button allows people to make a judgment about the price before knowing the details of your offer. 

If I had an order button on my Web Copywriting University website, for instance, and you clicked on it and found that my course costs $997, would you read my web copy? 

The bottom line is, few people are inclined to spend that much money until they understand the value of what they are getting for that investment.

One of the major mistakes website owners make is that they fail to close the sale. They go to great lengths to get people to visit their websites, and they do everything possible to make a compelling selling argument about their product or service, but at the last moment, when the prospect is just about ready to buy, they drop the ball and fail to ask for the order. 

Unsuccessful marketers are reluctant to ask for the order. For any offer to be successful, you must be clear and explicit when you ask for the order. 

Include every detail, even those that seem obvious to you.  Make it easy for the prospect to buy.

What Does It Take to Close a Sale?  Online or offline, simply asking for the order does not close the sale.  “Click here to order” or similar phrases do not constitute a close.  As a rule, web visitors click on the order button only after you have done the necessary steps to close the sale.  If you haven’t given enough information, you haven’t closed the sale.  Period.

Closing the sale starts on the home page–usually as early as the first or second screen.  Those of you who have sold offline know that clinching the sale often takes several trial closes leading up to the final close. 

Just like a real-life salesperson, your cyberspace salesperson (i.e., your website) should contain trial closes.  If you look at the website you see that I used eight closes to sell the software program.

You must always remember that people’s buying decision times vary.  Some people are ready to buy after they have found a benefit or two, and some aren’t ready to buy until they’ve read every word on the website.  For this reason, you have to catch them at every point at which they likely to buy.

Step 3. Add Credibility – Building Elements
If you’ve immersed yourself in your product or service, you have probably uncovered testimonials, interesting stories or case studies, significant facts, quotes or statistics related to your product or service. 

If for some reason you haven’t, you can do speedy research on the web to fill in the gaps.
For specific examples, go to www.PsychologicalTriggers.com, www.BreakthroughsJour-nal.  com, www.FreeStuffForEntrepreneursOnTheInternet.com.

How to Use a Search Engine to Do Rapid Research.  Advertising Age’s website (www.adage.com) named David Ogilvy as one of the Top 100 players in advertising history, in part because of the way Ogilvy “created clean, powerful ads marked by graceful, sensible copy and a palpable respect for the consumer’s intelligence.” 

In his book, Confessions of an Advertising Man, Ogilvy wrote:  “In my first Rolls-Royce advertisement I used 719 words–piling one fascinating fact on another.”  This technique is also perfect for the web. 

Long copy, particularly when used on a webpage, needs interesting facts, figures, stories, or anecdotes that keep your visitors glued to your webpage until they read your offer and act on it.

Finding interesting anecdotes, stories, case studies, significant facts, quotes, and statistics is easy with this powerful search engine tool. 

Fascinating facts I’ve could also be drown from web searches done on Copernic Agent Basic. 

When you type in thc key words or key phrases of topic you’re looking for, Copernic generates the top ten search engines, and it even removes duplicate entires. 

So your search results are a lot more relevant than if you had used only one search engin at a time.

There is so much on the web that you’ll never run out of interesting angles or writing ideas, but do be careful; some information on the web is not reliable. 

Be sure you know your sources.  You can download Copernic Agent Basic for free at Copernic.com.

Step 4.  Replace Rational Words with Emotional Words
You probably have heard the concept of right-brain and leftbrain functions: 

The left hemisphere of the brain is the rational, logical, organized, analytic, linear, critical side; the right hemisphere is the creative, emotional, intuitive side, the realm of the imagination. 

Since people buy on emotion, the more you appeal to the right side of the brain, the more you’ll sell.  You do this by using emotional words, not intellectual, rational, bland, and boring words. 

Here are a few examples:
Use the words speed up instead of accelerate.
Instead of saying accolade use applause.
Use rich instead of wealthy.
Say worried instead of concerned.
Instead of saying The following are . . . , say Here are – - -

Try this.  Take a look at the list of left-brain and right-brain words in.  Next, look at the web copy you’ve written, identify any left-brain (or rational) words, and replace those left-brain words with the right-brain (or emotional) words. 

How can I make it simpler than that?
Paul Galloway, an Internet programmer, created a neat little Common Gateway Interface (CGI) script to automatically replace all instances of left-brain (rational) words on any website with right-brain (emotional) words. 

A GGI script is a small program that takes data from a web server and does something with it; in this case, it replaces certain words from one database your website with all the rational words displayed in red, followed by the suggested emotional word you might want to replace them with.

Left-Brain (Rational) Right-Brain (Emotional)
Words/Phrases Words/Phrases
accelerate  speed up
accolade  applause
additionally  here’s more/there’s more
aid   help
allow   let
anticipate  expect
astute   smart
at an end  over
attractive  good looking
avid   eager
beneficial  good for
challenge  dare
circular  round
combat   fight
completed  finished
concerned  worried
concerning  about
construct  build
courageous  brave
demise   death
difficult  tough/hard
diminutive  small
disclose  reveal/explain
donate   give
elderly   old
facilitate  ease
famished  hungry
fatigued  tired
fearful   afraid
following is/are here’s/here are
for   because
fortunate  lucky
futile   hopeless
gratification  enjoyment
hasten   hurry
huge   giant
humorous  funny
in   sick
irnmcdiatt:ly  right now
inform   tell
Words/ Phrases  Words/Phrases
intelligent  bright
I regret  I’m sorry
jesting   joking
large   big
learn   find out
manufacture  make
notion   idea
nude   naked
observed  seen
obstinate  stubborn
omit   leave out
perceive  see
perhaps   maybe
peril   danger
perspiration  sweat
pleased   happy
preserve  save
prevent   stop
purchase  buy
propitious  favorable
receive   get
requested  ask for
reply   answer
select   pick/choose
soiled   dirty
stomach   belly
strike   hit
subsequent to  since
sufficient  enough
superior  better
tardy   late
terminate  end
tidings   news
utilize   use
wealthy   rich
youthful  young

Take a look, too, at the list of web words and phrases that sell in Figure 2.6.
Tip:  Replace the word if with when whenever you are describing what people will get from you.  This is part of assuming that the sale is made.

What do you do to inform and whet your reader’s appetite for what you have to offer? 

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Legendary marketer and copywriter Vic Schwab, who authored the classic “How to Write a Good Advertisement: 

A Short Course in Copywriting,” said, “Delay is the enemy of a sale.”  In writing web copy, your close needs to remove all obstacles that stand in the way of the reader taking action on the offer. 

The way to do it is by first making the offer and then injecting a sense of urgency in taking action on the offer. 

Injecting urgency simply means giving the reader a reason to act now.  You can employ one or more of the following:

  A free gift/bonus or a discount or reduced price if the reader responds on or before a certain date in the near future.  Sweeten the deal, and whet the appetite.  Sometimes the bonus can be so compelling that, like the guarantee, it can even be the headline.

  A time limit on an offer.

  A limited supply.

  A notification that prices are going up soon.

The close should also emphasize what the reader gains by responding quickly or loses by delaying action.

Call to Action
The call to action (CTA) is part of the close.  Here, you must tell your reader exactly what to do.  Some marketers miss this important step.  Even if it’s obvious to you what the reader ought to do next, you must direct them to do it.  Always use action verbs in the CTA:

Click on the Download button to start your 30-day free trial.

Check the box to select your preference, and then click on secure online form to proceed with your order.

Simply type your name and e-mail address in the form below, and the free report will be in your e-mail box within minutes.

Click on the link below to start generating eBay profits now.

Type in your e-mail address, then click on Go to lock in your position.

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The purpose of web copy–and it can’t be said too often–is to generate leads, customers, sales, and consequently profits for a website. 

Web copy should not be confused with web content, which is simply words written for the web for the purpose of informing, communicating, entertaining, or edifying the reader.

Web copy, therefore, is essentially another form of direct-response advertising (direct mail sales, letters and TV infomercials are examples of direct-response advertising), although different media sometimes require different techniques to obtain the same results.

Direct-response advertising compels the audience to respond in some way or take action of some kind. 

It tells the audience to do something specific during or at the end of an ad.  That response or action could be anything from calling a toll-free number for more information to sending in a coupon, visiting a store, or ordering a product.

The AIDA Principle
The four fundamentals of writing good copy are summed up in the time-honored AIDA principle:

A Capture the audience’s attention.
I Get the audience’s interest.
D Build desire (for your offer).
A Induce action.
What else do you do to generate leads, customers, and sales?

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There is a phenomenon called the Zeigarnik effect named after the Gestalt theorist.  It represents that state of mental tension, and unbalance caused by uncompleted tasks.

When applied to writing web copy, it means that you shouldn’t waste your website with a slew of subjects and topics that will distract your reader. 

It means that you must stick to a single message so that you can lead readers down your intended sales path.  This is the “linear path” method of writing web copy.

To understand this better, think of the psychology of a website visitor:  When web visitors arrive at your site, they scan through the entire site looking for things that interests them. 

If several buttons and links take hold of their attention, they make a mental note of them and start reading the one that interests them most. 

Now, here’ the interesting thing:  While they are reading that page, the Zegarnik effect takes over, creating that mental tension that comes from uncompleted tasks, which, in the case of your visitor, is the urge to click on those other buttons or links.

Since the brain is unable to pay full attention to the topic at hand until those other tasks are completed, this can create a problem, especially if you happen to be in the middle of making a selling proposition when the effect takes over. 

Not only will you lose your readers’ attention, it is unlikely they will go down your intended sales path or take action of any kind, because their brain is compelling them to do the other tasks. 

That’s why it’s advisable to minimize the number of unnecessary links and buttons on your website in order to keep your reader on the linear path.

Likewise, mental tension may appear when, in the course of reading your copy, your reader comes across unfamiliar concepts or terms. 

To combat this, I employ small pop-up windows to explain concepts that might create mental tension. 

That way, readers can click on the link, quickly ease the tension by reading the brief explanation in the pop-up window, and continue reading what I want them to read.  The other way, they might be tempted to click away, never to return.

The linear path concept and the Zeigarnik effect are both very powerful concepts that many web copywriters and website owners fail to understand. 

If you’re ever tempted to include advertising banners on your website, or reciprocal links with other websites, or links to other unrelated pages in your website that don’t contribute to the sales process, remember that you are violating the linear path concept and allowing the Zeigarnik effect to kick in.

Apart from points cited above, what do you have to share about possible causes of readers’ distraction reading web post?

What else should be done to combat potential distraction your web copy readers might have?

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Do strive to write in a conversational style–one person talking to another person. The more friendly and approachable, the better.

Do use contractions. 
When people talk, they use many contractions. Using contractions helps you sound like you are just one person talking to another. 

It’s intimate, and it increases readership.  Use “I’ve” instead of “I have,” “it’s” instead of “it is,” “we’ll” instead of “we will.”

Do use common colloquialisms. 
A colloquialism is an informal, often entertaining word or phrase used in everyday conversation. 

When you use colloquialisms, you draw your reader closer because you appear more familiar, more friendly, more up close and personal instead of distant and at arm’s length.

Use colloquialisms that are understandable to most people with a reasonable familiarity with the English language. 

Some colloquialisms that have found their way to mainstream online communications include:

dough   money
laid-back  calm and relaxed
make waves  cause trouble
bent out of shape become upset
come up for air take a break
cool   great
defect   glitch
twenty grand  $20,000
keep your cool  remain calm
blown away  greatly impressed
megabucks  a lot of money
blow a fuse  lose your temper
bummed  depressed
con   deceive
has deep pockets has a good source of money
glitzy   ashionable
honcho   boss
get a kick out of enjoy

Avoid using colloquialisms that may cause misunderstandings.  Because the Internet is international, some colloquialisms such as “table a proposal” (postpone the discussions of the presentation bombed” (the presentation was a complete failure), which are generally understood by Americans, may mean something that’s nearly the opposite to non Americans.

Don’t use corporatespeak. 
Corporatespeak is jargon commonly used in the business world that often communicates very little to anyone outside a particular industry.  I call it on poratic babble that businespeople use to sound important.

Consider the following two examples written for a fictitious online business called My Web Store:

1. My Web Store is an e-commerce solutions provider committed to helping people leverage the power of technology to create value-added, win-win cyberspaces that impact global retail markets.

2. My Web Store is a first-of-its-kind form of e-commerce that enables anyone to open a 24/7 online store in as little as 5 minutes-for just $1 a day.

Which statement are web visitors more likely understand?  The second, of course.  The first employs highfalutin corporatespeak instead of clear, straightforward words and phrases that people can understand. 

Even if you read it several times, you’d still be wondering what it’s trying to say.  Corporatespeak such as this is a blatant failure to communicate effectively. 

Contrast that with example 2, which immediately communicates a clear benefit, singularity, ease, and economy–everything a prospective customer wants to know.

In direct-response marketing, lack of communication is death.  If no one understands what you’re saying, no one will buy what you’re selling.  Therefore, avoid corporatespeak and opt for clear, uncomplicated language.

Do use strategically placed testimonials. 
Testimonials are a powerful sales tool, whether you’re selling online or offline. To apply testimonials successfully when selling online, they need to be positioned strategically throughout the website. 

An ideal place to position a powerful testimonial is very early on in the webpage, preferably in the first or second screen.  In that position, the testimonial puts a blanket of credibitlity on the rest of the copy.

How SuffWorks.com, one of the most frequently visited sites on the web, uses dynamically generated testimonials on its website header, actually displaying a different testimonial every few seconds.

It’s also important to add testimonials strategically throughout your web copy, particularly in areas where they will reinforce your selling arguments. 

Testimonials are also particularly useful in your order form, right before you ask for the order (before your call to action), and in your order confirmation e-mail (to reinforce the sale).

Don’t try to impress your readers with your fancy vocabulary. 
Effective copywriting isn’t about making grandiose, highfalutin claims.  It is about communicating in a way that people can easily understand.

Don’t be pompous (self-important or arrogant). 
Let the testimonials make you look good.  People online don’t like marketese or bragging, boastful language.

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I’ve distilled the entire web copywriting process into five easy steps that make the task of writing web copy as easy as pieand as enjoyable. 

Each step in the blueprint takes the form of a question.  Once you answer each of the five questions about any product or service, you’ll have the blueprint, a miniversion of your web copy. 

Note:  As you are answering these five questions, don’t get creative.  Just answer factually.  We’ll get creative later.

Question 1.  What Is the Problem?
Most sales, both online and offline, are based primarily on solving a problem.  Having identified your target audience, your job now is to identify the problem that your target audience has that can be solved by your product or service. 

In copywriting terms these are known as the “three Ps”–pain, problem, or predicament.
This is where you play doctor. 

You diagnose the problem.  The people in your target audience may not even know they have a problem, so it is your job to make them recognize it. 

Many web copywriters and marketers shove the solution down their viewers’ throats before their readers distinguish that there is a problem. 

That’s like a doctor prescribing medicine before you feel sick or undrstand that the shot will prevent the flu.

There is another aspect to it as well.  Once your audience understands they have a problem, you have to let them know that you understand their problem. 

There’s an old saying that goes something like this:  “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

Step 1.  Write down your target audience’s problem. A few senners will do.  Your reader must be able to say, “Hey, she really understands my problem,” or “He reads me like a hook,” or she knows me so well it’s as though she’s been eavesdropping in my conversations or reading my mail.” 

That’s why I keep emphasizing that before you write a word of copy, you have to know your audicnce.

Question 2.  Why Hasn’t the Problem Been Solved?
Extending the doctor metaphor, this is where you further idently the history of the problem, predicament, or pain and look into the previous remedies or solutions that have been attempted but failed. 

As you progress through all five steps of this blueprint, you’ll begin to see how the answer(s) to this question serves to build your audience’s anticipation about a new solution you’re about to reveal.

Step 2.  Write down the reason(s) why the problem continues, percents or lingers.  How is it that they haven’t solved their problem, and why are they still stuck in the rut?  Again, a few factual sennuers will do.

Question 3.  What Is Possible?
In coaching parlance, this is called possibility thinking.  This is where you set the stage for what life could be like–what could happen–when your audience’s problem, pain, or predicament is eliminated. 

You must go beyond stating the obvious.  “The pain in your lower back will disappear,” is not enough.  You must draw a picture of what is possible now that the pain is gone. 

“You will be able to engage in activities [specify activities] you were unable to engage in because of your back pain, or “You can accomplish all your goals and dreams because the pain is no longer there to stop you.”  This is the dramatic promise.

Step 3.  Write down what’s possible.  Paint a picture of the way things will be when your prospect’s problems are solved.  Again, a few sentences will do.

Question 4.  What Is Different Now?
How will things change for your prospects?  This is where you explain who you are and how your product or service can help them, as well as what’s different about your product or service that will eliminate their problem. 

This is where your unique selling proposition (USP) comes in.  A USP is something that sets you, your product or service, or your business apart from every other competitor in a favorable way.  It’s the competitive advantage that you proclaim to your prospects, customers, or clients.

Step 4.  Write a few sentences about what differentiates your product/service.  Present just the substance–not the details.

Question 5.  What Should You Do Now?
you answered the first four questions, and established your decive, you know what the answer to this question is. 

You apply tell your viewers to do what you started out wanting to do–that is, to sign up, pick up the phone, register, opt or buy the product or service you’re selling.

Step 5.  State clearly what you want your prospect to do.  This is call to action.
There you have it.  Once you have answered the five questions, you have the structure; all you have to do is decorate it.  The act is, with this blueprint alone, you can make some sales.

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Perhaps you’ve heard of the concept of modeling success.  If you want to achieve success at anything, the fastest way to do it is by modeling the strategies of those who are already successful at it. 

That way, you take something complex and synthesize it into its essence so you can use it immediately.

You’ve probably heard of real estate agents going into selling mode by constantly repeating to themselves.  “I’m going to sell this house.” 

Successful real estate agents start off with the mind-set that the sale is already made Model the strategy that successful people use to be successful.

In web copywriting, the best way is to model successful such a website that you admire greatly and that you know has produced tons of sales for its owner. 

Start copying it by hand. Write the entire sales letter out in your own handwriting. Write it out two or three times over the next week. 

Depending on how test you write, this will take roughly five hour–less if you write quickly or if the sales letter you choose is short. 

An examnoke if successful web copy that you can handwrite can be found at www.MagicWordsThatMakeYouRich.com.

This takes a lot of discipline, not to mention time, but I assure you, it will be worth the effort. 

Once you write this sales letter over and over again, you will start internalizing the wording, the phraseology, the rhythm, even the mind-set of the person who wrote the copy. 

Your brain assimilates it and you practically step into the mind of the person who wrote it.  This is by far the best modeling exercise I’ve found for accelerating web copywriting skills.

Next time you sit down to write web copy, the wording, the phrasing, and even part of the writer’s thought process will have become a part of you, and you will find that it becomes much easier to sit down and begin flowing right into a winning sales piece.

A Simple Blueprint for Writing Killer Web Copy
Internalize the Golden Rule of sales that says, “All things being equal, people will do business with, and refer business to, those people they know, like, and trust.”–Bob Burg

Before you write one word of copy, you must first
• Know your objective
• Know your target audience
• Know the product or service

Your objective
What are you trying to accomplish?  What response are you trying to obtain?  Your objective might not be to make a sale, but rather to get your reader to send for free information or to get your reader to sign up for your mailing list.  Or your objective might be to sell your product or service.

Your target audience
The more you know about your target audience, the easier it will be to convince them that they need your product or service. 

The more specific your knowledge of your target audience is, the better.  Let’s say you are selling a book on weight loss. 

Your target audience is overweight people, but you might fine-tune that to target overweight people whose jobs revolve around computer work and who have no time to work out, let alone go to the gym.  This is the target audience of a website called WeightLossTricksThatWork.com.

Your product or service
After identifying the audience to whom you are writing, it’s essential to know the product or service about which you’re writing. 

Immerse yourself in it.  The five Ws of journalism are a handy tool to use for this:  What?  Why?  Where?  When?  Who?  and the bonus How? 

Before you begin writing, ask yourself:
What is the product or service?  What is it made of?
Why was it invented or developed?
Where did it originate?
When was it discovered?
Who invented or discovered it?
How is it made?

Learn everything you can about your product or service.  Uncover the benefits of owning your product or using service. 

Only after you identify your objective, falniliarize yourself with your target audience, and know your product or service thoroughly is it time to start writing.

Before you write one word of copy, what else described in here, you think should be considered?

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