Sales Letter Success...Turning your words into wealth

Class #2

Headlines: Eyeball Magnets and Cash Flow Creators

Assignments From Module #1

• Write out 2 letters by hand• Cosmo / Enquirer Headlines – Write 20 about

mothers day themes – pick your top 5 – email your top 5 to me

• Apologize• Promote• Read Scientific Advertising• Levenger – review the email – 3 reasons why it

works so well?

Time Tested Success FormulaA-I-D-A

• Attention = Talk their language, show them you understand their problem or need

• Interest = Give them a solution... Something BIG you can deliver to them as an fix

• Desire = Show them others just like them bought from you in the past and are happy

• Action = make them an offer they cannot refuse

Attention = Talk their language, show them you understand their problem or need

• theme or benefit presented in the headline • likely to resonate powerfully with your best

prospects• headline and lead instantly grab your attention• believable?• compelling benefits the prospect will derive in

return for reading this?

• Explain why it is crucial for the prospect to read this right now?

• Establish the qualifications of the person writing them

• Does it sell you on reading the opening?• Opening copy connect directly with the

headline and lead – and intensify your desire to read on?

The best things about headlines...• Creating your features and benefits list helps

create headlines – plus you create your bullet points (the headlines you don’t use)

• Headlines you don’t use can also be used as subheadlines (for scanners and to break up the copy)

• Headlines can be used as email subject lines• They can be used as classified ads or display ads• They make you MONEY... So get good at them!

7 Steps Before Writing Your Headlines

• STEP #1: Know your ideal prospect inside and out • STEP #2: Create a complete features inventory • STEP #3: Figure out WHY each feature exists • STEP #4: Think about what each feature actually

DOES for the prospect • STEP #5: Make the transition to emotional benefits • STEP #6: Rank, select and combine your benefits • STEP #7: Word your benefits for maximum impact

Types of headlines

• Testimonial type headline• Question they need to answer• Educational Headline• Benefit driven headline• Curiosity driven• Facts or announcements

Their top fears, worries and needs Include ...

• Personal Safety• Job Security• Financial Security/Independence• Health• Romance & Sex• Marriage & Relationships• Successful Parenting• Social Status/Respect• Success With a Hobby

Ideas for headline themes...• What are you (or your product) best known as?• What could you be known as?• What can you be FIRST at in your market place? • What category can you create? • Stay focused on what you are good at (and known for) • Secrets for bucking the system • Accurate forecasts • What is your character/personality known for? • Most credible in the business • Willing to battle the ___ on your behalf • What enemy can you take a common stance against? • Combines 2 different solutions to make a unique and powerful solution • Brutally honest and funny _______ • Reverse engineer what others are doing • Highest paid _____ in the world (everytime you see a successful

product/person - ask what their position is) • Myth buster • Obnoxious ________

Benefit headlines (only present the primary practical benefit your product offers)

• Who Else Wants A Whiter Wash – With No Hard Work

• Super Spy Lets You See Through Walls, Fences, and Locked Doors

• What’s Wrong With Getting Richer QUICKER?

Emotional Headlines(address the emotional need, frustration or fear your product addresses)

• Lies, Lies Lies Why we investors are fed up with everyone lying to us! But getting rich is the best revenge!!

• You can laugh at money worries- if you follow this simple plan

• Tell the “Health Police” To take a flying leap – and return to life’s guiltiest pleasures

Combine Benefits and Emotions (Present the benefit and either imply or state the emotional payoff for the prospect)

• They laughed when I sat down to play the piano, but then I started to play…

• Forbidden cures! Remarkable cures censored by knife-happy surgeons and greedy drug companies

• The amazing face-lift-in-a-jar used by Hollywood Stars who don’t want plastic surgery

Curiosity

(Tease the benefit, or begin the conversation by telling a story)

• How I made a fortune with a fool idea • How a bald headed barber helped save my

hair • The Secret _____ doctors take when no ones

watching • The compelling case against ____(traditional

belief you want to bust)____

Headline Ideas...• Just Arrived• New method of _____________• New here• New modernized ____________• It’s here• Latest findings• New discovery• Just off the press• New invention• Just out• The world’s first ____________• At last

How To...• How to get _________________ • How to get the most out of ______________• How to have ________________• How to end ____________• How to start ________________• How to conquer _____________• How to improve _____________• How to become ______________• How to develop ______________• How you can ________________

• Seven ways to ___________• The truth about ___________• The one sensible way to ___________• Profitable tips for ________________• Plain talk with _____________• Confidential chats with ____________

Great email subjects (headlines)• Wed 4/22 is Secret Password Day (rastaurant and

very creative marketers)• The “Starbucks Stalker”• Avoid This Natural Gas Trap (could easily be

modified to your business)• A free book for 300 lucky readers• Your best defence against a bad economy (insert

your own replacement for economy)• Meditate like a Zen Monk

• This is why you’re broke• 5 New Ways To _____ in 2009• Deck the halls with bills and dollars• Stop drinking water now• Would you rather me be blunt, truthful, or ...• We’ve been banned by Biker Magazine• You might need to read this twice

Body copy (deck copy)• The trick with headlines is to write them in way

that the reader can easily see himself being the main character in the story you are telling them.

• You talk about their pains and make them feel the pain as they are reading it

• You amaze them with your insights on how much you seem to know about them

• You become one of them, and they feel you are a friend and confidant

JUNE EVENTS• International Men's Month • National Rose Month• Entrepreneurs Do It Yourself Marketing Month• Children's Awareness Month• Effective Communications Month• Gay and Lesbian Pride Month• Audio Book’s Month• Dairy Month• Professional Wellness Month• Rebuild Your Life Month• Sports America Kids Month• World Infertility Month• Caribbean – American Heritage Month• Zoo & Aquamarine Week• People Skill’s Week

• First Week: National Business Etiquette Week / Telemarketing Awareness Week / Superman Week / Fishing Week

• Second Week: Families in Business Week / National History Days / Bathroom Reading Week / Hug Week / Men’s Health Week

• Third Week: Nursing Assistants Week / Meet A Mate Week

• Fourth Week: Carpenter Awareness Week / Fish Are Friends, Not Food! Week / National Prevention of Eye Injuries Awareness

• School is Out (Activities for Kids) • Graduation • First Day of Summer • US Open (Golf) • Wimbledon (Tennis) • NBA/NHL Finals • Weddings (known for the largest #’s of marriages that occur this month) • Gay Pride Celebrations (take place in honor of the Stonewall Riots) • June 5 – National Family Day • June 6 - Bonza Bottler Day • June 8 – Banana Split Day • June 13 - Alexander the Great dies from over eating (323BC) • June 25 - LEON Day (LEON is NOEL spelled backwards – 6 months till Xmas) • June 26 - Fat, drunk King George IV dies from over eating (1830)

Assignment #2• Handwrite out 50 of the best headlines given• Then immediately write out 50 headlines for your

product – use variations of how, how to, what never to, and any one of the other headline templates given

• Rank your 10 strongest ones (remembering to put yourself in your BUYERS shoes... Not your own. What would they most likely stop and pay attention to?)

• Finish the headline with a starting sentence (headline is larger at the top, body copy continues below, starting with dear friend... Continue the thought the headline started)

• Send out one promotion this week – Mothers Day Month or other... Let me know your results

• Start planning your June promotions (write out headline ideas... Offer ideas... Plan of attack... Etc)