A good friend came to me one day champing at the bit to tell me his big great idea…
“I need you to write a press release,” he said.
“Why would you need a press release,” I was curious.
That’s what you do when you want to create tons of free media exposure, right? Well, at least that’s what he thought. “Do you have a good story to tell?” I asked. “Well you know me and my business and my outstanding customer service…” By then I knew we had a problem.
Perhaps you’ve tried to hook reporters with a well-written press release countless times. What happened? Did you get the “free exposure” you were looking for? Still waiting?
Maybe you forgot that those hard-working reporters report on stuff that’s news WORTHY. The primary purpose of a press release is to deliver a relevant and newsworthy story that your target audience cares about. But how do you do that?
Check out these 18 sneaky “free exposure” strategies – they should give you some ideas…
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daniel Copywriting, Marketing, Words That Sell Copywriting, Marketing, Words That Sell
As a little boy I always admired the man wearing the blue costume and red cape. Always wanted to be like superman…. It seems that I wasn’t the only one. Apparently many kids around the world loved the hero from Krypton. Remember the brave hero with an “S” on his chest.
Superman could do anything… he could stop a train, stop buzzing bullets, he could fly faster than a plane, beat the bad thugs, and do good for everyone. He was a real hero who was celebrated by kids of all ages.
The dairy industry picked up on that and figured a clever way to convince kids to drink more milk with their memorable ‘got milk?’ advertisements.
If you’re trying to connect with your target audience a little more effectively this ad should give you some ideas…
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daniel Copywriting, Marketing, Persuasion, Persuasion Architecture, Words That Sell Copywriting, Marketing, Persuasion, Persuasion Architecture, Words That Sell
Heard the story about the young lad who one day went for a walk and built the foundation for the most popular Scotch in the world?
His name was John – the man who walked around the world…
If you’ve ever wondered how the Blue Label, Red Label or Black Label came about then watch this video where Scottish actor Robert Carlyle tells a captivating story behind Johnnie Walker Scotch whiskey. From opening a grocer’s shop aged 14 to building a worldwide empire – Johnnie did lots of walking!
Nearly six minutes long, is this the longest tracking shot in advertising history?
Watch this video if you’re still struggling to tell a captivating story about your business or you’re looking to revamp your about page…
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daniel Copywriting, Marketing, Persuasion, Persuasion Architecture, Words That Sell Copywriting, Marketing, Persuasion, Persuasion Architecture, Words That Sell
I stumbled across this list of ‘everlasting’ quotes that should help you produce more effective advertisements, sales letters and emails…
They reveal what it really takes to be a good writer or copywriter. Even if you’ll never want to become a full-time copywriter, chances are that by improving your writing skills you should become more effective in your business and life…
“You must be in contact with your market. If you don’t let the ideas come to you, you’re going to relay to much on your own creativity. If you don’t spend at least two hours per week finding out where your market is today, you are finished! Talk little, listen much. You don’t have to have great ideas if you can hear great ideas. The creativity is not in you… never mistake that. The creativity is in your market and in your product, and all you’re doing is joining the two together. You’re trying to get two ideas that were separate (NEVER JOINED BEFORE) and you are trying to put them together”. – Legendary top-gun copywriter Eugene Schwartz.
You’ll find other quotes below…
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daniel Copywriting, Persuasion, Persuasion Architecture, Words That Sell Copywriting, Persuasion, Persuasion Architecture, Words That Sell
Your advertisement will be ignored, your email deleted and your sales letter will go down swinging unless you use a catchy headline that grabs your reader’s attention.
Writing catchy headlines is simple yet hard to do… Especially when you work under a fast-approaching deadline that gets your heart racing, palms sweating and your adrenaline pumping.
In my early days I spent hours rewriting ads, sales letters and headlines of legendary copywriters like Gary Halbert, Ted Nicholas, Claude Hopkins, David Ogilvy and many others. Was it worth it? You bet. But chances are that you don’t have the same level of passion, commitment or time required to learn the craft. Or maybe you do but wouldn’t mind a little shortcut to save yourself some hassle.
Well, if that’s what you want then today I’ll show you a little-known copywriting technique to help you produce attention-grabbing headlines quickly. In fact, you won’t believe how simple and effective it is. It will rock your world and hopefully make your copywriting more effective.
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daniel Copywriting, Creativity, Marketing, Mindset, Words That Sell Copywriting, Creativity, Marketing, Mindset, Words That Sell
People hate cliches or worn-out sayings. I mean… don’t we all?!
Whatever…
Cliches like “I thank you from the bottom of my heart” and “It’s only a drop in the bucket” sound old, insincere and annoying.
Some expressions have lost their freshness, descriptive power and pizzazz…
Social researcher Mark McCrindle recently surveyed 1300 Australians to determine their attitudes towards cliches and overused words… he identified tiresome cliches that top our ‘most-loathed’ list.
These are the words you should stop using if you want more people to read your ads, emails and sales letters… and if you want to be taken seriously by your clients, prospects, employees, colleagues, kids and partner!
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daniel Copywriting, Marketing, Mindset, Persuasion, Persuasion Architecture, Words That Sell Copywriting, Mindset, Persuasion, Persuasion Architecture, Words That Sell
What makes you feel guilty?
The other day I had this rich, delicious and sumptuous European dish that made me feel warm, cosy and a little tipsy…
It felt great… for a while! Soon my health-conscious “conscience” unleashed its fury and began tormenting me about the ‘unbalanced’ diet choice that just a moment ago seemed so satisfying.
How can one plunge from the ‘north’ (feeling totally serene and peaceful) to the ‘south’ (feeling anxious and guilty) so suddenly? The answer to this questions should make your sales letters and advertisements instantly more effective…
It reveals a powerful Hot Button you can use to help more prospects and clients take action and buy from you immediately instead of totally ignoring your sales letter, advertisement or email.
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daniel Copywriting, Marketing, Persuasion, Persuasion Architecture, Words That Sell Copywriting, Mindset, Persuasion, Persuasion Architecture, Words That Sell
I’m often asked what makes a good sales letter or advertisement work.
Is there some scientific method that goes beyond the obvious AIDA formula to help you make your message really STAND OUT in today’s chaotic, fast-paced and overstimulated society?
Today, I want to answer this question and more and hopefully you give you some fresh insights on how to make your advertisements, emails and sales letters sell more… in today’s over-communicated world.
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daniel Copywriting, Marketing, Mindset, Persuasion, Persuasion Architecture, Words That Sell Copywriting, Marketing, Mindset, Persuasion, Persuasion Architecture, Words That Sell
What drives people to action?
What makes people buy?
What makes them buy your products … buy your story … buy your leadership?
I’ve been asking myself these and similar questions for nearly a decade now… What I’ve learned is that what grabs, drives and electrifies one person may have no effect on somebody else.
How is that of interest to you…?
People buy your products and service for their reasons, not yours. Your sales should increase as soon as you understand those reasons.
What are those ‘reasons’?
The answer may surprise you…
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daniel Copywriting, Marketing, Mindset, Persuasion, Persuasion Architecture, Words That Sell Copywriting, Marketing, Mindset, Persuasion, Persuasion Architecture, Words That Sell
This is a one cool website that – if you are in marketing, advertising or copywriting – you definitely need to know about…
It’s called Language Monitor (LM) and it documents, analyzes and tracks trends in language the world over, with a particular emphasis upon Global English. Its findings are accepted, respected and used by scholars around the world who incorporate LM’s findings into their research and publications.
I find this website interesting, edifying and fascinating. For example, did you know that a new word is created every 98 minutes or about 14.7 words per day? Or that the English Language has over 1,005,939 words? What about the Most Confusing High Tech Buzzwords of the Decade? I think this is a list you can’t afford to miss especially if you’re in the IT industry.
LM reveals other interesting ‘word facts’ and buzzwords that should help you get your sales message more in tune with the market…
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daniel Copywriting, Marketing, Persuasion, Words That Sell Copywriting, Marketing, Persuasion, Words That Sell