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The following is a response to a blog entry to Ray Edwards (the Florida Ray).
I’ve known Ray for a few years now and I count him as a friend. But we differ a bit on this issue.
You can find Ray’s post here:
http://www.webcopy-writing.com/blog/2008/05/27/how-to-you-measure-your-copywriting-skills/
Basically Ray says the copywriting industry per se needs some sort of ’standard’. I disagree. I see Ray’s proposal as a first step in restricting access to the field. Granted anyone can hang a shingle and call themselves a “copywriter”, but there’s more to succeeding in this field than being able to spell the term.
I’m not sure I can agree with your conclusions. There are lots of new products in new markets that could eat even a veteran copywriter alive.
Let’s take another look at this - what makes for bad copy? How do you know what works and what doesn’t?
I know of instances where what you and I would agree is “lousy copy” that sells well - as you yourself pointed out - and seen this same “lousy copy” be replaced by “professionally written” copy that produces worse results.
I’ve written copy myself that failed to do better than the original. Why? In the case I’m thinking of it was because I had a total lack of enthusiasm for the product.
I’ve had other projects take off after an initial failure. The entire copy wasn’t bad - it just needed tweaking.
You’ve read Halbert and Carlton. I’m sure you came across their method where they suggest recording a live pitch from a top salesman and turning into written copy.
So what’s the answer?
I’d say the ONLY measure of good copy is results. I don’t think one can measure results soley by conversion rates because said rates will vary with the market and a whole bunch of other factors. However with good testing procedures and a solid basis on what makes good copy, I believe just about anyone can write copy.
So how do you get results? Write copy and test it in the marketplace. Do this enough and eventually one will either learn how to improve copy in ANY market or quit.
This is one reason I started guarantying results. The only blessings I need on my copy is God’s and the markets’. Anyone else can take a hike.
I am one of the few who dares guarantee results because I insist on testing. Anyone can write copy that fails to convert in any market. The real measure is how you handle failure.
For me the process is simple. I deliver results or it costs my clients nothing.
God bless,
Andy
Few things strike more fear into a marketer’s heart than an “over the top” guarantee. I mean Gutsy with a capital “G”. And yet few elements of a sales page exude more power. Why?
Because your reader doesn’t trust you. Not at all. Few marketers have earned enough trust to risk even a few dollars for something “unknown”. Not all marketers have this problem…
A few years ago I bought a high ticket item from a marketer - it wasn’t even his product - he was an affiliate. By “high ticket” I mean over $1500. Online. And I didn’t blink an eye. Why is that?
I knew the product. The company it came from is a leader in the field. The marketer who sold it has a way about him I find very trustworthy. He is always helpful. He gives a lot of good information away at no charge. And I’ve never seen a “hypey” sales pitch from him. In short - he has positioned himself far above many of those in his field.
So my first suggestion to you is to follow this lead. Take the high road. Avoid anything that hints of shady practices or shoddy products. Be worthy of trust and people will trust you.
Secondly, gather as much proof as you can. Social proof (testimonials, etc.), scientific proof, endorsements, anything you can gather to back up what you say. And don’t say anything you can’t back up.
Finally, offer the absolute strongest guarantee you dare. This is where things get interesting. You see, when it comes right down to it…
You Don’t Trust Your Customers!
Why else would you fail to guarantee an information product forever? Do you think hordes of customers are going to way 7.33 years and then descend on you at once for a refund?
The most common objection for strong guarantees is thieves. Yes some people will take your product and then ask for a refund. You will get that no matter what guarantee you offer. Think about the psychology of a thief for a moment…
They lie, cheat and steal… right? Do you expect them to be patient also? How long do you think a thief will wait to get a refund? A year? Not if they can get it in minutes. Or a week. In other words, guaranting your product for a year will make NO difference with thieves. So what does that leave?
Marginal customers. Customers who bought your product but don’t really want it because it doesn’t meet their needs or expectations. It happens.
The fact is you should be EAGER to give a refund to marginal customers. WHAT! Why?
Because these are the customers who will tell you what’s wrong with your product or your sales approach. Not only should you be able to cut down on future refunds but you should also armed to get more customers by refining your product and/or sales letter!
On the other hand the general rule is the more solid the guarantee the greater the sales. Yep more people will buy if you convince them they have absolutely NO risk if they decide to buy your product. Just make sure you honor this!
Now for that “Gutsy” Guarantee…
If you really want to “Go for the Gutsy” here one of the most daring guarantees going:
FREE If You Choose!
At firt it even chills me to the bone, but think about it…
You’re selling a digital product so what are the chances someone will get the refund and then delete your product from their hard drive? (I do but I think I’m the exception here.)
What are you going to do otherwise? Go to their house and check? Yeah, right. So why not take advantage of this and say “go ahead and try it if you don’t like it, I’ll refund your money”
I’ve seen others do this, most recently, Brad Callen for his SEO Elite product. I was impressed. If you get something different it’s because he’s testing and you’ve hit an alternate offer - it happens.
Other Gutsy Guarantees include offering to give back more than the reader paid - 10%, 20% even double your money back! Frankly, such offers scare me as a buyer and as a seller.
The bottom line is you should offer the best guarantee you can and still sleep at night.
One final note - is this rule written in stone? No. One very successful marketer comes to mind… Matt Furey.
Matt offers NO guarantee at all. Matt makes far more money with his products than I do. I’m fairly certain Matt tests his messages but I’m still not convinced this concept would be valid in most markets.
I’ve done this myself on occasion because I offer a product so cheap it would nearly cost me money to refund it. I’m not a fan of this tactic. I’ve come to believe you are better off offering value and getting a fair price for that value.
The best overall advice I can offer is to test your own market. See what is acceptable to them. There’s no reason you can’t limit your tests in extreme cases to just a few hundred or even 1,000 visitors. Even if you have a 5% conversion rate and your “double your money back” guarantee doubles this you’ve only risked 100 refunds. If your refund rate remains less than 50% and you’ll still make a gross profit.
God bless,
Andy
Your P.S. is an integral part of your sales message. Many marketers contend a large majority of readers fly from headline to P.S. making it the second most read part of your sales letter. I noticed I do this but I may be conditioned by my copywriting and testing studies so I cannot consider my own habits valid. Besides I always stop by the price myself on the way to the P.S. 
If you’re stuck for a P.S. here’s one thing not to do and a couple of things TO do…
First what NOT to do: Don’t summarize your offer. If you put you’re whole offer in a nutshell and tack it on to the end of your sales page - you are essentially counting on one or two paragraphs as your entire sales page. Why?
Because the “summary offer” generally answers the questions most people have - what is it and what does it cost? So what can you do?
One method is to simply put a couple of testimonials in your P.S. this can work very well especially if the testimonials offer up some good benefits.
Another thing you can to is try to invoke curiosity by stating a benefit from your body copy or bullets. This can be tricky but it can work well too.
Finally you can add another bonus to your product - one that changes every now and then. You can tell the reader this bonus is “for a limited time”. The magazine “Fly Fisherman” did this well by offering creels. They said they only had so many and when they were gone…
If you sell a physical product this can be a very effective method - especially if your product is a high ticket item with a good profit margin because you can afford to offer high value bonuses.
This last method is one of the easiest and most effective ways to add a P.S. but you really should change your bonus from time to time so your readers know you mean business. And you might be surprised at how many stop again to see if you’re “limited time offer” was for real or just another gimmick.
God bless,
Andy
P.S. Do you have a favorite technique? One other one is to add some tidbit not found in the body copy. My own favorite is number two above.
