| An Interview with David Garfinkel
by Mark Joyner
Recently I sat down with David Garfinkel and asked him to share
some secrets with me.
Even if you think you already know how to write great ads, I
highly recommend reading this interview. Great marketers never
stop learning!
By now I'm sure you've heard of David Garfinkel, author of
"Killer Copy Tactics." I've been promoting David very heavily
lately. Why? Well, David is an amazing teacher! I
wish I had
met David years ago. It would have saved me years of trial and
error.
My question to David was this: "If someone held a gun to
your
head and you *had* to give them the 10 best ways they could
*triple* the response of their advertising, what would you
suggest?"
Here's David's superb response:
1. Write your headline from your prospect's point of view, not
your own.
It's amazing how many business people forget to look at their
products and services from the perspective of the people buying
them. The sooner your prospects recognize themselves and their
own wants and needs in the words you use in your headline, the
more they will buy from you.
2. Use the words "You," "New" and/or "How to" in your headline
These are proven words that rivet attention. Hook them up to a
benefit your prospect wants, and your response will skyrocket!
3. Make your opening sentence continue what you were talking
about in the headline.
If in your headline you promised your prospect a new way to make
money, say something in your opening sentence to get them even
*more* excited about making money. If your headline promised
relief from a problem, use your opening sentence to intensify
their awareness of their problem.
4. Tell your whole story, in miniature, by the time the first
paragraph is over.
People have a very short attention span these days. If you can
telescope your entire sales story down to a
sound-bite-in-writing -- think of how they do this on the TV
news, where they give you the key points of a story and then say
"film at 11" -- far more people will read your copy, and your
sales will increase dramatically. Then use the rest of your copy
to retell your story, in more detail.
5. Use specific, powerful (and most important of all, true)
testimonials.
No matter how honest or persuasive you are, people usually won't
believe you in your copy when they first read it. They need to
get to know you and trust you... and that can take a while.
Unfortunately, you don't have a while -- you have to sell them
*right now*. But they will be much more likely to believe other
people when those people are singing your praises. It's just
human nature. So get testimonials that give you high
credibility.
7. Use detailed, convincing case studies.
No matter what you're selling, people always have the following
question in the back of their minds: "How will this work for
someone like me?" A detailed, in-depth case study of someone
using your product or service will answer that question -- and
when you include a case study like that, far more people will
buy from you.
8. Use a powerful guarantee and draw attention to it.
You can't sell on the Web or through mail-order without using a
guarantee. So as long as you have to use one anyway, use a
strong one and highlight it to the max! Your increased sales
will far outnumber any additional returns you might have, and
you'll come out way ahead.
9. Edit your copy ruthlessly.
If a word doesn't keep the reader reading by making what you're
writing more interesting, or making what you're selling more
appealing, cut it out. Copywriting is the art of doing more with
fewer words. Every word has to work really hard, and your copy
has to be easy to read. The fewer words you have doing the same
job, the more people will buy from you.
10. Give one or more free bonuses so it is easier to say "yes"
than to say "no."
Just look at what we did with "Killer Copy Tactics." There are
three free bonuses, each of which is easily worth more than the
price of the entire course! Every good direct marketer does the
same thing. From free calculators with magazine subscriptions to
a free American Express Platinum Card with a new Lexus, bonuses
consistently improve response and end up making you more money
when you use them.
- - - -
David hit the nail right on the head. These are exactly the
types of tactics I use, and you should as well.
David's course "Killer Copy Tactics" is a fun and easy way to
increase the response of any promotion you have on the web!
Click
here to check it out:
http://www.roibot.com/kc.cgi?IM9582_aa12
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