Web Copywriting Made Easy Using a Systems Approach

What is the best skill you can realize, which will still be invaluable 10 years from now?  Copywriting has been valuable since the invention of direct marketing in the mid 1850's.  Jason Fladlien has become an Internet marketing sensation in under 3 years, largely based on his copywriting skils. Anybody can achieve massive results based on Jason Fladlien's 9 Step Copywriting formula, described here.  Using this approach, anyone who is properly motivated will be able to write exceptional sales letters within 3 hours.

Step 1 - Research -  All research for your letter must be done in 20 minutes or less.  Specifically you have to know three MAIN fears and an ideal solution the prospect pictures in their mind.  The easiest way to do this is looking at other people's sales letters who are in the same field or profession to be aware of likely problems/solutions.  As an example, his $40 ghostwriting system sales letter exposed the following  fears: it won't work for the prospect, they will never make money online with it, and it will take a lot of effort.  His 3 main benefits were that it will work in 7 days or less, it's perfect for those who have previously "struggled" in marketing, and a double your money back guarantee.  His eventual solution was those investing in his course would be making $40 an hour within 7 days.

Step 2 - Your Offer -  Once you have a general idea of their "ideal solution," create your letter.  Your offer is 80% of your success, and the actual writing is only about 10%.  Therefore copywriting would be better referred to as "copyoffering."  An offer includes:

a) What they get including a the offer itself and bonus.  One bonus that is something people WANT but wouldn't pay for, e.g., time management or information overload.  One bonus that is time-limited and one bonus that is "sexy" and closes the deal.
b) The price they have to pay and why it's such a good deal.  It's a bargain, which is less than they SHOULD have had to pay, e.g., the "flea market" mentality.  There are three ways to make ANY price seem to be a bargain, including dollars at a discount, time saving value, and intangibles (spending time with your family).
c)  A way to minimize risk, e.g., a 100% money back guarantee, for instance:  "Get this and go through it immediately.  If after 10 minutes, you don't feel you've already gotten your money's worth..I DEMAND you contact me.. and I will return every penny of your purchase...quietly and promptly...No questions asked.  You only stand to gain by acting on this immediately...better still ..."  Note that the focus is on the positive here vs. the usual "You have nothing to lose," which focuses on the negative.  This example also includes two action directives, urging an immediate purchase.  Jason often adds "We don't want unsatisfied people in our business," to further strengthen his offer.

Step 3 - Proof -  An expert interview is an excellent workaround for cases in which you don't have proof initially.  Jason suggests using rtir.com to find experts.  This will allow you to gain experience and build a portfolio of your own "copywriting" clients.  A second way is simply to provide good information, which is higher proof than anything else.  The "puppy dog close" says to just take the dog home and you can bring it back if it doesn't work out.  The offer is you get a risk-free experience with the product.   Similarly, what if your sales letter gives away a complete secret, e.g., the experience of owning your product (or sampling it) straightforwardly in the sales letter.  This makes your advertising valuable in and of itself!   If you can't come up with one tip in your sales letter, then your offer probably SUCKS!

Step 4 - Story (optional) - This step can be skipped, but is typically provides something to "hang" the offer on.  This is like the skeleton of your sales letter.  Jason has found 3 basic story plots in use today. He actually uses the journey plot, which is used 70% of the time in sales letters.  This is where I started, then I hit a low point; just when I thought it couldn't get worse it actually did; then I discovered "the solution" which give me my first victory; now look where I am today and this is why I'm sharing it now with you.

Step 5 - Benefits - This is essentially done and included in the proof above.  Bullet points are typically used, including the following types:
a)  Very Specific Benefit.  Make your promise of benefit VERY credible by being very specific, without revealing the answer.
b)  Contradictive - Say why conventional held wisdom is plainly wrong.
c)  Curiosity - Saying something very puzzling or peculiar that they MUST discover the answer to, and will be compelled to get your product to find it out.

Step 6 - Scarcity - Even though your product has the best benefit, you need to get your prospects out out of their comfort zone using scarcity.  An example of this follows:  " We will be holding a hands-on webinar at this date, so you must buy before then to get the invitation."

Step 7 - The Headline - The easiest headline is "How to do ____ in a [specific time frame].  Here is an example "How to write a 400 word article in 7 minutes or less including proof reading and research."  Another example is "My Best Converting Squeeze Pages all Contain Less Than 100 Words and Take Only 4 Minutes To Create."

Step 8 - The Opening Paragraph - The best and simplest way is to elaborate on your headline with added benefits and then add in your guarantee.

Step 9 - Assemble the Letter - After the intro paragraph, start on your story and finish your story by introducing your offer.  Explain your "core" offer with bullet points.  Reveal your proof elements.  Explain the price and why it's such a good deal.  Then add in bonuses WITH scarcity and describe the guarantee (crafted as a call to action).  Finally, you can simply ask for the order.  See Jason's Profit Equation: goldenmembercoaching.com/profit-equation for an example.

Doing this sales letter process will become easier after you do it a few times.  It is a vitally needed skill for anyone operating in the Internet marketing space.  If you're just getting started with the internet, a system like MLSP would be easier at first, but even making some custom changes will require skills in web copywriting.