Secrets of Mouthwatering Marketing Copy
I am terrified of copywriting. All that talk of persuasion architectures numbs my senses. I don't want to become a professional copywriter: I just want some easy pragmatic advice on how to improve marketing copy so it gets a better response.
Which is where Yudkin's 103-page report comes in. I first heard of it through online writing guru Nick Usborne, and got hold of a review copy forthwith.
The premise behind the report is to focus on those areas other guides tend to ignore, but which play a powerful role in driving response. So you're not buying a broad overview or in-depth insights into behavioral theory.
Instead, you get no-nonsense advice on exactly how to improve three key areas of your copy, namely the offer, bullet points and testimonials.
If that sounds a little spartan, that was my first reaction too. Until I dug deep into the text. Because actually the offer, how you describe what you sell (the benefits/features in bullet point form) and the testimonials to back up your claims are pretty much the heart of your copy. And Yudkin's advice is just so...meaty.
Even so, how much can you say about bullet points? Or testimonials for that matter? It turns out rather more than you would imagine. Yudkin opens your mind to dozens of tips and techniques that had my head spinning with ideas and possibilities. And I'm a shrinking violet when it comes to selling.
And that's where the report does its job because I found myself thinking, "hey, I should try that" over and over again.
Yudkin's style is personable and jargon-free. And each section is packed with examples. Hundreds of them. Which makes it much easier to see how you might apply the advice to your own situation.
In terms of content, Yudkin covers:
- dozens of different approaches regarding your offer presentation (pricing, guarantees, bonuses, packages and payment terms).
- an impressive bullets section, with its seven-step process to producing lists of features and benefits that sell. And 76 (yep, seventy-six) ways to improve your bullets, each with examples.
- How to get testimonials and then present them appropriately.
The rest of the report includes some general copywriting checklists, overviews and reading suggestions, but I see them as a bonus rather than the meat of the work.
Any negatives?
There are one or two typos, which is ironic. And the advice is no good if you're really not prepared to give yourself over to marketing and selling. If you feel safer with dry, corporate speak, it might not appeal (though I venture to suggest, as Yudkin does, that you're missing out on sales as a result).
The report isn't specifically for email marketing, but the advice is readily applied to that discipline and other marketing vehicles. I picked up a host of ideas on how to improve the copy on my newsletter sign-up page, for example (so that's just gone on my to-do list.)
Summary: not intended as the only copywriting tome you'll ever need, but a valuable addition to your bookshelf if you're serious about improving key aspects of your copy.
Link: The "Secrets of Mouthwatering Marketing Copy" sales page.