Copywriting Study Guide - Part 2

4 Steps before sending in lead magnet page
Make sure its the right length. Landing pages for lead magnets run all sorts of lengths. More than often they are short. If you need to cut, look at your work and take out the most powerful benefits. Gotta cut filler.

Cut out repetition, never say the same things twice.

Organize your content. Every sentence needs to be fascinating. This is the stage where you want to experiment with different sentences and headlines. Save all of your drafts and come back to it.

Cater for A/B testing. Make a couple of landing page variants.

1. Measure The Size Of The Claim
20,000 Filter Traps In Viceroy!'

'i Am 61 Pounds Lighter . . .'

'who Ever Heard Of 17,000 Blooms From A Single Plant?'

2. Measure The Speed Of The Claim:
'feel Better Fast!' Two Seconds,

Bayer Aspirin Begins To Dissolve In Your Glass!''

3. Compare The Claim
'six Times Whiter Washes!' '

Costs Up To $300 Less Than Many Models Of The Low-priced Three!'

4. Metaphorize The Claim
'melts Away Ugly Fat!'

5. Sensitize The Claim Bv Making The Prospect Feel, Smell, Touch, See Or Hear It
'tastes Like You Just Picked It!' '

The Skin You Love To Touch!'

6. Demonstrate The Claim Bv Showing A Prime Example:
'jake Lamotta, 160 Pound Fighter, Fails To Flatten Mono Paper Cup!'

'at 60 Miles An Hour, The Loudest Noise In This Rolls Royce Is The Electric Clock!'

7. Dramatize The Claim, Or Its Result:
'here's An Extra 850, Grace—i'm Making Big Money Now!'

'they Laughed When I Sat Down At The Piano—but When I Started To Play . . .

9. Remove Limitations From The Claim:
'shrinks Hemorrhoids Without Surgery!'

'you Breathe No Dusty Odors When You Do It With Lewyt!'

10. Associate The Claim With Values Or People With Whom The Prospect Wishes To Be Identified:
'mickey Mantle Says: Camels Never Bother My Throat!'

'9 Out Of 10 Decorators Use Wundaweave Carpets For Long Life At Low Cost!'

11. Show How Much Work, In Detail, The Claim Does:
'now! Relief From All 5 Acid-caused Stomach Troubles—ik Seconds!'

'relieves Congestion In All 7 Nasal Passages Instantly!'

12. State The Claim As A Question:
'who Else Wants A Whiter Wash—with No Hard Work?'

'could You Use $25 A Week Extra Income?

13. Offer Information About How To Accomplish The Claim:
'how To Win Friends And Influence People!'

'here's What To Do To Get Rid Of Pimples Fast!'

14. Tie Authority Into The Claim:
'boss Mechanic Shows How To Avoid Engine Repair Bills!'

'here's What Doctors Do When They Feel Rotten!'

15. Before-and-after The Claim:
'before Coldene A Child Got Over A Cold After 5 Days Of Aching, Sneezing, Wheezing, Dripping, Suffering, Coughing, Crying, Gagging, Spitting.'

'with Coldene A Child Gets Over A Cold In Five Days!'

16. Stress The Newness Of The Claim:
'announcing! Guided Missile Spark Plugs!'

'now! Chrome Plate Without Heat, Electricity, Machinery!'

17. Stress The Exclusivity Of The Claim:
'ours Alone! Persian Lamb Originals— $389.40!'

'only Gleem Has Gl-70 To Keep Teeth Clean All Day Long With One Brushing!'

22. Connect The Mechanism To The Claim In The Headline:
'floats Fat Right Out Of Your Body!'

'feeds Waste Gas Fumes Back Into Your Engine!'

24. Connect The Need And The Claim In The Headline:
'there Is Only One Solution To An Advertising Problem: Find The Man!'

25. Offer Information In The Ad Itself:
'why Men Crack . . .'

'what Everybody Ought To Know About This Stock And Bond Business!'

27. Give A Name To The Problem Or Need:
'when You're Weary With Day-time Fatigue, Take Alka-seltzer.'

28. Warn The Reader About Possible Pitfalls If He Doesn't Use The Product:
'don't Invest One Cent Of Your Hardearned Money Until You Check This Guide!'

30. Show How Easv The Claim Is To Accomplish Bv Imposing A Universally-overcome Limitation:
'if You Can Count To Eleven, You Can Increase Your Speed And Skill At Numbers!'

31. State The Difference In The Headline:
'the Difference In Premium Gasolines Is Right In The Additives!'

32. Surprise Vour Reader Into Realizing That Former Limitations Have Now Been Overcome: '
See What Happens When You Crush A Hartman Dc-8? Nothing!'

33. Address The People Who Can't Buv Vour Product:
'if You've Already Taken Your Vacation, Don't Read This. It'll Break Your Heart.'

34. Address Your Prospect Directly:
'to The Man Who Will Settle For Nothing Less Than The Presidency Of His Firm.'

35. Dramatize How Hard It Was To Produce The Claim:
'when Jens Finished Designing This Candleholder We Had To Invent A Whole New Kind Of Candle.'

36. Accuse The Claim Of Being Too Good:
'is It Immoral To Make Money This Easily?'

37. Challenge The Prospects Present Limiting Beliefs:
'you Are Twice As Smart As You Think.'

38. Turn The Claim Into A Question And Answer:
'you Don't Know What's Under The Hood And You Couldn't Care Less As Long As Your Car Runs Smoothly. Who Should You See If It Doesn't?... Someone Who Cares—united Delco.'

Dollar Shave club (USP)
Dollar Shave Club has been disrupting the razor business since they first came on the scene with their viral video promo in 2012: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUG9qYTJMsI They built the business around the pain of having to pay a lot for big-name razors & the inconvenience of having to buy them at the store. Their solution is low-cost razors that are delivered to your door on an automated basis.

Their marketing started by focusing on two pain points: paying a lot for razors (bottom) & the inconvenience of having to continuously buy at the store (top). This essentially combines the messaging below & summarizes it as 'smarter'. It's less pain-driven, but makes the association that being a buyer means you're 'smarter' (self-worth). Their most recent messaging (and I think their best) may nix their typical humorous touch, but it's the most clear & direct they've ever been. They've always used images of their razors (as you'll see below) & in the past year, they've focused on reducing friction (no commitment & fees). This is when they started using GIFs, putting the focus fully on the impressive looking razor & then on the 'save money' messaging.Their most recent messaging (and I think their best) may nix their typical humorous touch, but it's the most clear & direct they've ever been. They've always used images of their razors (as you'll see below) & in the past year, they've focused on reducing friction (no commitment & fees).

Up until this point, Dollar Shave Club's taglines have been built around cleverness & humor, which represent the brand personality, but are also dangerous in terms of clarity. 'An Amazing Shave for A Few Bucks' clearly demonstrates what Dollar Shave Club offers vs. 'Shave Time. Shave Money' or 'Save On A Shave.' Remember that clarity trumps all when it comes to marketing.

Note how their call-to-action copy went from 'Sign Up' to 'Join Now' to 'Try The Club'. 'Try The Club' is the most descriptive copy & implies a trial (soft sell). 'Club' carries weight in that it can represent exclusivity & belonging.

Since 2015, Dollar Shave Club has included 'No Commitment. No Membership Fees.' in their ads. It's a small addition that makes a big impact in terms of lessening anxiety around the idea of getting tied up or paying unnecessary fees. If you're running a 'club', these are two points you'd be smart to address.

One thing that stayed the same throughout was the decision to include a photo of one of their razors in each ad. The difference is, the images got bigger & more realistic. It's clear why they chose to include photos...the razors look really quality.

However, it's not just about looking good. Think deeper & ask yourself, what objections come up when you're deciding on a product that has a much lower price than usual? Perhaps, is it good quality? Dollar Shave Club is addressing that objection with the impressive photos of their product & packaging

 

Miss Seeing Hawaii from American Hawaii Cruise
This 80s ad campaign from American Hawaii Cruises is an excellent example of selling unique travel experiences. Each of the ads below is slightly different, focusing heavily how relaxing & all-encompassing their cruises are versus other alternatives like hotels & competitors like Caribbean cruises. They use unique selling points such as having more staff per person than the Ritz Carlton, dealing with less tourists than the 24 ships in the Caribbean, and avoiding the experience flying back & forth, spending most of your time checking in & unpacking.

They do an excellent job painting picture of a shitty vacation we wish to avoid and can likely relate to. Then they present the cruise as a solution: 'but they end up spending a lot of their precious vacation on packing and unpacking, checking in and out of hotels and standing around airports. Pity. Especially when there's such a wonderful way to see hawaii. On a 7 day adventure aboard the only luxury ships that cruise the islands'

Intelligently tailoring the location based on the paper they advertised in: We''ll fly you from boston to honolulu.

Demonstrating the immense value that's provided for you by taking the cruise: Just listing all the amenities and shit you can do.

This ad interestingly focuses on how they are better than Caribbean cruises. Because Caribbean cruises are more popular, they probably thought they could attract the many people that are already fans of or are interested in a Caribbean cruise.

Headline: Nobody can show you Hawaii the way we can. This is a great ad focused on a USP. Always stressing why they are better than competitors.

American Hawaii Cruises uses a variety approaches in each of their ads. In the first one they paint a picture of a hectic, stressful vacation where you're always busy & don't feel like your on vacation. Then they present their cruise as the opposite & optimal solution. It's your standard sales approach where you bring up a painful situation & provide your product or service as the solution

The second ad has the longest copy. It starts like the first ad did and then focuses the rest of the copy on how much better the cruise experience is vs. staying at a hotel. They understand that hotels are the biggest alternatives to a cruise so persuading people that they provide a much better experience than a hotel may sway a lot of potential hotel-goers.

The third ad is similar to the second ad in terms of it being a comparison ad, except this ad compares the cruise to Caribbean cruises. Hotels are indirect competitors whereas other cruises are direct competitors. They're attacking each type of competitor head on in hopes that they'll steal away hotel & Caribbean cruise goers.

The last ad is exclusively focused on why they are the best for Hawaii vacations. It's location-specific & the most targeted ad of them all.

 

FIVERR
If you are studying a big company's copy, take a look back at when they started, if possible. When a company is widely known, they have less explaining to do & can afford to be vague. When you're new on the scene you must be clear cut to get attention & convey why someone should buy from you. This is why it can be advantageous to look at the progression of a company's messaging. In this example, we'll take a look at Fiverr.

Now that they're established, it makes sense to convey their dominance & positioning ('world's largest').

Now that they're established even more, they can put less emphasis on 'How does it work' & more on the action of getting started. They present their headline more boldly this time.

Headline: What do you need done? Find it on fiverr: This new introduction represents how broad & big they've become. They are no longer focused on $5 jobs & now represent an all-around marketplace that can make your life easier.

 

LIFELOCK
This is a brilliant example of a powerful guarantee from LifeLock. They've intelligently named their guarantee the $1 million guarantee which instantly draws attention regardless of what it entails. LifeLock claims they will spend up to $1 million to hire experts, lawyers, investigators, consultants and whoever else it takes to help your recovery which basically means members are given an insurance policy that could cover, at maximum, $1 million in expenses. It's a classic example of utilizing & promoting 'up to' numbers which most always have a dramatic effect on buyer perception even though they represent the highest-case scenario & are usually unlikely. It's the idea that the dramatic number is 'possible' that makes it work. People can imagine & believe that LifeLock would pay $1 million to protect them & honor their promise if they had to & that's a big deal. In dramatic, yet transparent fashion, LifeLock demonstrates just how much they believe in their product & that confidence transfers over to the customer, which is exactly what a guarantee should do.

The red $1M is bright & bold to draw attention.
The guarantee is clearly explained in 2 sentences.

Five steps to recovery: Once your claim is verified, Lifelock provides: the steps are simple and easy to understand.

Utilize 'up to' numbers in your marketing whenever you are able to. Other examples include having a sale 'up to 75% off' or giveaways 'up to $20,000'. These are maximum-case scenario figures. Even if the numbers are unlikely, they have the potential to raise buyer emotions if they can believe & envision this ultimate scenario happening to them.

Try naming your guarantees like LifeLock. Think of guarantee titles as headlines. If they sound the same as all the others out there, your guarantee won't get read. With clever names, you also increase the chances of people remembering & sharing your guarantee.

Make your guarantee a part of your DNA. Lifelock's second main menu item links to their gurantee. Guarantees can be extremely powerful & when you have a good one, you want it to be a big part of your pitch.

It pays to get specific. If Lifelock just said we have an insurance policy that will cover this, this & this, it wouldn't have the same power as saying it covers $1 million worth of expenses.

 

KISSMETRICS
although these are nice looking display ads, the real reason I'm sharing these is because I think Kissmetrics USP (which is the main focus of their ads) & positioning is very Swipe-Worthy & well worth studying. For over a year now (since early 2013), KISSmetrics has been running with their new slogan 'Google Analytics tells you the what. KISSmetrics tells you who did it.' I could write a whole report as to why this is extremely smart. However, what I find particularly fascinating is the way they've been using this new positioning since the beginning of 2014. First, it's important to note that simply by associating themselves with Google, KISSmetrics borrows their credibility & trust which is massive. I can't help, but think this is exactly what KISSmetrics is thinking because their new ads use the same exact colors Google uses & even have a 'Log In With Google' button which simply means you can sign-up with a Google account. So overall, they're really making you feel like KISSmetrics is a Google product and when it comes to Google Analytics, everyone and their mother uses it for their site. Now, most don't venture further then that which is why KISSmetrics crafted this message to make you think twice. If Google is telling you 'the what' & KISSmetrics is telling you 'the who', this means Google Analytics is missing 'the who'! Now, they've built a feeling of missing out, of no longer having all the tools needed just by using Google Analytics. In two short sentences, they make you feel like simply having Google Analytics is not enough, but having KISSmetrics with Google Analytics is and that right there is a damn good pitch.

They Made It Look Exactly Like a Google Ad.

Testing The Effectiveness of a Male vs. Female Image.

Trials --> A No-Brainer for SaaS

Your relationships and associations are very important to your own brand's perception and can be used in your favor simply by including another brand's logo and colors as KISSmetrics demonstrates.

Want to solidify yourself as a top-tier solution? Compare yours in relation to other very well-known ones. If you frame it correctly, it could make your product or service look very reputable.

A simple A/B test KISSmetrics uses that you should try is photo of a smiling person. In this example, you can see they test the effectiveness of two different photos. When possible, make sure the person is facing the Call-to-Action

 

Think Small: VW
Ranked the greatest advertising campaign of the century by Ad Age. DDB, the same agency behind the Avis' 'We Try Harder' campaign, faced the challenge of selling a small, odd-looking, compact car to Americans, who at the time, we're becoming obsessed with muscle cars. Their solution? Simple. Sell them on the benefits of having a small car. Less gas, less insurance, less maintenance etc. They created a new movement, for the first time, stressing simplicity over luxury or power in an automobile. The large amount of white space draws immediate attention to the car & coincides perfectly with the campaign's theme. It's a classic example of benefit-driven selling and is a reminder that the reason this simplistic approach worked so well is because it was a completely new idea to people at the time.

 

We Try harder: Avis
These are classic ads containing Avis' famous long-time slogan, 'We Try Harder'. Upon adopting the slogan in 1962, the rent-a-car company boasted a market share increase from 11% to 34% in only four years. With just three words, Avis had set a new standard for rental car companies around the world. This is a historic example of counter-intuitive thinking in advertising. Advertising your company as #2 seems illogical at first, but Avis turned it into a competitive advantage by demonstrating that being at #2, they really couldn't afford to slack off and had to work more for the business since they couldn't leverage a #1 position like Hertz. Not only was this completely believable to the consumer, it also built trust since it seemed like Avis was being so honest. In 2012, Avis decided it was time to go in a different direction & adopted a new tagline.

 

visual images of a product (identification)
As a matter of fact, many visual symbols, bv themselves, communicate several different roles of great appeal at the same time.For example, the single image of ownership of a fine painting
mav express, not only success, but also cultural breeding and intellectual accomplishment.
Such multi-image symbols perform two vital tasks for vourproduct. They broaden the size of its market bv grafting on new emotional appeals—social and character identifications that reach
into the fringe areas of that market—that intrigue people who would not be sufficiently swaved bv the pure functional values of your product. And second, bv adding in these manv-sided emotional images, thev deepen and intensify the emotional attraction felt for your product bv all the men and women who make up that market.

unbelievable images (identification)
Many campaigns have collapsed because they have asked their market to identify themselves with an unbelievable image. and killed the sales. The key to avoiding such mistakes, of course, is the structure of the word, unbelievable. What makes an image—or a claim, or an idea—believable or not believable? We shall discuss this question thoroughly in the next few chapters. However, in relation to image-building, the answer lies in two points: 1. What do people already believe about the personality of your product? : 2. What other primary image do I have to use as a believability-bridge to connect what my prospect already believes with what I want him to believe when he finishes my ad? If he doesn't believe that mv product has those desirable character traits, then I have to start with what he already believes. I have to use these images as a base, and build up to my desired overall image

No matter how intense the desire. no matter how demanding the need to identify, both these reactions must be fused with a third great emotional force—Belief— before they can produce the final overwhelming determinant of action—Absolute Conviction. It is this fusion of desire and belief—this conviction—this certainty—this feeling in the prospect of being right in his choice— of being assured of what he has been promised—that the copywriter seeks as his ultimate goal

Gradualization
Every one of the statements you make in vour ad must fit in with your prospects version of 'the facts' at that precise moment. It is not the function of your ad to change those facts. But it is its function—and one of its great sources of strength— to extend them. To build a bridge of belief between those facts as they exist in your prospect's mind today—and the ultimate facts your prospect must believe if he is to accept your claims. This process of starting with the facts that vour prospect is already willing to accept, and leading him logically and comfortably through a gradual succession of more and more remote facts—each of which he has been prepared in turn to accept— is called Gradualization. It is the third Process of Persuasion. Mind you, this process of Gradualization has nothing to do with the offering of proof, or reason-why explanations, or testimonials or documentation. For Gradualization determines—not the content of your ad—but its structure, its architecture, the way i/ou build it.'

We have already seen that it is the dominating desire of your prospect that determines the content of vour ad. It is his longings for identification and self-expression that, in most cases, determine your illustrations. But it is the facts that he believes in and accepts, and the way that he passes that acceptance along from one fact to THIRD TECHNIQUE OF BREAKTHROUGH COPY: GRADUALIZATION 13 3 another, that determines that ad's development—the arrangement of your claims and your images and vour proofs, so that there is a step-bv-step strengthening—not only of your prospect's desire— but of his conviction that the satisfaction of that desire will come true through your product.

sources of strength in an ad (gradualization)
fact: That every claim, everv image, every proof in your ad has two separate sources of strength— 1. The content of that statement itself; and 2. The preparation vou have made for that statement—either by recognizing that preparation as already existing in your prospect's mind, or bv deliberately laving the groundwork for that statement in the preceding portion of the ad itself. And, because of this fact, we can strengthen the power of each of these statements in two separate ways— 1. Bv increasing the intensity of its content—by making greater promises, bv portraying more dramatic images, by offering more compelling proof; and/or 2. Bv changing the place or position or sequence in which that statement occurs in the ad—by strengthening the groundwork for belief in that statement by the material which precedes it—and therefore increasing the intensity of belief given to it— the immediate acceptance of its content, without question, when the prospect encounters it in vour ad. Make no mistake, it is this acceptance that we are looking for.

leading your reader to goal conclusion
The purpose of this chain of acceptances is to lead your reader to a goal conclusion, which he will then accept, but which he would not as readily or as thoroughly have accepted without the preliminary statements. This quest for acceptance begins, of course, with vour headline. This all-important first statement that you make—this meeting place between your story and your prospect—must not only be capable of awakening interest and desire, but of being accepted at the very first glance as being true.

Building acceptance (gradualzation)
Acceptance is built into this entirely new statement in these four different ways:

1. By paragraph parallelism. By framing the statement as the last of a series of similar paragraphs—all the others of which have already been accepted—instead of physically setting it off as a new point with its own sub head and a different construction, as the reader would ordinarily expect.

2. By the lead word, 'And,' a tie-in phrase, which indicates that the sentence accompanying it is the same as those that have gone before.

3. By immediately following 'And' by a second tie-in phrase, 'most important,' which again implies that the remainder of the statement is part of the series that has gone before.

4. And finally, by repeating the phrase, 'these experts have discovered,' which echoes the identifying subhead at the beginning of the series, and carries on the acceptance-momentum of the series as a whole. All these deliberate constructions combine to give this short, but vital, transitional paragraph the acceptance, and therefore the believability, of all the careful planning that has gone before it. They allow the reader to make what otherwise might be a jarring transition from already-established proof to an entirely new promise with a minimum of effort.

why believability is so important (gradualization)
We have taken a great deal of space to analyze, in exact detail, one ad, and the structure of believabilitv that underlies the effectiveness of its claims. We have done this for two reasons: 1. To show how the goal-conclusion—the introduction of the product claim itself—may be made far more effective if it is delayed till the prospect has been prepared to accept it. And 2. To show how this full acceptance—this willingness to believe without question-can gradually be built up, layer by laver agreement by agreement, by use of the proper structure.'

gradualization basic principles
Here are the basic principles: Gradualization is the art of stating a claim in such a wav that it will receive the greatest possible acceptance and/or believabilitv from your prospect. Belief ultimately depends upon structure. Just as desire depends upon promise, so belief in that promise depends upon the amount of preparation that promise has been given before vour reader is asked to accept it.

5 devices to add believability to your promise (gradualization)
Now, how do you strengthen this believability-structure* What are the devices you can choose from to add believabilitv to any promise, in any ad?

1. The Inclusion Question Designed to permit immediate identification with vour storv. To show the prospect that you're talking about him—not about someone else who would answer No to the question.

2. Detailed Identification. Here, instead of asking questions to set up your Yes-train, you detail symptoms or problems that are your prospect's reasons for desiring your product. Thus, again, your reader knows that vou are talking about him—that vou 'have been there vourself'— and therefore that your recommendations will help answer these problems, his problems, that you have catalogued so well.

3. Contradiction of Present (False) Beliefs. Here, you come bluntly out and say, 'I know you think this is true; but I'm going to show YOU it's false.'

4. The Language of Logic. Here again, your objective is to build belief at the same exact time that vou build desire. To do this, you interlace each new promise tcith language-signals that show that it logically follows from everything that has been proved before. And that it therefore can be believed without hesitation. 5. Svllogistic Thinking Now we go from the language of logic to the mechanisms of logic. This is the role that reason plays in your ad. This is the moment when you prove that your product works, through the mechanism of logical reasoning.

Redefinition
Redefinition is the process of giving a new definition to your product. It says that the product is this rather than that. Its objective is to remove a roadblock to your sale—if possible, before the prospect even knows it exists. Let us now look at the three general categories of drawback, and then at the three types of redefinition that eliminates them. First, of course, there is the product that is (or that sounds) too complicated—too hard to use. Second, there is the product that is not important enough— whose basic appeal doesn't have a statistically broad enough market. And third, there is the product that just costs too much. Its price is so much above the price of other products in its class that people simply turn away when it's mentioned.

 

redefinition concept judo
This is the simplest, and often the most effective kind of redefinition. A simple concept-judo. A complete reversal. Turning a liability into an asset, with a single idea. Remember, innovation without acceptance is valueless. The more people know that something is difficult, and the more revolutionary (and therefore different) your product is—the more resistance you will meet from them in accepting it. You must, therefore, lay a base for acceptance by redefining the entire field for them, before vou bring in vour product.

 

3 ways to redefine
The first way to redefine is to simplify the product by any means necessary. Thus the complicated becomes simple—the hard becomes easy. This is the first use of Redefinition. 2. Escalation Here you are dealing with a product which works, and which is acknowledged to be easy enough to use—but which simply does not have an appeal broad enough to assure it of a mass market. Your job here is to escalate your product. To give it more importance in your prospect's eves. You broaden the horizon of benefits of the product. You redefine the role that the product pla\ s in the prospect's life. You widen the area of reward that your product yields to the prospect—showing him that it enters into dozens of vital situations every day, paving off for him wherehe might least expect it. But this use of escalation—to increase benefit appeal—is only one of the ways it can serve vou. Another is to increase the importance of the product—showing that something the prospect wants very much hinges directh upon the performance of your product. Or escalation can be used to show the prospect that your product is not something to be put to work just once or twice a week—but that it will be needed, and used, by him almost even waking minute. 3. Price Reduction Here you have the product which, quite simply, costs too much. Your job is to make that price seem less. You do it by a very simple act of redefinition, like this: Why does the product cost too much? Because it's being compared with other products in the same field. And how do you whittle away, psychologically, at this price? By switching the comparison, and relating it to some other, more expensive standard.

mechanism
This is the vital question: 'Hoiv does it work0 ' Your prospect is asking you here to give him a mechanism. He likes what vou promise—he wants what vou promise—but he has to be convinced that your product can aetuallv give it to him. You have to demonstrate vour product, in words, logically, so that he can understand exactly HOW it gives him the end result you promise.

stages of mechanism
Stage One: Name the Mechanism You ma}' now take advantage of their investment bv simply naming the mechanism, and going on to beat them with your price or other features. Stage Two: Describe the Mechanism 1. Because the prospect doesn't understand their mechanism And 2. Because everybody else has the same mechanism, and the same promise, and the same price. And the market is getting tired, and you need a new way to compete. You build a strong, quick promise—and then you follow up with the reason why you can deliver that promise. The first rule of mechanism copv is that it is not scientific discourse. You must never allow it to become dull, or merelv factual. You must load it with promise, load it with emotion. Stage Three: Feature the Mechanism. Mechanism, therefore, can he inside vour ad, to prove vour main claim, or on top of the ad. elevated bv the state of your market to becoming the main claim

price cuts and mechanism
Price cuts must be justified. There must be a reason for them. A mechanism behind them. Without such a mechanism— without such a reason-why you should give this bargain—you are going to get only a fraction of its real sales power.

concentration
But this process of Concentration—this careful, logical, documented process of proving ineffectual other ways of satisfying vour prospect's desire—is much more than mere attack. If you can only attack another product—without showing at the same time, by comparison, how your product provides what the other lacks—then say nothing at all! Never attack a weakness unless you can provide the solution to that weakness at the same time! Concentration, therefore, is the process of pointing out weaknesses in the competition . . . emphasizing their disservice to your prospect . . . and then proving to him that your product gives him what he wants without them.

a way to achieve concentration
This is one way of accomplishing your Concentration. But, of course, it is not always feasible, because the points you wish to contrast mav not be so easily and clearly broken down, one bv one. You may be dealing, instead, with a time sequence—a recurring, unpleasant experience with which the prospect is familiar, and which you wish to sharpen before you provide him with the antidote. In this case your Concentration copy would adopt a different structure. Something that looks more like this: What happens to you now. with the product or products you are using presentlv. What will happen when vou switch to the new product.

camoflauge
CAmoflouge: First, of course, and most obvious, is Format. Each publication has its own look. You have your copy. Your job is to merge both of them into a combination. The second—slighth- less specific—is adopting phraseology. This method stems from the fact that certain media, or classes of media, use certain stereotyped phrases over and over again, which after a while take on a believabilitv of their own. To overcome this instant and automatic skepticism—besides borrowing our host publications idiom—we also have two other idioms which allow us to escape the -hard-sell' stereohpe. The first is Understatement. Simplicity. A lack'of color words. Fewer adjectives than the reader would expect \o superlatives. Short sentences, that fall rather than rise in tone at their end. The second mood vou mav employ to break away from the 'advertising' stereorvpe is what 1 call Deadly Sincerity. This is the technique of leaning over backwards to point out the flaxes in an offer, so that the benefits, when you bring them in, will be believed that much more deeply.

Long-Running Banner Ad Copy from Shopify
The ad is 'Creat your own T-Shirt store in 60 seconds'. It has a big red 'Try it free' CTA.

Shopify started running this ad in 2014. However, in 2013, they started running ads with the same exact format & copy except it stated 'Online Store' instead of 'T-shirt Store'. Those ads are also featured below. It seems they ran the 'Online Store' version first and it worked well so they adapted it to one of their biggest market segments, t-shirt sellers. What makes it a winning formula? It has an easy-to-understand, action-based message that emphasizes speed of implementation (60 seconds) & has a clear call-to-action that implies 'it's free' & you're only 'trying it' or 'getting started' (a small commitment).
Uses the same exact copy, except it appeals to a wider audience --> 'Online Store' vs. 'T-Shirt Store.
If you have multiple market segments, it's smart to have ads that specifically target your biggest segments.

However, as in Shopify's case, they also have ads that apply to a more universal audience.
In fact, based on my research, it appears they took a working formula from one of their more generic ads & used it for a more targeted ad. This is an excellent example of taking something that's shown to work in one area of your business & testing it in other areas as well.

What truly makes the t-shirt ad powerful is where it's advertised. That ad showing up in a t-shirt forum is infinitely more powerful than one of their more general ads showing up on a random site.

Regarding the format & copy in the ad: it has an easy-to-understand, action-based message that emphasizes speed of implementation (60 seconds) & has a clear call-to-action that implies 'it's free' & you're only 'trying it' or 'getting started' vs. having to buy-in.

Regarding the '60 seconds' copy...what makes it especially compelling (& almost unbelievable) is that creating an online store seems like it would be arduous & time-consuming.

Ad Message Testing from Shopify
The two ad variations below for Shopify have been running frequently the past two months. The only difference between them is the switch-off in messaging. One ad uses the headline 'Many a false step was made by standing still.' (a chinese proverb) with the subhead 'Be your own boss' while the other uses the same copy, but makes the subhead, the headline & vice-versa. The copy isn't necessarily sensational, but it's a good a example of simple split-testing that could have a significant impact. It's also an example of using copy rooted in different emotions. One is focused on the consequence of inaction (the proverb) & the other is rooted in the idea of 'freedom'. Additional fun fact: the quote 'many a false step was made by standing still' was notably used in Tim Ferriss' 4 Hour Work Week.

Positioned to face & draw attention to the copy. The girl is facing towards the copy

The plant brings out the green in the shopify logo & adds some vibrancy.

 

Niche-Targeted Display Ads from Shopify
The segments are of a pretty girl, someone doing arts and crafts on some fabric, knitting, just a background of beads.

The compilation below contains a variety of segmentation ads from popular eCommerce platform, Shopify. One thing Shopify's shown to do continuously well with their ads is target specific segments of their audience. For instance, in a recent example I posted from Shopify (http://swiped.co/file/banner-ad-copy-from-shopify/), they specifically target aspiring t-shirt businesses in related forums. According to various ad-spy tools, it appears that t-shirt businesses are their biggest segment. However, in the ad compilation below, you'll discover some of the other segments they target. Although I can't tie back each of these ads to a particular forum or niche site, I'd imagine a similar approach is used.

 

$1 For $100,000 Hook from Globe Life Insurance
Ad says 'No medical exam. Choose 5,000. 10k, 20k, 50k or 100k. Under this headline is a big blue logo. Then under that is a subhead that says $1 buys you $100,000 life insurance.

If someone said I'll trade you $1 for $2, as small as it is, it's still an obvious choice. Less for more. Now, how about $1 for $100,000? As great as it sounds, it goes against all logic and makes you skeptical. At the same time, there's a lot of curiosity to know more. Globe Life Insurance figured out how they could make a $1 for $100,000 hook actually work for them. It's a great example of utilizing numbers in a way that draws big attention, but really doesn't completely equate to what it seems. The truth is, there's a possibility of getting $100,000 worth of coverage from them & your first month will cost only $1. After that, your premium will be determined based on your age & coverage which is more than $1. In addition to their $1 for $100,000 hook, Globe Life uses these benefits over & over to describe their services: no medical exam, no waiting, buy direct.
$1 buys $100,000 is a great hook that may seem too good to be true at first, but that also makes you wonder how they do it. The truth is, $1 is for the first month & the following charges depend on your age & amount of coverage.

With the exception of the ad above, their elevator pitch in every ad is basically '$1 buys $100,000 insurance. No medical exams. No Waiting. Buy Direct.' On this ad they also incorporate social proof (3.9 million).

 

99 Cents Trial Ads from Spotify
Add copy is Havent tried spotify yet? Find out what you're missing. Get the offer. Under this is a cartoon like image with clouds and on the image is 'Try 3 months for only 0.99'. Also pictures of of people dancing and riding bikes on the other ads

This '3 months of premium for $0.99' offer from Spotify was advertised heavily leading up to 2016. Normally, they offer a free 30-day trial so this was an exclusive offer at the time. Every so often, Spotify deviates from the 30-day trial and promotes a new deal. What's smart about their alternate offers is that they never run long and as you'll see in the ads below, they effectively use deadlines & urgency as the focus of many of the ads to encourage faster action. After the 3 months is up, Spotify will automatically start charging the standard $9.99/month since they already have your credit card on file.

The bright, cartoon style is representative of Spotify's playful brand personality.

 

They tested minor things like button copy ('Get it Now' vs. 'Grab This Offer), color/shape and reversing the sequence of the offer ($0.99 for 3 months or vice versa).

A great way to test an offer different from your default one is to offer it first for a limited-time, see how it does and if the results are good, you can always try making it the main offer. At the same time, understand that the urgency of the offer also plays a part which is why limited-time offers are often recommended a la Spotify.
When an offer is available for a limited time and ends on a certain date, never hide that information. It can only help. Spotify made it the headline for many of the ads in this campaign.

The emotion shown in photos can have a big impact in your ads. Spotify uses photos of a younger crowd having fun, which gives off a positive feel and relates well to their main target audience.

 

$1 Trial from Yoga Trapeze
Copy on the fb ad is 'great for back pain, upper body strength, and flexibility. Try the yoga trapeze for just $1. A banner ad shows a woman use the product with caption arrows poitning to her that say strength, inversions, flexibility, backbends. Another pop up had says 'wait! Want to try yoga trapeze for just 1 $? Under this is lists the 3 steps of what will happen with the offer, you get the product, have 30 days to try it out, and if you love it then you keep it and we will bill you.

Yoga Trapeze is a unique product from Yoga Body Naturals that from my research, was first made available in 2013. I came across the trapeze in a Facebook ad & then saw it advertised on a fitness site, both promoting the product with a $1 trial. It's garnered tons of good reviews from yoga enthusiasts all over the web and even those who may not have been into yoga before. They intelligently advertise the trapeze as a device to relieve back pain & increase body strength & flexibility, allowing for a broader audience to embrace the product. Because there's likely skepticism & hesitation that occurs in the minds of these potential buyers, the $1 trial helps make the decision a bit more comforting. It's worth noting that Yoga Body Naturals is involved in much more than just the trapeze. They've built an empire that includes a yoga trainer academy, yoga fitness, a talk show and even nutritional supplements. The examples below showcase their $1 trial offer for the Yoga Trapeze.

Using a demonstration photo makes this ad so much more interesting than if it were just a photo of the product.

All of their ads have demonstration photos, but this is a great example of how much more impactful an image can be if you add captions.

 

Eliminating any guesswork as to what will happen next. This is particularly important when selling a trial.
This is a product that's meant to be experienced. Showing a photo of the product would look boring compared to its use which is why they include photos of the product in action. When you're marketing a product that has a fascinating usage or creates fast results, think of how you can showcase that in an image (even a GIF where applicable). If you can quickly show how a product works & it's impressive, it can accelerate a person's buying decision significantly.

The $1 trial is appropriately used to lessen the worry of paying full price for something a buyer may quickly find isn't right for them. Because it's not a self-explanatory item, purchase decisions will likely have some skepticism & the idea of 'trying' it for only $1 feels a lot less stressful then 'buying' it over the internet & hoping you like it.

Whenever you're marketing a trial, remember to be very specific about what will happen next. How many days do they have to try it? When will the trial end? When will there card be charged? How hard is it to cancel? Is shipping paid for? and so on.

Copywriting Study Guide - Part 1