Archive for August, 2006

One Simple Trick To Strengthen Your Copy

Want to make your copy stronger with one simple “trick”?
Eliminate all the adverbs.
What’s an adverb?
It’s a word - often ending in the letters “ly” - that modifies a verb (or even adjectives or adverbial phrases). Examples of adverbs: quickly, instantly, amazingly, powerfully.
If you find the above passage puzzling, don’t worry about it; just go through [...]

Is Your Copy Filled With Hype?

Do you worry that your copy might be too “hypey”?
Dictionary.com defines “hype” as: “an ingenious or questionable claim, method, etc., used in advertising, promotion, or publicity to intensify the effect.”
One of the additional definitions is: “a swindle, deception, or trick”.
I rather think the second one is what we have in mind when we say a [...]

Three Ways To Grow Your List

The simple, unadorned truth is: the bigger your email subscriber list, the more money you will make from your online business.
Here are three ways to grow your list:

Pay per click advertising: Take out a Google Adwords ad that leads subscribers to a landing page. On that landing page, offer visitors something of value in exchange [...]

Everything You Need To Know About Writing — In 10 Minutes

Interesting piece by Stephen King that actually lives up to the title: “Everything You Need To Know About Writing”

Jump-Starters For Writing Killer Copy

Do you find yourself staring at a blank screen, wondering how to get started writing your copy?
I’ve found that I get much better results if I use some “jump starters”–they keep me focused, and get me started on the right track with a copy project.
Here are 3 “tricks” I use–maybe they’ll work for you, too:

Write [...]

Write 3 Killer Headlines In 3 Minutes

If you’ve studied copywriting very long, you know that the most important copy on the page is the headline; that’s because the headline is the ad that gets prospects to read the rest of the ad.
How can you write effective headlines if you’re not a professional copywriter? Simple - use “template” headlines as starting point.
I’ve [...]

3 Simple Ways To Get Started With Testing

If you’ve been around the direct marketing business very long, you’ve heard the advice that you must test your marketing.
I am frequently asked, “Ray, how do I get started with testing?” Here are 3 simple ways you can start testing today - without complex math, expensive software, or arcane [...]