The Story of the Hypnotic Writing Monkey

The Confusion of Solution-Speak

Cognitive Miserliness... Getting Scrooge to Buy

Eliminating Distortion - a.k.a. Getting Your Point Across

Online Newsletters: Your Content Counts

Ten Great Ways To Start A Letter

Five Ways to Clean Up Sloppy Copy

Copywriting Articles

“Your guide to better marketing and advertising.”


The Story of the Hypnotic Writing Monkey
by Joe Vitale

A monkey could use this material to write a riveting sales letter, ad, or email message. The only condition is the monkey needs to be able to read.

I'll prove it to you.

Right now I have no idea how to write this article for Larry on " How to Easily Use This Material to Get Gloriously Rich."

So, in this case, I'm the monkey.
Now follow my path....

I grab this material and flip through it -- which is what I'm doing right now -- and I spot a phrase...

"You don't realize it, but in the next few minutes you're going to learn..."

I add to that phrase something my monkey mind gives me, "...how to get people to do your bidding by using this amazing collection of hypnotic materials."

I now have this: "You don't realize it, but in the next few minutes you're going to learn how to get people to do your bidding by using this amazing collection of hypnotic materials."

There, I just wrote a good line. Any monkey could do it, as long as said monkey can type.

If you're like me, you'll probably want another example.

Stop! Did you notice that "If you're like me..." is one of Larry's hypnotic lines? It is. It's in this book. My monkey mind found it and used it.

And "Stop!" is from his book, too. I saw it and tossed it into the above paragraph. Made you look, didn't it?

Here's a fact for you: Any man, woman, child or monkey can flip through these pages and find words, phrases, and complete sentences to help them lead and control the minds of their readers.

Hey! Did you catch what I did? The phrase "Here's a fact for you..." is also from Larry's collection. It's a way to assume logic without having any. It works.

And did you notice that "Hey!" grabbed your mind?

It, too, is from this collection. It's a powerful yet simple tool for practically yelling out your reader's name in a crowded room. It GRABS attention.

Are you beginning to see how you can use this material?
Think about making use of this collection of hypnotic material and you'll begin to feel real power.

And did you notice that "Think about making use of..." is yet another golden nugget from Larry's book?

Yes, a monkey with typing and reading skills just might be able to write a good letter with this amazing collection of tried and true hypnotic words and phrases.

But more importantly, since YOU are smarter than any monkey, by the time you finish reading this material you will be able to take these words and phrases and weave them into hypnotic letters and ads that get people to act on your commands and suggestions.

Stop! Note "by the time you finish reading..." is ALSO from Larry's priceless bag of tricks!

Can you see why I'm so excited!

As you study every word of this book you will become amazed at how easy it will be for you to start writing your own hypnotic material.

(I can't resist. "As you study every word of this book you will become..." is also swiped from Larry's collection. This is becoming way too easy.)

But let me confess something:

(Yes. "Let me confess..." is a hypnotic phrase.)

When Larry wrote to me and said he compiled this material, I was angry.

("I was angry..." is from this collection, too.)

I wanted to be the author of these gems. I even offered to help add more gems to the package if Larry would let me be co-author. He agreed, but I could barely think of anything to add! Larry already did the work---and did it very well!

The further you read into this collection, the more you will realize why professional copywriters always have "swipe files." They use them for inspiration. In this case, Larry has done ALL the leg work for you.

("The further you read into this..." is from his swipe file.)

Remember when you were in high school, and you cheated to get a passing grade? Admit it. You did, at least once. Well, this collection is your cheat-sheet.

("Remember when you were in high school..." is swiped from this book, too. Do you see how easy it is to write with this collection at hand? It's so easy I feel silly accepting money for writing material like this for clients. But not THAT silly.)

Have you noticed yet that I began with no idea of how to write this article and now, with the help of Larry's collection, have written a very interesting and maybe even hypnotic piece?

("Have you noticed yet that..." is from this fantastic swipe file, too.)

So here you are. You're holding dynamite. Do you light it and throw it in a field to watch the dirt blow up, or do you light it and throw it where you know lay hidden gold?

FACT: The choice is yours. Use this material wisely.

("FACT" is swiped, too.)

Go forth and profit.

Joe Vitale is recognized by many to be one of the greatest living copywriters. His latest project, the Hypnotic Writer's Swipe File is a collection of over 1,550 copywriting gems that took him years to compile. This is his personal swipe file that he uses to create world famous sales letters responsible for generating millions and millions of dollars of revenue.
This article and others like it can be found at OpportunityKnoxx. http://www.opportunityknoxx.com

The Confusion of Solution-Speak
By John Libonati

"We offer Internet solutions, back-end application solutions, super solutions, solutions solutions…"

Solution-speak confuses people. Instead, use real words and define your services in everyday language using short, clear sentences.

"We will connect you to the Internet, set up your website for
e-commerce and connect your off-line database to your on-line database."

If you use common language, people will understand your message, understand your product, understand your company and understand why they should use you instead of the solution-speakers.

John is a Partner at Ascension Design, a graphic design firm in Ambler, PA
Contact John at john@ascensiondesign.net

Cognitive Miserliness... Getting Scrooge to Buy
By John Libonati

Cognitive miserliness is the process of sifting through the mass of information that bombards us everyday, ignoring anything unimportant to us, and retaining the information that is important.

Today's world is full of too many ads, advertising too many products. Instead of melting our brains by trying to see and remember everything, we ignore anything that doesn't interest us. Consumers have become like so many Ebeneezer Scrooges...holding very tightly to our mental purse-strings.

While this is great for our sanity, it means that getting your message through to your target audience is harder than ever. So, how do you catch Ebeneezer's attention and make him remember you?

When composing your message, correctly target and personalize it to those who you are trying to reach. Discover their needs. Be creative when designing your marketing pieces and copy. Explain benefits and how your product or service will meet their needs. Test, test, test your ads before running them. Then, show your ads where and when your audience will look for them. Show them over and over.

Recap: Know your target market. Speak to their needs. Be creative. Test your piece. Run it when your target market will be interested.

John is Partner at Ascension Design, a full service graphic design firm in Ambler, PA.
Contact John at 215-591-1010 or john@ascensiondesign.net

Eliminating Distortion - a.k.a. Getting Your Point Across
By John Libonati

A marketing promotion piece, whether a TV ad, logo, brochure or newspaper advertisement only works if your audience understands your message, remembers your message and acts the way you intended them to act. Distortion is the name for what happens when the message your audience receives is different from the message you though you created and transmitted.

A couple years back, Pepsi ran an ad showing a sneaky Coca Cola deliveryman spilling all the Pepsi cans out of the refrigerator section of a convenience store while reaching for a Pepsi. Pepsi spent millions of dollars creating and placing the ad during the Superbowl. Consumers saw the deliveryman's red and white Coca Cola hat and thought the ad represented Coca Cola. How many people do you think bought Coca Cola as a result?

Combat distortion. When choosing a design for an advertisement, think of the message you are trying to get across. Does it differentiate you from your competition? Are the concepts behind the design clear? Will people remember the message? Here are a couple quick guidelines: Keep it simple. Keep it brief. Test your piece before releasing it. Make your logo and contact information the most prominent items throughout the piece.

John is Partner at Ascension Design, a full service graphic design firm in Ambler, PA. Contact John at 215-591-1010 or john@ascensiondesign.net

Online Newsletters: Your Content Counts
By John Libonati

An online newsletter is one of the most important developments in marketing communication. It is a great way to build credibility, keep your company top of mind with clients and potential clients, familiarize clients with your services and products, gain leads from new sources and brand your company. Costs are minimal - basically time and effort once the initial design and listserve software are purchased. Print and postage costs are zero.

Your content is the most important part of your online newsletter. Today we will review some content issues. Future articles will cover building and managing your subscription list, the various newsletter formats and your subject line.

Only include information pertaining to your business products and services that is relevant to your target audience. Skip weddings, birthdays, doggie pictures, puzzles and games. If your readers don't care about your content, they won't read your newsletter - not now and not in the future. Readers have a limited amount of time. Help them use it well through relevant practical information.

Be concise. Your online newsletter is not the place for flowery SAT style words. Avoid run-on sentences. They are boring and confusing and people don't like them and they will not get the response you want. Make your sentences and paragraphs short and to the point.

Include entire articles in your newsletter. The articles can be short, but make them complete. One-sentence teasers that link to a website are incredibly annoying. First, not everyone can surf the web at work. Second, readers recognize them as a hard sell. This immediately negatively impacts your credibility. Your online newsletter should build your brand and act as a soft sell to warm contacts.

Never, never, never steal content from another source. In the worst case scenario, you could be caught, possibly prosecuted and branded as a thief. In a more minor case, a reader may call with questions that you cannot answer, making you look foolish. There really is no need to steal content. Most sources will allow you to reprint articles with permission. You can ask others to contribute articles. Lastly, if you are truly an expert in your field, you should not have a problem creating your own content.

John is a partner at Ascension Design, a full service graphic design firm outside Philadelphia. He can be reached at John@ascensiondesign.net or 215-591-1010.

Ten Great Ways To Start A Letter
by Ivan Levison

Have you ever tried to write a motivating letter and
sat there, staring at the blinking cursor, wondering
how to get started?

You're not the only one. Getting off on the right
foot, with energy and enthusiasm, is always a
challenge for novice writers.

Professional copywriters, on the other hand, know that
there are countless ways to start a letter. Let me
share just ten proven techniques with you now and show
you how easy it really is.

Let's pretend that you have to write a letter to
network security managers offering them a free
brochure. Here are just ten effective ways to begin
the letter . . .

1. METHOD: Tell them they're special

EXAMPLE: As a network security professional, you bear a unique responsibility.


2. METHOD: Tell a story

EXAMPLE: When Susan Smith walked into her office and
looked at the ashen face of her assistant, she instantly knew that someone had taken her network down.


3. METHOD: Tell them they're facing a difficult challenge

EXAMPLE: As the person responsible for network security, I know you face some extremely difficult challenges.


4. METHOD: Shock them with frightening news

EXAMPLE: Last month over ten Fortune 500 companies suffered intense, repeated denial of service attacks.


5. METHOD: Soothe them with good news

EXAMPLE: If you've been worried about hackers cracking your system, and inflicting devastating damage, I've got some good news for you.


6. METHOD: Make your offer immediately

EXAMPLE: I'm writing to offer you a free report from Levison Security Services titled "Seven Ways To Improve Network Security Now."


7. METHOD: Cite the authorities

EXAMPLE: In a recent White Paper on network security, written by the highly respected Levison Consulting Group, a fascinating fact was reported.


8. METHOD: Explain that you can help them

EXAMPLE: As the person responsible for network security, you have some mighty tough problems. I can help you solve them.


9. METHOD: Ask a question

EXAMPLE: Is a hacker at work, right at this moment, trying to bring down your network?


10. METHOD: Make an announcement

EXAMPLE: Here it is! Announcing the brand new Levison Network Security Monitoring System, now available for companies just like yours.

The take-away message this month? Don't settle for the first lead-in sentence that pops into your mind. There are dozens and dozens of ways to start a letter with punch and it really pays to look for the best one.

Ivan Levison is principal of Ivan Levison and Associates, a direct mail, email and advertising copywriting firm located in Greenbrae, CA. Sign up for The Levison Letter, his free monthly ezine, at www.levison.com. You can reach Ivan at 415-461-0672 or ivan@levison.com.

Five Ways to Clean Up Sloppy Copy
By Kennerly Clay

If your brochure, web content, ad, newsletter or press release is the one thing people will remember about your organization, shouldn't you feel good about the message conveyed?

The message should be polite and confident, but not haughty. It should convey intelligence and competence, yet not be over their heads. Ultimately, it should say a lot by not saying too much.

With these five simple techniques to enhance your writing, you can be more direct, more sincere, and more attractive to your customers, through whatever medium you communicate with them.

Write Like You Talk
Formal education discourages it. We were all taught to use proper language and complete sentences in everything we wrote from kindergarten to college. But when it comes to writing for our customers, it's okay to forego formality to some extent. (Those clever campaigns and catchy ads from Madison Avenue are rarely limited by the rules of English usage.)

Most writers, from novelists to those who write marketing copy, agree that "finding your voice" is essential to good writing, and usually that means writing like you speak. So "talk" to your customers by writing more conversationally. The way words come out of your mouth when you speak. The way thoughts come to your head. Like this.

Listen To Your Writing
Test your copy out loud to see if it comes off "naturally". If you get tripped up, if transitions sound awkward or sentences stumble along as you read aloud, chances are the writing will "sound" equally odd when read silently by your customers.

The Contractions Are Coming!
To make your writing more "natural" it's okay to use contractions. I repeat, IT'S OKAY TO USE CONTRACTIONS. They have a wonderful way of softening written language by making it more conversational and less stand-offish. Where contractions don't go over well is in legal documents, proposals, research papers, articles for professional journals, and of course certain types of letters that need to convey absolute seriousness.

Avoid Jargon
Corporate-speak is pervasive in today's business culture and people actually communicate - and understand - entire concepts with the assistance of silly terms like "leverage" and "going forward". These are fine for the boardroom, but nobody likes reading a page full of corporate gobbledygook. Instead, talk straight to your customers. Say it in the plainest language possible. It doesn't have to be dumbed down, but it should SAY something - something that the average person, who may or may not be familiar with your industry, can understand.

Stay Focused
You can't include every single fabulous aspect of your business in every correspondence or marketing piece that you produce. Avoid communication that meanders all over your business and simply focus on a few of the best services and/or customer relationship highlights. In your marketing materials, give your customers an enticing taste of what they want. Once you've established a relationship, you can wow and surprise them with the rest.

Kennerly is President/Senior Writer for Eclectic Content, Inc., a Philadelphia-based company that provides business, technical and copywriting services to companies of all sizes and industries. Contact Kennerly at 215.732.5704, kennerly.clay@verizon.net or www.eclecticcontent.com