How To Get More People To Notice Your Advertising

HEADLINES are one of your biggest weapons for getting MORE PEOPLE TO NOTICE YOUR ADVERTISING, for whatever medium you choose to use.  Now you are using headlines, aren't you?  And NOT your logo - that's not a headline.  Only one person cares about your logo, AND THAT'S YOU.

Whereas a headline is something every single one of your prospects will be glued to like a kid on a cartoon.  Whatever you're writing, you've GOTTA HAVE A HEADLINE.  But here's the deal, there a are good headlines and bad headlines, so I'm going to give you an absolute killer template headline that you should use THIS WEEK in your business.

Remember, a headline's goal is to do one thing only - STOP YOUR PROSPECT IN THEIR TRACKS AND LOCK THEM ONTO YOUR AD, and some people say you only have 1.5 seconds to catch their attention, so you need to make it good!

Master copywriter David Ogilvy has said... "On average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy.  When you have written your headline, you have spent 80 cents out of your dollar."  So if you're using your own logo at the top of your ad, you could improve your response IMMEDIATELY, just by sticking ANY kind of headline up instead!

So would you like to know one of the great secrets for writing headlines that literally slap your prospect in the face and demand they open their wallet?Good, well here it is for you... MODEL HEADLINES THAT ALREADY WORK!!
Don't try and reinvent the wheel, the best way to come up with fantastic headlines is to take what already works, and adapt it to your own business.Isn't that simple?

Here's an absolute knock-'em-dead blockbuster template for a headline:

IMPORTANT NEWS FOR HOMEOWNERS:
Don't pay another phone bill until you read this...

IMPORTANT NEWS FOR WOMEN:
Don't buy any makeup products until you read this...

IMPORTANT NEWS FOR BUSINESS OWNERS:
Don't run another ad until you read this...

Do you see how powerful this is?  And I've shown you 3 different versions, so all you have to do is apply it to your own business and you could easily double or even triple your responses!  How about these headlines:

Do You Make These Mistakes With Your Money?

Do You Make These Mistakes Playing Golf?

Do You Make These Mistakes In Bed?

Do You Make These Mistakes Baking Cakes?

I could go on, but I'm sure you get the idea.  This particular headline works on your curiosity.  It gets the reader to say to themself, "maybe I'd better read on and find out."  The main thing you really want your headline to do is to get your reader to be interested enough to see what else you've got to say.  MAKE AN IMPACT!  Remember the old saying 'first impressions last'?  Well that saying still applies today.

And now that we are bombarded with up to 5,000 advertising messages each day, it is more important than ever to stand out and BE NOTICED!  If you have a headline that literally screams out, READ ME, then you'll be more than half way to having an effective advertising campaign that starts making profits for your business!  Remember the 80 cents out of each advertising dollar?  Well now you know how to focus your efforts to have the maximum impact!

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Copywriting Tips That Will Make Your Visitors Buy!

You wouldn't believe how many web sites don't ask for the sale! After all the work people put into their sales copy, describing the benefits of their product, and leading people through their sales process, they overlook one simple but VERY IMPORTANT "call to action": "Click here now to buy."

And that oversight could be losing them 20% of their potential sales!

If you want people to take action on your site (buy, subscribe, fill out a request for more info, etc.), you need to have a call to action that tells them exactly what you want them to do. For example, if you want them to click on a link to learn more about one of your products, you have to include a link that says something like, "Click here to see how the Gadget Widget can save you hours of work!!"

And if you want your visitors to make a purchase (and of course, you do!) you should include a link that says something like, "Click here to get your own incredible time-saving Gadget Widget!"

You might think it's obvious that you want people to make a purchase -- especially if you've written a great sales pitch that explains how incredible your product is. But no matter how convincing your salescopy is, if you don't provide your potential customers with a very specific call to action, then you're just leaving them hanging -- and most of them are going to leave your site and never return, costing you big money in sales AND future leads.

Remember the "ABC" of selling: Always Be Closing. People need to be told what to do. If you want them to make a purchase, you have to ask for the sale.

And if you have a short-copy or catalog-style site, don't make the mistake of asking for the sale just once! You have to give your visitors lots of opportunities to buy your product or service. All of your web pages should include multiple links to your order form or shopping cart, as well as urgency-building action phrases like...

"Buy today!" "Limited time offer -- get yours now!" "What are you waiting for? Click this link to order your own... " "Get started today... just click here!" "YES! I want to order now... " (Remember, salesletters are the one exception to this rule. With these types of sales web sites, you usually want to include a single call to action at the end of your letter -- once you've built a killer case for your product, complete with tons of benefits!)

One more thing: You've got to leave all references to "buying" out of the top fold of your web site. That's the part of your web page that appears on the computer screen when someone first arrives at your site. If you mention buying there, people won't have enough time to learn WHY they should purchase your product, and will probably think you're just out for their money. You want your potential customers to learn about the benefits of your product before you ask for the sale.

Asking for the sale is simple, but the impact it can have on your bottom line is huge. By adding a simple call to action, you make it easy for your visitors to understand what they're supposed to do. And once they know they're supposed to buy something from you, they will -- and your profits will go shooting through the roof!

How To Get More People To Notice Your Advertising

HEADLINES are one of your biggest weapons for getting MORE PEOPLE TO NOTICE YOUR ADVERTISING, for whatever medium you choose to use.  Now you are using headlines, aren't you?  And NOT your logo - that's not a headline.  Only one person cares about your logo, AND THAT'S YOU.

Whereas a headline is something every single one of your prospects will be glued to like a kid on a cartoon.  Whatever you're writing, you've GOTTA HAVE A HEADLINE.  But here's the deal, there a are good headlines and bad headlines, so I'm going to give you an absolute killer template headline that you should use THIS WEEK in your business.

Remember, a headline's goal is to do one thing only - STOP YOUR PROSPECT IN THEIR TRACKS AND LOCK THEM ONTO YOUR AD, and some people say you only have 1.5 seconds to catch their attention, so you need to make it good!

Master copywriter David Ogilvy has said... "On average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy.  When you have written your headline, you have spent 80 cents out of your dollar."  So if you're using your own logo at the top of your ad, you could improve your response IMMEDIATELY, just by sticking ANY kind of headline up instead!

So would you like to know one of the great secrets for writing headlines that literally slap your prospect in the face and demand they open their wallet?Good, well here it is for you... MODEL HEADLINES THAT ALREADY WORK!!
Don't try and reinvent the wheel, the best way to come up with fantastic headlines is to take what already works, and adapt it to your own business.Isn't that simple?

Here's an absolute knock-'em-dead blockbuster template for a headline:

IMPORTANT NEWS FOR HOMEOWNERS:
Don't pay another phone bill until you read this...

IMPORTANT NEWS FOR WOMEN:
Don't buy any makeup products until you read this...

IMPORTANT NEWS FOR BUSINESS OWNERS:
Don't run another ad until you read this...

Do you see how powerful this is?  And I've shown you 3 different versions, so all you have to do is apply it to your own business and you could easily double or even triple your responses!  How about these headlines:

Do You Make These Mistakes With Your Money?

Do You Make These Mistakes Playing Golf?

Do You Make These Mistakes In Bed?

Do You Make These Mistakes Baking Cakes?

I could go on, but I'm sure you get the idea.  This particular headline works on your curiosity.  It gets the reader to say to themself, "maybe I'd better read on and find out."  The main thing you really want your headline to do is to get your reader to be interested enough to see what else you've got to say.  MAKE AN IMPACT!  Remember the old saying 'first impressions last'?  Well that saying still applies today.

And now that we are bombarded with up to 5,000 advertising messages each day, it is more important than ever to stand out and BE NOTICED!  If you have a headline that literally screams out, READ ME, then you'll be more than half way to having an effective advertising campaign that starts making profits for your business!  Remember the 80 cents out of each advertising dollar?  Well now you know how to focus your efforts to have the maximum impact!

10 Top Tips for Aspiring Freelance Copywriters

Every week I receive a couple of emails from people seeking advice on how to get into freelance copywriting. While there’s no simple answer, and no answer which applies to everyone, there are a few tips which I believe will help most people make the move into freelance copywriting, and survive the first few months at least.

1) Invest in a website

The best place for any freelance advertising copywriter or website copywriter to start is to fork out for a website. A website is invaluable because when you cold call and email prospects, you’ll need to direct them somewhere that gives them more information. Keep your website simple, include a portfolio page, add any samples of any sort of copywriting you've done, talk about the places you've worked, the clients you’ve written for, and include any testimonials you’ve received. Make sure you include your address and contact details as well, so people don't think you're a fly-by-night operation. Of course, it doesn't hurt to include a photo either. If you can't say much about your experience, don't say much. It doesn't even really matter if you don't say anything. Remember, just like any other form of advertising copywriting, writing about yourself requires the art of subtlety. If you lack experience, but you’re confident you can do the job, you can be very clever in what you don't say, and most people will read it the way you intended.

2) Don’t target agencies

If you’ve never worked as an advertising copywriter or website copywriter before, don’t target advertising agencies and web design agencies. They know exactly what they’re after, so if you don’t have a portfolio, you won’t stand a chance. Managing an inexperienced copywriter and controlling quality takes a lot of time and introduces risk. Most agencies are too busy to give unproven copywriters a break, even if you’re prepared to do the work on spec. Target end-clients directly.

3) Cold call, cold call, cold call

One of the best ways of generating business in the early days is to cold call potential end-clients. It’s hard work and very time consuming, but you can generate some very qualified leads. For more information on cold calling, take a look at http://www.divinewrite.com/coldcallingcopywriter.htm.

4) Use a contacts & jobs database

No matter where you’re at in your freelance copywriting career, you NEED a database of contacts and jobs. Kind of a scaled down CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool. Use it to record everything! Particularly names, phone numbers, and the details of any correspondence (especially phone calls). I created my own database using Microsoft Access. Visit http://www.divinewrite.com/downloads/contacts and jobs.mdb to download a 208KB working copy for FREE. You’ll need Microsoft Access 2000 to run it. I’m no database expert, so it’s not a work of art. It’ll certainly get you started though. (TIP: When using the database, press Ctrl + ; to enter today’s date.)

5) Write a few samples

If you’re targeting specific clients or industries, don’t be afraid to write a few samples and send them through. You can offer the pieces free of charge (everyone likes something for nothing) or at a discount, or you can use it as an incentive to sign them up for future work. It all depends on the type of work and the type of client. The important thing to remember is that samples are virtually as good as a portfolio to most prospective clients.

6) Invest in an accounts package

Don’t be fooled into thinking you can handle your accounts manually (or with Microsoft Excel). Even if you only have a few clients, you NEED a proper accounts package like MYOB or Quicken (they both offer small business versions). You’ll understand why the first time you do your GST reports or annual taxes. In fact, you’ll understand why whenever you need to chase down outstanding invoices

7) Give great service

This may seem like an obvious one, but it’s important to remember that “great service” means different things to different clients. Most of the time you’ll be working with direct clients (quite often startup businesses) and agencies. Both appreciate great service, but define it entirely differently. Agencies rely on their freelance copywriters to meet strict requirements (get the work done well, get it done on time, don’t exceed the budget). They have end-clients breathing down their necks, so reliability is as important as writing quality. End-clients, on the other hand, need an advertising copywriter or website copywriter who sees their business the way they do, and can convey that vision. They’ll probably need a lot of guidance as well, particularly if they’re just starting out themselves. If you can, help them understand that copywriting isn’t just about telling people what products and services the business offers; it’s about conveying the benefits of those products and services. A good advertising copywriter or website copywriter will be able to help their client think in terms of benefits instead of products and services.

8) Expect hard times

The first year or two as a freelance advertising copywriter or website copywriter will be difficult. It takes a while to generate momentum and during that time, you’ll probably find yourself wondering if you’ve made the right career choice. While it’s possible to earn six-figures each year, you have to be patient (so it’s not ideal for new or intending parents or anyone with huge mortgage commitments).

9) Don’t spend too much on training

In my humble opinion, no money spent learning is wasted. However, you have to weigh up the return on investment. I don’t know much about what copywriting courses are available, but if they’re expensive, I’d think twice. In my experience, most clients (be they agencies or end-clients) value copywriting ability over training.

10) Know you can do it

Confidence in your copywriting abilities is a must. If you’re not adamant you can produce the results the client is after, you’ll never be able to convince the client. Remember that everyone feels daunted at the start of a new copywriting job. There’s always a steep learning curve in copywriting, and generally quite a bit of time-consuming labour. Don’t fall into the trap of focussing on what you don’t know and what you haven’t done.

Good luck, and happy writing!