They were just another watchmaker. But then something happened that flipped the watch market upside down. Seiko unveiled the Astron – the world’s first “quartz clock” wristwatch. All of a sudden Rolex’s watches looked dated. Basic. Even cheap. Rolex knew they had to do something fast… Otherwise their goose was cooked. But rather than follow […]
How to Make Science Interesting
In science class at school… All I ever wanted was to see things explode. But mixing sulphuric acid with baking soda only ever happened once in chemistry class. Then it was back to studying the periodic table… And calculating the speed of waves nobody could see. BORING! Well, guess what… Readers feel the same way […]
Joe Sugarman’s secret to making cookie cutter products look amazing
Joe Sugarman’s “Adweek Copywriter’s Handbook” is one of my favorite books. It reveals a simple technique for making even the most cookie cutter products sound amazing. It’s a technique Joe perfected to sell everything from sunglasses to burglar alarms… And it can be applied to selling supplements, software and even services. What is this technique? […]
Story Lead Checklist
They make many copywriters roll their eyes in disgust… Wondering who gets sucked into this garbage. But in certain markets, they work gangbusters. What am I talking about? Story leads! You know the ones… Those dramatic, over the top tales of people being rushed into hospital… Women falling down stairs due to their weight… And […]
Ask THIS question every time you write
One question. There’s one question you should always be asking yourself when writing copy. And that question is… “Who cares?” You’ve got to ask this question of every line of copy… And ask whether that line is helping or hindering you in convincing the reader your solution can help them out of their current situation. […]
How to Standout in the Flood of New Copywriters
The ratio of copywriters per business owners is reaching saturation point. So in a rising flood of new copywriters, how can you stand out? Here are two ways… 21. Be a copywriter who specializes in X Don’t just be a health copywriter. Be a health copywriter who specializes in weight loss… Or a health copywriter […]
To sell life insurance, you’ve got to show the coffin
To sell life insurance, you’ve got to show the coffin. And writing health copy can take you to dark places at times. Sometimes you have to write things that make you squirm… I’m talking about laying out in visceral detail why the reader’s life is in danger… Why their health problems are serious… And you […]
The RADIO Framework for Big Idea
Coming up with big ideas is hard. Particularly knowing if your idea is going to resonate… Or repel. The good news is there’s a five step framework you can follow to find out. It’s called the RADIO framework (which I learned from financial copywriter Tim Diering on a Copy Chief call). The RADIO framework gives […]
2 Ways to Standout as a New Copywriter
The ratio of copywriters per business owners is reaching saturation point. So in a rising flood of new copywriters, how can you stand out? Here are two ways… 1. Be a copywriter who specializes in X Don’t just be a health copywriter. Be a health copywriter who specializes in weight loss… Or a health copywriter […]
Overcoming Buyer Insecurity
It’s one of the biggest reasons people don’t buy. It’s not because the price is too high… Or whether the reader thinks the product works. It’s that people are plagued with self doubt… They think they’re not good enough… And that even if a solution has worked for thousands of other people… It’s not going […]