Tips For Magnetizing Your Copy

By Michel Fortin

The difference between good copy and great copy is the number of actions it generates. The more actions the copy drives, the greater the copy is.
My friend John Reese, a master at simplifying what we often tend to unnecessarily complicate, says it best. He says the only metric you should ever really count on is this: "Yes" or "No."

That's it.

Now, what makes great copy nudge people into action requires a variety of different things -- things I often find missing with most of the copy I critique.
So let me share with you three powerful elements that can help you turn your not-so-good copy into good copy, and your good copy into outstanding copy.

1. Give Reasons Why.

Great copy proposes a series of benefits that the prospect will enjoy once they respond. But this is the area most people struggle with. What makes a good benefit? Heck, what makes a benefit in the first place?
A feature is what the product has. An advantage is what that features does. But a benefit is what that advantage means to the reader specifically. It's the specific motive to which that feature caters. In other words, a benefit is the reason why the feature exists and why it's important to the reader.
Look at it this way: a benefit is what a person intimately gains from a specific feature -- not what YOU think the customer will gain from it.
Granted, trying to figure this out can be a little challenging.
So here's a tip: whenever you describe a feature (or what you may think may be a benefit), say this: "What this means to you is this," followed by a more personal benefit your reader gets from the feature.

Keep asking until there are no further reasons to give. Here's an example (and keep in mind that I'm repeating myself, here, for the sake of illustration only):
"This stereo has a 14-band equalizer. What this means to you is, you can adjust the frequencies of the sound to your liking. What this means to you is, you can add depth and dimension to your music. What this means to you is, you can make your music sound as rich and lively as if you were at the concert listening to your favorite band. What this means to you is..."
Tell readers why they must read, why the product is important and why they must buy (and buy now). The more reasons you give, and the more specific and personal those reasons are, the more compelling your copy will be.

(to be continued...)