In Search Of Heroes Spreads Good News About Everyday, Real-Life Heroes Who Deserve Recognition For Their Good Works

Listen to the Interviews of the Leading Entrepreneurs in the World Who Are Heroes That Are Pursuing Their Dreams With Every Ounce of Strength and Faith.

The secret to success, in life and in business,
is to work hard at the margin. Relentlessly. Those
little marginal extra efforts will inevitably grow into
something big. Bill Bonner

''God is in the details''

Are you fully prepared to markedly increase your margin of success?
A big key to dramatically increasing your income is simply learning how to prepare a powerful advertisement.

But, why should you listen to me? There are many self-appointed experts who say they can help you.

Also, there are numerous books on writing ads. Why not just read these?

The problem is very few of the book authors ever invested their own hard-earned money in trying to make an ad work. So, please be ultra careful in selecting an expert you can trust.

It's a matter of record that I've written and run more successful space ads in magazines and newspapers than anyone else in the world during the last 50 years.

Yet, nearly everyone I talk with thinks the real secret to my track record is compelling copy.

But, while important, it takes far more than powerful copy to make an ad highly profitable.

Today I'm going to discuss the behind the scenes of a successful ad.
I study advertising--my own and others--on a daily basis, as I'm always looking to improve my success margin. Based on what I observe in the marketplace, most direct marketers, ad agencies and copywriters do not have a clue about what I'm about to reveal.
Treat this information like solid gold nuggets. Because if you do, you will be depositing large sums of gold in your very own bank account!

Secret #1
Create a powerful headline. A good headline is the most important part of any ad. At least five times as many people read the headline as the body copy. You don't have even the slimmest chance to create a profitable ad without a super headline.

I write as many as 200 headlines for any product before I choose 3-6 to test.

Tip: Many copywriters spend 95% of their time and effort purely on the body copy. Don't do it! Spend 80% of your effort on the headline writing. The body copy to support the headline is the easy part.

Tip: Search for the biggest consumer benefit you can find for your product or service and incorporate this in the headline.

Secret #2
Put your headline in quotation marks. Why? Studies show a headline attracts 28% more attention in quotes.

Secret #3
Use a drop first letter. The first word in your ad should begin with a letter that is oversized and bolded. Drop the letter two to three lines.

Why?

Selling is a sequential process.

When the reader's eye is drawn to the left and to the first sentence after the headline, then the second sentence, etc., you increase the chances the prospect will read your copy in the sequence you prefer.

Secret #4
Begin the copy with a powerful opening sentence. This can accomplish several goals: 1. You amplify and reinforce the promise of the headline. 2. You set the tone for the offer. 3. The reader is induced to read the second sentence.

Secret #5
Talk about your prospect, not you or your company, in the copy 99% of the time. The reader is not nearly as interested in you or your company as they are in themselves.

Focus almost exclusively on the benefits to the prospect in your copy.

Secret #6
Use easy-to-read typefaces. In your headlines, I recommend using Times Roman or Ariel. In the body copy, I suggest a serif typeface such as Times Roman.

Tip: Do not use all capital letters. Use upper and lower case letters in your headlines. This means you start each headline word with a capital letter with each subsequent letter being lower case letters.

Tip: Use at least a 9-point typeface in your body copy.

Tip: Use black copy on a white background. Do not use white copy on a black background, which is harder to read.

Tip: Use justified left and ragged right layout.

Secret #7
Set your copy in three columns. The maximum width should not exceed 45 characters.

Secret #8
Break up the body copy with powerful sub- headlines. A good ad averages 3-4 sub- headlines per column.

These subheadlines should be strong enough so that readers with short attention spans can read the headlines, the subheadlines, and the coupon and have sufficient benefits to make a buying decision.

Secret #9
Use photographs or illustrations advantageously. Do not devote more than 1/3 of the available space to a photo or illustration. The copy is much more important. Remember, copy is king.

Tip: Use photo first on the page. Follow it with the headline, which ideally acts as the photo caption.

Tip: Caption every photograph. Do not assume the reader knows what or who the photo is about. They don't. Such assumptions are invariably wrong.

Tip: When using a large photo, make sure photo ties in to the benefit of the headline.

Secret #10 Use a coupon with a thin dotted line around the copy. Many graphic artists feel almost compelled to surround the coupon copy with a thick dotted line. This tends to draw the reader's eye to the coupon too soon in the selling process. Remember, selling is a sequential process.

Secret #11
Add copyright information to your ad. As and when you have a successful ad, some people will inevitably try to rip off your ideas.
While I'm not giving you legal advice, by adding the following you are in better position to stop infringers: © Copyright 2004 (you or your company name)

Tip: Often a cease and desist letter will get plagiarizers to stop illegally using your intellectual property and a big part of your livelihood.

I know the above information works. To say it can be worth a fortune to you is not an exaggeration. How can I be so certain?

Because I've tested every variation I could think of. I've flopped with so many ads, I finally learned what works. And perhaps more importantly, what not to do.

Additionally, many of my seminar attendees and readers, including some of the biggest names in marketing circles, credit my teachings for their successful ad campaigns.

If you want to save a lot of heartache, as well as money, do not listen to the advice of those self- appointed experts, especially on the Web, most of whom have never run a single successful ad in their lives.

Tip: I'm sad to say most advice from marketers, especially on the Internet, is wrong and without a basis in reality. Before you buy products such as books or tapes, or hire a copywriter, or take advice from anyone about marketing or copy, ask for at least a dozen examples of successful ads they've actually prepared and run. Plus three business references. If they are legitimate, they will be happy to provide this as the least they can do.

If these cannot be supplied, do not walk away-- run from such false prophets. Do not encourage them by buying their books and tapes either. They don't deserve your support until they first earn it in the marketplace.

Increase your margin of success in all your ads, mailings, brochures and catalogs with these tips.

As always, you have my very best wishes for increasing the success margin in all your advertising campaigns.
Your correspondent,

Ted Nicholas
Nicholas Direct, Inc.
P.O. Box 877
Indian Rocks Beach, FL 33785
www.tednicholas.com

Posted by ralph at 08:00 PM | Permalink

What does a mafia boss know about marketing?

Lots. Read on to find out...

Do you remember in the movie "The Godfather" when Don
Corleone says, "I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t
refuse"?

And it’s this simple concept that’s the backbone of any
successful sales proposition you make. (However if I were
you, I’d probably leave out the threats of violence in your
sales piece.)

From now on, your job is to create such powerful offers
that anyone reading it would say to themselves, "My
goodness, I’d have to be a complete idiot not to take them
up on this deal!"

And creating a powerful offer like this is easier than you
think.

Let me share with you one of the most compelling offers
I’ve seen. It took a dying hotel on the wrong side of the
Vegas 'strip', where you had to watch your wallet at every
turn, and transformed it into a super moneymaker.

This is from a very successful ad that used to run for Bob
Stupak's Vegas World hotel. Listen to this deal and see if
you wouldn't act on this even if you were just an
occasional gambler:

"Act now, to receive a virtually free Las Vegas vacation.
For $198 per person or $396 per couple I will:

1) Put you up in a luxurious mini suite in an exciting Las
Vegas hotel right on the famous strip.

2) I will give you free tickets to a show with name
entertainers.

3) I will put a chilled bottle of champagne in your room
for free.

4) I'll let you drink as much as want for free, whether
you're at the gaming tables, playing slots or in one of the
lounges.

5) I'll hand you $1,000 of my money to gamble with for
free.

6) I'll let you keep all your winnings.

7) I'll guarantee you'll win a color TV, VCR or a faux
diamond ring.

Obviously I'm not going to give this incredible deal to
everybody in the whole world. There can only be (small
number) of these vacation packages available. First come,
first served."

If that's not an irresistible offer, I don't know what is.
The closer you can get to something like this, the more
customers you’ll have falling all over themselves to give
you their money.

Does this give you a few ideas?

========================
Using The Bonus Pile On
========================

Vegas World’s offer uses a concept I call "Bonus Pile On".
And the way it works is to keep piling on bonus after bonus
until finally you have to say "no mas" and whip out your
charge card.

It was the same thing with the famous Ginsu knife
commercials a few years back. They used this technique
perfectly to sell millions of dollars of cutlery. The
announcer would say "And if you act now you’ll also
get..." and then about 15 different knives and kitchen
gadgets would pop up on the screen.

It made you think about how much value you were getting for
such a little price. That’s the power of the "bonus pile
on".

So what’s the best way to start using this in your
business? Well, one of the best ways I know is using paper
and ink. You can give away a series of valuable reports
with any purchase. What’s more, you could even make this
information available as a download from your website so
you’d have zero distribution cost.

Or you could make deals with other businesses where they’d
let you give away a product or service from them to your
customers. If you really use your imagination here you’ll
come up with lots of ways to create a "bonus pile on".

===============================
Make Prospects Take Action Now!
===============================

There’s no doubt about it - deep down, everyone of us is a
lazy procrastinator. That’s why you need some kind of
deadline or scarcity factor to make prospects take action
now. If your prospects believe an offer is going to be
around forever, there’s no reason to take action.

That’s the reason deadlines work so well. In one of my
businesses, I’ll stamp a red deadline on the order form for
the last day prospects get over $2,000.00 in free bonuses.
And believe me, it’s not unusual to get people ordering
right on the very last day of the deadline just because of
this stamp.

=======================
100% No-Risk Guarantee
=======================

Finally, the last component of a powerful offer is to make
your deal as risk-free as possible. Nobody wants to make a
mistake and be stuck with something that doesn’t deliver as
promised. That’s why you should make every effort to lift
the risk from the prospect and place it squarely on your
shoulders. Make a bold guarantee and make it for as long as
possible. If you have a quality product, you shouldn’t
worry because most often return rates will drop the longer
you extend guarantees for.

Another strategy to try is offering a 30-day "hold-your-
check or charge slip" trial. That means people will send
you checks postdated 30 days out or you won’t charge their
credit cards for 30 days. Joe Karbo used this to sell tens
of thousands of copies of his book "The Lazy Man’s Ways to
Riches".

Now you have all the keys to creating your own irresistible
offer and watching your sales soar. Just keep adding value
and more bonuses until you come up with an offer than makes
your prospect feel guilty for not ordering.

(c) Surefire Marketing, Inc.

Yanik Silver is recognized as the leading expert on
creating automatic, moneymaking websites...and he still
doesn't know how to put up a website.

He is the author, co-author or creator of several best-
selling online marketing books and tools, including his
newest resource for online copywriting -
http://www.UltimateCopywritingWorkshop.com

Posted by ralph at 01:07 PM | Permalink

Listen to the Interviews of the Leading Entrepreneurs in the World Who Are Heroes That Are Pursuing Their Dreams With Every Ounce of Strength and Faith.

The secret to success, in life and in business,
is to work hard at the margin. Relentlessly. Those
little marginal extra efforts will inevitably grow into
something big. Bill Bonner

''God is in the details''

Today's topic is about two little-known action tips
that will help you succeed in the world's most ideal
business.

I know there is huge worldwide interest in what
constitutes an ideal business.

How?

When I first wrote about this subject in my news-
letter in the early nineties, I received more
feedback on it than any other topic.

What constitutes the ideal business?

1. Enjoys low overhead.

2. Products can be sold throughout the world.

3. Is portable—can easily be moved and operated
anywhere in the world.

4. Requires little capital or major investment in
equipment.

5. Enjoys high profit margins.

6. Has minimal labor requirements. Can be
operated with few or no employees.

7. Can be operated from home.

8. Is relatively free of government regulation and
control.

9. Is highly respected in the business community.

10. Sells on a cash basis instead of offering
extended credit.

11. Competitors cannot duplicate. Creation of
product is legally protected.

12. Is fun for you while satisfying your intellectual
needs.

13. Helps make the world a better place.

Self-publishing best meets the above criteria
for the ideal business.

Tip: Publishing unique, helpful information can
be an unbeatable marketing tool. Further in this
issue I'll show you how to use it successfully
for any business.

Let's briefly look at what self-publishers and
conventional publishers typically do when they
decide to market a book or special report.

1. The book is written, taking up to two years
of effort. Little or no thought is given to the
marketing process.

2. The title is decided by some editor often over
lunch in less than 20 minutes.

3. The book is published. Absolutely nothing
happens. This has been called "the calm before
the calm."

The book never sells out its first printing. (This
is the fate of more than 96% of all books published.
Is it any wonder!)

Here are the two most important actions I always
take. I recommend both as an indispensable part
of your action plan.

1. Write an ad to sell the book before a single word
is written.

Tip: The result is the eventual book will have the
best chance to do what it should--serve the readers'
self-interest. (Most books are incredibly dull and
boring and are an ego trip for the author.)

Plus, of course, you can use the ad to market
the book.

More than 90% of your time as a self-publisher must
be spent on marketing. For my book HOW TO
FORM YOUR OWN CORPORATION WITHOUT
A LAWYER FOR UNDER $75, I've written more
than 120,000 words of advertising copy. The book
has just 32,000 words in it. Sales are nearly
2,000,000 copies to date. The reason for all the
success is not the book itself, but all the marketing.

As Tom Watson, the late founder of IBM, said so
well, "Nothing happens until a sale is made."

2. Create a great book title. A book title is actually
a headline for the book. It's crucially important.
When I create a book title, I write a huge number of
potential titles. For my books HOW TO PUBLISH
A BOOK AND SELL A MILLION COPIES,
MAGIC WORDS THAT BRING YOU RICHES,
and HOW TO TURN WORDS INTO MONEY,
I wrote over 120 titles for each before choosing the
final one for each of these best sellers.

Best-selling authors like Harvey Mackay, author of
"Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive"
and "Beware the Naked Man Who Offers You His
Shirt," invest about $60,000 in fees for an expert to
create each title for their books. They know how
important it is.

Tip: Here is a business-building blockbuster.
Regardless of the business in which you are engaged,
whether you market online or offline, you can use
books and special reports as free bonuses to build
your sales. Here are some examples of businesses
and the type of material they could publish that could
dramatically boost their business.

Real Estate Developer:
"Seven Easy, Low-Cost Tips Which Will
Increase The Value of Your Property"

Plumber:
"How to Stop Leaking Faucets Yourself
in Less Than 60 Seconds"

Architect:
"How to Build The Beautiful Home
of Your Dreams Below Budget"

Restaurant:
"How to Prepare Ten Terrific Gourmet
Meals in Less Than 20 Minutes"

Vitamin Distributor:
"Maximum Health Secrets
On a Minimum Budget"

Tip: Your information should be written in such a way
that it is (A) immediately useful to the reader, and
(B) you do not directly benefit in any way.

What you are seeking is a special feeling of
reciprocation on the part of the reader: "I got so
much out of this special report, when I think
about possibly availing myself of your type
of product or service, I will think about you first."

The result in increased sales will delight and
astonish you.

Stay tuned for more tips on self-publishing
success.

Warm regards,

Ted Nicholas
Nicholas Direct, Inc.
P.O. Box 877
Indian Rocks Beach, FL 33785
www.tednicholas.com

Posted by ralph at 08:49 PM | Permalink

How would you like to get 30,000 phone calls from prospects eager to buy from you?

When I wrote and self-published Hypnotic Writing, my manual on copywriting, (which I later incorporated into my book, CyberWriting: How to Promote Your Product or Service Online (without being flamed)) I bought the mailing list of all the writing magazines in the country. I sent a one page news release to each. One day I opened up one of the national magazines and there was a half page article about my book! It was my entire news release! Had I paid for the advertising, it would have cost me a few hundred if not thousands of dollars. As it were, the exposure cost me about thirty cents.

My best seller is Turbocharge Your Writing. I figured the readers of Target Marketing magazine would be interested in it as many marketing people rely on the formula in the book to write their sales letters. So I sent a news release to them. The editor called and said, "Are you prepared to handle about two hundreds calls?" I said sure. Then I persuaded him to list my address in the magazine, rather than my number, as a service to his readers. All they would have to do is send me a check for the book. I'm still getting orders!

One of my clients is a real estate broker. We sent a news release out about his service and his new book. Women's Day magazine called him and wanted to buy the rights to excerpt an article from his book. We agreed as long as they gave him a resource box explaining how readers could contact the author. The editor said, "Are you prepared to handle thirty to forty thousand phone calls?" We'll handle it, we said.

When I was promoting the autograph party for my book, The AMA Complete Guide to Small Business Advertising, I created a simple contest where the top three most unusual business ideas would receive free copies of the book. I wrote a release and sent it out. The Houston Post newspaper ran it on the front page of their business section!

The press is powerful.

When Sharon Holmlund's business was mentioned in Home Office Computing magazine, she received over 400 inquiries.

When Sharon Olson received a plug in a newspaper column, over 900 readers wrote to her.

When Janice Guthrie's business was mentioned in Reader's Digest, she received over 740 calls immediately. The list goes on.

The media desperately wants news. About 80% of what you read in the papers and see on TV is planted by people like you and me sending out news releases!

But how do you write a news release that works?

The biggest secret to writing a hot news release is NEWS!

Okay. That may seem obvious to you. So what's considered news?

In short: People are interested in themselves first, and other people next.

Focus on interesting people and you'll grab interest.

Focus on what readers care about and you'll grab attention.

Focus on giving information and you'll grab free publicity.

When I was hired to write a story on a client who wanted more business for his college fund raising service, I didn't begin by saying "Desperate client needs more work." Though the truth, that would appeal to NO ONE. Instead, I began the article with:

COLLEGE MONEY CRISIS NOT NECESSARY
$135 Million Available To Students Who Know Where To Look
(New Jersey) Experts agree a college education is essential for the future work force. But tuitions at public colleges have climbed an average of 12% in the last eight years, according to the College Board of New York. How is anyone expected to finance an education?

Notice how much more interesting the above is? It will interest college students, parents with college bound kids, and many more. The above has NEWS in it.

When I wrote a news release on myself, I didn't begin by saying "Houston Author Would Like To Write More Books And Make Money." That wouldn't interest anyone but my mother. Instead, I created a more human interest and news oriented lead and began the piece with:

BOOK HIM! THIS GHOST DOESN'T SCARE ANYBODY
(Houston) Award-winning author Joe Vitale spent 20 years developing his craft and struggling for a living as a freelance writer before he discovered the wealth in being a ghostwriter. Now he uses his talents to help speakers, therapists and top executives get in print.

For anywhere from $25,000 to $100,000 Vitale will meet with clients, interview them, do research, and write their books. "I do the work, they get the fame -- and all the royalties."

Most best-sellers by sports figures, celebrities, politicians and business leaders are not written by the people on the covers. "Everyone from Lee Iacocca to local business people have hired ghostwriters to create their books," Vitale says.

Get the idea?

In short, you must have news, invent news, or tie your story to existing news in order to get the media to pay any attention to you.

I explain all of this in my new sales and marketing home study course, Project Phineas: How to Get Rich, Famous, and Live Forever. I can't tell you everything you need to know here, but I can give you enough information for you to edge out your competition.

Again, the secret is NEWS.

1. You must have news.
That means you are doing something that the media would consider "a good story." When I created my new home study course, that is something new, and news worthy.

2. You might invent news.
When Evel Knievel said he would jump a canyon, he created a news story.

3. You might attach your story to existing news.
That means that if there is a holiday, you might create a holiday sale. In order words, figure out a way to ride on the skirt tails of something already happening in the news.

Here are more tips: My friend Paul Hartunian, a publicity genius, says there are three ways to get news coverage:

You have a solution to a problem. (Your product or service solves something.)

You have the latest fad. (Remember the pet rock?)

You are a nut. (Evel Knievel.)

Again, your success with the media will depend on you having NEWS. That's all they want. One way to look at this is to remember the following quote. (I don't recall who said it. It may have been William Hearst.)

"If you want it in the paper, it's advertising.
If you want it kept out of the paper, it's news."

Think about it.

For help in writing

HypnoticLibrary.com
By Joe Vitale
This is a complete collection of Joe's most popular products.

HypnoticMarketing.com
By Joe Vitale,
This ebook book shows you techniques on how to make your publicity, emails and websites hypnotic. It also includes Joe Vitale's 3-step marketing strategy called "Guaranteed Outcome Marketing," which can increase your business by 70% -- in less than 90 days

HypnoticWriting.com
By Joe Vitale
This course, by Joe Vitale (recognized by many as the best copywriter in the U.S.), shows you how to use "hypnotic" tricks in your writing to get people to more easily agree with you. A must for anyone who wants to write persuasively.

AdvancedHypnoticWriting.com
By Joe Vitale
This ebook is the unparalleled sequel to Joe Vitale's blockbuster "Hypnotic Writing." It reveals how to use the phenomenon of hypnotic suggestion to turn your words into cash.

HowToWriteHypnoticArticles.com
By Joe Vitale and Larry Dotson
This ebook tells you how to get free publicity by writing hypnotic articles for e-zines and Web sites -- in 7 minutes or less.

HowToWriteHypnoticEndorsements.com
By Joe Vitale and Larry Dotson
This ebook shows you how to write persuasive endorsements that can help you increase sales.

HowToWriteHypnoticJointVentureProposals.com
By Joe Vitale and Larry Dotson
An ebook that tells you how to get free advertising for your business by writing hypnotic joint venture proposals.

HypnoticSellingTools.com
By Joe Vitale and Larry Dotson
Learn how to influence your prospects' subconscious minds with these 1739 hypnotic words, phrases and sentences.

HypnoticWritingSwipeFile.com
By Joe Vitale and Larry Dotson
This is a collection of over 1,550 copywriting gems that took Joe Vitale and Larry Dotson years to compile. This is their personal swipe file that they use to create world famous sales letters responsible for generating millions and millions of dollars of revenue.

ImpulseInternetMarketing.com
By Joe Vitale and Dr. Scott Lewis
This ebook tells you how to use 49 psychological tricks Las Vegas casinos use, to make your business pay off like a slot machine.

SubconsciousInternetMarketing.com
By Joe Vitale and Larry Dotson
Learn how to bypass your prospects' unconscious minds and get them to buy anything you sell

CreateAdvertisingThatSells.com
By Joe Vitale
An interactive online video advertising course featuring book, workbook, and video instruction that has been one of our bestsellers. And since we can all learn from the masters, it also features several reproductions of hugely successful ad campaigns.

HypnoticTrafficTools.com
By Joe Vitale and Larry Dotson

Hypnotic SellingTools.com
By Joe Vitale and Larry Dotson

Posted by ralph at 07:16 PM | Permalink

Listen to the Interviews of the Leading Entrepreneurs in the World Who Are Heroes That Are Pursuing Their Dreams With Every Ounce of Strength and Faith.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michel Fortin is a direct response copywriter, author, speaker and consultant. His specialty are long copy sales letters and websites. Watch him rewrite copy on video each month, and get tips and tested conversion strategies proven to boost response in his membership site at http://TheCopyDoctor.com/ today.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A lot of people ask me how I write copy. Of course, there's way too much information to squeeze into one article. But I can offer you a basic look at my methodology by giving you a short list of the eight steps that I take.

Here they are.

1. First, with all projects I ask that my clients take time to answer an initial, 25-point questionnaire. Their answers will provide some background information. Admittedly, there's a lot of research to do. But they provide me with a place to start and, more importantly, a basic understanding of their business, the purpose of the message and its goals.

Yes, that's "goals" in the plural.

Of course, there is the main goal, which may be to generate leads or sales. But other, secondary goals may include: to dispel rumors, answer questions, build credibility, eliminate misconceptions, differentiate from the competition, etc.

2. Then, I read and study the answers carefully, and I also add to the questionnaire by conducting a lot of "exploratory" research. That is: I try to gather as much information as I can — anything about the business, the product, the offer and, above all, the target audience.

Throughout the process, I copy everything into a plain text editor (I use TextPad.com), where I can easily rearrange the content, include any corresponding URLs (links are active in TextPad), make important notes and add small story blocks. (I'll return to this later.)

3. When I conduct my research, it also helps me to go through the information and pull out the important stuff. The idea at first is to have as much information as possible at my fingertips: including facts, features, factors, etc. I undiscerningly add whatever information I find out there.

Of course, there's a lot of good information out there. But a lot of it is also irrelevant to the story or the platform (I'll return to this). At the beginning, however, I gather as much as I can, put it all into one document, highlight the most important information and later discard the rest.

4. After that, I dig deeper. I spend a lot of time studying the information. I ask questions about the product or the offer, and perhaps try to get some clarification from the client. And I try to put what my client tells me into words that specifically meet my client's audience at their level.

You see, what the client feels is appropriate (or positive, or beneficial, or interesting) may not be a shared feeling among her clients. Too many businesspeople are "married" to their products or businesses that they tend to forget (or at least become removed from) their clients' perspective.

5. Next comes the creative part. I first try to find what top copywriter Bob Bly calls "a copy platform." A platform is a storyline, an angle or a slant that I will take to describe the offer. It may be the fear of loss, a news story, a "hot button pusher," a success story, a claim, the pleasure of gain, a takeaway offer, a "lie dispelled," a secret, etc.

From the platform, I write the copy but start with bullet points only. (The platform will give me a good indication of what I can write about and how to write it, as well as the options I have.) For example, I:

Write the headline (the most important part);

Add qualifiers (e.g., surheadlines and subheadlines);

Create the opening or introductory paragraph;

List the features, advantages and benefits;

Expand on key items for the main body;

Integrate headers at every two or three paragraphs;

Incoporate story blocks (i.e., highlighted stories, remarks or sidenotes, which all aim to give the reader a break and at the same time reinforce key benefits, reasons, urgencies, etc);

Create the offer and boost its value (such as by adding bonuses, premiums, discounts, options, packaging, comparisons, etc);

Build credibility and believability (such as by adding background information, testimonials, proofs, factoids, guarantees, etc);

Close with a call-to-action statement;

And plug some "PS's" at the end to restate the benefits of the offer, emphasize the sense of urgency or add a bonus not yet offered.

6. I then rearrange the content for flow. One of the benefits of working with TextPad is that I can work with multiple, tiled windows opened at once, each showing a different part of a same document. That way, I can easily scroll through each window and rearrange the content from one window to another (i.e., from one section of the copy to another).

Why? Because it helps me to ensure that the ideas in the copy flow properly and that they follow the AIDA formula (i.e., that the copy grabs their attention, creates interest, builds desire and calls for action). From this, I can sense if I need to also add certain elements, whether cosmetic (such as a grabber) or tactical (such as a liftnote or pop-up).

7. Once re-arranged, then I write. I expand, cut out, tighten and add more. I then place it all into an HTML or rich text document in order to add emphasis, such as with formatting, typestyles, tables, colors, graphics and so on. (Cosmetics of direct response copy are important, since certain visual "triggers" help to increase both readership and response.)

I re-read the copy. Out loud, too. Why? If I ever struggle with a part of the copy, or if I verbally trip, then I know I need to edit or rewrite that section of the story. After I'm done, I have my assistant proofread it, and then upload it to my website for my client to read and offer feedback.

8. I revise the copy until the client is satisfied.

There is no way to predict how well my copy will do. For some, my work multiplies their response rates like gangbusters. But for others, my copy is a downright dud. It happens, maybe because the platform is wrong, the audience is not targeted or the offer is not appropriate and will never sell, no matter how good the product is. The only way to know is to test.

I appreciate it when my clients keep me posted on the results. While there's not much I can do, it gives me an idea of what can be improved. In fact, some clients prefer to keep me on a retainer after the initial project, so they can have me rewrite parts of the copy or offer any suggestions on how to improve it, without contaminating the initial control.

Listen to the Interviews of the Leading Entrepreneurs in the World Who Are Heroes That Are Pursuing Their Dreams With Every Ounce of Strength and Faith.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michel Fortin is a direct response copywriter, author, speaker and consultant. His specialty are long copy sales letters and websites. Watch him rewrite copy on video each month, and get tips and tested conversion strategies proven to boost response in his membership site at http://TheCopyDoctor.com/ today.
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Posted by ralph at 04:10 PM | Permalink

Listen to the Interviews of the Leading Entrepreneurs in the World Who Are Heroes That Are Pursuing Their Dreams With Every Ounce of Strength and Faith.

1. Remove your limits

Reduce your subject to a single core word and then brainstorm around it. For example, if you're trying to write about "Study Skills", expand your thinking to "School". Now jot down everything that comes to mind when you think about School, and when you run out of ideas start asking yourself open questions around the subject and noting your answers.

Examples:

What did I enjoy about school?
What scared me?
What did I wish I'd known from Day 1?

This will help you get back into the mindset of someone struggling with school issues of all kinds and you'll start to get a feel for their concerns and worries.

2. Restore your focus

Once you've started to understand the general feelings of your readers, allow your mind to focus back on your original topic of Study Skills. From your new perspective, what questions would you ask? What would you want to know? Is this really a "Studying" issue or is it more about Time Management or being able to work without distractions or being paralyzed by the fear of not doing well?

3. Be your audience

Write each question on a separate sheet of paper; don't stop until you have at least ten and preferably more. Stay in the mindset of your readers until you feel you've asked every major question that concerns them.

4. Take a step back

Put your pile of question aside for a few hours, overnight if possible. Don't consciously think about them; just go about your day as usual. Give your subconscious time to process them without any further prompting from you. If new questions come to mind jot them down somewhere safe and then forget about them.

5. Get out your pen and write

When you're ready, sit down with your pages of questions and simply start to answer them. Writing your answers by hand can give you access to ideas that might be missed if you type them. Don't edit yourself at this stage. Using Speech to Text software or a digital recorder can also be helpful in bypassing the internal editor.

Imagine someone sitting in front of you asking for advice and just talk to them. Keep your tone natural and conversational and stay with the question-and-answer format.

6. Edit lightly

Trust your first instincts. Proof-read and correct any obvious errors, but don't do any major editing until your piece has had time to "sit" for a while. Again, leaving it overnight will give you a fresh perspective the next time you look at it, but even if your deadline doesn't allow for that it's important to give yourself a break from it.

When you're pushed for time, writing several articles at one sitting can create enough change of focus to make you "forget" the one you've just written.

7. Polish it up

Short articles are unlikely to need major editing if you've written them as described here. They will flow easily and naturally already and having each Q & A on a separate sheet makes it easier to select only the ones you want. Your job now is to put them in a reasonably logical sequence and make sure they're understandable and that the reader is led smoothly from one question and answer to the next.

8. Top and tail it

Write a brief introductory paragraph as a "teaser" for the main article. Many article directories now put the first paragraph of each piece into RSS feeds which are picked up by other websites, so you'll want to make sure that your two or three major keywords appear at least once in that first paragraph.

Write another short paragraph to summarize the major points of the article and provide some ideas for the reader to explore the subject further. Don't of course forget your own resource box: use the format [a href="http://www.yourwebsite.com"]Your Website Name[/a] (replace the square brackets with angle brackets) for your link, so when your article is converted to html your link will automatically be live.

9. Submit it!

Posted by ralph at 01:03 PM | Permalink

Listen to the Interviews of the Leading Entrepreneurs in the World Who Are Heroes That Are Pursuing Their Dreams With Every Ounce of Strength and Faith.

The secret to success, in life and in business,
is to work hard at the margin. Relentlessly. Those
little marginal extra efforts will inevitably grow into
something big. Bill Bonner

''God is in the details''

I've never seen or heard anyone identify the true
reasons for nearly all business failures.

Especially misleading in my view are university
courses and statistics published by the government.

The following article could be entitled,
"What They Don’t Teach You About Business
Failure at Harvard, Wharton or Stanford."

Here are the biggest causes of business failures and
how to avoid them as I see it.

1. Putting the product first, with marketing second.
This is the exact opposite of what's necessary for
success. Smart and successful entrepreneurs identify
the market first. Then they create and/or focus on
the product.

Tip: To succeed, you must find out whether people
actually want your product, can or will pay for it,
and how much. The very best proof is not a focus
group or survey but an actual market test.

2. Overemphasis on image. A fancy office with
high overhead or an expensive logo will do little or
nothing to facilitate success. And it could drive
you out of business fast, as many businesspeople
painfully discover.

Tip: Keep overhead low. Operate from a home office
or very modest one when you start out. Most of your
prospects and clients couldn't care less. Carefully
invest every available penny in marketing. This
dramatically increases your chances of success.

3. Bad business partnership. Many entrepreneurs
rush into partnerships with little knowledge,
communication, or diligence.

I submit that a business partnership is even tougher
to make work than a marriage. Most fail in
misery. And in bankruptcy. And if this isn't
bad enough, lifelong friends often wind up
hating each other and estranged forever.

Tip: Avoid partnerships completely if you
possibly can. But if you have strong business
reasons to form a partnership, make sure right
from the start you know your future partner's
strengths and weaknesses very well. And, most
importantly, clearly define in detail exactly
what you and your partner will be responsible
for in the business.

4. Business model is too complex. The best business
models are simple. Employees, customers, even
suppliers, should be able to immediately understand
the nature and goals of the business. For example,
"When it absolutely, positively has to be there
overnight."

5. The business attempts to pioneer a new product
or industry. Entrepreneurs are often attracted to
businesses that are pioneering a brand new product
or industry. (I personally must resist this tendency
as well.) While a precious few are successful, most
fail. Businesses that are radically different from
existing known businesses can even scare off
customers rather than attract them.

Tip: You can achieve extraordinary business success
when, instead of being a pioneer, you simply do
something far better, faster and/or cheaper than
existing businesses.

6. You and the business are driven into bankruptcy
by a lawsuit. You can be fully and personally liable
in the event of a lawsuit which goes against you. You
could lose all your assets, including your home,
savings, cars, etc.

Tip: Never operate a business without the protection
of a corporation. Operating through a corporation gives
you a "corporate shield." You actually keep your
personal liability limited to whatever assets you choose
to put into your business. Worst case, in the event of
a lawsuit simply fold your corporation and start another
one.

Talk with a good lawyer and accountant and
discuss your personal situation including tax aspects.
You can probably eliminate close to 100% of all
potential legal threats which could go against your
personal assets.

7. Divorce. Untold businesses come to a halt each
year when marriages fall apart. In many cases
financial disagreements wind up in court.

Tip: Before getting married, and no matter how
unlikely it may seem at the time, have a good attorney
prepare a prenuptial agreement which spells out
exactly what will happen in the event of a divorce.

Avoid the above pitfalls and the path to business
success will become much smoother for you.

Warm regards,

Ted Nicholas

Copyright 2003 Nicholas Direct, Inc

Ted Nicholas
Nicholas Direct, Inc.
P.O. Box 877
Indian Rocks Beach, FL 33785
www.tednicholas.com

Posted by ralph at 08:48 PM | Permalink

Listen to the Interviews of the Leading Entrepreneurs in the World Who Are Heroes That Are Pursuing Their Dreams With Every Ounce of Strength and Faith.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michel Fortin is a direct response copywriter, author, speaker and consultant. His specialty are long copy sales letters and websites. Watch him rewrite copy on video each month, and get tips and tested conversion strategies proven to boost response in his membership site at http://TheCopyDoctor.com/ today.
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Chris Locke, co-author of the book "The Cluetrain Manifesto," claimed that the Web is not comprised of computers, companies, or even consumers for that matter, but of conversations. One of the best books I've read on Internet culture, Cluetrain is a "must-read" for all Internet marketers.

Whether we know it or not, and whether we like it or not, we are edging towards a more human approach online -- unerringly following one of John Naisbitt's "Megatrends," from the book of the same name and a prediction initially expounded 20 years ago, called "High Tech, High Touch."

Cluetrain not only supports such a trend, but also discusses how the human paradigm affects and will shape the Internet. On the ClueTrain.com website, a simple, single phrase sums up the manifesto's 95 theses:

"If you only have time for one clue this year, this is the one to get: we are not seats, eyeballs, end-users or consumers. We are human beings. And our reach exceeds your grasp...

... Deal with it."

Visit Cluetrain's website and glance over their endorsements page, which basically is a open, online guestbook. You will notice that more and more companies, including large, multinational firms such as IBM and PricewaterhouseCoopers, are starting to "clue in."

I am neither a sociologist nor a futurist by any stretch. But as an observer and Internet marketer, as well as a conversationalist, all I need to do is take a look at the most successful sites online, nowadays. When I do so, two glaringly obvious commonalities shout: content and community.

The former is self-explanatory.

Content not only makes a site "sticky," it boosts search engine rankings, enhances the potential of attracting advertising dollars, and opens the door to creating sponsor-supported or membership-based models (like Classmates.com and iVillage.com).

But the latter of the two is important and the focus of this week's editorial: community. In addition to publishing email newsletters, moderating discussion lists or maintaining opt-in mailing lists, do you administer forums, message boards or web communities?

Consider the advantages. You gain the ability to:

Directly access your target market;
Advertise in front of qualified people;
Share prospect and customer bases (without any need to
physically exchange private, personal information);
Maintain constant contact with your target market;
Impel and observe comments, trends, and conversations;
Increase credibility and top-of-mind brand awareness;
Survey your market on new site or product features, new
product ideas, affiliate programs, pricing models, etc;
Generate non-competing, third party sales revenue;
Handle, manage, and diffuse (potential) complaints;
And correct errors early (or from their onset).
There are many more advantages. Admittedly, there are disadvantages, too. Maintaining a message forum or online community requires time, labor, and money. That said, the marketer's motto is to always test -- so you can never be sure unless you try it before making a decision. Thus, if you want to test the communal waters before making the dive, I suggest a small, one-page message board, preferably a free CGI script.

Here's an example. Probably one of the most popular (and the easiest to install) message boards on the Web is Matt Wright's WWWBoard. It's a free CGI script, which is also very customizable.

To see the board in action, visit the website of my friend Jim Daniels. Also, if you decide that the script is too plain for you and you want to enhance it, there are many additions, features, and upgrades available -- usually as third party modifications (or "mods"). Most are available here.

Here are some other free message board scripts:

TalkShop at http://www.spiceisle.com/talkshop/faq.htm
Discusware at http://www.discusware.com/discus/index.php
MyBoard at http://myboard.dk3.com/
InvisionBoard at http://InvisionBoard.com/
SimpleBoard at http://michaelmoser.org/board/simpleboard.htm
Once you decide that maintaining an web community or a more extensive forum (including boards categorized by topic, for example) is right for you, you can move up to the more feature-rich (and perhaps database-driven) forums now available on the Web. Here are a few (some of them are free):

UltimateBB (Ultimate Bulletin Board)

Probably the most popular of all the commercial bulletin board programs around, the Ultimate Bulletin Board is also the web's most pricey. Depending on the features you want, like emailing board members, translating posts, posting private messages to other members, adding graphics and "smilies" (or emoticons) to the posts and so on, it can cost anywhere from $250 to $1,500. See the UltimateBB script in action by visiting Dr. Ralph Wilson's site.

phpBB.com (PHP Bulletin Board)

This is the one that I like the most. In fact, after testing a few of them on the Success Doctor site, it is the one that I recommend the most. It's surprising since PHPBB is comparable to UBB but completely open source and free. In other words, it is extensive, entirely customizable, packed with features and offers an inordinate amount of mods, which are all available at the site. You have the ability to fully customize the board, which only requires a basic knowledge of HTML and CGI. To see it in action, visit my Copywriters Board.

IkonBoard

If you like the style, look and layout of both UltimateBB and YaBB, then you should visit IkonBoard, which is another free but commercial-like board. Personally, I have never tried it but I have tried their demo. The website boasts of its extensive administration and moderation options, but as a user I can tell you that the features are comparable to those of UBB and YaBB. (In fact, YaBB offers an IkonBoard converter, if you ever wanted to switch your board from one to the other.)

vBulletin

vBulletin is similar to UltimateBB in that it is intended for larger sites. As the site states: "vBulletin is a powerful, scalable and fully customizable forums package (...) ideal for all medium-to-large sites." vBulletin costs between $85 and $160, but unlike UltimateBB the fee is renewable each year. To see vBulletin in action, check out Matt Mickiewicz' popular SitePoint.com.

In closing, note that hosting an online community is not the be-all, end-all of Internet marketing. (Keep in mind that I also mentioned "content" as being a significant factor in the success of many online businesses.)

Remember that, when all online transactions have come and gone, and after the rise and fall of many a dotcom, what remains are people -- and people connecting in ways that were never possible before is the heart of the Web.

Listen to the Interviews of the Leading Entrepreneurs in the World Who Are Heroes That Are Pursuing Their Dreams With Every Ounce of Strength and Faith.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michel Fortin is a direct response copywriter, author, speaker and consultant. His specialty are long copy sales letters and websites. Watch him rewrite copy on video each month, and get tips and tested conversion strategies proven to boost response in his membership site at http://TheCopyDoctor.com/ today.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by ralph at 03:01 PM | Permalink

Listen to the Interviews of the Leading Entrepreneurs in the World Who Are Heroes That Are Pursuing Their Dreams With Every Ounce of Strength and Faith.

"You don't have to get it right. You just have to get it going." -- Mike Litman

The quote above has to be the most important idea for many a business person. It's the antidote to the dread perfectionitis disease that paralyzes you.

Perfectionitis is born of a perfectly reasonable impulse: to produce a quality product.

But it is the "impossible standard" aspect of it that makes it dysfunctional. It is the kind of impulse that makes a parent say "No one's good enough for my Billy" (or Susie). And because getting it perfect is nearly impossible, making public your effort is well nigh impossible.

One of Dan Kennedy's lessons is that half of winning is just showing up! So he and Litman are on the same page.

To have a newsletter and not write to your subscribers is to not show up!

What are the problems with not showing up?

- No one remembers you. Harsh but true. Oh, you may be a memory in passing, but people have their own lives. You are a blip on most people's screens. The only way to become a bigger blip is to show up.

- You miss opportunities to announce and to sell. Does this really need any elaboration? Didn't think so. :)

- You miss opportunities to BUILD on previous opportunities, and so forth.

- You miss chances to establish yourself as an expert in your chosen field.

Besides the inverse of the above, what ADVANTAGES arise from just showing up and communicating to your list?

- You become more comfortable in communicating.

- You build momentum, so that coming up with ideas to communicate is easier.

- You have opportunities to answer the question, "What have you done for me lately."

- You have a store of information which you can archive and then refer your subscribers. For example, you can write, "As I mentioned two weeks ago (url), you can enhance your writing ability by..." And on the archive page, you can advertise. :)

Yes, the tragedies of not showing up are tremendous. Perfectionism can literally KILL your business!

And the benefits of "just showing up" are equally huge.

Moreover, they can cascade and reinforce each other.

So how can you move yourself to "just show up?"

1 - Use Litman's comment at the top of this article to remind yourself that perfectionism is NOT a good pole star.

2 - Write short pieces. You don't have to write Moby Dick. Short pieces that deliver real information that they can use is what people mainly want.

3 - Give yourself a schedule. And stick to it.

4 - Ask for feedback on what you write. You may find that people like it, even though it's not "perfect." And if they criticize, you'll have information on how to improve.

Do these things and perfectionitis will be a thing of the past, for you will more consistently show up.

Posted by ralph at 01:06 PM | Permalink

Listen to the Interviews of the Leading Entrepreneurs in the World Who Are Heroes That Are Pursuing Their Dreams With Every Ounce of Strength and Faith.

The secret to success, in life and in business,
is to work hard at the margin. Relentlessly. Those
little marginal extra efforts will inevitably grow into
something big. Bill Bonner

''God is in the details''

1. Poor Headline. Or what's even worse, no headline.
The most important part of sales letters is the
headline. Unless the headline immediately attracts
attention and generates interest, your prospect will
stop reading right then and there. This means you have
no chance--zero--to fulfill the purpose of the sales
letter, which is to make a sale. Your headline should
communicate the strongest customer benefit of your
product or service.

TIP: Spend hours, days, even weeks if necessary,
creating headlines. Create at least 15 to 25 and
test the strongest ones. I write as many as 200 to
250 before choosing two to four to test against each
other to find the most profitable.

2. Copy is full of "Me" messages. Some examples:
My products are terrific. My company is wonderful.
We've been in business for 15 years. We have a long
tradition of quality, etc., etc., etc.

So much advertising is full of this drivel. This is
all about you. No one in the world cares besides
yourself.

Your prospects want to know exactly what benefits they
will get from your products. In other words, if you
sell grass seed, don't dwell on what it's composed
of. Instead describe how beautiful their lawn will be.

TIP: Here is the fastest way to improve your copy.
Review the first draft of your copy. Eliminate all
these words--I, our, we, my. Substitute you and your.
I promise you'll be amazed and truly gratified with
the result. It's sure to blow your mind!

3. Copy fails to answer the question "What's in it
for me?" The process, of course, starts with the
headline. An excellent copywriting technique is to
prepare bullet points. These should consist of all
the benefits a buyer of your product will get.

Tip: Your benefits should be stated in headline
format. The secret of making benefits even more
powerful is to describe the benefit of the benefit.

4. Exaggerated Claims. Many copywriters and
marketers think the more astonishing your claims
are, the more persuasive. This is a fallacy. If a
claim is exaggerated, it seems and feels untrue.
You thus lose that all-important credibility.

Tip: First you should dramatize your advertising
claims with the help of short emotional words.
Then prove each claim. Expert comments and
testimonials can be a big help.

5. Confusing offer. So many sales letters do not
make a clear, easily understandable offer. The
result is few or no orders. Reason? When
consumers are confused, they don't act--they
do nothing. Confusion always breeds inaction.

Tip: Think through your offer very carefully
and write it down before you prepare a single
word of your sales letter.

6. Copy is too short. As the old saying goes--
the more you tell, the more you sell. Tell the
complete story of your product. Include every
benefit you can. Copy can never be too long.
Some of my sales letters are as long as 56 pages.
But you can be too boring. The biggest sin of
any copy writer, even in a two-paragraph letter,
is to bore the prospect.

Tip: The secret is to tell a complete story, but
in the fewest words possible. Eliminate every
single unnecessary word.

7. Large blocks of copy and few subheads.
Lengthy paragraphs without frequent subheads
make copy intimidating to read. This discourages
reading and response. Place at least two or
three subheads on each page. Plus, keep paragraphs
and sentences short. Paragraph length of no more
than five sentences or less should be your goal.
Some paragraphs can be one to three words.

Tip: When you write subheads, strive to make them
short and benefit driven. If the subheads are
well done, readers with short attention spans can
simply read the headlines and subheads and make
their buying decision on those alone.

8. No testimonials. Customers who rave about your
product or service are extremely effective and
should be included in every sales letter.
The words from the mind and heart of customers
build your credibility. However, most marketers
waste the potential impact of testimonials.
Common mistakes include using initials rather than
the full name, as well as omitting city and state
or country.

Tip: When getting written permission to use a
testimonial in advertising, also request a photo.
Most will happily agree. Photos help to add power
to testimonials.

9. No money-back guarantee. Your response to any
sales letter will be significantly higher if you
include a money-back guarantee.

Tip: The longer the guarantee, the more sales and
less returns or refunds requested. For example,
30 days works better than 10 days, 60 days works
better than 30 days, etc. A full year "no quibble"
guarantee works very well.

10. No P.S. The P.S. is the second most read part
of any sales letter. Many people read the headline
and then turn to the end of the letter to see who it's
from when they read the P.S. My strong recommendation
is to never send out a letter of any kind without
including a P.S. This includes personal letters.
Make it a habit from which you never vary. So when
you are writing to your mother, father or friend,
end the letter with a P.S.

Tip: When preparing a P.S. for a sales letter, a good
formula to follow is to simply restate the biggest
benefit of the product, the guarantee and the offer.

Extra Bonus Tip--The signature in any sales letter
is very important. When a prospect receives a
letter, they look at the headline, who it's from and
then the P.S.

A few tips:

1. Make sure the signer is given a title.

2. The signature should be bold and done
with a felt tip pen. Most signatures are shaky
and weak. They appear to come from someone who is
not proud of their letter but apologetic.

3. The signatures should be printed in process blue.
No other color--not black or red or purple or green.
I've tested other colors and none works as well as
process blue. Blue "feels" more natural to the reader.
Remember this. When you prepare a sales letter you are
asking the recipient to suspend belief while they read
your message. Your signature plays a big part in that
process.

Sincerely yours,

Ted Nicholas
Nicholas Direct, Inc.
P.O. Box 877
Indian Rocks Beach, FL 33785
www.tednicholas.com

Posted by ralph at 10:21 AM | Permalink

Listen to the Interviews of the Leading Entrepreneurs in the World Who Are Heroes That Are Pursuing Their Dreams With Every Ounce of Strength and Faith.

A recent survey showed that more than eighty percent of Americans want to write a book. This extraordinary statistic is somewhat puzzling considering that the National Endowment for the Arts estimates that only fifty-seven percent of Americans have read even 1 book in the last twelve months!

What is it that makes people -- even non-readers -- want to put pen to paper?

Perhaps it's the desire for fame and fortune, the need to earn the respect of others, or maybe it's just the wish to leave some mark on the future, a permanent record of a life lived.

Whatever the reason, for those who actually complete a manuscript, the odds of seeing it published by a reputable firm are slim.

For the estimated 2 million manuscripts currently completed, there are only 64,000 publishers of record, and only a fraction of those are actively seeking new manuscripts.

So what are the millions of hopeful authors to do?

Well, the first step would be to ensure their manuscripts are the best they can be. This can be done by re-writing, editing, proofreading by an outside firm or even by a well-read and literate friend.

Even then, most of those two million books stand no chance of being accepted by a traditional publisher. Those authors that do make the cut are not necessarily the best writers, but rather are those who can sell themselves and their stories most convincingly.

Some authors, after rejections from the trade, will find themselves victims of vanity publishers, who take advantage of the hopes and aspirations of writers to extract an exorbitant fee to 'publish' their book.

Luckier will be the writers who publish through firms like iUniverse and Lulu, for although their books will likely never see wide distribution, at least their losses will be minimal.

And finally there are the select few who decide to become publishers themselves, even if it is only to self-publish their own book.

These publishers will find great obstacles, and a great deal of work in this route, but the challenge and reward of having one's success or failure entirely in one's own hands is a powerful feeling.

Whether they choose to publish electronically, or use short run printing service like Lightning Print, or even to go full boar with a print run of 1,000 or more, their success depends on how well they sell themselves and their story to others.

And so, if you are about to embark on a new manuscript, educate yourself thoroughly about the industry, its scams, and potential pitfalls. And more importantly, learn to market yourself well, for this, more than any other skill, is the determining factor in your success or failure.

Posted by ralph at 06:07 AM | Permalink

Listen to the Interviews of the Leading Entrepreneurs in the World Who Are Heroes That Are Pursuing Their Dreams With Every Ounce of Strength and Faith.

The secret to success, in life and in business,
is to work hard at the margin. Relentlessly. Those
little marginal extra efforts will inevitably grow into
something big. Bill Bonner

''God is in the details''

Here is the fastest, simplest, easiest thing you can do to dramatically increase sales.

When you have a successful sales message in any print or Internet format, such as a space advertisement, sales letter, card deck or web page, and want to take one action to increase sales, here is what you do. Simply...

Make it bigger. Make it bolder. Particularly the headlines.

The first thing you should do is to significantly increase the size of your headlines and subheadlines. Make them 2, 3, even 5 times as large.

If the typeface size in the body copy is below 9 point, increase it to 12 point.

Tip: Do not use larger than 12-point type for body copy. My tests show this should be the maximum size. However, with headlines and subheadlines there is no real limit to size that I've experienced.

When you blow up the size of words, you simply get more attention. It's like speaking confidently rather than whispering.

I have never increased copy size of a winning offer without experiencing a significant sales increase--as much as two and a half times the previous level of sales. And that is using the exact same copy I've previously used!

Presenting your headline in certain colors can also give you a big sales boost.

Tip: The magic of a red headline: Using bright red on the main headline along with larger size can also give you a dramatic sales boost.

However, the body copy should always be black. I've never seen another color other than black match its sales power.

Try the above. You'll be delighted with the result.

Kind regards,

Ted Nicholas
Nicholas Direct, Inc.
P.O. Box 877
Indian Rocks Beach, FL 33785
www.tednicholas.com

Posted by ralph at 08:56 PM | Permalink

Listen to the Interviews of the Leading Entrepreneurs in the World Who Are Heroes That Are Pursuing Their Dreams With Every Ounce of Strength and Faith.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michel Fortin is a direct response copywriter, author, speaker and consultant. His specialty are long copy sales letters and websites. Watch him rewrite copy on video each month, and get tips and tested conversion strategies proven to boost response in his membership site at http://TheCopyDoctor.com/ today.
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A recent, growing trend on the Internet is the private minisite -- it's a small, password-protected website that offers "insider information" on a topic that might be of interest to a specific audience. Similar to an ebook, it offers information that's geared for a specific group, niche or vertical industry.

A private "minisite" is like a small, niche-oriented community whose access is restricted and granted for a fee. Of course, web communities are all the rage, right now, for various reasons -- one is certainly that these places help to humanize the digital experience as well as offer "insider information" that's current and more palpable, particularly for that group of people.

However, the success of a private site, whether large or small, is largely predicated on the idea that it is dynamic and offers many extras that plain, static information products (like ebooks, for example) don't or can't. One of its greatest benefits is that it is constantly updated with the latest data.

As an example, private sites offer many resources, which help to make the site vibrant, vital and valuable (I call it the "Three V's"): checklists, surveys, applications, downloads, resources, chatrooms, scripts, services, links, file sharing, "hot" topics-of-the-day, discussion forums, event calendars, instant messaging, reviews, consultations, etc.

Membership-based minisites, however, are not large or bulky. And they don't necessarily need all of the above bells and whistles. They are called "mini" because, typically, the private section consists of content and the public one consists of just one long copy sales letter. (Being a copywriter, the bulk of my work consist of sales letters for private sites, these days.)

The driving force behind the private site is the idea that their members feel part of an elite group who have access to exclusive knowledge, and the fact that they are constantly being updated on the subject matter. It's an important part of their membership.

If you're an expert on a specific topic, or if you know how to do something better (or different) than anybody else, then you have a basis for a private minisite. But unlike information products, your income will not be based on one-time sales but on recurring, billed memberships, including renewals, upsales of non-competing products and affiliate programs to your members.

An additional yet enormously compelling benefit of private sites is the idea that the owner offers personalized consulting on the topic area. Members receive not only information but also receive top-notch support. (A way to accomplish this is by erecting a private discussion forum. It also reduces redundancy, since questions can be answered only once in many cases.)

The more niche-oriented or unique the product is, the greater the chances of success for the private site will be. Just offering content that's exclusive to private members is a start, for the feeling of exclusivity is the catalyst behind any private site. This is where niche marketing can really profit.

As a long copy, web sales letter copywriter, there are several things that help make private minisites compelling to aspiring members. Let me give you a few examples to give you a headstart.

1. Drive Customer Actions

Drive customer actions by telling them, specifically, what you want them to do. Use expressions like "click here," "subscribe today," "visit this," "join now," "go there," "discover how" and "learn these" are commands in which you compel people to take action. Take them "by the hand," in other words.

Private sites (or any sales-oriented, single-product site, for that matter) must have the least amount of links on or around the sales letter. The more links there are (to other resources or pages, for example), the more you distract users and take their focus away from your letter (and away from the purpose of your public site, which is to sell private memberships).

I know I'm going against the grain, here. But offering extra pages, like FAQs, links, testimonials and so on, are great for information-based sites (or those selling multiple products). They help to make the site "sticky" and drive search engine rankings. But for private minisites, they're dead weight.

If you're selling a single product, keep visitors focused and steer them in only one direction. Too many messages, choices or "things to do" only confuse people. If you offer an opt-in email newsletter, for example, turn the subscription form into a pop-up (or add it to the body of your sales letter).

If you offer people too many choices, they will not make one.

(You're unknown, so a newsletter, opt-in mailing list or even a multipart course delivered via autoresponder is an important tactic, since you build trust and credibility, and develop a certain relationship with your prospects who might not be inclined to join right now.)

Look at how I incorporated the opt-in form within the copy I wrote for Kirt Christensen. There are only three links: order, affiliate signup and login. But the form is added on the sales letter and in a pop-up window. Bottom-line, the sales letter won't drive people away and keeps them focused, interested and excited.

2. Create a Sense of Urgency

Jim Rohn said that, "Without a sense of urgency, desire loses its value." People fear making bad decisions. With scams and snake oils rampant on the web, the fear is even greater when shopping online. So, most of them tend to procrastinate, even when they're interested in your offer. Therefore, communicate a certain sense of urgency that compels visitors to act now.

Use "takeaway selling" to stop people from procrastinating. In other words, shape your offer -- not just your product -- so that it is limited, time-sensitive or quantity-bound. Make your offer scarce. As an example, put a deadline on your offer or some kind of limit on the number of people you accept.

(Takeaway selling is based on the fact that "people don't know how much they want something until it's about to be taken away from them." It's the supply-and-demand mentality: the less available something is, the more people want it. It's also a reason behind the success of private sites.)

Add a deadline to your offer, or limit the number of products you sell (or the number of new members you allow to join). But there is a caveat: to make sure that people believe your need to limit the offer, give a reasonable and logical explanation to justify your time-sensitivity, or else your tactic will be instantly discredited. (How many "time-limited" offers have you seen on the Internet that are totally false or misleading?)

If you add a deadline or limit the number of members you accept, you must explain why you're doing so. Here's an example of what I put on some sales letters I've written -- they sell memberships to private sites and offer personal consulting to their members:

Example #1:

"To be candid with you, I don't know how long I'm going to keep the doors open to new members since this information is extremely sensitive and limited. I don't want to dilute the value of this information for my paid members. If you were a member, wouldn't you want the same, too? So, I must restrict the number of users for quality control purposes."

(In this case, it is very true. The author sells access to a limited number of "hot" real estate opportunities that he finds through his unique system, which he also teaches his members. If too many people join and get their hands on the opportunities or the system, it will surely lower the value of the information to the member-base, and contradict the purpose of the site. Otherwise, why would one join?)

Example #2:

"We're only human, and there are only so many hours in a day and so many people we can physically attend to! So, in order to limit the number of hours we do provide, we must put a cap on the number of new members for obvious reasons. We can only guarantee that people who sign up through [date] will qualify for membership, completely custom-tailored support and this incredible set of free bonuses worth over $[amount]! 'You snooze, you lose'. So, don't wait. Join NOW!"

(This example demonstrates the importance of the support they offer private members and, at the same time, drives home the idea that such a service is limited. I'm sure the owners can hire part-time help, if the need ever arose. But nothing can replace expertise that comes from straight the experts -- the more people join, the less time they have.)

3. Pique Their Curiosity

People are instinctively curious. And nothing piques curiosity more than something that's secret, rare, private, unavailable, exclusive, limited, scarce, uncommon, prohibited, hidden, etc. People fear the unknown and as a result constantly seek to "know" the unknown. They also love having dibs on something that's not readily available (especially if it gives them an edge over the competition before they know about it).

So, use words like "private site," "exclusive members area," "insider access" or "restricted vault." Moreover, people love not only hidden information but also the idea that it's all put together into a single place that's easy to access, learn and digest. It all comes down to a matter of convenience — you did all the research and gruntwork for them.

Using expressions like "secret formula," "specialized system," "custom-tailored checklist," "unique process" and so on drives people's interest because they all imply less time, money and effort in finding that same information. When I write copy for private sites I use expressions like: "Proficiency Program," "Secret Formula," "Inner Circle," "Mentoring System," "Hidden Vault," "Treasure Trove," "Coveted Toolkit" and so on.

Even though such phrases are truly qualifying the product as a whole (i.e., the entire private minisite) and not one specific item, formula or system, it still helps to make the product a little more tangible and convenient in the visitor's mind. It also adds a certain mystique to it. Use it to your advantage!

4. Be Specific With Your Benefits

Finally, put a numerical value on any benefit you promise, be it in dollars or hours. And make it an odd number, for they are more believable than even or rounded numbers. (That's why, for example, Ivory said it's "99 and 44/100% pure." If Ivory had said "100%," it wouldn't have been as believable.) In fact, here's a rule of thumb. A true benefit is one that's:

1) Quantifiable, 2) Measurable and 3) Time-bound.

One private site I critiqued offers golf training to its members. Originally, one benefit promised, "You will hit stronger drives." I told the owner to replace it with, "My mentoring program will show you how to boost your drives by as much as 27 yards in less than 30 days."

Take a look at this a little closer: the word "yards" makes the benefit measurable, the word "27" makes it quantifiable and the words "30 days" make it time- bound. Now, that's a clear, cogent and compelling benefit!

Nevertheless, if you're an Internet marketer or entrepreneur, the private minisite may be the product for you. But realize that the number of memberships you successfully sell will hinge greatly on the words and expressions used in your sales copy. If you ignite your site with killer copy, you will detonate your response rate.

Listen to the Interviews of the Leading Entrepreneurs in the World Who Are Heroes That Are Pursuing Their Dreams With Every Ounce of Strength and Faith.
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Michel Fortin is a direct response copywriter, author, speaker and consultant. His specialty are long copy sales letters and websites. Watch him rewrite copy on video each month, and get tips and tested conversion strategies proven to boost response in his membership site at http://TheCopyDoctor.com/ today.
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Posted by ralph at 04:07 PM | Permalink

Listen to the Interviews of the Leading Entrepreneurs in the World Who Are Heroes That Are Pursuing Their Dreams With Every Ounce of Strength and Faith.

Before writing an article, have you ever felt overwhelmed by a blank sensation, not knowing where to start?

...I'll bet you have!

This checklist should help you eliminate some common problems in writing articles:

1. Have a specific purpose in mind.

Always have a specific purpose in mind before you begin writing: you should be crystal clear about what are you hoping to accomplish by writing your article.
Is it an article clarifying an issue for your customers, to attract prospects, to improve the link popularity for your website?

2. Know your target population.

Before writing an article, conduct research on the target population. What are their experience, their interest, and their wants in the chosen topic? What pain or problem do they try to avoid?

3. Develop a detailed outline first, stressing on the benefits.

Now that you have a purpose and a target, organize your article so that scanning it quickly will show immediately to your reader how he will benefit from it and what are the most important points.

4. Stop your reader in his tracks with your title.

Your title should grab the reader's attention and 'force' him to read your first paragraph. Using your most important benefit usually does it.

5. Start your article with the most important information

Again, do not keep your most important information for the conclusion! Give it immediately and develop on it in the following paragraphs.

6. Keep jargon to a minimum.

If possible, avoid jargon as well as prejudices and insinuations. Write your article so that even a child can understand it.

7. Make your article warm and personal.

Speak direct to the reader. Use a lot of 'you'.
Reading your article, the reader should feel warmth and empathy, knowing that you have the same problems and goals than him.

8. Keep sentences short and simple.

Using short and simple sentences will allow a fluid and easy reading, preventing your reader to get bored.

9. Have someone from the target population critique your article.

Who can give you a better feedback than someone from your target population? It will help you

10. Spend more time rewriting than writing.

Besides formatting your article for easy reading and nice presentation, be sure to use tools or an external editor to carefully proofread your writing for grammatical and spelling errors.

Remember that the more writing you do, the better you will get. After sometimes, when you are in the habit of writing, article writing will not seem as difficult as now!

Posted by ralph at 07:08 AM | Permalink

Listen to the Interviews of the Leading Entrepreneurs in the World Who Are Heroes That Are Pursuing Their Dreams With Every Ounce of Strength and Faith.

Flyers are a good standby tool for marketing both online and off. And there’s no need to be a genius to create a great one, either. Here are some basic guidelines to design your own flyers.

1. MICROSOFT WORD – Begin with a basic software program like Microsoft Word or Publisher. Open up the program, then look under “File” then “New” to see if there are already existing flyer wizards for documents or templates. If so, start there and adjust one to suit your needs.

2. COLOR – First take a look at your project budget. Is there room for full-color printing of hard copies to distribute? If not, don’t worry. Regular black ink on colored paper produces nice looking, professional flyers. Coordinate the paper color with a theme for the month, like green paper for St. Patrick’s Day or red or blue for the 4th of July.

3. TEXT / FONT – Don’t have too many different fonts, text sizes and styles in one document. Just choose a couple of complimentary fonts and sizes. For ideas on which to use, start a collection of flyers that are stuck on your door, around your mailbox and placed on your car’s windshield. Search your favorite industry web sites for ideas, too, by looking at their online documents for downloading. Print them out and check to see what you link and don’t like about them.

4. PULL TABS – Add pull tabs to the bottom, so that if the flyer is placed on a bulletin board, passersby can pull off a tab and take the info home with them. Check the Help menu for directions. Basically you add a wide text box along the bottom portion of the flyer. Then you insert one row of columns. Click on the first column and write what you want to say – not much fits here so take care! Maybe use your URL or website address and phone number. The text will run horizontally like normal, reading from left to right. So what you do is highlight it and click on “Format” from the top menu, then “Text Direction” do make it run vertical and fit in your tabs. Do the same for each tab.

When you’re finished, make print flyers for local distribution. And turn the document into an Adobe .pdf file to distribute online. Upload it and include links to it in your emails and forum posts. Attach the pdf to emails when you know recipients accept attachments and can take a look, too. Reach out online and off with great looking flyers and grow your business one step further!

Posted by ralph at 01:02 PM | Permalink

Listen to the Interviews of the Leading Entrepreneurs in the World Who Are Heroes That Are Pursuing Their Dreams With Every Ounce of Strength and Faith.
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Michel Fortin is a direct response copywriter, author, speaker and consultant. His specialty are long copy sales letters and websites. Watch him rewrite copy on video each month, and get tips and tested conversion strategies proven to boost response in his membership site at http://TheCopyDoctor.com/ today.
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Today, it is an understatement to say that we are constantly bombarded with information of nuclear proportions. The roles of both the consumer and the entrepreneur have become so immensely challenging that choosing a business from which to buy -- let alone being and remaining in business -- has become a dizzying process. Therefore, how does one survive let alone thrive in today's explosive hypercompetitive, overcommunicated marketplace?

Unfortunately, many businesses still market themselves with institutional approaches (the kind that only says "I'm open for business"). These methods no longer work -- at least not as effectively as before. For instance, while some companies successfully generate a good response from their marketing efforts, it is one from which little or no business is produced.