Been a while since I got to working on this series. But after giving it some more thought, I decided that there really should be a separate write-up on copywriting and direct marketing. Both are things that everyone thinks are easy, but are actually hard to master.
Let's start by saying that as magicians and mentalists, we actually have a bit of an edge. We're in a creative field, so it should be easier to get into the mindset. Should, but only so long as you don't overthink it, which many people fall victim to. I know, I was one of them. I digress. My point is that we're so inundated with messages these days, that only the truly remarkable ones stick out. You can't just write a boilerplate sales letter and expect a decent return or even open rate.
I suggested before using 3D mailers, and that's because they get opened. Ideally, it should provide some sort of theme for the copy. For my own memory workshops, I'll soon be sending out trash cans with a label reading, "Quit wasting time, money and brain power." The actual sales letter will be stuffed inside. Some might object, saying, "That sounds exactly like a schmaltzy sales gimmick." Yeah. And? Fact is, a lot of people have made a lot of money using mailers like this. Who cares why it works, the fact is that it works.
In this way, you have to think of the counterintuitive. Most sleight of hand operates in this paradigm anyway by thinking of strange things to do with ordinary objects and how to hide secret moves in what seem like ordinary movements. We do what seems counterintuitive, because no expects you to do that. They expect you to do what they would think of. And most people would think the right way to get gigs would be to mail in a very plain, ordinary envelope, with a fairly modest sales letter inside. And so they do it. It sounds so professional and business-y. Yet Bill Glazer made a phenomenal amount of money from the responses to an ad where he said his sales prices were crazy... accompanied by a photo of him in a straitjacket. It seems completely illogical that what looks like an obvious sales gimmick would be effective. But that's the difference between good copy and bad.
So let's get to the nuts and bolts. When writing copy, you need four things: a headline, an offer and a deadline/call to action. These are the essential ingredients of good copy. Not negotiable. Now we break them down and go over the basics of each.
A good headline has to present an intriguing idea or narrative. Fortunately, there are millions of ways to do this. Unfortunately, you have to pay attention to media to see which ones are no longer in vogue. For example, the "best kept secret" sort of headline used to be popular. But scam artists writing it into banner ads have killed that. "Doctors hate this secret to weight loss!" "Lower your car insurance with this one ridiculously easy trick!" "[City which coincidentally happens to match yours]-based mom discovers secret to making money at home!" Yeah, you've seen those a million times over. My favorite was, "Young rapper makes $$$$. How does he do it?!" I chose to read that as, "...makes $4."
The goal of the headline is to get them reading. Consequently, you have to assume a 5th grade reading level. "Strange Magic: the New Show from [City]'s Best Young Magician" may sound generic, but it's still more readable than, "Prestidigitation par Excellence Courtesy of the Always Effervescent [Magician]." Trust me, I minored in English and read a book a week. I know a lot of ten dollar words. But I had to learn the hard way when not to use them.
There are different approaches to writing good headlines, but some of the most common and successful formulae are to either offer a solution to a problem that the reader has, make your story your message, or make some aspect of the reader's work or life easier. The first is probably the most consistently effective, though the other two do have merit as long as you know when is the right time to use them. The power of a personal story should never be underestimated, especially when used to humanize you. Let the ego go and don't be afraid to let people know you used to wear acid wash jeans and listen to Michael Bolton. Yes, I'm looking at you, George.* I know you're reading this.** If you want to get more into it, ask questions. That's what a thread is for. We'll have a little copywriting workshop here in the thread.
The offer is the next essential part. After you spend a little time pump up the problem you need to get on to what you plan to do about it for the reader. This is the offer. In your case, this would be your show. But the show itself isn't always enough. Especially if this is a prospect and not a repeat client that you're sending the mailer to. In these situations, which is most of them, you have a number of different tactics you can use, but my favorite is what Bill Glazer calls the ethical bribe. An extra little incentive to take advantage of the offer. A free bonus hour of walkaround magic at the venue, lessons for the kids, something like that. Use your imagination! I'm not going to do all the work for you. The point of the ethical bribe is that it's something you really don't mind giving away, though still has to have enough value that getting it for free seems like a boon. What do you think coupons are?
I reference a previous thread in this series when I say that the copy for the offer should follow the sales hierarchy: sell features (bad), sell benefits (good), sell emotional results (great). The features are only mentioned once you've established the problem, but rather than talking about the features, you should be talking about the emotional result of it. How is the guy booking you going to feel if he does book you? How are you going to make his life better? Again, feel free to post below if you need a practical exercise.
To tie it all together, you need the deadline and the call to action. It's a truism of human nature that if you give someone a period of time in which to accomplish something, they will use all of that time to do it. So if the offer is indefinite... well, you can do the math. You need to establish when this offer expires, when you're ending it and moving on to the next one. People are a lot more likely to book your show and get the free hour of strolling magic if they know that you won't be offering that package next month. It's the scarcity principle. You can learn more about this in Dr. Robert Cialdini's excellent book "Influence" which is all about the psychology of persuasion.
The call to action is just the inevitable conclusion to presenting a deadline. Obviously, you want them to get off their butts and actually talk to you. So tell them to! Light a fire under it. When you're in business, you have to truly break your ego. You can't be afraid to look over-the-top and outrageous in your marketing, but at the same time you have to talk yourself up and tell people to quit wasting time and book you.
This has already gone on longer than I'm sure most internet readers would prefer, but there's more ground to cover. So I'll be talking more about copywriting and direct marketing in another installment. Specifically, I want to get into testimonials. Look for it next week. Until then, post your questions and sample copy and we'll work on fine tuning it.
*I don't actually know anyone named George
**No I don't
Let's start by saying that as magicians and mentalists, we actually have a bit of an edge. We're in a creative field, so it should be easier to get into the mindset. Should, but only so long as you don't overthink it, which many people fall victim to. I know, I was one of them. I digress. My point is that we're so inundated with messages these days, that only the truly remarkable ones stick out. You can't just write a boilerplate sales letter and expect a decent return or even open rate.
I suggested before using 3D mailers, and that's because they get opened. Ideally, it should provide some sort of theme for the copy. For my own memory workshops, I'll soon be sending out trash cans with a label reading, "Quit wasting time, money and brain power." The actual sales letter will be stuffed inside. Some might object, saying, "That sounds exactly like a schmaltzy sales gimmick." Yeah. And? Fact is, a lot of people have made a lot of money using mailers like this. Who cares why it works, the fact is that it works.
In this way, you have to think of the counterintuitive. Most sleight of hand operates in this paradigm anyway by thinking of strange things to do with ordinary objects and how to hide secret moves in what seem like ordinary movements. We do what seems counterintuitive, because no expects you to do that. They expect you to do what they would think of. And most people would think the right way to get gigs would be to mail in a very plain, ordinary envelope, with a fairly modest sales letter inside. And so they do it. It sounds so professional and business-y. Yet Bill Glazer made a phenomenal amount of money from the responses to an ad where he said his sales prices were crazy... accompanied by a photo of him in a straitjacket. It seems completely illogical that what looks like an obvious sales gimmick would be effective. But that's the difference between good copy and bad.
So let's get to the nuts and bolts. When writing copy, you need four things: a headline, an offer and a deadline/call to action. These are the essential ingredients of good copy. Not negotiable. Now we break them down and go over the basics of each.
A good headline has to present an intriguing idea or narrative. Fortunately, there are millions of ways to do this. Unfortunately, you have to pay attention to media to see which ones are no longer in vogue. For example, the "best kept secret" sort of headline used to be popular. But scam artists writing it into banner ads have killed that. "Doctors hate this secret to weight loss!" "Lower your car insurance with this one ridiculously easy trick!" "[City which coincidentally happens to match yours]-based mom discovers secret to making money at home!" Yeah, you've seen those a million times over. My favorite was, "Young rapper makes $$$$. How does he do it?!" I chose to read that as, "...makes $4."
The goal of the headline is to get them reading. Consequently, you have to assume a 5th grade reading level. "Strange Magic: the New Show from [City]'s Best Young Magician" may sound generic, but it's still more readable than, "Prestidigitation par Excellence Courtesy of the Always Effervescent [Magician]." Trust me, I minored in English and read a book a week. I know a lot of ten dollar words. But I had to learn the hard way when not to use them.
There are different approaches to writing good headlines, but some of the most common and successful formulae are to either offer a solution to a problem that the reader has, make your story your message, or make some aspect of the reader's work or life easier. The first is probably the most consistently effective, though the other two do have merit as long as you know when is the right time to use them. The power of a personal story should never be underestimated, especially when used to humanize you. Let the ego go and don't be afraid to let people know you used to wear acid wash jeans and listen to Michael Bolton. Yes, I'm looking at you, George.* I know you're reading this.** If you want to get more into it, ask questions. That's what a thread is for. We'll have a little copywriting workshop here in the thread.
The offer is the next essential part. After you spend a little time pump up the problem you need to get on to what you plan to do about it for the reader. This is the offer. In your case, this would be your show. But the show itself isn't always enough. Especially if this is a prospect and not a repeat client that you're sending the mailer to. In these situations, which is most of them, you have a number of different tactics you can use, but my favorite is what Bill Glazer calls the ethical bribe. An extra little incentive to take advantage of the offer. A free bonus hour of walkaround magic at the venue, lessons for the kids, something like that. Use your imagination! I'm not going to do all the work for you. The point of the ethical bribe is that it's something you really don't mind giving away, though still has to have enough value that getting it for free seems like a boon. What do you think coupons are?
I reference a previous thread in this series when I say that the copy for the offer should follow the sales hierarchy: sell features (bad), sell benefits (good), sell emotional results (great). The features are only mentioned once you've established the problem, but rather than talking about the features, you should be talking about the emotional result of it. How is the guy booking you going to feel if he does book you? How are you going to make his life better? Again, feel free to post below if you need a practical exercise.
To tie it all together, you need the deadline and the call to action. It's a truism of human nature that if you give someone a period of time in which to accomplish something, they will use all of that time to do it. So if the offer is indefinite... well, you can do the math. You need to establish when this offer expires, when you're ending it and moving on to the next one. People are a lot more likely to book your show and get the free hour of strolling magic if they know that you won't be offering that package next month. It's the scarcity principle. You can learn more about this in Dr. Robert Cialdini's excellent book "Influence" which is all about the psychology of persuasion.
The call to action is just the inevitable conclusion to presenting a deadline. Obviously, you want them to get off their butts and actually talk to you. So tell them to! Light a fire under it. When you're in business, you have to truly break your ego. You can't be afraid to look over-the-top and outrageous in your marketing, but at the same time you have to talk yourself up and tell people to quit wasting time and book you.
This has already gone on longer than I'm sure most internet readers would prefer, but there's more ground to cover. So I'll be talking more about copywriting and direct marketing in another installment. Specifically, I want to get into testimonials. Look for it next week. Until then, post your questions and sample copy and we'll work on fine tuning it.
*I don't actually know anyone named George
**No I don't
