Copywriting Secrets of the Masters: Michael Masterson
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Why This Headline Works One of the oldest ideas about headlines is that they should be short – fewer than eight words. So let's take a look at some of the super-successful directmail promotions published in AWAI's "Hall of Fame" to see how this theory holds up: Trout Spoken Here. (Also Bass. Salmon. And Bonefish.) What Never To Eat On An Airplane Profit With The Insiders Without Breaking A Law Read This Or Go Broke! Burn Disease Out Of Your Body A Rare Opportunity To Turn $5,000 Into $3.52 Million Tax Saving Information Most IRS Agents Don't Have Fearless Conversation! The Lazy Man's Way To Riches Endangered Antidotes 11 Medical Breakthroughs That Will Rock The World The Plague Of The Black Debt When it's all said and done, 26 headlines in the "Hall of Fame" contain no more than eight words.
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And if you stroll through Carl Galletti's "2001 Greatest Headlines Ever Written," you'll find that about 60% of the headlines contain eight words or less. Most tellingly for me, however, is this: Of all the direct-response promotions that have worked well for my clients, the lion's share had short headlines: Fed Up? Unlock Wall Street's Secret Logic! The Coming Oil War! Not Just For Millionaires Any More The Greatest Opportunity Of Our Times So what can we conclude from all this? How about this: Although there are plenty of exceptions, it seems clear that when it comes to headlines brevity is a virtue. What's so good about brevity? Let's start with the obvious. Short headlines are easy to scan. A headline of five or six words, printed boldly on top of a letter or across an envelope, cannot be missed. Its power to attract the eye is almost 100%. Contrast that to a headline that is almost a paragraph long. It may very well "work," but only after a significant number of prospects have dumped it in the trash basket because they (a) recognized it as advertising and (b) made an instant decision that they didn't have 15 or 20 seconds to read it. That never happens to a short headline. However, getting your headline read doesn't guarantee success. Unless your headline says something that links with your promotion's Big Idea, is compelling, and implies a benefit, it will end up in the same trash basket – just a second or so later. Great headlines – breakthrough headlines – are "tipping-point" phenomena. They encapsulate the cutting-edge thoughts, feelings, and beliefs that a given group of people feel about a specific thing.
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When, for example, Lee Euler wrote his blockbuster headline for Strategic Investment, "The Plague Of The Black Debt," he correctly identified what was, at the time, a major investment anxiety. The black-plague metaphor was just the thing, it turned out, to quickly summarize a complex and powerful fear about U.S. debt and the financial markets. The importance of limiting the length of your main headline doesn't mean you have to scrap longer copy as part of your headline. If your main headline grabs your prospect's attention in 5 to 8 words, you can build on your prospect's interest and curiosity with strong, compelling deck copy – copy that comes between the main headline and "Dear Friend." To be successful, deck copy needs to be as powerful and compelling as any headline component. If it doesn't build on the excitement of the main headline, you have condemned the promotion. Learn all the secrets of writing breakthrough packages with the AWAI Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting
This article was originally published as part of The Golden Thread
MICHAEL MASTERSON – There is no one more qualified and experienced than copywriter, entrepreneur, and business-builder Michael Masterson to teach you the art, craft, and business of copywriting. Michael started his first business – a fifth-grade publishing venture – at age 11. After finishing grad school at the University of Michigan in 1975, he spent two years in the Peace Corps, where he began his writing career. Several years later he was working as a writer for a small newsletter publishing company in Washington D.C. Then, in 1982, he learned the art of copywriting and launched the first of dozens of successful direct-marketing ventures, many of which have become multi-million dollar companies. www.ProCopyWritingTactics.com
All told, he’s been directly involved in the generation of over ONE BILLION DOLLARS of sales through the mail and online. He’s also a highly successful author. He’s published more than a dozen books, including several which have become Wall Street Journal, Amazon.com or New York Times bestsellers. Today, Michael consults mainly for newsletter publishing giant Agora, Inc., and writes regularly for Early To Rise, one of the most popular selfimprovement newsletters on the Internet, and for The Golden Thread, AWAI’s weekly copywriting newsletter. But there’s more to Michael Masterson than just his writing and business skills. Michael also has a knack for taking just about anyone with a burning desire to upgrade his lifestyle – no matter what his background or education – and transforming him (or her) into a top-notch copywriter:
He’s the one responsible for transforming Paul Hollingshead from a 35year-old minimum-wage grocery store stock boy into a copywriter earning upward of $300,000 a year … and Don Mahoney from a woodworker to a $300,000-a-year copywriter living in Miami Beach … He’s mentored other copywriters who have gone on to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in sales each year through their copy … He’s shown people in their 50s and 60s – people preparing for retirement – how to successfully change careers and become well-paid freelance copywriters … He’s taken young people fresh out of college – with no “life experience” at all – and turned them into top-notch copywriters and newsletter journalists … He’s taught housewives, bartenders, and laborers to excel … He’s even helped “professionals” – doctors and college professors – leave successful careers to enjoy the big money and stress-free lifestyle copywriting offers
Discover how Michael can do the same for you with his AWAI Accelerated Program For Six Figure Copywriting. Michael Masterson
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"For more great free information on how to take your copywriting career to the next level please visit www.ProCopyWritingTactics.com and don't forget to collect your free Pro Copywriting Tactics Reports
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