From my early days of selling my courses I studied marketing. A lot of my peers considered selling to be a B.S. business, below their intellectual level.
But I have to admit … I’ve learned a lot from the original copywriters … the famous direct response writers, most of whom passed on a long time ago.
Of course, the world has changed since they started testing direct response ads.
Instead of watching TV, we’re Netflixing tonight. Instead of writing How funny! we use emoji, we zoom rather than send letters and postcards.
Technology may have changed, and the words we used may have changed, but our basic human instincts have remained the same. We’re still looking for belonging, comfort, love, security, freedom from fear and pain. That’s why the most essential copywriting advice still applies. Whether writing a sales email for an eLearning course or the headlines for a course, the basic copywriting rules have remained the same.
Famous copywriter #1: Eugene Schwartz.
Schwartz (1927 – 1995) was one of the highest paid copywriters in the 1950’s and 60’s, and he famously worked only 3 hours a day. This is the title of an article by Schwartz on copywriting:
“I write with my ears” – Eugene Schwartz
According to Schwartz, he didn’t write his ads. He simply listened to people. First, he listened to the product owner to learn as much as possible about a product … what it does, what proof exists that it works, why it’s better than the competition, and who likes it and who doesn’t. Next he’d listen to customers to check out the owner’s story, and lastly to find out more about competitors.
After all the listening, the copy almost wrote itself. Schwartz picked the best snippets from the interviews and arranged them in logical order for his ads.
That process still works today.
Good copy starts with listening to your learner’s needs and experiences, to create an inventory of arguments why people would buy.
Famous copywriter #2: Joe Sugarman
Joe Sugarman (born 1938) is the author of a standout guide on copywriting;
“The Adweek Copywriting Handbook”. He also was the man who sold a $240,000 airplane in a single mail order ad (wow!).
Here’s one of the often used quotes from him:
“When people perceive general statements as puffery or typical advertising babble, those statements are at best discounted or accepted with some doubt. By contrast, statements with specific facts can generate strong credibility.” – Joe Sugarman
I believe that since Sugarman wrote those words, people have become more wary of puffery and babble, so more than ever it’s important to include facts in your writing.
For instance, suggesting your course is excellent is puffery. It’s an empty statement. No one claims their training is less than excellent.
To be more factual, tell us why your course is excellent. Quote people who have benefited from taking your course. What did they find was most beneficial?