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How to Push the TURBO DRIVE on Your Marketing Copy
My wife and I stopped by a bike shop last week. We weren’t actively shopping; just curious about the electric-assist bikes (e-bikes) and thought we’d check them out. The salesperson showed us one and went over the dozens of features. Frankly, it was...
7 Ways to Write Preview Text that Boost Open Rates
There’s no doubt about it. Subject lines do much of the heavy lifting in getting your promotional emails opened. Recently, I was involved in a split test where one subject line beat the other by just over 200%. However, the subject line doesn’t go it entirely alone....
5 New Ways to Slay the Blank Page Monster
There isn’t a copywriter or marketer on the planet who doesn’t face the blank page monster from time-to-time. Here’s the typical scenario… You have to write an ad, email or landing page. You need to get that done today. Yet, try as you might, you just can’t string any...
Will Choosing the Wrong Pain Point Problem Sink Your Sales Copy?
I teach a lot of virtual classes and training sessions, which requires me to be on camera. Obviously, I want to look good. At least, to the extent my frustratingly non-photogenic mug will allow. The trouble is, I’ve never been able to come up with a set-up that makes...
3 Copywriting Formulas You Don’t Know (But Should!)
I admit I have a love-hate relationship with copywriting formulas. On the one hand, they capture the best practices of writing sales copy in a way that’s easy to remember and apply. On the other, I don’t like the “paint by numbers” aspect because that can limit...
6 Starter Questions for Writing Better Sales Copy
When you’re writing a web page, ad, or email, you need to do some thinking before you begin writing. You need to figure out, roughly, what you’re going to say to persuade prospects to click or buy. In my copywriting courses, I call this Making Good “Starter” Notes....
5 Sales Copy Editing Tips that can Double Conversions
I have a confession to make… When I write sales copy I give it all I’ve got, as many copywriters do. I lean in and apply all I know about conversational writing, persuasion psychology, and good old-fashioned selling. So, when I finish a draft, I sometimes give myself...
Coming Up With Blog Topics that will Grow Sales
I was speaking with a marketing consultant recently who rattled off ideas for generating more leads and sales from a company blog. She touted linking strategies, SEO tactics, social media apps, coding tricks, to name a few. All great ideas. But there’s one thing she...
7 Mistakes That Will Freeze Your Cold Prospecting Emails
In physics, absolute zero is the temperature when, in the most fundamental sense, nothing happens. Literally, nothing. It’s so cold, atomic particles don’t even move. That’s a good analogy to describe how just one writing mistake can glaciate your already cold...
Do You Know the Copywriter’s Song?
Most of us have fond memories of the children’s classic, “If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.” (There’s a fun karaoke version here.) If I were to rewrite that tune for copywriters, I’d change “happy” to “different”. Why? Because emphasizing differences...
How to Write Webinar Titles that Grab Attention
A friend of mine contacted me last week. She was in a near-frantic state. Her new webinar was about to be promoted — that morning! — and she had yet to decide on a title. She had a good reason to feel anxious. After all, the title of your webinar plays a huge role in...
The Fastest Way to Get Better at Just About Anything
Years ago, while at a conference, I attended a breakout session on personal selling skills. The speaker, a well-known sales trainer, was terrific. He walked us through several helpful tips and strategies. I took copious notes. During the Q&A section, someone asked...
25 Lessons I Learned from 25 Years of Freelancing
Next month, August 3rd, I'll be celebrating 25 years as a self-employed copywriter (slash consultant, slash trainer, slash other vocations I've tried!) So, I thought it would be interesting to list all I've learned about being a successful freelancer and share that...
Writing a Call-to-Action That Gets Prospects “Jumping”
When I was 21, I jumped out of a plane. It was the main event of a weekend program I took at a local parachute club, which culminated in me voluntarily falling thousands of feet to the ground. Our instructor's job, as he saw it, was not only to train us, but also to...
The Tao of Writing Subject Lines
A former training client, Ann, reached out to me last month. She had been struggling with writing subject lines for her email campaigns and wanted my advice. But first she warned me... "Steve, I know all the tips, tricks and formulas, so don't give me more of those!...
A Technique for Brainstorming Content Topic Ideas, Fast
I consult and write for a client (let's call him "Jim") who produces direct mail newsletters for professionals. You know, the kind you might be receiving regularly from your dentist or investment advisor. Jim is admirably proactive. He insists on getting the...
For Freelancers: A Day in the Life of a B2B Copywriter
Last week, my friends at AWAI (www.awaionline.com) asked me to record a "Day in the Life" video of a freelance B2B copywriter. Me! I'm sure there are some differences in how I spend my day compared to other copywriters. (Anyone else do a Starbucks run at 10am?) But...
Writing marketing copy during a pandemic. A few early tips…
Last week, I was asked to re-write several email campaigns for a client. Why? The current copy, which a month ago was just fine, was now out-of-step with all that's going on. Had my client ran with it, he probably would have received more complaints than sales. Thus...

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