Saturday, March 04, 2006
Steal This Book!: Million Dollar Sales Letters
Steal This Book!: Million Dollar Sales Letters
You Can Legally Steal to Suck in Cash Like a Vacuum by Harlan Kilstein
This isn't a review since I haven't had time to finish reading
this book yet -- but it is a recommendation.
Don't wait for me -- get it now.
I've read Harlan's postings in the AWAI student forum for
close to 2 years.
I've attended a seminar he taught at.
I've been on some live phone calls with him.
He's probably the most successful new copywriter of the
past 3 years.
He makes a lot of money and makes no bones that
"swiping" is one of his secrets.
He's become one of the best by learning from the
best.
For those of you who don't understand what I'm talking
about -- it's NOT copying word for word. That's
not ethical and rational swiping, that's pure and simple
stealing and will get you in trouble.
However, it's perfectly permissible -- not to mention,
smart -- to use a proven, successful sales letter as a
sort of template for a new letter.
You don't copy word for word, but you make use of
the underlying structure.
Too many copywriters want to think of themselves
as creative. That's NOT what we get paid for. You
want to create, write fiction.
Copywriters are paid to sell products and services.
We're in this for the money. I am, Harlan Kilstein
is -- and you should be too.
Ethical swiping is the smart way to roll into higher
income without trying to reinvent the wheel with
every sales letter you write.
By the way, swiping also does not mean that you
yourself are not supplying the copywriting "talent."
I think that's the other reason many new copywriters are resistant
to the idea of swiping. If they're not hung up on their
creativity, they (quite naturally) want to feel in control.
Like they deserve their success and can therefore duplicate
it with their assignment.
Look, I can sympathize with this. But while swiping is a
useful short cut, it doesn't do the real work for you.
You could give the same assignment to a lousy copywriter
and to a good copywriter. And give them both the same proven
sales letter to swipe from -- and the good copywriter will
still beat the bad one.
Swiping is a short cut to unleash your own talent, not a magic
way of losing it.
You still have to understand your customer and their
needs and desires.
You still have to figure out which emotions you should
appeal to.
You still have to know your product, what it is and what it
does.
You still have to do other basic research.
You still have to adapt the swipe letter to your current
project.
Now Harlan's given us all a blueprint for copywriting
success.
copywriting for health markets
You Can Legally Steal to Suck in Cash Like a Vacuum by Harlan Kilstein
This isn't a review since I haven't had time to finish reading
this book yet -- but it is a recommendation.
Don't wait for me -- get it now.
I've read Harlan's postings in the AWAI student forum for
close to 2 years.
I've attended a seminar he taught at.
I've been on some live phone calls with him.
He's probably the most successful new copywriter of the
past 3 years.
He makes a lot of money and makes no bones that
"swiping" is one of his secrets.
He's become one of the best by learning from the
best.
For those of you who don't understand what I'm talking
about -- it's NOT copying word for word. That's
not ethical and rational swiping, that's pure and simple
stealing and will get you in trouble.
However, it's perfectly permissible -- not to mention,
smart -- to use a proven, successful sales letter as a
sort of template for a new letter.
You don't copy word for word, but you make use of
the underlying structure.
Too many copywriters want to think of themselves
as creative. That's NOT what we get paid for. You
want to create, write fiction.
Copywriters are paid to sell products and services.
We're in this for the money. I am, Harlan Kilstein
is -- and you should be too.
Ethical swiping is the smart way to roll into higher
income without trying to reinvent the wheel with
every sales letter you write.
By the way, swiping also does not mean that you
yourself are not supplying the copywriting "talent."
I think that's the other reason many new copywriters are resistant
to the idea of swiping. If they're not hung up on their
creativity, they (quite naturally) want to feel in control.
Like they deserve their success and can therefore duplicate
it with their assignment.
Look, I can sympathize with this. But while swiping is a
useful short cut, it doesn't do the real work for you.
You could give the same assignment to a lousy copywriter
and to a good copywriter. And give them both the same proven
sales letter to swipe from -- and the good copywriter will
still beat the bad one.
Swiping is a short cut to unleash your own talent, not a magic
way of losing it.
You still have to understand your customer and their
needs and desires.
You still have to figure out which emotions you should
appeal to.
You still have to know your product, what it is and what it
does.
You still have to do other basic research.
You still have to adapt the swipe letter to your current
project.
Now Harlan's given us all a blueprint for copywriting
success.
copywriting for health markets
