Dramatic Sales Writing

The conventional wisdom is -- don't use
humor in copywriting.

I've seen this argued about in the
AWAI student forum.

I think some of the confusion comes
from defining "humor."

I agree that slap 'em on the back,
yuck yuck, har dee har har, why did
the chicken cross the road what did
the traveling salesman say to the
farmer's wife type of jokes and
elbows to the rib of the reader turn
them off.

I think that what confuses some student
copywriters is that some classic ads
and letters DO have a sort of light
hearted tone that can be called "humor."

Good case in point -- Joe Karbo's classic
full page ad for his book THE LAZY MAN'S
WAY TO RICHES.

Why does this work despite its humor? I
think it works well partially because of
its humor.

I think it's because all the humor in
that ad is directed at the writer. He
shows that he doesn't take himself
seriously.

But nowhere does he put down the reader
or the opportunity that he's offering
to the reader.

He doesn't take himself seriously, which
makes him likeable -- but he takes the
reader and his book seriously.

He also enhances the appeal of the book
by being able to describe his past
problems in a light hearted way. You
can tell from what he says that they
were hard at the time, but now Joe can
make light of them -- because he used
the secrets in his book to overcome his
problems.

Hey, let me learn those secrets so I
can look back and laugh at my current
problems.

Joe comes across as somebody you'd like to
sit down and have a beer with. Just an
ordinary guy who's now extraordinarily
rich! Why, if an average guy like him can
do it, so can I!

Harlan Kilstein, who's very quick to advise
people in the AWAI forum not to use humor
in their sales letters, uses much the
same kind of humor in his sales letters
for the Underachievers.

He describes Ed Dale as a chubby nerd from
Australia and maintains a tone of good
humored rivalry between Ed and Frank
Kern that apparently members of their
Underachievers forum really like.

But again -- there's no disrespect to
the reader or for the Underachievers system
itself. Only Ed and Frank not taking
themselves seriously, and so in a subtle
way tells their prospects that hey, if
goof offs like us can make lots of money
this way, so can you!

After all, we don't like super serious people
who take themselves oh so seriously.

So if you're selling a self-improvement or
biz opp product, you can use humor as long
as it's directed at yourself.

You can even go in totally the opposite
direction.

The Rich Jerk ebook on Internet marketing
for example. The Rich Jerk deliberately
comes off as a jerk to emphasize how much
money you can make if you buy his book.

Though I'm sure that he loses some sales
because some readers don't get the humor
and don't want to make a jerk even richer
than he already is.

Another example is the sales letter for
cigars in the AWAI course. Narrator tells
of all his adventures in Honduras,
culminating in finding some great tobacco
that may not be any better than ordinary
tobacco but you should feel like smoking
those cigars you're sharing in an exotic
adventure.

A small bit of humor may also be used to
make a point. For example, John Carlton's
letter for a training course for motocross
racers.

He says that he'll teach you to win even
if you drive a little cycle BUCK NAKED.

I find that humorous, but it emphasizes the
value of the product.

You must watch the tone of the letter.

Clayton Makepeace used to write some truly
badass letters for Martin Weiss. It was
impossible to read them without becoming
convinced the world was on the verge of
catastrophe.

Humor in those packages would have been
just as catastrophic. Martin Weiss can't
say, I may be full of beans, but give my
newsletter a try -- when he's denouncing
the government and crooked businessmen
and everybody else who's running up debts
and putting your family's wealth at risk
for their own gain, which is why you need
to subscribe to SAFE MONEY REPORT so you
can see who Martin trusts, which are the
only financial institutions that you should
trust.

Of course, you must remember that these
examples are all easier to analyze and
understand -- than your own attempts at
humor while in the heat of creativity.

There are the pitfalls I've pointed
out -- you must never disrespect the
reader (unless it's so over the top
that most readers won't mind, as with
The Rich Jerk).

And you must never disrespect your
product or service -- especially what
your product or service will do for the
reader.

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