DIGITAL MARKETER

COPYWRITING
MASTERY
& CERTIFICATION
 LESSON 1
START HERE
 FROM THE
INSTRUCTOR
 Welcome! About AWAI

Get ready to learn about copywriting:

the kind of writing that GETS RESULTS
Partnership with Digital Marketer
and AWAI (American Writers & Artists Inc.)
 About AWAI
About AWAI (American Writers & Artists Inc.)

Founded 1997
Mission: Copywriting
success
Founded by $M-selling
copywriters
Programs: Print, Online,
Live
Based on tested methods
Written by leaders
 Your instructor
30+ years corporate, agency, freelance
B2C, B2B, nonprofit
Staff: LL Bean, American Cancer Society,
Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Maine, UNUM
Pet industry freelance: IDEXX Laboratories,
PetHealth Network, LifeLearn, NAVC
Pam Foster Other freelance: Republic Services,
Director, Copywriting Springer, Goddard Schools, Avnet/Riverbed,
Training, AWAI
my accountant
 Your instructor
12 years as an AWAI member and direct-
response copywriter
Created 3 AWAI programs: Working
Effectively with Web Clients, How to Choose
Your Writing Niche, and Site Audits Made
Simple
Certified SEO Copywriter
Pam Foster
Director, Copywriting Teach at Bootcamp, Web Copywriting
Training, AWAI
Intensive
Joined AWAI Staff November 2015
 Become a master
direct-response copywriter!
Understand how copywriting WORKS
WHAT
WELL
COVER
 Become a master
direct-response copywriter!
Understand how copywriting WORKS
WHAT Discover formulas for writing effective,

WELL persuasive copy for many different projects

COVER
 Become a master
direct-response copywriter!
Understand how copywriting WORKS
WHAT Discover formulas for writing effective,

WELL
persuasive copy for many different projects
Explore Masters secrets tested for more
than a century and learn how to apply
COVER them
 Become a master
direct-response copywriter!
Understand how copywriting WORKS
WHAT Discover formulas for writing effective,

WELL
persuasive copy for many different projects
Explore Masters secrets tested for more
than a century and learn how to apply
COVER them
See examples demonstrating each principle
 Become a master
direct-response copywriter!
Understand how copywriting WORKS
WHAT Discover formulas for writing effective,

WELL
persuasive copy for many different projects
Explore Masters secrets tested for more
than a century and learn how to apply
COVER them
See examples demonstrating each principle
Learn to evaluate and improve ANY copy
 Copywriting Defined

6
SECTION
S
 Copywriting Defined
Diving
Deeper Into Effective
Copywriting
6
SECTION
S
 Copywriting Defined
Diving
Deeper Into Effective
Copywriting
6 What is Your Copy Really Selling?
SECTION
S
 Copywriting Defined
Diving
Deeper Into Effective
Copywriting
6 What is Your Copy Really Selling?
SECTION Persuading Your Prospect
S
 Copywriting Defined
Diving
Deeper Into Effective
Copywriting
6 What is Your Copy Really Selling?
SECTION Persuading Your Prospect
S Anatomyof a Successful Sales
Promotion
 Copywriting Defined
Diving
Deeper Into Effective
Copywriting
6 What is Your Copy Really Selling?
SECTION Persuading Your Prospect
S Anatomyof a Successful Sales
Promotion
37
Copywriting Secrets from the
Masters
 Youll
have access to these decks
and other resources
Youll
be required to pass a quiz at
WHAT TO the end of each lesson (6 in all)
EXPECT Pay close attention and take notes
Youll
take our Certification Exam at
the end of the course
Youll need to score at least 70% to
pass
 When were done
Youll be certified in Copywriting Mastery!

Youll know exactly

how to write
and improve ANY
copywriting project
And youll deliver
measurable, positive results.
 COPYWRITING
AND THE
VALUE JOURNEY
KEEP
THIS
WHITE
 WHAT IS
COPYWRITING?
What is copywriting?

Its persuasive writing

with the intent of driving an action.
Yes, direct response copywriting is this
But its also this
This
And this
What is copywriting?

Its writing with a specific call-to-action

that makes people open their wallets
and checkbooks and BUY.
Paul Hollingshead
Your mission

Give your prospect compelling reasons

to respond and take action now
What is copywriting?

A direct sale:
Order a product or service

Donate to a cause
What is copywriting?

A lead for follow-up:

Download a free report

Click on a video link

Like a social page
Request a consultation
Copywriting vs. branding
Copywriting = action Branding = relationship
3 FUNDAMENTAL
RULES
OF SELLING
Copywriting is based on these 3 rules of selling

1. People dont like the idea of being

sold.
2. People buy things for emotional, not
rational, reasons.
3. Once sold, people need to satisfy
their emotional decisions with logic.
Mark Morgan Ford
People dont like the idea of being sold
People buy for emotional vs. rational reasons
Emotional vs. rational
Emotional decision satisfied with logic
 A good copywriter
helps the prospect solve a problem or achieve a goal
1. Get attention.
2. Identify the prospects problems.
3. Position the product as the solution.
4. Prove the value of your solution vs. others.
5. Call for action.
Bob Bly
A good copywriter understands

The number one secret is

to know your audience
find out what they want, and
make what youre selling match
what they want.
Doug DAnna
DEFINING THE
PROSPECT
Your prospect

THE most important person

in copywriting.
Your prospect

Prove you can make him/her richer, smarter, more

attractive, healthier, a hero
he/she will reward you with a response
Your prospect

Prove you can make him/her richer, smarter, more

attractive, healthier, a hero
he/she will reward you with a response
Continue to care about feelings, concerns, needs

he/she will become/remain a loyal customer
Your mission with the prospect

Youre not in the business of

writing words.
Youre in the business of motivating
human beings to take action.
Mark Everett Johnson
Know thy prospect

Basicfacts/demographics: age, gender,

income
Know thy prospect

Basic facts/demographics: age, gender, income

Deeper facts/psychographics: interests, worries
Know thy prospect

Basic facts/demographics: age, gender, income

Deeper facts/psychographics: interests, worries
Deepest insights: core beliefs, feelings and
desires
Mailing list or advertising data card

74% women
Age 43.8 (avg.)
Income: $67,876
College: 61.2%
Where chefs are
celebrities and food
is entertainment for
passionate
readers
Mailing list or advertising data card

84.8% men
Age: 41 (avg.)
HHI: $84,651
34.5% College Grad+
For active, professional
men who want greater
control over their physical,
mental, and emotional
lives
Inspect the product or service
Product label:
Ingredients and their benefits
All-natural
Easy to take daily
Inspect the product or service
Product label:
Ingredients and their benefits
All-natural
Easy to take daily
Ask the product team:
Whos the ideal customer?
What do we know about buyers?
Product development insights?
Extensive research is your friend

Product reviews (online)

Forums/social sites
Blogs, articles
Customers
Customer service

The more you know,

the better!
6 surefire ways to know your prospect

Ask for customer support letters

Ask for customer surveys
Ask for product samples
Get testimonials (and reviews)
Ask for old promotions (winners, failures)
Talk to the product champion (editor, founder)
Bob Bly
CONNECTING WITH
THE PROSPECT
How to connect with your prospect

Know who youre writing to

Speak in your prospects language
Takethe business of helping your
prospect seriously offer a solution to a
problem, make a promise prove you
can deliver
Claude Hopkins, Scientific Advertising
Picture your prospect (buyer persona)

Someone who fits the description

Write down the name
Photo of the person
Interests, personality, likes, dislikes
Habits (buying, reading, hobbies)
Agora Health
SCREENFLOW
VIDEO WALKS
THROUGH THE
THE PROSPECT
BEFORE,
THE PROSPECT
 THE BIG IDEA,
THE POWER OF
ONE
Whats the Big Idea?

It takes a Big Idea to attract the

attention of consumers and get them to
buy your product. Unless your
advertising contains a Big Idea, it will
pass like a ship in the night.
David Ogilvy
Whats the Big Idea?

Nobody thinks
Gee, were out of magazines.
We need to buy some more.
Its the BIG PROMISE
of how the magazines information
helps you in meaningful ways.
Whats the Big Idea?

The BIG PROMISE the overriding benefit

NEW, strong, timely, unique, and compelling
Quickly understandable

Impactful: taps into deeper psychological benefits

Whats the Big Idea?

The BIG PROMISE the overriding benefit

Built-in benefit
The reader wants to know more

Okay to jar the reader, but never offend

Whats the Big Idea?

Responsible for (at least) 30%

of your promos success maybe
more, because a strong Big Idea will
spawn a more effective headline and
lead.
Paul Hollingshead
Big Ideas are concepts first

You cant be blamed for your weight problem

Make money, no matter how bad the economy is
You can heal yourself without doctors or drugs
Natural products can be extremely harmful
The government exists for its welfare, not yours
Emotions can kill you
Articulated in unique, strong messages
Book titles

Classics:
Think and Grow Rich
7 Habits of Highly Effective People

More Current:
The 4-Hour Workweek
Newsjacking
Magazines

In the know, in control

Better ways to
Everyissue gets to the
heart of prospects desires
More Big Ideas concepts

Tech gadget or app =

Cutting-edge, smart,
solved
Education program =
Intelligent, secure
Exercise equipment =
Attractive, powerful
person
The Big Idea flows through your copy

Headline/lead houses it
Hooks prospects emotionally, instantly
First 4 paragraphs cover it, add credibility
Weavethroughout the entire promotion
even the call-to-action
Katie Yeakle
Skim $5,250 Per Month

Using My Secret
Banking Pass Code
You can secretly, quietly divert payments from
electronic banking transactions legally into your
private bank account on a continuous basis.
Skim $5,250 Per Month

Using My Secret
Banking Pass Code
Idea genesis: Office Space movie
A fantasy benefit the reader has in his mind slowly
build wealth over time (we show you how!)
To come up with your Big Idea

Create connections: benefits + desire

What your reader needs to hear
Find nuggets in your research

Let it simmer in your subconscious

Its an intuitive leap after the mind is

cleared.
Jay Livingston
To come up with your Big Idea

Try cross-fertilization
Often the best ideas come from cutting across
disciplinary boundaries and looking into other fields
for new ideas.
Roger von Oech
I
went to Reed College, where most of the men took
modern dance classes to meet the women.
Steve Jobs
The Power of One

I pulled out my box of best promotions

of all time and went through them.

Not all of them were on a single topic,

but many of them a good 90% began
by hitting one idea strongly.
Mark Morgan Ford
A Single Idea

Avoid the tossed salad approach

A Single Idea

Avoid the tossed salad approach

Lead with only 1 powerful idea
A Single Idea

Avoid the tossed salad approach

Lead with only 1 powerful idea
Make sure it creates a single emotion
A Single Idea

Avoid the tossed salad approach

Lead with only 1 powerful idea
Make sure it creates a single emotion
Support it with 1 engaging story or fact
A Single Idea

Avoid the tossed salad approach

Lead with only 1 powerful idea
Make sure it creates a single emotion
Support it with 1 engaging story or fact
Direct the reader to only 1 action
Mark Morgan Ford
Examples of The Power of One

When Doctors Feel Rotten This is What They Do

How I Improved My Memory in One Evening
Is the Life of a Child Worth $1 to You?
How to Get FREE GAS Every Time You Fill Up
One Device to End All Disease
 1 idea: No product easier to create or sell than an e-book.
1 core emotion: I can do it!

1 story: Invest $175 to make $20,727 like Bob Bly did!

1 single, desirable benefit: Make huge profits the easy way.

1 response: Get this book for $19 click now.

RESEARCH
OVERVIEW
Research for hot buttons

Current events
News

Seasonal issues
Evergreen issues
Alerts
Research tips

Know the prospect

Data card/media kit
Product developer

Online reviews

Forums/social sites

Blogs, articles

Customers

Customer service KEEP

THIS
WHITE
Research tips

Google/online searches
Niche phrases
Industry-specific sites
Directories
Trade associations
News sites
Research tips

Book Store
Trade magazines
Books
Guides
Research tips

Become the customer

Buy the product/service
Get on mailing/email lists
Create a Swipe File
Samples
Evaluate good/bad
Repeats are working
Pinpoint strong headlines/offers
How research can pay off

Big Idea
Unique approach
Instant credibility
Showcase a hidden benefit
Create the perfect solution
How research can pay off

Olympic athletes drink

beet juice as their secret
for more energy and
better performance.
Carline Anglade-Cole

Initial mailing generated

a whopping 5% response KEEP
THIS
WHITE
How research can pay off
Originally, Canadian Social
Security was a metaphor
for the big five Canadian
banks. But the story
unfolded through the
research.
Scott Bardelli
KEEP
20,000 new customers THIS
WHITE
How research can pay off
The breakthrough moment came when [I found] a
number of news stories about a secretive Russian
satellite with an unknown purpose.
Roy Furr
Sold more generators
than any other promotion

KEEP
THIS
WHITE
Your research checklist

Use this with your

prospect, product
 SECRET SIMPLE
FORMULA FOR A
SUCCESSFUL SALES
LETTER
Secret simple formula of a sales letter

Get the prospects attention

Keep his or her attention
Make it impossible to refuse
Compel them to act
Secret simple formula of a sales letter

This hidden structure is the way you lead

your prospect through the piece and build
his interest in the product getting him
so excited that hes willing to spend cold,
hard cash to get it.
Don Mahoney
The 4 Ps of a sales letter

Promise

Picture

Proof

Push
Promise

Make your prospect a promise.

Identify a fear or desire keeping him/her up at night or
daydreaming about
Tell him/her what youll do that eliminates fear or solves
desire/daydream
But do it in a way that helps the prospect ENVISION the
happy result
First, whos the prospect?

Someone who wants to

Lose weight the easy way
Enjoy food he/she will like
Be able to stick with it
See results! (Slim, attractive,
clothes look good, etc.)
Peanut Diet promise

Dear Dieter,
Ive got some exciting news for you. You can eat
all the peanuts you want and youre going to
lose 50 pounds in a month. In a little while,
youll weigh less than you have since you were
12 years old.
Peanut Diet promise

You wont have to count calories and you wont

have to deprive yourself of your favorite food. Its
easier than paddling downstream. Your life is
about to get better beyond anything youve
ever imagined.
Peanut Diet promise

But wait I have to tell you something

honestly there is a downside. Youll have to
buy all new clothes to fit your skinny new
body. But I dont think youll mind one bit.
The next P

Its too soon to mention the product or the price.

First, you need to keep the interest going
Picture

Help her picture the promise in her minds-eye.

Try using the word picture in your copy
Describe what its like to enjoy that solution using all the
senses
Consider drama to take them to that new place

Now you need make this believable

Peanut Diet picture

Youre going to have more energy than youve

ever had in your life. Youre going to be slim,
attractive, and have more dates than you ever
had in your life.
Peanut Diet picture

Just picture yourself out on the town for a night

to celebrate your new image. Theres a new
spring in your step and a lively gleam in your eye.
People stop to stare as you saunter by
admiring your powerful, lean body you exude
the essence of animal magnetism
Peanut Diet picture

In fact, youre going to feel so good even

your work will prosper. Dont be surprised to
see your income double or triple in the next few
months! (Imagine buying that Rolls Royce you
always dreamed about.)
Can you see yourself driving down the road
with the top down, munching on your peanuts?
Proof

This is where you bring in the logic.

Specific facts: statistics, findings, reports
Customers: before/after, testimonials, case studies
Authorities: doctors, professors, industry leaders
Recognition: awards, seals, best of lists
Hint: Remind her of benefits when mentioning proof
Peanut Diet proof

Here are a few amazing facts you may not know

A peanut has only 0.10 calories. Thats right just
one-tenth of a calorie! This means you can eat
12,000 peanuts a day and still be getting only 1,200
calories a day few enough to lose 8 pounds a
week
Peanut Diet proof

Peanuts contain micronutrients A, B, and C.

A little-known study from Harvard Medical School has
recently proven that these are the three most
important nutrients for human beings, staving off
major illnesses and life-threatening diseases.
Peanut Diet proof

And,according to the American Dermatologist

Association, peanut oil is the single best source of
moisture for the skin. In fact, when Aunt Rosie went
on this diet, her crows feet disappeared, and she
looked 25 years younger.
Reliable proof = credibility
Believable sources: Harvard Medical School letter
Reliable proof = credibility

Believable
customer
testimonials
USP (Unique Selling Proposition)

What makes the peanut diet the best or only

solution?
This is truly the most revolutionary diet ever to bless
50 million overweight Americans. It works better
than any diet thats ever been found. There are no
powders to mix, no scheduled to remember, no
portions to weigh and measure, no calories to
count, and no combinations to track.
USP (Unique Selling Proposition)

Its simple, healthy, and works like a charm. And

everything you need to know about the peanut diet
has now been put together in one place. In fact, my
Health Through Peanuts book is the only place
in the world where you can find this information.
USP (Unique Selling Proposition)
What makes YOUR product the best or only
solution?
Ithas to have a direct or implied benefit:
buy this and youll get this particular
benefit
It has to be an important benefit
The benefit must be unique
Bob Bly
Push (Offer and Call-to-Action)

This is where you close the

sale.
Make an irresistible offer

Be clear and specific

Add urgency to act right

away
Make it easy to respond
Push (Offer and Call-to-Action)

Right now, for a limited time, Im making a

special promotional offer. I want to get this
book out to the public, so people can see for
themselves the remarkable results of the
peanut diet.
Push (Offer and Call-to-Action)

Specialized books of this nature, produced in

limited quantities, usually sell for $50 to $75. But
youre not going to pay $75 for Health Through
Peanuts.
In fact, you wont even pay $50 for this rare and
powerful information.
Push (Offer and Call-to-Action)

If you act today, you can take advantage

of my limited-time, introductory offer and
get my revolutionary book, Health Through
Peanuts, for only $19.95.
Push (Offer and Call-to-Action)

But please, youll have to take me up on it

immediately. I cannot promise to hold this price for
long. When the first printing has run out, this offer
will be over, and the next one will be at the full
price of $49.99.

So if you act today, you can save an amazing 60%

off the regular price.
Short example of the 4 Ps: Proactiv
Promise and Picture
Proof with USP
Other Proof on the site
Push
 RECAP
EVERYTHING YOU
ALREADY KNOW!
You already know more than
MOST copywriters!
 You already know more than
MOST copywriters!

You know that effective, sales-driving

copywriting is persuasive writing with the intent
of driving an action.

Lets review what else you know

Copywriting vs. branding
Copywriting = action Branding = relationship
3 fundamental rules of selling

1. People dont like the idea of being sold.

2. People buy things for emotional,
not rational, reasons.
3. Once sold, people need to satisfy
their emotional decisions with logic.
Prospect (the most important)

You want to picture the prospect:

Demographics

Psychographics

Deepest desires, hopes, needs

Create a persona/profile and write to
that person
Big Idea

The BIG PROMISE

the overriding benefit
Big, powerful
Unique, compelling
Quickly understandable
Excites you!
Power of One

Lead with only one powerful idea

Create a single emotion
Support with one engaging
story/fact
Direct the reader to only one
action
The 4 Ps of a sales letter

Promise

Picture

Proof

Push
USP (Unique Selling Proposition)

Makes YOUR product the best solution

Have a direct or implied benefit

It has to be an important benefit

The benefit must be unique

Research is critical

Product

Prospect

Thought leaders
Industry trends and climate
Relevant hot buttons (media, events)
Research pays off

A whopping 5%
response
Starting to understand

How copywriting WORKS

Masters secrets tested over time
Formulas for writing effective, persuasive copy
for many different projects
How to evaluate and improve copy
 Diving deeper
What your copy is really selling
Persuading prospects
UP
Anatomy of a sales promotion and
NEXT 6 different leads
37 other tips from the masters
Copywriting Mastery resources
When were done

Youll be certified in Copywriting Mastery!

Youll know exactly how to
write and improve ANY
copywriting project
And youll deliver measurable,
positive results.