A note from my friend Fred Gleeck's ezine Insight:
I'm about to start rewriting some of the copy for my (over 175) websites. This was prompted by my recent get together with a friend of mine, Bob Sheinfeld.
Bob is an information marketer who does some really great stuff.
We were talking about copywriting and he brought up the fact that copy has two components, the visible and the invisible.
The visible is what you see on the page or on the site. The invisible is what the TRUTH is behind the copy. He mentioned how you feel when you read something and it just doesn't sit right with you. Something feels strange or a bit "off."
Bob thinks (and I now agree wholeheartedly) that the reason is because of the fact that what you're saying and what is really the truth aren't in alignment. There are the words on the page and then there are the silent words which speak to your heart that sit "behind" them. The truth!
What this is going to make me do is to go back and re-write everything I've done. You can pay fancy copywriters to do an incredible job of hyping your product. In some cases it might even help increase your sales.
Nothing will increase your sales more than copy that is written from the heart that is in INTEGRITY.
This doesn't mean you can't sell like crazy. I've got some REALLY good stuff that I think everyone should I own. I feel that way in my gut and know it to be true. This system doesn't say that you can't or shouldn't sell with all the zeal of a Baptist preacher if you've got something great to offer people.
What the system says is that you better believe, in your heart, that what you're saying is true or people will NOT believe it. They won't be able to tell you why, they just won't buy.
They will feel an inconsistency between the words on the page or web site and what you really feel. The truth. This will make it so that people won't buy. They won't know why, but they just won't!
The lesson? Just write the truth. The truth as you see and feel it. People will then feel more comfortable about the copy you write. They may not be able to put their finger on it, but it will be more believeable and it will increase sales.
Forget the hypey and slightly untruthful copy. Adopt a writing style that makes sure that what you say and what is ACTUALLY true are in complete harmony.
Net result? More sales? Is this common among people out there selling stuff either on or offline? Absolutely NOT. -- Fred Gleeck, The Product Guru
John's Comment: What Bob and Fred hit upon is accurate. Only the truth will really sell. Nothing less has the impact of the truth. Speak the truth. Speak the sweet truth.
