Clayton Makepeace copywriting wisdom

 

 

Clayton Makepeace copywriting wisdom

 

 

How to craft a persuasive guarantee (4 proven rules):

 

 

Spending money hurts. Physically. It’s literally painful, the way a punch in the arm is painful.

The pain is actually your brain’s response to risk (i.e., wasted money, lost time, missed opportunity). 

Higher perceived risk = more pain = less sales.

Lower perceived risk = less pain = more sales.

So as a copywriter, as a marketer, it's in your interest to create offers that decrease perceived risk. (Or even eliminate it!)

And the best way to do this is with a guarantee. The late copywriting master, Clayton Makepeace, followed 4 rules to craft his. 

In no particular order:

RULE #1: Longer guarantees decrease refunds (e.g., a 1-year money-back guarantee is better than one lasting 6 months).

RULE #2: Performance-based guarantees increase sales (e.g., lose 10 pounds in the first 2 weeks or your money back).

RULE #3: High production costs = high barrier to guarantee (e.g., “Please return the product to get your refund…”).

RULE #4: Low production costs = low barrier to guarantee (e.g., “No questions asked!”).

 

This 20-point copywriting outline was behind my first million-dollar sales letters!

 

 

 “Who the heck reads all that copy?”

For someone not well versed in direct response, that’s the most common first reaction.

They see the length of the sales letter, and they wonder how the heck you’d ever convince anyone to read it.

The answer to that perennial question, by the way, is BUYERS.

If someone is compelled through your message, they will read all the way to the end to make sure they’re making an informed buying decision.

In which case, you can’t really give them too much information…  You can only give them irrelevant information, or information that’s presented in such a boring way they stop reading and don’t buy!

The trick then, if you’re going to sit down and churn out a 10,000-word sales letter or video script to get someone to buy, is knowing what the heck to say.

After all, long is wrong if you don’t do it right.

I was very fortunate right before becoming a full-time freelance direct response copywriter to be handed this outline…

It was from superstar copywriter Clayton Makepeace, and it came as a handout at the 2009 AWAI Bootcamp and Job Fair.  (Actually, I got it from his wife Wendy.)

And for the first couple years of my copywriting career, nearly every long-form direct response sales letter I wrote conformed to this outline.

It led to my first million-dollar winners.  It made my name in direct response.  It allowed me to make the leap from 9-to-5 guy to calling all my own shots.

AND, even though I don’t follow it today, its lessons have stuck with me.

Way back when I was starting Breakthrough Marketing Secrets, about two years ago, I shared a link to this outline.

Now, I’d like to do one better — I’d like to reflect on how I use each point of the outline…

So, without further ado, this is Clayton Makepeace’s 20-point “Pretty Darned Good Outline” for long-form sales copy, with my comments on how I interpret and use each point.

1.    Grab ‘Em by the Eyeballs

First and foremost, you have to make the attention sale.  You need to do something to flag down your ideal prospect, and get them to read or watch.  That means you have to wrestle their attention away from the million other things that are competing for it right now.

As I mentioned yesterday, the #1 most useful way to do this is to combine the most compelling benefit with something to spark their curiosity.  Some people use “pattern interrupts” with great results.  Others are more straightforward with a promise.

Either way, you must, Must, MUST succeed at this step to have a hope of making the sale.

2.    Support and Expand on Your Headline

Once you have their attention, you have to pay off whatever you used to pull that attention away from everything else.  A common rookie mistake is to write the headline last — and forget that the opening copy would be a hard left turn from whatever this headline is.

The headline needs to be connected with the opening copy, which needs to flow nicely into what comes below.  Here, you can reinforce the benefit promised and continue to stoke the flames of curiosity.

3.    Establish Credibility

One of the biggest challenges in advertising today is believability.  There are too many shysters out there making the same promises you are — especially in crowded markets.  What can you do to prove to the reader that you’re a credible authority on the topic, worth paying attention to…  And especially, who they can put their trust and belief in.

4.    Bribe Him to Read This

This should all be happening pretty rapid-fire.  Even in a big 10,000-word promo, we’re likely less than 300 to 500 words in by now.

And even though you got their initial attention, you have to make sure you keep it.  The best way to do this is with a readership bribe.  These are promises of what will be revealed in the advertisement itself.

Ideally, these promises will point to something in the ad itself that gives them some of the benefit they’re after.  The more perceived value of what they’re getting in the ad itself, the more likely they are to stay until the very end.

5.    Deliver Value

This can be tricky business.  Because the best ads give away a ton of value, without revealing all.  By the time you’re through, you feel like it was time well invested in learning something, but that you still need more.

It’s common for novice copywriters to try to over-tell and over-teach (it’s definitely a mistake I’ve made).  Don’t do that.

Instead, what you’re doing here is illuminating something the prospect wants to know about, and stoking their curiosity to get more.

My favorite way to do this, these days, is to really help them understand the problem my product will eventually solve.  If they feel fully educated on the problem, and have a set of criteria I’ve helped them uncover for what a solution needs to look like, it’s easy for me to set up my product as the solution.

6.    Present Your “Big Promise”

Here, you’re starting to reveal the major benefits of your product.  Up until this point, you may not have even hinted that you had a product to sell (especially if you’re trying to acquire new customers with your ad).

Now, you’re promising the benefit they want or the solution they crave.

This doesn’t necessarily mean you’re officially introducing the product yet — although you might.  Rather, now is when you’re saying, “I can help.”

7.    Prove Your Point

Your prospect has been made a ton of big promises before.  And a lot of people who’ve made those promises have failed him or her.

So their natural reaction to your big promise is, “Yeah, right!”

You must counter that with clear and compelling proof that you can deliver on exactly what you’ve promised.  This is a great place for demonstrations, case studies, and stories.

8.    Snapshot of the Future “Him”

Once your prospect believes that you can deliver on your promise, you have to make it feel real for them, in their life.

Here you use the strategy of “future-pacing” — paint a vivid word picture of what their life will be like once you have fulfilled on your big promise.

What will it feel like to be free of their fears, frustrations, and failures?  How will it feel to be living their dreams, desires, and destiny?

Important: it’s more powerful to state this part in present-tense.

“Just imagine…  We’ve set this all up for you, and it’s starting to create results in your business…”

9.    Present Your Product and Prove Each Benefit

Here’s the best place to actually convey that they’re going to get the big promise fulfilled by buying a specific product.

You go from saying, “I can solve this for you,” to “It’s all part of XYZ product.”

Present your product, and its unique selling proposition.

Explain how it’s been specially-created to actually fulfill on that promise, to meet all the buying criteria you set out, and fulfill the many benefits you’ve promised.

And, as you go, make sure you’re making it believable by establishing proof and credibility that you can deliver.

10.                       Make the Offer

Here’s where the rubber really meets the road.  You’re probably not getting to this step until the last 25% or so of the promotion.  But your success will live or die on the offer.  (The old rule that 40% of your success is your list, 40% is your offer, and 20% of your creative really does apply.)

Present the offer itself in a way that sounds as risk-free and slanted toward the buyer as possible.  Really present the great lengths you’ve gone to in order to over-deliver, and make sure they get the result you’ve promised.

You want them ready to whip out their credit card right here, right now.

11.                       Trivialize Your Price

It’s not enough to have made a really compelling offer, really illustrate how great of a deal they’re getting at this price.  It is possible to ham this up too much, especially in video or live presentation scripts.  But if you’re concerned, you’re probably not going to go anywhere near that line.

Explain all the blood, sweat, and tears that went into making this available.  Compare apples to oranges — if you were to deliver this value in person, it would cost 100X what it costs in product form.  And so on.

Make it sound like they’re getting the deal of the century — and they should be!

12.                       Add Value

As if everything you’ve done for them to make this an incredible deal isn’t enough already, now you’re throwing in more value.

Add extra bonuses.  Pile value on top.

If they thought it was a great deal before, now it should feel like the irresistible deal of a lifetime.

13.                       Relieve Risk

And yet, there’s still doubt.  Will you ACTUALLY deliver on the promise?  Have you been piling on value, or just stuff?

It’s up to you to counter this objection.  And the way you counter it is YOU have to take on the risk of the transaction, NOT the buyer.

Present your guarantee.  The bolder, the better.  100% money-back guarantees are a minimum.  The longer, the better — and the good news is people are actually less likely to take you up on a longer guarantee, in most cases.  (I.e., you get less refunds from a 1-year guarantee than a 30-day guarantee.)

If at all possible, find a way to make the guarantee even more generous.  200% money-back guarantees are used by the world’s best marketers for a reason.  At the very least, let them keep the premiums.

I’ve offered guarantees where if they weren’t satisfied to the n-th degree, we’d give their money back AND they could keep everything.

Will some people take advantage of it?  Sure.  But that will be more than made up, in most cases, by the increased sales volume.

14.                       Sum Up

At this point, you’ve made it a no-brainer proposition.  Now, point that out, and lay it out again.

Quickly sum up the details of the offer.  What they’re getting, at what price, and under what guarantee conditions.  Remember to tie it back to the big promise you’ve made, which should really be a continuation of the narrative from the headline down.

All you’re doing here is making sure they remember everything they get as part of this incredible deal.

15.                       Ask for the Sale

Finally, once you’ve tipped the scales so heavily in their favor in terms of the offer you’ve made, it’s time to tell them to order.

Be direct, be clear.  You’re writing sales copy because you want them to buy — tell them to buy.

Don’t get timid here, because it will come through.  The prospect will not believe that you believe in yourself and your solution.

Be confident, because you know their life will be made better by buying.

16.                       Make Ordering Stupid Easy

You’ve made it really easy to order, right?  Well, tell them!  Tell them the exact process they need to go through to order.

Tell them what will happen when they place their order, and what you will do to fulfill.

Here’s where you include the multiple methods of response, and anything else they need to know to make sure you get their order.

The more you can eliminate confusion from the ordering process, the better off you’ll be.

17.                       Place Him at the Crossroads

Now, emphasize that they have to make a decision.

Lay out for them what happens if they do take action, and if they don’t.  They’re at a fork in the road.  They can choose to have your big promise fulfilled, or go on living life without it.

It’s their choice, but make it dang clear which direction they’ll be better off going in — buying your product!

18.                       Ask for the Sale – AGAIN

Again, be direct and clear.  Tell them to order.  Now!  Because that’s what it’s going to take for them to start to have that big promise fulfilled in their life.

19.                       Sweeten the Pot

They still haven’t ordered?  What the heck?  Well, you must not have piled on enough value!

Add something else in.  Make it even more compelling to respond.  Maybe this is a fresh look at something that was already in the product — maybe it’s another bonus completely.

Either way, you want to make it even more compelling!

20.                       Add an Urgency Element

Finally, add a REAL urgency enhancer to get them to get off their duff.  If it’s a physical product being delivered, emphasize the limited quantity.  If it’s a time-based product, emphasize the deadline.  Even better if you’re able to combine limited time AND limited quantity.

It’s important that you don’t fake urgency here.  At the very least, find a way to create urgency around a factor in their life. (E.g. “Before your next payday” for a business opportunity product, “Before this stock has XYZ happen to it” for an investment, and so on…)

 If you want to learn copywriting secrets from the masters, you’ll definitely want to see what the late great Clayton Makepeace had to say.

He left this world too soon.

Fortunately, during his time here, he generously created for his many followers and friends a treasure trove of teachings on the art and science of writing copy that sells.

Clayton Makepeace Quick-Start Copywriting System

Master the secrets of writing dominant resident emotion copy and get everything you need to write big winners, more often.

Click here to learn more

Here are a few gold nuggets that will help you score, as Clayton would say, “bigger winners, more often”.

Clayton Makepeace Copywriting Secret #1:
Surround yourself with A-Level Players

It was one of the most agonizing — yet tantalizing — dilemmas I’d ever faced.

Take a well-paying, prestigious and super-fun copywriting gig with my friends at Infusionsoft in beautiful Mesa Arizona…

Or spend three days in a hotel room in Denver at an out-of-pocket cost of multiple thousands of dollars to hang out with one of the most highly regarded and well-paid copywriters ever to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard.

If you’ve ever faced a decision like that, you know it’s not easy, because there’s so much at stake.

Lucky for me, I now know I made the right choice.

Those few days in Denver and a few thousand dollars out of pocket have easily added tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars to my bank account since then…

Not to mention a skill set and network of well-connected friends to last a lifetime.

Of course, I’m talking about legendary copywriter and mentor Clayton Makepeace.

One of the most magical things about Clayton was his ability to attract a cadre of top copywriters and mentors in their own right.

(Evidently, he was a pretty good arm-twister too…)

Many of whom you’ll meet in any of the trainings we’re so fortunate he’s recorded over his lifetime.

A-list writers in his circle, known as “The Makepeace Mafia” include top writers like David Deutsch… Parris Lampropoulos… Richard Armstrong… Lori Haller… Patrick Bove… Jedd Canty… Henry Bingaman…

So it wasn’t just about Clayton and his amazing powers as a copywriter — formidable as they were…

It was the perspective of a whole network of top players in our industry that was so powerful.

Surrounding yourself, either in person if you’re so fortunate, or virtually through their books and courses, with the top copywriters and marketers will surely turbo-charge your writing.

Clayton Makepeace Copywriting Secret #2:
Just write great copy and the money will follow.

As one of the highest paid copywriters ever, Clayton could speak with authority on how to be paid well for your copy.

You would think, as a master copywriter, he might rely on his persuasive abilities to land high paying gigs. Instead, he simply advised, write great copy and the top-paying marketers will find you.

In one of his recorded training programs for AWAI (American Writers And Artists Inc.), Clayton tells the story of a new copywriter wondering how to build a successful copywriting business. He told Clayton he’d heard the best way to promote your copywriting services was to publish a blog… Show up daily on Instagram… Write articles… Post videos… Speak at conferences… Publish books…

And while all that may be true and helpful, Clayton’s response was simply: Don’t waste your time. Just focus all that energy on the writing and get great results for your clients. Just do that, and the best clients will find you.

Clayton Makepeace Copywriting Secret #3:
If you want to make money, go where the money is.

One of my favorite stories about Clayton is the time he was speaking at an AWAI event, and someone asked him why he writes mostly in the financial niche.

Clayton’s response?

He told the story of notorious bank robber Slick Willie Sutton. When a reporter asked the famous thief why he robbed banks for a living, Sutton replied, “I rob banks because that’s where the money is.”

Throughout his career, Clayton wrote for a variety of niches. Early on, he wrote for a local ad agency in L.A., where he was living at the time. Later on, he focused on alternative health and financial. And finally he settled on financial, writing for top publishers Weiss Research, Money Map Press and others.

If you want to make a great living as a freelance copywriter, you need to, as top copywriter Pam Foster says, “…niche yourself as the best copywriting resource for a particular market.”

And if you’re looking for one of the highest paying markets, check out financial publishing. A few publishers to consider might include:

• Agora Financial
• Stansberry Research
• Motley Fool
• Legacy Research
• Eagle Publications
• Money Map Press

These are just several that come to mind offhand — there are dozens more, and I’m sure I’ve left out some very worthy names.

Financial may or may not be for you.

But if you’re after big royalty checks, as Clayton would say… Go where the money is.

Bonus Copywriting Secret

What would an article about the great Clayton Makepeace be without a bonus? 🙂

This last secret I learned not as much by Clayton’s words as by his actions:

Study and learn all you can from the masters.

Eugene Schwartz, John Caples, Claude Hopkins, David Ogilvy, Gary Bencivenga, Victor Schwab, Joe Sugarman, Gary Halbert, Dan Kennedy, Al Ries and Jack Trout, Rosser Reeves, Robert Collier, Mark Ford (aka Michael Masterson), Mike Palmer, Evaldo Albuquerque…

That should get you started.

But don’t just read.

Do. Practice. Test.

Learn the rules and then break them.

Great training is more than worth the investment. To think you can move forward without it is wishful thinking.

21 copywriting tips from Clayton Makepeace – Part 2.

Non-Rule #8:
Speak colloquially

I try to speak to my prospects as they’re used to being spoken to. Yes, that means I often dangle my participles and other parts (of speech). So what? I’m trying to communicate here – not trying to pass an English exam.

To mock the sticklers who were constantly correcting his prepared speeches, Winston Churchill once declared, “A dangling participle is something up with which I will not put.” Pretty much says it all …

 

Non-Rule #9:
All jargon is NOT evil!

 

Many coaches say you should avoid technical terms and industry jargon altogether. Baloney.

 

The selective use of jargon comes in handy lots of times when I’m writing – like …

 

1. When the jargon’s meaning is familiar to the reader – especially investors and medical patients – I’m respecting his intelligence; speaking a language he understands and is comfortable with.

2. When the jargon is being spoken – sparingly – by an expert, it demonstrates the expert’s, well … expertise. We expect doctors to be proficient in the use of medical jargon and brokers to use investment terminology. If the term is obscure though, I’ll include a quick explanation and then move on.

 

Non-Rule #10:
Figures of speech are wonderful!

Early on, I was told to avoid clichés, sayings, analogies, aphorisms, proverbs, adages and so on. But why? If you had a face-to-face conversation with your prospect wouldn’t you hear tons of these figures of speech?

 

Doesn’t the use of these favorite sayings instantly say, “Hey – I’m not a salesman; I’m just like you!”? Don’t they get your prospect smiling? And don’t most of them instantly communicate something that it would otherwise take us a sentence or more?

 

If a picture is worth one thousand words, a good figure of speech should be worth at least one hundred. So go ahead: Experiment. If a figure of speech helps you communicate faster or drive a point home harder – and if you’re absolutely sure that its meaning will be instantly grasped by your prospect – go for it!

 

Of course, writing copy that’s just one cliché after another might be a slippery slope. Your client may even say that your promo is a basket case. That would be a close shave! You might end up feeling as dumb as a bag of hammers.

 

But on the other hand, choosing the right spots to communicate quickly with an idiom could turn out to be your bread and butter. Who knows? Maybe you’ll wind up richer than Midas!

 

Non-Rule #11:
Put the 75 most powerful words and phrases
in the English language to work for you.

Use these freely (no charge) when crafting headlines, subheads, and throughout your copy:
Amazing
Astonishing
Astounding
Announcing
Appalling
At Last
Bargain
Bonus
Breakthrough
Charter
Comfortable
Discount
Discover
Discovery
Easy
Effortless
Exclusive
Fearless
First Time Ever
Forever
Free
Gift
Guaranteed
How to …
How I …
Hurry
Immediate
Improved
Inevitable
Instantly
Intense
Introducing
It’s here
Just Arrived
Last Chance
Limited
Locked-In
Miracle
Money
Never Before
Nothing To Lose
New
Now
Opportunity
Painless
Premium
Prestigious
Priority
Promise
Proven
Quick
Revolutionary
Right Away
Rush
Sale
Save
Savings
Scandalous
Secret
Send No Money
Sensation
Simple
Special
Shocking
Steal
Surprising
The Truth About …
Today
Unique
Valuable
Why
Win
Windfall
Yes
And of course, the all-time award-winner …
YOU!

 

Another thing: Some words and phrases are wimps. The limp-wristed, namby-pambies of the writing universe. “Can” … “could” … “should” … “might” … “may” … “ought to” … “seeks to” … “has the potential to” … “In my opinion” … and all the rest of these sissies should be banned from your copy whenever necessary.

 

Tell your prospect what your product will do. If the legal beagle or compliance officer complains, make a phone call and haggle.

 

Example:

 

YOU WRITE: “These investments are guaranteed to soar when interest rates rise.”

 

COMPLIANCE VERSION: “These investments could possibly have the potential to soar when interest rates rise – maybe.”

 

COMPROMISE: “These investments have the power to soar when interest rates rise.”

 

Non-Rule #12:
Squint.

Squinting makes the individual letters and words indecipherable and I’m left with just the pattern the paragraphs make on the page.

 

As I study the page, I’m asking myself, “At first glance, does this feel easy-to-read and inviting? Or is it covered with long, dense paragraphs that will only discourage my reader?”

 

Then I …

• Jump in and break long paragraphs into shorter ones – even one-line paragraphs when I can …
• Identify spots where the thing is crying out for a break – a sidebar or indented paragraph, for example – and then work them in …
• Look for opportunities to turn a long block of copy into a string of pearls (like these).

I look for a series of benefits, steps in a procedure or other copy points that I can precede with bullets, numbers, letters, etc.

 

You can present horrifying alternatives …

• Ages your body: Fluoride has been shown to damage your chromosomes and block the enzymes needed to repair your DNA.

• Poisons your brain: Laboratory subjects given tiny doses of fluoride for a year showed an increased uptake of aluminum in the brain, and the formation of beta amyloid deposits which are characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease.

And five Chinese studies have documented a lowering of IQ in children exposed to fluoride!

 

… Or, billboard benefits, as with these fascinations from a recent promotion for Your Money Report:

• The #1 Secret of Landlords Who Get RICH: Doing this one thing can mean the difference between fat profits and a devastating loss! Page xx
• Flipping For A Fortune? WATCH OUT! Ingenious strategy lets you make a bundle without ever owning a single property. BUT, it could also get you sued – or worse! Essential advice: Page xx
• Beware of These “Landlord Landmines!” 3 easy ways to sidestep costly landlord/tenant traps. Page xx

… Or, create a label. This series, “7 Guilty Secrets Drug Companies Do NOT Want You To Know” was also touted on the cover of the piece as a reason to read the piece:

 

FACT #1: Drug Companies Kill Tens of Thousands Each Year: Many of today’s most-often prescribed medications are not only useless, but extremely dangerous – crippling and killing as many Americans each year as died in the 18 years of the Vietnam war.

 

FACT #2: They Do It Knowingly – For Money: The ultra-rich U.S. drug industry – the single most profitable businesses in America – is guilty of using bogus research, distorted reporting, and bald-faced lies to push deadly and ineffective drugs onto unsuspecting doctors and patients.

 

Non-Rule #13:
Go for precision and power

A lot of experts say you should use short words. Write as if the prospect is an eighth-grader.

Some anal-retentive rule addicts have even gone so far as to instruct students to add up all the letters in each paragraph and divide by the number of words, and make sure that the average word is no more than five letters long!

 

Utter nonsense!

 

Here’s what I do …

• If a long word means precisely the same thing and carries the same emotional coloring as a shorter word, I’ll go with the shorter word.
I can’t stand to read or even talk to people who use longer words when shorter ones will do just fine: Who say “facilitate” when all they mean is “help” or “ease” … “compensate” when they mean “pay” … “Individual” when they mean a “guy” or a “gal” or “person” … or “sufficient” when they mean “enough!”

 

Nine times out of ten, I’ve found that people who write or talk like that are trying to hide something. Like massive insecurities. Or the fact that they have no idea what they’re talking about.

 

To quote William Zinsser’s advice in his classic, On Writing Well:

 

“Beware, then, of the long word that is no better than the short word: ‘numerous’ (many), ‘facilitate’ (ease), ‘individual’ (man or woman), ‘remainder’ (rest), ‘initial’ (first), ‘implement’ (do), ‘sufficient’ (enough), ‘attempt’ (try), ‘referred to as’ (called), and hundreds more.”

• But if a longer word – or even an entire phrase – more precisely conveys my meaning or more effectively invokes the emotion I’m going for, the longer word it is!

 

Non-Rule #14:
Short sentences rule!

This is a particular weakness of mine – I tend to string too many thoughts together … use hyphens and ellipses and other devices to connect them; and only wind up turning sentences into entire paragraphs in which the prospect eventually gets lost or has to read twice. (Damn – did it again!)

 

I don’t worry too much about it on my first drafts. That’s when I’m just trying to get everything out on paper. I try to fix my run-ons when I’m editing, later on.

 

As I edit my copy, I try to keep this advice in mind from the classic book on writing, The Elements of Style:

 

“Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell.”