http://www.jeffsextonwrites.com Braving the demons of the deep in search of great copy Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:41:20 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Don't let this video's inane dialogue fool you, just focus your attention on the fundamental ideas and dynamics presented.  If your job involves persuasion, this video is well worth the watch. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcz1aZ60k7w&feature=player_embedded#![/youtube] http://www.jeffsextonwrites.com/2010/07/4-ways-to-win-over-a-resistant-audience/ Truism #1: If people see it coming, the transformational moment - the moment when a character moves past his primary fears, block, wound, or limitation - will fail to create maximum emotion in the reader because it'll get dampened or squashed by the audience's psychological defenses. Truism #2: If the transformational ... http://www.jeffsextonwrites.com/2010/06/what-zombieland-can-teach-you-about-emotional-copy/ Many have probably already seen this video of Taylor Mali's slam poetry classic, Totally Like Whatever, You Know? But how could I not reference it after my previous post on passionate copy.  So here it is - enjoy: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKyIw9fs8T4[/youtube] http://www.jeffsextonwrites.com/2010/06/speak-with-authority-the-video/ You're too f-ing polite, is what it boils down to. I know because my copy drafts sometimes suffer from the same problem. As a reaction against the hard-sell, yellow-highlighter copy abhorred by most Web 2.0 types, we sometimes adopt an "it's either demonstrable in no-big-deal language, or it's not worth selling" attitude. And ... http://www.jeffsextonwrites.com/2010/06/could-your-web-2-0-sensibilities-be-holding-you-back/ Maybe he thinks people won’t read between the lines. Or maybe he really is brazen enough to not care if they do.  Whatever the case, the e-mails I’ve been receiving from him have certainly raised my eyebrows. Long considered the dean of hard-sell direct response copywriting, Dan Kennedy has made a career ... http://www.jeffsextonwrites.com/2010/06/is-dan-kennedy-coming-out-of-the-closet/ Would you trade your wedding ring for an exact replica? It's a question I sometimes ask audiences.  Not surprisingly, hardly anyone admits to indifference in the matter. More commonly, the emotional attachment measures in the thousands of dollars, which is what most people say they'd need to be paid before swapping the ... http://www.jeffsextonwrites.com/2010/05/one-tough-mothers-magical-advertising-secret/ Look at the photo to the left. Yeah, it's Rodin's The Thinker and you've already seen it before - take another good, hard look anyway. In fact, study the thing for a minute. I'll wait. OK, having just "experienced" the picture for yourself, read Rodin's description of his statue: “What makes my ... http://www.jeffsextonwrites.com/2010/05/predict-their-experience-dont-just-describe-the-product/ People don't change their minds - they simply make new decisions based on new information. If you don't provide them with new information, they won't make any new decisions. That's Roy Williams' take on the subject of changing minds, and I tend to agree, depending on how broadly one interprets "information."  It's ... http://www.jeffsextonwrites.com/2010/05/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-of-sex-appeal-in-ads/ Who would have thunk it? At a time when most SEO Conferences have been running for more than a decade, we're just now having our very first Conversion Conference next week. Which isn't to say I'm not excited to be speaking at Conversion Conference West - I'm thrilled! - but that the inaugural ... http://www.jeffsextonwrites.com/2010/04/conversion-conference-west/ Either you sell $5 haircuts, or you fix $5 haircuts. If you're selling services, you know what I'm talking about. Whether you're selling car washes, copywriting, carpet cleaning, or kitchen remodels, you've likely noticed the once-burned aspect of your best customers.  The clients who pay your premium price most willingly and ... http://www.jeffsextonwrites.com/2010/04/web-copy-fortune-telling-for-fun-and-profit/