The discussion around “Does long copy work?” is as old as the hills.

The argument against long copy, of course, is that no one’s going to read that much. That people aren’t that patient, that no one has time for this nowadays…

But here’s the thing. The same way people always have money for the things they want to have, they also make time for the things they want to make time for.

And what are these things?

They are experiences.

See, first of all, the people who say long-form sales copy doesn’t work, aren’t people who’ve ever made even one thin dime from selling anything in print. In fact, they’ve usually lost tons of money using short, salesy copy and insipid slogans (Like, “You’ll love us!”… or, “In business since 1959!”… or, “Family owned and operated.”), and so they incorrectly assume that because they can’t make money being concise, then saying more definitely won’t work.

But this is only partially true. Here’s why this is a false assumption: This is like saying if you wear bad cologne over and over again, it will eventually smell better.

See where I’m going with this?

Wasting someone’s time NEVER works. So running an ad using long-form copy — when your copy says nothing — will never work, regardless of HOW long (or how short) it is.

The issue here isn’t usually that long copy doesn’t work, the issue here is “Do you have something to say that’s compelling and engaging?”

Are you giving someone an experience, or are you wasting their time trying to sell them something?

This is the real issue.

And see, when you’re giving someone an experience, they’ll stick around for a very long time. In fact, they’ll stick around as long as you allow them to, just like a good movie or a good concert.

People will happily sit through three hour movies… they’ll read six and seven-hundred page novels… and they’ll happily read through a long-form sales letter when it’s compelling and engaging.

Entertain, inform, and engage your prospects, and they’ll patiently and eagerly hang on your every word. But insult, bully, and waste their time, and they won’t even stick around long enough for you to finish saying “Hello.”

Now go sell something, Craig Garber

P.S. “The Older You Get… The Younger You Get?” Discover why, and find out the psychology behind an amazing ad for the new “Crack cocaine” of this century in Example 2 of this month’s Seductive Selling Newsletter, which you can test-drive for free at http://www.kingofcopy.com/ssnl – Free online video, free 30-day trial plus 15 bonus gifts all yours now.

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