The Essence Of “Crisp” Copywriting

One of the things you want to keep in mind when you’re writing, is clarity. I don’t mean grammatical clarity, that’s another issue, but what I mean is, visual and sensual clarity. And not sensual as in “horizontal bop” sensual, “sensual” as in appealing or being tangible by as many of your five senses (smell, touch, hearing, vision, taste) as possible.

Making things so crystal-clear, that your prospect can not only “feel” how you want them to feel, but you also want them to have a vivid image of what you’re talking about, right there in front of them, smack dab in the center of their mind.

Kind of like those old cartoons you probably watched when you were a kid, when Elmer Fudd was chasing Bugs Bunny… and all Elmer could think about was rabbit stew. Remember those?

Inside his mind, not only was chubby little Elmer picturing a nice healthy meal, he was actually envisioning the smell of the roasted rabbit, surrounded by carrots and other vegetables, sitting there on a big round silver platter, with piping hot steam rising up from the little bunny. This was so “real” to Fudd, his mouth would actually be watering.

Right?

(If you don’t it means you’re either under age 35… you’re a woman… or else you aren’t from America, so you’re just gonna have to trust me on this, O.K.?)

Now back to work: So the very best way you can be crystal-clear in your communication, is by being detailed and specific. In fact, this is what separates the really good writers of anything (fiction, science-fiction, whatever), from the rest of the pack.

But, there’s a fine line you need to walk here, when you do this. Too much or too little detail isn’t really the issue — relevancy is the issue.

Kind of like when you’re writing a sales letter. You know, the age-old question of “How much is enough?”… “How long is too long?”

The answer really isn’t any “number” of pages or words… it’s “when you’ve said everything you need to say,” it’s enough. And of course, as long as you’re being relevant and not boring, you can pretty much say as much as you want.

So with respect to being ‘crisp’ and being able to create imagery, the best way to do this is to be detailed and descriptive, like I said. And here are three things to remember about this:

• To create vivid imagery, stimulate experiences: See how, a few minutes ago, I was talking about the Bugs Bunny thing? I tapped into your own prior experiences and your own sense of nostalgia. That’s a good thing to do.

• Use emotional triggers. So for instance, the other day I was in the gym and I saw a guy around my age, working out with his son, who was around 12 or 13 years old. It made me a little sad because my sons are now old enough that we don’t work out together as often as we used to. It’s amazing how fast the time flies by. I used to hear that all the time, but it doesn’t mean anything to you until you live it.

You need to figure out what you’re prospects are thinking about, then… don’t make them sad, but make then feel “something.” This is the biggest way to strike up an affinity with your prospect — yet everyone seems to focus on the hype, and on the sizzle. Yet, the sizzle doesn’t matter if they don’t trust you. Keep that in mind.

• And lastly, use story-telling action words. For instance, don’t say you put “a border around your yard so all the bugs and beetles can’t get in.” Instead, say that you put an “unassailable wall around your yard.” See, when you do that, your prospect can’t HELP but create all sorts of sensual experiences and visual imagery that locks them into your message — and into you.

This… is the essence of “crisp” copywriting. That’s all f-f-f-olks!

Now go sell something, Craig Garber

P.S. Look, this month I made a HUGE mistake. In my offline newsletter, which is normally 12-pages long and printed in sized 9 or 10 font, I had SOO much to say, that the lion’s share of it is printed in 8 to 9 point font, effectively adding another 25% to it. One critical issue is on page 5, where I reveal a number of different terms people normally use to describe the “supposed” benefit of what they do, and I show you why these terms are completely ineffective, and why they don’t work. Do NOT miss it or you will surely lose out on MANY future sales. Test-drive it free, right here, AND get 15 free gifts, to boot (make sure you watch the video about these gifts): http://www.kingofcopy.com/ssnl
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About the Author

Craig GarberAuthor of "How To Make Maximum Money With Minimum Customers, " and publisher of Seductive Selling - an offline marketing newsletter currently read in 15 countries, world-wide. In a nutshell, I do two things: 1. I show you how to attract a reliable, steady stream of pre-qualified leads who are ready to do business with you NOW... 2. And I increase your net profits and cash-flow, by increasing your customer, client, or patient value -- often, dramatically. How do I do this? By developing, and helping you implement, unique, personalized lead generation and marketing strategies... using compelling sales messages that push your customers emotional buy-buttons. I've worked with over 300 clients in more than 104 different industries, since March of 2000, and I really enjoy what I do. I'm a stable, reliable, happily married family guy with three kids who loves life and always follows through on my commitments and promises. I love to listen to music, workout, read, travel with my family, take pictures, and go bass fishing. I always say "Yes," when it comes to good cigars, good books, and good coffee :-)

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