Have you ever sat down to write, then just stared at your computer screen struggling to type the first word? Or have you ever begun to write, then been sidetracked by a thousand distractions?

It’s happened to me.

It’s amazing, when you think about it. Here we are in the 21st Century with the most powerful, compact computers ever conceived of. Not only that, we’re connected to the largest database of information ever compiled in all of history!

And yet, for all this “pomp and circumstance” — you know… snazzy computers and wifi connections galore — we still have trouble writing.

Fortunately, I come bearing good news.

You see, I’ve discovered an ancient technology that can literally shatter writer’s block. This technology will almost instantly overcome your inertia and put you on the fast track to finishing any ad or sales letter faster than you would have imagined.

What is it? Quite simply…

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Good sales copy is a well-manicured lawn.

There are probably dozens of metaphors that I could have used to describe good sales copy, but this is the one that’s stuck with me.

While it may seem like a strange metaphor, it will make perfect sense in just a few minutes. And it will help you write better copy, too.

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Ever wondered exactly how to swipe a sales letter? If so, you’ll want to pay close attention. Because in just a moment I’m going to demonstrate HOW to swipe a sales letter.

But first, you should know: While I don’t generally swipe whole ads, you can actually write fairly strong copy by swiping.

When I say swiping, I don’t mean plagiarizing. Plagiarizing is stealing copy word-for-word; swiping is taking similar ideas, concepts, or copy structure from one ad and using them in another.

Some people take the idea of swiping too far. For instance, you would never want to take somebody’s copy and then just replace a few words here and there. This is basically plagiarizing.

Of course, it’s easy to create a list of “dos” and “don’ts” without ever fully communicating the right way to swipe a sales letter. With that in mind, I figured I’d actually show you three sales letters for three different products.

• The first one is the famous Wall Street Journal letter.
• The second one is a swipe of the Wall Street Journal letter.
• And the third one is my swipe of the Wall Street Journal letter.

Each of these letters uses the same structure and some of the same selling arguments to make their case. Take a look…

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Learning how to write bullets may be one of the most important copywriting skills you ever learn. This is because bullets often do all the “heavy lifting” in a sales letter. They’re the words that penetrate your buyer’s natural buying defenses. They’re the words that sell.

I’ve heard many direct marketing experts explain the importance of bullets this way: “You want to write as many hard-hitting bullets as you can because sometimes just one bullet will persuade somebody to buy.”

I know this is true… because I’ve experienced it myself. I remember reading a sales letter for a Nightingale-Conant product. The letter was probably 80% bullets. As I read through those bullets, one or two of them really hit me. The bullets addressed something I really wanted to learn.

Then, as I kept reading, I began to think, “How could I not buy this product??” This is the best possible response you could ever hope for: When your prospect can’t imagine life without your product. He has to have it.

With that in mind, here are my methods for bullet writing. What I share here is not necessarily “the right way.” It’s one way. It’s the way I do it. So here it goes…

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Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins is one of my favorite copywriting books of all time. I’ve read it straight through three times, and I’ve quoted it many times besides.

I’m not sure what it is about the book that appeals to me so much. Maybe it’s the simplicity of the lessons. Or maybe it’s the slightly old-fashioned language. Or maybe it’s just the timelessness of the principles Hopkins outlines. Whatever it is, I love this book!

Here’s what I did: I actually recorded the entire book, chapter by chapter, using the mic that plugs into my computer. I then uploaded each chapter to Audio Acrobat. You can download all 21 MP3 files… or you can stream them over your computer.

Since each of the 21 chapters is 10 minutes or less, you can literally listen to the whole book in 21 days by listening for less than 10 minutes a day. Enjoy!

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Two months ago I created a video showing you how to set up a split-test using Google’s Website Optimizer.

I used my own opt-in page for the test — and I actually didn’t know which variation was going to win. Well, now I know.

In fact, one version absolutely killed the other version. I don’t use the term “killed” lightly. The winning page one by almost double.

I recorded a new 6-minute video for you. In this video I reveal the winning page, plus a few thoughts as to why the winning version won.

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For any piece of copy to successfully generate a sale, it must do a few critical things. One of these things is overcoming objections.

Many times your prospect will actually want what you have — and want it badly — but he will not buy it. Why? Usually it’s because of an objection he has that has not been sufficiently addressed in your copy.

So as you write, think about all the objections your prospect might have. Then try to seamlessly overcome those objections in your copy.

With that in mind, here are a few methods for identifying and overcoming objections in sales copy…

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If you’re publishing your sales letter online, then clearly your order links and order buttons will be a critical part of your sales process.

But this raises a bunch of questions. For instance:

• How many order links should you include?
• Where should they be placed on the page?
• What’s better: order links or order buttons?
• Which colors work best?

The answers to these questions are not always black and white, but there are a few time-tested principles you can use to help boost your conversions.

So in this post, I’m going to share with you everything I know about order links and order buttons…

How do you know where to place your “order now” or “add to cart” button? How many of them do you use?

Claude Hopkins once wrote that any obvious attempt to sell will cause your prospect to raise his buying defenses.

I believe any kind of order link or “add to cart” button is an obvious attempt to sell, so I generally will avoid using them until…

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Whether you’re a copywriter or a direct marketer or a blogger, it’s critical that you develop the ability to get and keep people’s attention.

This is the focus of the following MP3 recording in which Mike Dolpies interviews me about advertising in general and how to get and keep attention in any market.

Mike is a guy who provides marketing advice to owners of martial arts studios. And we did this particular interview for his paying members.

And since you’re a paying member of Copywriting Code, I’m sharing the interview with you as well. The interview is just 38 minutes long, so it’s easy to listen to even if you’ve got a busy schedule.

In this interview you’ll learn:

• How to mind-read your market.

• Counter-intuitive copywriting tips.

• What you shouldn’t do in an email subject line.

• How to be so compelling your prospects can’t look away.

• And more…

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I’ve set up somewhere between 50 and 100 different split-tests. I don’t know the exact figure because I’ve never tracked it. Plus, the tests I’ve conducted are divided between multiple Google accounts, therefore difficult to track.

Anyhow, during the last video, I shared some interesting split-test results with you.

Today, I want to show you how to set up your first split-test. It’s actually not that difficult. Once you get the hang of it, it should take you no more than about 5-10 minutes to set up a new test.

What’s interesting about this video is you get to see me set up a new test on my own web site, but you don’t get to see the outcome… yet. That’s because this is a brand new test. I don’t even know the outcome!

So as you watch, take a look at both versions of the page and decide which one you think will win, and why. I’ll create a new video in a few weeks to let you know the outcome of this test.

Alright, enough of my yapping. Watch the 21-minute video “Setting Up Your First Split-Test” below.

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