A long-time Copywriting Code subscriber asks the following question:

How do you write copy for women vs. men as I hear that it needs to be different?

Very few markets are 100% women or 100% men, but often a market will be made up primarily of one or the other.

If you know the majority of your target market is comprised of women, you will naturally choose a different tone when writing to them than you would when writing to men.

And vice versa.

But the questions still remain: How exactly do you sell to women? How exactly do you sell to men? What are the differences?

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Once you’ve completed writing a promotion, most of the hard work is over. But there is still one more critical step to make sure your copy is as tight as it can possibly be.

The step I’m referring to is… the editing step.

As I’ve mentioned before, a great way to edit is to read your copy out loud. Just print up your letter or email or landing page and read it out loud, by yourself, in a room where there are no distractions.

Rough spots will stand out because you’ll “stumble” if the writing isn’t perfectly clear.

Now, as you read through your copy (both quietly and out loud), you need to be asking yourself a series of specific questions. These questions will focus your mind so that you can make your sales copy as smooth and persuasive as possible.

Here are the questions:

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As I write this, consumers are becoming more skeptical of online sales claims than they’ve ever been.

If you are selling anything on the web, you are automatically assumed to be guilty of lying or, at the very best, exaggerating. And in order to make the sale and earn a new customer, you must definitively prove the claims you’ve made.

How do you prove your claims? By offering proof, of course.

I have come up with 6 different forms of proof that instantly boost web copy conversions. Add to your web copy as many forms of proof as you can and your conversions are practically guaranteed to go up.

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If you use Google Adwords to promote your products or services online, then you’re in luck. Because today I’m giving you a special 9-page report all about how to write Google PPC ads that get clicked and generate sales (or leads, in case that’s what you want).

I’ve personally spent thousands of dollars of my own money — as well as thousands of dollars of client money — to test and track the results of PPC campaigns that I’ve been responsible for creating and managing.

Plus, I’m now playing an active role managing the writers who write ads for BoostCTR, a company that specializes in improving PPC ad copy for clients.

So the information you’ll find in this report is not based on theory, but rather on years of personal experience producing real-world results.

I hope you find it valuable as you seek to increase your click-thru rate and lower your cost per click.

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For the last four years or so, I’ve been selling an ebook called “How to Get Your First Real Copywriting Client in 14 Days or Less” through Clickbank. This 56-page ebook has sold for $35 up to $49.95 (I’ve done some price testing).

So far, I’ve never given this ebook away as a bonus gift. But that is changing starting today.

Now, for the first time, you can download a free copy of “How to Get Your First Real Copywriting Client in 14 Days or Less” when you become a Copywriting Code member.

You can download the ebook as soon as you become a member — no strings attached.

Obviously, if you join and cancel after one month I’ll lose money. But I’m hoping I can prove to you the value of membership and that you’ll stay much longer than that.

(I’m not really concerned though. Based on my records, most members stay at least 6 months.)

If you are not yet a Copywriting Code member, you can learn more about the ebook here (link opens in a new tab): “How to Get Your First Real Copywriting Client in 14 Days or Less”

And if you are a member already, here is the link to download the PDF…

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A few years back I subscribed to Dan Kennedy’s No B.S. Marketing Newsletter. At the time, he was looking for copy submissions to be featured in his new newsletter, the No B.S. Marketing to the Mass-Affluent Letter.

Here’s the letter I wrote to him, complete with a copy submission:

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Your house needs painting. The south and west sides are especially faded, and the HOA has sent you a notice saying you have 60 days to get your house re-painted. Nobody has recommended a house painter to you, so you’re on the look-out.

One day you walk to your mailbox and find inside a letter advertising a house-painting service.

The story and the appeal seem decent enough. It’s a family run business. They take pride in their work. And if you call by a certain date you’ll save 15%. Plus, they use paint sprayers, which is faster and slightly more affordable. There’s a number to call.

Not a bad offer, but not especially compelling either. You think about calling, but you get interrupted and you forget to come back to it.

Then, a few days later, you find another letter in your mailbox once again advertising house-painting services. You eagerly read the letter because with each passing day you’re feeling more urgency to just hire somebody.

Unfortunately, you become even more confused. This is a family run business, too! They also say they take pride in their work. They use paint sprayers… and, wouldn’t you know it… they’re offering a 15% discount.

Same story, different day. The only significant differences you notice are that the letters are printed on different colored paper; there are different logos; and of course different phone numbers. You still don’t really know who to call. With the information you’ve got, you may as well flip a coin.

This imaginary scenario is unfortunately all too real for consumers all over the country. They’re ready to spend money — they just don’t know who to spend it with! And because so much advertising looks the same and sounds the same, consumers have a hard time deciding who to call.

Fortunately, there’s an easy way for you to instantly stand out, get noticed, and make the sale. It’s called differentiation.

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Selling memberships to a membership web site is not always easy.

Especially when the economy is not doing well.

The reason why is one of the first places people look to cut expenses is on their bank or credit card statement. If they see any recurring transactions, they’re likely to cancel them.

What’s more, they’re NOT likely to sign up for any new memberships!

But that doesn’t mean you can’t get new members by the dozens. With the right approach, you can.

Your Offer Matters More than Your Sales Letter

To get people to sign up for your membership site, I bet you probably have some kind of written sales letter to explain the benefits of membership and to get prospects to become members.

But here’s something extremely important to remember:

Your offer is more important than the words you use to persuade.

To illustrate this, let me give you an example.

If your membership site is all about crocheting, and you ask for $1,000 a month, chances are you’re not going to get any new members, ever.

That’s because $1,000 a month for membership is just a bad offer for a site that teaches you how to crochet.

Now, price is only one component of your offer. There are also bonus gifts to think about. If you offer multiple high-value bonus gifts upon sign up, you may have an easier time getting members.

With that in mind, let me tell you about…

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A man goes to a buy a new car. There are literally dozens of the same make and model he wants on the lot. There are even more at the dealership down the street.

And yet when it comes time to buy, he feels extreme urgency to buy the car he test-drove. Somehow, he feels that if he doesn’t buy, he will miss his chance.

Why does this happen?

After all, the man could walk right out of the dealership and drive to another one a few miles away and find the same make and model with the same color and options. According to the Consumer Reports Buying Guide 2009:

A salesperson might tell you that someone else is very interested in the same car and is coming by later — a common sales tactic. You should never feel that you have to make any deal immediately. There are always other cars out there.

Consumer Reports is 100% right: There are always other cars out there. So the issue is not true scarcity because the car our imaginary man wants is not scarce.

Yet he feels as if the car is scarce.

And he is practically compelled to sign the papers as soon as he can to avoid missing out.

Let me tell you why this strange phenomenon happens and how you can create a similar urgency for your own products…

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As you know, Copywriting Code is a membership site that teaches you how to write direct response copy.

Direct response copy is copy designed to get an immediate action, usually in the form of a sale. It is “salesmanship in print… salesmanship multiplied,” as John E. Kennedy said.

With that in mind, all the articles and videos you’ll find inside Copywriting Code have been created with an eye toward teaching you the art and science of direct response copywriting — the art and science of generating sales through the written word.

To get the most out of Copywriting Code, here’s what I recommend:

1. Use the autoresponder email series to help you consume all the content on this site.

Every time I write a new article, I add it to the autoresponder series. So you’ll be automatically directed to every post on this site at one point or another.

This way you’ll never feel like you have to “cram” and read everything at once. Most of the articles on this site are 1,000 to 2,000 words in length. Some are even longer.

Since these are in-depth articles, you’ll probably only want to read one or two at a time anyway.

2. Browse or search for articles that solve a problem you currently have.

The copywriting lessons on this site cover a wide range of experience, from beginner to advanced.

If you’re just getting started, then look for some of the introductory copywriting lessons. If you’re advanced, you may want to jump right into some of the split-test results I’ve reported here.

You can use the search box to search for specific keywords. Or you can browse by clicking on the Categories or Tags in the left-hand column.

3. Print articles you’d like to keep.

Many of the articles on this site are “print-worthy.” If you print them out, you may want to get a 3-ring binder to store them. That way you can easily review them anytime you want — even when your computer is turned off.

4. Periodically review “core” copywriting lessons.

It’s very easy to read something quickly, be inspired… and then forget all about what you just read. I think this happens because there’s just so much information out there these days.

To really get value from something, you should read it twice. One of my colleagues will actually read a book 10+ times to milk every drop of value he can from it.

And here’s the interesting part: When you read something a second, third, or fourth time, you’ll learn new things each time. So there’s a multiplying effect that comes from reading something more than once.

5. Set aside a certain day of the week or month for learning more about copywriting.

Maybe you decide to study copywriting on Saturday morning or Wednesday at lunch time or Tuesday evening.

Take that time you’ve set aside to come check in at CopywritingCode.com. Read an article you haven’t gotten to yet. Or read a new article that’s recently been published.

But whatever you do — make sure you continue to learn as much as you can about direct response copywriting. It is the most profitable skill I’ve ever learned; and I firmly believe it may also be the most profitable skill YOU ever learn.

6. Ask me a specific question about copywriting.

Last, but certainly not least, feel free to ask me any specific question you have about copywriting.

I will either direct you to an article where I’ve already answered the question… or I may even write a brand new article just to answer your question.

Want to submit your question? Just email me at ryan@copywritingcode.com.

-Ryan M. Healy

P.S. If you’re not yet a Copywriting Code member, please activate your membership here.