Kind ‘of a strange title here…this is where I’m going.
Ever see a 4 year old girl get into her mom’s make-up? Lipstick smeared, mascara streaked, and patches of blush. It’s cute on a little girl. It’s scandalous on a website. Stay with me here…
Most salesletters today are a psychedelic smattering of highlighting, bold lettering, red headlines, italics, drop shadows, and other unfortunate “copy makeup”
The copywriter desperately want to call your attention to well…everything.
And the reader spends more time navigating the makeup than reading the copy. Being cute has drowned out being persuasive. A mortal sin.
Avoid this mistake by taking a cue from the old school masters – only use bold and underline. Let the tempo of your sentences. The length of your paragraphs. Inspired word choice and grab you by your eyeballs headlines to get your reader’s attention.
Seduce your prospect into reading your words.
Here’s a few other tips – just in case you find your “highlighting” addiction too hard to kick.
1. Write your copy in the notepad application. Notepad comes with the Microsoft OS, and it’s utilitarian features will stop you from getting to fancy-smancy.
2. Do the “font-free” drill. Open word and start typing. Keep your fingers on the keys – don’t go for the mouse. You’ll be surprised how tough it is to resist the makeup.
3. Write fast. Push yourself to write quickly. This will prevent you from stopping to beautify your work.
The idea is to actually sell and not impress. Lost the copy makeup – show the copy’s natural beauty and watch your results improve.