People don’t give a damn about you.
As you are talking, they are hearing just enough to decide how to talk about themselves. They are listening for their name. They are evaluating if you are a “cool” based on the attention you shower on them.
That’s harsh. But once you cozy up to this notion you will instantly start to write great copy.
The best copy is obsessed with the reader. A salesletter should read like a BFF who never talks about themselves and is hopelessly loyal (read devoted to the other person). Every sentence should start and end with the reader’s problem and how you can help.
Do this and your prospect will immediately believe that you get it.
Take a you focus and watch your commenters describe you as “plugged in”, “insightful”, and “on-the-mark”. We all love the “great listeners”
Pull out your copy and go through it line-by-line. Ask yourself – “What in this for the reader?”. If there’s nothing but jargon-filled, schmutz, then revise or yank the sentence.
There is one small tweak to this rule:
It’s ok to include a brief bio about your history…as long as you explicitly let your reader know that your experience will help them.
Now let’s take a step back. I understand why this hard for so many copywriters. You’re human. It’s darn near impossible to focus on the other person in the room. Resist the urge to rationalize your way back into discussion. Believe me, it won’t work. Readers call it B.S. when you try to cleverly “butt yourself into the conversation”.
Afterall, you can show off your intelligence, wisdom, and street smarts by writing copy that sells.