News You Can Use - September, 2000

Want to know an 1897 secret about advertising your product or service
that will make money for you today? Want to discover the inside
secrets to negotiating anything you want? Want to find out what a
mouse did to sell to kids in 1964? Then keep reading! But first...

You are receiving this because you either asked to be on The Copy Writing
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following to your friends. Thanks! -- Joe

* Flash! Before I get into this month's news and views, I must tell
you that if you aren't making money online---and I mean PASSIVE
income where you virtually just collect checks---then you haven't
been to http://www.clickbank.com/?hop=outrageous/clickbank.
Visit that site and discover how to profit from other people's work. (!)
That said, I'll now get on with this month's lesson...

* Recently I sat on a plane from Phoenix to Austin. I decided to kill
some of the two hour flight by flipping through the online magazines.
You've seen them. They are always stuffed in the pocket right before your
knees. But what you may not have seen is that virtually all---yes,
all---ads violate a secret advertising principle invented more than 100 years ago.

I opened up one of the magazines and there was an ad for magician
Lance Burton. I know and like Lance. His shows at the Monte Carlo in Las
Vegas are well worth seeing. The headline for his full-page, full-color ad
read, "You will always remember Lance Burton..."

I love this headline. Why? Because it is hypnotic. It is actually a
direct suggestion. Read it again and see what I mean. Isn't it a command?
You're being ordered to REMEMBER LANCE BURTON. That's a trick
straight from hypnosis. Way cool, too.

Also notice that it has Lance's name right in the headline. The great
ad-man David Ogilvy said you should strive to put your product's name in
the headline. The reason being that many people may not read past the headline.
So if yours helps install your message in your reader's brain, your un-read
ad will still have accomplished something. This could be an ego trip for
many people, but it works for Master Magician Lance. Why? Because he
IS the product.

Compare that with another headline I saw. This one clearly violates one
of the oldest rules in advertising. Even P.T. Barnum knew better than this
advertiser, and he died in 1891. The headline on this quarter-page black
and white ad simply said, "A Perfect Fit."

Well, what does it mean? Does it engage you? Does it communicate a
benefit? If you had to guess what the headline was selling, what would you
guess? Go ahead and take a shot....

The ad is for luggage! The sad thing is, you have to read the entire ad
to find that out. And the headline isn't intriguing enough---well, it isn't
intriguing at all---to get you to read much of the ad. So that advertiser
just lost several thousand dollars in running an ad that didn't work.
The really sad news is this happens every day, by advertisers who are
forgetting a fundamental ancient truth in marketing.

I'll tell you what that truth is in a moment. But let's continue to
look at the online magazines and catalogs.

Another full-page, full-color ad had this headline on it: "Let me give
you the secrets of fearless conversation!"

Right under that bold statement is the sub-headline: "I promise you
the ability to walk into a room full of strangers---and talk to anyone with
total confidence, authority and flair."

Whew! Now THAT'S a strong headline. It stops you dead. If you
are at all interested in being a better conversationalist---and who
isn't?---you will stop and read that ad. It signals a benefit to you.
It makes a bold claim. It states a powerful guarantee. This is an
ad that follows an old proven truth in advertising.

What is that ancient truth? Simply this: That people do things
for selfish reasons. Appeal to their egos and they will do what
you want. Write to their emotions and they will open their wallets.

P.T. Barnum knew this more than one hundred years ago. He
put his name in his headlines to help create a brand image for
his business. He told you what you would get from seeing his
circus, or his exhibits. And as a result, Barnum became one of
the richest men in the world and one of the first millionaires
in early America.

Barnum wasn't the only one to profit from appealing to egos.
In 1897---that's right, 1897---Nath'l Fowler, Jr. wrote in his
book, "Fowler's Publicity":

"Write your advertisements from the customer's standpoint."

It worked in 1897. It worked in 1997. It will work in 2097.
It's the greatest advertising secret ever known: Get out of
your ego and into your reader's ego and you can GET RICH!

* Want to know how to promote any business, product, or service
on the Internet---even while you sleep? One man did it by turning his
back on nearly every one of the current Internet experts and studying
what an advertising guru from the 1920s said about Internet Marketing.
Get details at http://www.webbook4u.com/?hop=outrageous/tips4u

* If you want to know the ultimate secrets for negotiating anything
from anyone at any time, then you simply MUST check out this new e-course
by my friend Peter Wink. I've never seen a more complete and powerful
course in negotiating in my life! Peter has led major negotiations for
Nightingale-Conat, small and large corporations, and more. You need to
arm yourself with Peter's persuasion techniques -- or brace yourself to
one day face the person who may have already learned them!

Click on http://www.NegotiateYourWayToRiches.com and read the
astonishing sales letter for this breakthrough material. I tell you,
Peter's e-course is THE definitive guide to negotiating. Get it! (And read the
foreword I wrote for Peter's book. In it I confess something shocking.)

* Want to safely make your metabolism burn 'white-hot' whenever
and wherever you choose? Even at your computer? This is the
secret discovery the $33 billion weight loss industry hopes you'll
never learn. Click here for a truly fascinating new e-report --
http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?outrageous/maxresults

* If you still aren't accepting credit cards online, or helping
others to do so, you are missing out on some easy money.
The good news is you can start start accepting credit cards
with just a click at http://hop.clickbank.net/?outrageous

* For an e-warehouse full of e-information on writing, selling
and marketing e-books, visit http://www.ebooknet.com

* Did you know a mouse pushed Zestabs to kids in 1964?
Or that Brylcream could make your hair "disturbingly healthy"
in 1962? Or that a commerical for Dole bananas in 1972
was so blatantly erotic it would never run today? Check out
some of the most outrageous TV commercials ever aired at
http://www.tvparty.com/emcomm.html. A real learning experience!

* If you're an author and anywhere in Texas in mid-October,
then sign up for John Kremer's "Book Marketing Blast-Off Seminar"
to be held October 13th to 15th, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the
Radisson Suite Hotel, 10655 Katy Freeway, Houston TX 77024.
John is a genius at book marketing. Don't miss anything he does!
Call 800-796-6130. Or visit http://www.bookmarket.com/blastoff.html

* Here's a unique way to raise funds for a good cause. Visit
www.saveastray.com. Every time you click on the center button
at the site, sponsors make a contribution to help animals. Go see!

* Curious about what the FBI may have on you? For fun, type in
your name at http://www.policeguide.com/cgi-bin/criminal-search

"It don't get no better than this!" - Scott Holt, amazing new
lues-rock
guitar-slinger. See http://www.scottholt.com/htm/new_music.htm

Smile BIG!

Joe Vitale

PS -- Do you know your "Advertising IQ"? Take the quiz
at http://www.CreateAdvertisingThatSells.com and discover it!

PPS -- Remember to start making money online---passively!---by
signing up at http://www.clickbank.com/?hop=outrageous/clickbank.