Joe Vitale

11
Nov

Long or short copy?

I was interviewed yesterday and once again was asked, “Which works better: Long or short copy?”

After writing copy for over thirty years, you’d think I know the answer.

Well, I do.
My rule of thumb is this: The higher the price for what you are selling, the longer the copy should be.

In other words, if you are giving away something for free, you don’t need to write much to get people to ask for it. For example,

FREE: Get my free email course called
Recession-Proof Marketing. Just send an
email to
[email protected] and it’s yours.

Based on those few words, most people will act. Why? Because the item is free. There won’t be many objections to asking for it.

And note: If you didn’t click and request the free course above, it’s no doubt because you still have some questions in your mind about it. Well, that’s why you need longer copy. Long copy is supposed to answer your objections so you’ll act now. So even “free” may require some copy to get people to act.

But what if I wanted you to send me $1,000 for my course on Hypnotic Selling Secrets? You’d want to know more, wouldn’t you?

That’s why the sales letter for the course at http://www.hypnoticmarketingstrategy.com/ is about a dozen pages long. You’re not about to invest a grand without some questions answered.
As a result, I need to write longer copy. Make sense?

But most people fear no one will read their long copy.

Well, let’s look at that issue.

People read entire books. Why wouldn’t they read your long copy?

People become information junkies when they are interested in making an important purchase.
Why wouldn’t they read your long copy?
People will read any length of copy as long as it is interesting to them.

This is why legendary copywriters like David Garfinkel, or Yanik Silver, or even me, are paid $25,000+ to write a sales letter. Our job is to write interesting copy that sells. That ain’t easy. Anyone can fill up twelve pages with words. But to fill them with words that hold interest and lead to a sale, ah, there’s the Holy Grail of marketing.

And notice this very blog entry.

I couldn’t answer the question of long or short copy with just a yes or no because it would leave too many questions in your mind. Sales copy is the same. In order to handle the objections someone may have to buying from you, you have to write longer copy. Again, the higher price, the longer copy.
Some day I will write a book on this whole subject. (If there is a book just on this subject alone, please let me know.)
Joe
10
Nov

A recent photo of me (for the curious)


Recent (10-05) picture taken by the beautiful and delightful Julie Eskoff
www.julieeskoff.com
Posted by Picasa

9
Nov

Coming soon – The InterPlanetary Internet

I love big thinkers. They may seem bonkers at first glance, but often their wild ideas lead to breakthroughs no one else saw coming. Take the Internet, for example.

No one (or next to no one) knew it would explode into the colossal information sharing and marketing tool it is today. I certainly didn’t see it coming, and I was one of the first to do online marketing way back in the mid-1990s. I also wrote one of the first books on Internet marketing, with my book CyberWriting. But I sure didn’t predict what we have today.

So, what’s next? Where do we go from here?

I just heard this morning that one of the developers of the Internet is working on something called the Inter-Planetary Internet.

The what?

The Interplanetary Internet.

The idea is to set up a system to send and receive emails from other planets.

Sounds bonkers, right?

Well, it’s ideas like these that lead to history making events. I can just as quickly as you think of all the reasons why this new Internet won’t work.

But, what if it does work?

Ah, there’s the real question.

I suggest we think big, bold, and even nutty.

Out of this non-linear and even non-intuitive thinking may come the next big thing.

And you and I can be a part of it.

Learn more at http://www.ipnsig.org/home.htm This is a group working to develop the parts necessary to create the Interplanetary Internet. Their site says…

“While the Earth’s Internet is basically a “network of connected networks”, the Interplanetary Internet may therefore be thought of as a “network of disconnected Internets”. Inter-working in this environment will require new techniques to be developed. “

And in case you think this is all flakey, the InterPlanetary Internet study at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) was started by a team of scientists at JPL led by Adrian Hooke and Vinton Cerf, one of the pioneers of the Internet on Earth.

I love it.

To the future,

joe

9
Nov

What is "The Secret" anyway?

Everyone writes, calls, or stops me and asks, “What is ‘The Secret’, anyway?”

They’ve usually seen the hypnotic teaser at http://www.whatisthesecret.tv and want to know more. If you haven’t seen it yet, go there now. It’s a short trailer for an upcoming movie. It’s the most riveting and unforgettable movie tease I’ve ever seen in my life.

Since I’m in the movie, I get a lot of questions, such as:

“When will the movie be out?”

February 15, 2006.

“Where will it air?”

Network television stations around the world are in a bidding war to be the first to show it. Eventually it will be seen in every country and will be available on DVD, as well.

“Is it a movie or a documentary?”

I don’t know for sure, but I suspect the best answer is “both.”

“Who’s behind The Secret?”

Two wonderful sisters from Melbourne, Australia. One of them told me they were inspired to create the movie after reading my book, The Attractor Factor.

“Does it really reveal a secret?”

Absolutely.

“What is the secret?”

Ah, it’s a secret.

“Tell me. I can keep a secret.”

So can I.

“Is the secret in your book, The Attractor Factor?”

Part of it.

“Is the movie like What the bleep?”

The Secret will appeal to a wider, more general audience. I believe it will awaken humanity and raise the consciousness of the planet. Not everyone could relate or understand to What the bleep. They will with The Secret.

“Who else is in the movie?”

Too many people to list here. Everyone from my friends Jack Canfield to Bob Proctor to Debbie Ford to possibly 45 others, including me.

“Do you play yourself in the movie?”

Yes.

“What is The Secret, anyway?”

I’m not telling. You’ll just have to wait for the movie.

Believe me, it will be worth it.

Joe
http://www.whatisthesecret.tv

8
Nov

Street Team Marketing

You can’t survive without marketing. You or someone you hire has to do it. The people who succeed today are the ones who market and market relentlessly. Here’s an example:

I love blues-rock music. It all started (with me) with Stevie Ray Vaughan. That led to Kenny Wayne Shepherd and then to Joe Bonamassa. These are all gritty guitar slingers. I love the upbeat blues intensity they radiate.

Anyway, I’m getting emails from Bonamassa’s fans who show they know what it takes to market. Go to http://www.jbonamassa.com and click on the center link, where it says join the street team. You’ll see that they are converting fans into marketers. This is brilliant. This is what it takes to stand out in the crowd.

When it comes to music, the word “crowd” doesn’t cover it. There are so many musicans out there it would take a quantum physicist to describe the concept of “overwhelming.” The point is, if you truly want to stand out in the crowded marketplace, you must market. There’s just way too much noise out there for any good musician to be heard without the help of a marketing trumphet.

Joe