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6 More Micro-Essays
VGC Micro-Essays are usually longer than my Micro-Articles. Or they take a slightly different approach to sharing information.
In any case, below are 6 “hidden” pieces you won’t find publicly available on the VeryGoodCopy blog.
Enjoy!
The levels of emotional appeal
Fascinations & sin
How to pick copywriting clients
On copywriting formulas
Years ago, copywriting great, Ben Settle, interviewed internet-marketing pioneer, Ken McCarthy.
“You once said that most copywriting instruction is like training wheels,” said Ben. “What do you mean by that?”
“Well,” said Ken…
“I mean it in a positive sense. Most people — or everybody, really — when they start to write copy have no experience writing copy.
“So it’s very good for someone to sit you down and say:
‘Here are 10 headline formulas.’
‘And make sure you add a P.S. line.’
‘And make sure you use bullet points.’
“Et cetera, et cetera.
“All that stuff is really great because it gets you from completely ignorant to on the bike, peddling and not falling over. So you learn all those formulas, you get them in your bones, and then you forget them. And you just write, heart to heart, to your prospects.
“So that’s why I call them training wheels — not to discourage people, but just to say that it’s a launchpad, it’s not the final destination.”
Ken, of course, is right.
When it comes to formulas, tactics, headlines, fascinations, or any other copywriting trope, you’ve arrived at your “final destination” when you can execute these things automatically, naturally, almost without thinking.
The way an elite athlete just knows where to put their body…
The way a chef just knows when a steak is done cooking…
The way a parent just knows when something is wrong…
And the more you write, the more you’ll just know when your work sounds right, looks right.
You’ll feel it.
And the only way to get there? Like Ben Settle said when I interviewed him last week, “There’s really no substitute for practice.”
There’s no shortcut, I’m afraid. But once you have it, you’ll own it forever.
Just something to consider as you continue honing this craft.
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A copywriting exercise
I’m sharing an exercise I do year-round, on a daily basis — even over the holidays.
It’s become a reflex, a habit. Automatic. I can’t really control it. It just happens.
It happens in the car, when I’m passing a billboard.
It happens on the couch, when I’m watching commercials.
It happens on my phone, when TikTok serves me a native ad.
It’s called Mental Editing — and it’s a great way to keep your copywriting muscles sharp all year long.
The process is simple:
Step 1: See an ad.
Step 2: Ask yourself, “How can I improve this ad?”
Step 3: Edit the ad in your head only.
We see thousands of ads a day and you can run through these steps with virtually any one of them, so the exercise is versatile and accessible. Personally, though, I prefer to focus on direct-response (i.e., conversion) ads because the rules are a bit more cut and dry than in general advertising.
For example…
I like to apply Bob Bly’s “9 criteria” for creating successful direct-response ads:
1. The headline contains an important consumer benefit, or news, or arouses curiosity, or promises a reward for reading the copy.
2. The visual (if you use a visual) illustrates the main benefit stated in the headline.
3. The lead paragraph expands on the theme of the headline.
4. The layout draws readers into the ad and invites them to read the body copy.
5. The body copy covers all important sales points in logical sequence.
6. The copy provides the information needed to convince the greatest number of qualified prospects to take the next step in the buying process.
7. The copy is interesting to read.
8. The copy is believable.
9. The ad asks for action.
Next time you come across a conversion ad (e.g., banner advertising; direct mail; an email; a landing page; a bus bench; a billboard; a coupon) ask yourself: “How can I improve this?”
And use the criteria above to help guide your changes.
I like to focus on just 1 criteria per ad.
For example...
While writing this article — literally — I was served this banner ad for Mercedes-Benz:
I glanced at it. Immediately, the CTA (#9 on Bly’s list) seemed weak to me. It lacked urgency.
I thought about adding the trigger word “Now” to jolt The Reader into action.
I also thought about adding an end-date (e.g., “Deals ending December 31”) to conjure FOMO, the Fear Of Missing Out.
I also thought about adding some color to the CTA, to help it stand out.
Like this:
Excuse the shoddy design. I was just illustrating my thoughts.
Mental Editing doesn’t call for any actual work. All the changes should be done in your head, on the spot. Then you’re free to forget it and move on.
The point is to change your behavior in a way that keeps the aforementioned “9 criteria” top of mind — constantly.
So when you’re working on your own asset, the weaknesses pop out at you — effortlessly.
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On closing your writing
Last week, I got a message from a reader…
“Hey Eddie!” she wrote. “I noticed you sometimes close your posts with ‘Yours for a higher response’ — how come?”
Great question. Let me explain:
I say it to declare my purpose...
My goal, my purpose, is to help you compel your market more effectively. Everything I create — every article, video, course, series, interview, etc. — boils down to persuasion and action, response.
…and I repeat it to make it stick.
People don’t register messages immediately. By and large, we forget our lives as quickly as we live them. So even the simplest messages must be repeated over and over, again and again, often a dozen or more times before they’re remembered, engrained.
And this way, the closing becomes a consistent, practical persuasion tool, rather than a typical, empty sign off.
For example:
“Regards,” is empty.
“Cordially,” is empty.
“All my best,” is empty.
“Yours for a higher response,” however, is a constant reminder of the value I’m striving to deliver with VGC Plus.
So that’s why I end with it — and why I think you should consider something similar, too, regardless of your craft or discipline.
Are you a Designer?
Try: “Yours for effective landing pages…”
Are you a Product Marketer?
Try: “Yours for smarter narratives…”
Are you a Developer?
Try: “Yours for clean code…”
I borrowed this closing from the great Gary Bencivenga, who used it almost ubiquitously (when he was still writing publicly). I’m not sure if he had a name for it.
I call it Value Closing.
Because every word you write should have a purpose. Every word should add value.
Yours for a higher response,
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The levels of emotional appeal
You’ve probably heard it before:
“People buy based on their emotions and then justify their purchase with logic.”
And if you haven’t, it’s true. In fact, a Harvard Business School professor named Gerald Zaltman says 95% of our purchase decisions take place unconsciously, emotionally.
So as copywriters, the question is not whether we should or should not appeal to The Reader’s emotions — we should; we must! — the question is how?
ENTER: the levels of emotional appeal.
Basically, you can connect with people on several distinct levels, each one stronger and more compelling than the last:
Weakest appeal 👉 “Factual”
Stronger appeal 👉 “Emotional”
Strongest appeal 👉 “Personal”
Take mouthwash, for example:
FACTUAL appeal:
“Using mouthwash helps rebuild weakened enamel.”
Just a clear, straightforward, factual statement with a benefit (i.e., “rebuild weakened enamel”).
EMOTIONAL appeal:
“Using mouthwash helps rebuild weakened enamel, preventing tooth decay.”
Another clear statement, except it goes a step further, tying the benefit to a pain point (i.e., “tooth decay”).
People jog to pleasure but we sprint from pain, so including the latter creates a powerful emotional trigger.
PERSONAL appeal:
“Using mouthwash reduces your chances of suffering the painful consequences of tooth decay.”
Now, the copy skips the benefit and goes straight into the pain point.
Now, the word “You” is used.
Now, it’s personal.
According to the late, great copywriter, Clayton Makepeace:
If you can create a “Personal” appeal in the lead of your promotion (i.e., the first paragraph after the headline), your chances of engagement increase — along with your chances of success.
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Fascinations & sin
I published a Micro-Course on VeryGoodCopy called:
Master Fascinations: The Single Most Important Copywriting Skill.
It teaches you how to write Fascinations, sentences designed to conjure intense curiosity, which is important because curious people tend to read more and click more, engage more. And the more someone engages with your promotion, the more likely they are to ultimately take action.
So if you haven’t taken it yet, feel free. It’s a clear, concise, ultra-prescriptive guide to mastering this cornerstone copywriting skill in days — not years — because throughout the course, I share almost everything I know about fascinations.
Almost.
I left out one technique.
Let me explain:
You’ve heard of The 7 Deadly Sins, yeh?
Gluttony: An overindulgence of anything to the point of waste.
Greed: An artificial, rapacious desire and pursuit of material possessions.
Sloth: An absence of interest or habitual disinclination to exertion.
Envy: A resentful covetousness towards the traits or possessions of someone else.
Wrath: An uncontrolled feeling of anger, rage, and even hatred.
Pride: A dangerously corrupt selfishness.
Lust: An intense longing leading to immoral acts.
Negative as they are, these things appeal to people, compel people. Negative as they are, these behaviors are deeply human — and this makes them great fodder for copywriters.
For example…
If I wanted to persuade you to take my fascinations course, I might write:
If you take Master Fascinations and apply the lessons to your writing, you will…
Drive prospects to read, re-read, and consistently share your content across their social media properties... [Gluttony]
Sell more product than your biggest competitor ever has or ever will... [Greed]
Simplify your writing process tenfold, making it incredibly simple to communicate your message... [Sloth]
Compel fellow copywriters to flood your inbox, offering you astronomical fees to be their writing coach... [Envy]
Force other business owners to tediously study your landing pages and emails, scouring them for clues to your success... [Wrath]
Get the confidence you need to be a successful entrepreneur or copywriter... [Pride]
Transform into the Don Draper of your niche... [Lust]
Basing your fascinations on The 7 Deadly Sins (i.e., tying your promise to the desires and behaviors that make us human) will make your copy more attractive, interesting, and compelling.
Take the Micro-Course and give it a try.
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How to pick copywriting clients
Copywriting great, Bob Bly, teaches a little-known formula called MAD-FU.
“Basically, there are five characteristics that make someone a good client,” he says. “So you run through the list and if they make three or four of them, the client’s good. If they don’t, they’re not.”
MAD-FU is gold for copywriters but it’s also valuable for anyone seeking to hire a copywriter or, for that matter, any creative pro. Freelancing is a relationship, after all, a two-way street.
From the top:
“M” is for MONEY.
How much is your time worth?
“When [the prospective client] contacts me, I say, I’m interested in talking with you, but I am one of the most expensive copywriters you can hire. Is that a problem? And if they continue talking, I’ve sort of gotten that out of the way.”
“A” is for AUTHORITY.
Is this the person who approves your invoice?
“You say, is there anyone else that we need to talk to who is involved in making this decision? And they’ll either say no, I can buy this, or yes my boss or my committee — and then you only talk to the committee.”
“D” is for DESIRE.
Bit of an intangible.
“Do they really want to have a successful promotion? Do they want good copy? And you can sort of tell that. That’s sort of instinctual. There’s no question I have for that.”
“F” is for FIT.
Not at all intangible.
“So, when I started, since my background was industrial, someone called and they worked for a company that manufactured values, that was a good fit. If they told me, oh we sell cosmetics and jewelry; I didn’t think it was a good fit, so I would kind of shy away from them.”
“U” is for URGENCY.
How soon?
“Did they really need this done within a specific timeframe and when is that or are they just calling for their health?”
MAD-FU.
Having those 5 letters in front of you on a client discovery call is comforting, somehow. Good.
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VeryGoodCopy, founder