The Golden Thread – Copywriting Insider
The Week in Review
May 4–10, 2008
Welcome to Copywriting Insider – an e-letter from AWAI and the editorial team at Inside Direct Mail that brings you insider information on the hottest markets in the direct-mail industry and techniques you can use right now to improve your skills and further grow your copywriting business.
In This Issue:
- At Least 10 Books Every Copywriter Should Read – Twice
John Forde’s list of “must-reads” for every copywriter, as well as anyone interested in business-building or marketing. - Industry Spotlight: Fundraising
The following facts about the fundraising sector show that people are ready and willing to give. They also show that there is a great need for copywriters in this industry. - Top 20 Mailers in the Fundraising Sector
List of the top 20 mailers in the fundraising sector. - How an Oregon Salesman and Two Former Pastors Self-Published a Best-Selling Novel and Sold 750,000 Copies on a $300 Marketing Budget
AWAI staff writer Guillermo Rubio explains how self-promotion combined with a book that taps into the nation’s psyche, can result in a bestseller.
At Least 10 Books Every Copywriter Should Read – Twice
On my first day as copywriter, master marketer Bill Bonner handed me a stack of books. A collection I’ve long since lost in the sea of books, tapes, and videos – only some about marketing – that followed.
I read them on lunch breaks and while eating dinner. I listened to the tapes in the car. I watched the videos on a borrowed TV (I had sworn off owning one of my own at the time.) Many were good. Some were better. A lot repeated the same principles over and over, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Today, I’d warn any new copywriter or marketer that you’re not going to get a full career education from books alone. Nothing beats hands-on experience, actually writing and reading the promotional pieces you hope to emulate and, one day, beat.
Still, if you’re hoping to catch up fast … if you’re looking for inspiration or ideas … even if you’re looking for shortcuts … there are definitely books, jammed full of both theory and examples, that can get you there.
For some time, I used to keep just one or two titles in the back of my mind to share with anybody who wanted a recommendation. But I started getting requests for a reading list so frequently that I pulled one together.
On that list, books on Internet marketing and the new Age of Persuasion? Tomes on how the world of selling has changed and will never be the same again? Not hardly.
In fact, most of these “must reads” were probably written on typewriters. If not by hand. And of those that are more recent, some aren’t about writing marketing copy at all.
Take a look. And if you haven’t read any of these, hit the bookstore, Amazon.com (there are links below), or the library (remember libraries?) and pick up a copy or two …
A Copywriter’s Bookshelf Essentials
“Scientific Advertising” by Claude Hopkins – This is the granddaddy of all “how-to” books on writing advertising. It’s also a lean, easy read with very direct advice on how to write copy that sells. You can find this one free online. Just type the title into www.google.com.
Or you can buy the printed version.
- “Ogilvy on Advertising” by David Ogilvy – There’s no doubt about it, David Ogilvy was a genius. In this book, he not only shows you how to sell in print, but also how to run an agency, hire writers, pitch campaigns, and more. Also a very quick, easy read.
- “Tested Advertising Methods” by John Caples – This isn’t exactly the kind of book you read in one sitting. It’s simply so dense with tips and examples, you couldn’t possibly absorb it all at once. A bit like reading an encyclopedia of what works. Essential, though, as a shelf reference.
- “The Copywriter’s Handbook” by Bob Bly – Oft recommended by yours truly, as well as countless other copywriters. Bly, who is now a friend of mine and who’s written not one but 70 books, has covered every possible question a new copywriter could ask. (If you read just this and Claude Hopkins, you’ll have a jump on half the copywriters working out there today.)
- “Elements of Style” by Strunk & White – Writing copy isn’t necessarily about writing pretty. But it IS about making the copy disappear so the message itself can shine. Strunk & White can teach you plenty about writing tightly. In fact, everything you would need to know.
- “On Writing Well” by William Zinsser – That said about Strunk & White, this one helps you come at the same key lessons from a fresh angle. It’s a little dry in spots (it’s about grammar, after all). But still a worthy read. Especially for the conscientious writer who cares enough to edit his or her own stuff.
These are the obvious choices. But then, there are some other books you might not necessarily think of when you’re stocking your copywriting bookshelf:
- “On Writing” by Stephen King – Don’t laugh. I know, he’s Stephen King. To some, a schlock-master. But there’s no question, the guy knows how to spin a yarn. (Consider the incredible number of his books that have been spun into Hollywood blockbusters.) It comes highly recommended from several writers I respect.
- “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion” by Dr. Robert Cialdini – This is a perennial recommendation of mine. I’ll be frank: The science of psychology scares me. It always seems like those who study human behavior are driven a little over-analytical, even mad, by it. However, this book is still a brilliant portrait of what persuades and why. Every good copywriter I know has it on his or her reading list.
- “The Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell – This wasn’t supposed to be a marketing book. It was just about ideas that move masses of people to suddenly change their behavior. But then, what IS marketing if not the effort to move the masses? A great read in that it’s interesting and entertaining as it informs.
- “How to Win Friends & Influence People” by Dale Carnegie – This really belongs in any list of classics. And if Carnegie were around today, he might write a sequel with the words “on the Internet” tacked onto his famous title. Online marketing is, after all, about relationships. And this book is all about how to start them.
What else?
One I’ve since added to this list, which I didn’t include on the original, was Gene Schwartz’s “Breakthrough Advertising”. Anybody who does anything with business-building or marketing should read it. Mostly because it was so hard to come by. However, it’s back in print and well worth getting.
Also, a fun read that’s not necessarily marketing, is the recent bestseller “Freakonomics” … in which the authors make the point over and over that the thing that makes virtually everything happen (or not happen) is connected to the incentive. Fix the incentive, guide the action. Which, I guess, makes it a kind of marketing book – or at least key marketing insight – after all.
And while you’re adding fun reads from the fringes, let’s not forget Malcolm Gladwell’s follow-up to “The Tipping Point,” which is titled “Blink”. It’s not as good and maybe not essential reading (some of the examples seem off). But it’s still got some points of interest. Mostly those about how people make decisions quickly and emotionally, pre-logic.
And, without betraying a bias, I think any recommended reading list wouldn’t be complete without Michael Masterson’s latest and greatest (in my opinion) bestseller, “Ready, Fire, Aim”. This is more about business building, but you can’t build a business without selling – a point that Michael makes masterfully in the book.
You might also want to throw another of Michael’s books onto the pile, “Power and Persuasion”.
However, If You Read Nothing Else …
There is one thing that absolutely every copywriter, without fail, should read. And then re-read. And then copy out by hand, word for word. And that is: every best-performing promo you come across.
This isn’t optional. For any copywriter. This one exercise will probably teach you more – and more quickly – than any of the other reading I’ve recommended above.
This is the best and fastest way for you to get into the gear-works of what makes a pitch work. Michael Masterson recommends it. Every good copywriter he’s trained has done it. I know I have. I know Paul Hollingshead and others have.
[EDITOR’S NOTE: John Forde shares his copywriting insights regularly in his informative and entertaining eletter, The Copywriters Roundtable. If you aren’t already a subscriber, I highly recommend you go to his website today and sign up: http://www.jackforde.com/]
Industry Spotlight: Fundraising
The following facts about the fundraising sector show that people are ready and willing to give. They also show that there is a great need for copywriters in this industry.
- The Association of Fundraising Professionals’ most recent data (from 2006) show that fundraising revenues are on the rise. They rose 10.5% in 2005 and another 4.2% in 2006. However, the number of donors is down … which means that fundraising organizations need good writers to recruit new donors and, even more important, to retain their existing donors.
- More than 75% of charitable donations made every year come from individuals rather than companies. That means big mailing lists and the possible opportunity for a control letter that pays royalties.
- Americans give an estimated $295 billion to charities and non-profit organizations annually.
- The charities that are most successful at raising funds use a variety of written materials, from direct-mail letters to newsletters to thank-you letters … meaning plenty of opportunities for you to write the “extras” too.
- Nearly two-thirds of American households make regular charitable donations.
- There are 929 major fundraising mailers in the Who’s Mailing What! Archive. In the last year, the Archive tracked 25,724 mailings.
Top 20 Mailers in the Fundraising Sector
- Republican National Committee
Political organization
www.rnc.org - Democratic National Committee
Political organization
www.democrats.org - American Cancer Society Inc.
Health organization – research, education, and awareness
www.cancer.org - Salvation Army
Charitable organization
www.salvationarmy.org - The Humane Society of the United States
Animal welfare organization
www.hsus.org - American Civil Liberties Union
Civil rights advocacy group
www.aclu.com - Paralyzed Veterans of America
Organization supporting veterans of the armed services
www.pva.org - United States Fund for UNICEF
Children’s charitable organization
www.unicefusa.org - Alzheimer’s Association
Health organization – education and research
www.alz.org - American Red Cross
Emergency and disaster relief
www.redcross.org - Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
Political organization
www.dscc.org - Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc.
Health organization – services and education related to reproductive health
www.plannedparenthood.org - Special Olympics International
Volunteer organization – organized sports events for disabled children and adults
www.specialolympics.org - Thirteen/WNET New York
Public television station
www.thirteen.org - Nature Conservancy
Land conservation
www.nature.org - Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Cancer center
www.mskcc.org - American Diabetes Association
Health organization – support, education, and research
www.diabetes.org - Habitat for Humanity International
Affordable housing
www.habitat.org - March of Dimes
Health organization – research related to birth defects
www.marchofdimes.com - The Heritage Foundation
Conservative policy organization
www.heritage.org
[Ed. Note: Top mailers are determined by the number of mailing offers received by the Who’s Mailing What! Archive – the world’s largest swipe file, with access to over 10,000 controls in nearly 200 categories. To learn more about the Archive, and exclusive AWAI member access, click here: http://www.awaionline.com/whosmailing/]
How an Oregon Salesman and Two Former Pastors Self-Published a Best-Selling Novel and Sold 750,000 Copies on a $300 Marketing Budget
Getting your novel published can be tough. Selling a few thousand copies – even tougher.
Selling over a million copies? Near impossible. (You’ve got a better chance of getting struck by lightning.)
But today you’ll see how an Oregon salesman-turned-first-time author, along with two former pastors, are close to doing just that.
In fact, if you’ve ever dreamed of writing a bestseller, what this trio did may be just the answer you’ve been looking for to put the odds heavily in your favor.
William P. Young – the Oregon salesman-turned-author – never thought he’d write a best-seller.
He wrote his book, The Shack, to describe his journey through misery into “light, love, and transformation” to his children. As he explained in an article in USAToday, “My only goal was to get [the book] copied and bound at Kinko’s in time for Christmas as a gift to my kids.”
But then something happened that led Young to actually publish his book.
He had read and enjoyed a book of parables that was authored and self-published by former pastor, Wayne Jacobson. Shortly thereafter, Young met Jacobson at a book reading being held at a local bookstore. Young asked the former pastor to read his manuscript for The Shack.
Jacobson loved it, and joined forces with Young and another former pastor, Brad Cummings, to try to get it published. They went to Christian publishers, but were told it was too “edgy.” Secular publishers said it was too “Jesus-y.”
Simply put, rejection was becoming the norm. So the two former pastors decided they would publish it themselves, and all three would market it.
They set out to create a buzz, promoting the book church to church, by word of mouth, and even online through blogging.
The book is now sold at all major bookstores, as well as Wal-Mart. There are 880,000 copies in print and 750,000 in distribution. To top it all off, the trio has talked with major New York publishing houses – and even Hollywood about a possible film deal.
So, how do you get your book to become a bestseller?
The key is word-of-mouth marketing, also known as viral marketing. You get one person interested in the book … and he in turn tells everyone he knows about it … and they tell everyone they know … and so on.
The secret of successful viral marketing – especially for a book – is to have a message that’s timely and an idea that captures some part of the national psyche.
No one knows this better than James Redfield, who self-published his first novel, The Celestine Prophecy, in 1992. Just like Young’s book, Redfield’s book was deemed too spiritual by major publishers. So … like Young and the two pastors, Redfield created a buzz about his book by going church-to-church and getting the word out.
Because Redfield’s book captured the national psyche, it quickly gained momentum, and The Celestine Prophecy became one of the most successful self-published books of all time. Later on, the rights were bought by a major publisher, and the book became a #1 New York Times best-seller, and the #1 international bes-tseller of 1996.
The result of self-promotion combined with a book that touched the nation’s soul?
Over 20 million copies sold!
Another self-published author, Gary Scott, who created AWAI’s Self Publishing: Your Complete Business Plan for Creating a Life Without Borders program, accidentally stumbled upon his own opportunity to tap into the national psyche when a client recommended a book entitled How to Survive the Upcoming Crash of 1995, a New York Times best-seller.
The possibility of a crash scared Scott to death. After reading the book, he thought for sure the U.S. economy was headed for a meltdown as a result of the out-of-control national debt. And, he was frustrated because the author offered no advice to help investors prepare for that meltdown.
So, Scott worked out his own recommendations for responding to this imminent economic crisis, and self-published the details in a report. He sold the report on his own at seminars, through direct mail, and by getting the word out every way he could. (Remember this was 1995 … pre-Internet as we know it today.) And over the next two years, he made millions from it.
Scott’s report sold well because it was tuned in to the way investors felt at the time. Millions of investors had read How to Survive the Upcoming Crash of 1995. And Scott’s report offered them solutions to problems presented in the book that they were very interested in discovering.
So, how can you take the nation’s pulse?
First, check out the best-seller lists. Go on Amazon.com to see what’s selling well.
That will give you insight as to what people are interested in … what they’re worry about … what they desire. Once you’ve figured this out, ask yourself: Do I have a solution that touches on one of these hot buttons. If so … write it as a book! Then it’s just a matter of letting people know about it.
Here are a few tips on how to do that:
- Let a few close friends and family members read your book, and ask them for testimonials.
- Create a website about the book, and post those testimonials. Then start visiting blogs and forums whose participants might be interested in the subject of your book. Let them know about it and your website, and encourage them to tell their friends about it.
- Start an email campaign. Email everyone you know to tell them about the book, and ask them to pass it on to their email contacts.
- Let people in your community know about the book. Whether it’s at church, the local Elks Lodge, or the local Chamber of Commerce.
- Find places to sell it. Flea markets, festivals, street fairs, etc.
- Write a press release about the book, and send it out to local radio stations, newspapers, and magazines.
If this sounds like a lot of hard work … well, it is. At least, it can be a lot of “leg work.”
Fortunately, thanks to the Internet and the social media sites such as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, there are now much easier ways to promote your book. In fact, you can promote your book entirely from the comfort of your favorite armchair.
Keep an eye out for upcoming issues of The Golden Thread to learn more details about how to put these proven viral marketing strategies to work for you.
