I click the "send" button on my e-mail and my article is instantly transmitted to a magazine. Minutes later, I have a reply from the editor. It reads "Snappy writing and five days before deadline! Thanks, Bonnie. You're an editors dream."
I believe I'm a good writer, but more important, at least as far as editors are concerned, I'm a disciplined writer. I never miss a deadline. I hear other writers grousing about deadlines, even disregarding them until an unhappy editor prods them. That's a shame, because respecting deadlines can help you mature personally and professionally.
The word "deadline" can be traced back to the Civil War when prisoners were sometimes secured with nothing more than a line drawn in the dirt. Cross that line, they were told, and you're dead! I take deadlines just as seriously. Even during the most trying personal circumstances, I meet my writing commitments. Once, I even wrote a newspaper column as I sat with a dying parent. It was hard, very hard to focus my thoughts and write, but the personal strength I conjured that day translated into writing so powerful it brought my career to a new level.
As I wrote that day I wasn't thinking about winning awards. I was thinking of only one thing: I had to meet my deadline. Writing each word was a struggle. When I'd finish a sentence, I'd rest, feeling like I'd just made it another fifty feet up Mount Everest. When I completed that column, my personal resources were spent. Like a horse that's been whipped to reach the finish line, I was exhausted physically and emotionally and wondered where I'd ever find the strength to write again.
The next week, however, habit kicked in and I kicked out another column. In fact, I never missed a column through one of the most traumatic events of my life. Such is the power of established, disciplined writing habits.
The discipline I developed by always meeting deadlines has served me well both personally and professionally. Personally, it's given me the power to persevere through circumstances that might otherwise have crushed me. Professionally, it's given me a reputation among editors as a writer that can be relied on. I've had editors carry my name with them as they moved from publication to publication, even calling me for work I had no background in, simply because they knew I was one hundred percent reliable.
One editor worked on dozens of different magazines during my association with her, calling me to write about topics ranging from doll designers to antique autos. When I protested I knew nothing about cars, she scolded me, saying, "I don't need a mechanical expert. I have a dozen. What I need is one writer that can actually meet a deadline."
Editors resent having to baby-sit writers, calling to coax, coddle, even threaten writers to get them moving toward their deadline. "It's like herding cats!" one editor wailed. Yet, often, that's where an editor's time and energy are spent. Imagine the good impression you'll make by being a writer that's mature enough to take your work and responsibilities seriously. You may have less experience than other writers, but editors will see you as a real professional. You may have less talent than other writers, but editors will see you as something better than genius-they'll see you as a writer that delivers on deadline.
13 Ocak 2008 Pazar
Is It Worth Hiring A Professional Copywriter?
"Article writers wanted: I will pay $3.50 per article. Must be quality writing – no hobbyists!"
No, this isn't a joke. It's an actual job advert, posted on a website earlier this year. What’s more, there's nothing particularly unusual about this advert. It seems that more and more often these days, people expect writers to work for free – or as close to free as it's possible to get.
So what's the catch? Well, professional copywriters won't write for $3.50, which means that the only people who'll respond to an advert like this will be very people the employer says he doesn't want – hobbyists.
But what's wrong with that? Why not go with a hobbyist – a non-professional writer? What can a professional copywriter give you that an amateur can't?
Here's what:
1. Time
Let's think for a minute about how many $3.50 articles a writer would need to produce in order to make anything like a decent amount of money from it. Quite a few. Quite a few hundred, in fact. In order for it to be worth their while, then, the cheap article writer has to be churning them out at the rate of at least a few an hour. They're not going to spend a lot of time on each article: what would be the point? Even if each article takes them an hour, they're still earning less than minimum wage, so the article you receive isn't going to be carefully researched and written: it’s going to be churned out in as little time as possible.
2. Quality
You may think quality doesn't matter too much. If you're commissioning articles for a website, you may be tempted to think that quantity is all that matters: the more pages of content and keywords you have, the better your chances of being ranked in the search engines, after all.
Think about why you want a good ranking though? Presumably you want your site to be well-ranked in order to receive more traffic and more sales. Your content, then, is there to lure in people, not search engines. And it's a fact that most people arriving at a website full of badly-written content will just hit that back button right away.
3. Credibility
There's no doubt that good quality writing lends credibility to your website or articles, while sloppy writing creates the impression that even you didn't think your project was worth investing in, so no-one else should either.
4. Skill and Experience
Some people think that anyone who knows how to string a sentence together can call themselves a writer. Not so. A professional copywriter doesn't just put words on the page: they know the right words to use to gain the reaction you're looking for from your audience. It takes years of experience to know what works and what doesn't in terms of website copy. Do you really think someone who's spent years acquiring those skills will give them away for $3.50?
Of course, it's up to you. If your main concern is adding content to your site for very little cost, go with the $3 article writers. But if you want to create a high quality website, with content which will pull in visitors and keep them coming back, it could be worth bringing in the professionals.
No, this isn't a joke. It's an actual job advert, posted on a website earlier this year. What’s more, there's nothing particularly unusual about this advert. It seems that more and more often these days, people expect writers to work for free – or as close to free as it's possible to get.
So what's the catch? Well, professional copywriters won't write for $3.50, which means that the only people who'll respond to an advert like this will be very people the employer says he doesn't want – hobbyists.
But what's wrong with that? Why not go with a hobbyist – a non-professional writer? What can a professional copywriter give you that an amateur can't?
Here's what:
1. Time
Let's think for a minute about how many $3.50 articles a writer would need to produce in order to make anything like a decent amount of money from it. Quite a few. Quite a few hundred, in fact. In order for it to be worth their while, then, the cheap article writer has to be churning them out at the rate of at least a few an hour. They're not going to spend a lot of time on each article: what would be the point? Even if each article takes them an hour, they're still earning less than minimum wage, so the article you receive isn't going to be carefully researched and written: it’s going to be churned out in as little time as possible.
2. Quality
You may think quality doesn't matter too much. If you're commissioning articles for a website, you may be tempted to think that quantity is all that matters: the more pages of content and keywords you have, the better your chances of being ranked in the search engines, after all.
Think about why you want a good ranking though? Presumably you want your site to be well-ranked in order to receive more traffic and more sales. Your content, then, is there to lure in people, not search engines. And it's a fact that most people arriving at a website full of badly-written content will just hit that back button right away.
3. Credibility
There's no doubt that good quality writing lends credibility to your website or articles, while sloppy writing creates the impression that even you didn't think your project was worth investing in, so no-one else should either.
4. Skill and Experience
Some people think that anyone who knows how to string a sentence together can call themselves a writer. Not so. A professional copywriter doesn't just put words on the page: they know the right words to use to gain the reaction you're looking for from your audience. It takes years of experience to know what works and what doesn't in terms of website copy. Do you really think someone who's spent years acquiring those skills will give them away for $3.50?
Of course, it's up to you. If your main concern is adding content to your site for very little cost, go with the $3 article writers. But if you want to create a high quality website, with content which will pull in visitors and keep them coming back, it could be worth bringing in the professionals.
Benefits of Submitting Articles – 10 Reasons Why Free May Bring in the Bucks
Websites, Bloggers, Ezine Publishers all need content. All business need exposure and advertising. Writing artilcles to share your expertise with others can benefit in a number of ways even if you offer your articles freely.
1. Brand Yourself. You will brand your website, business and yourself . Make sure you include your name, business name, credentials, web site address and e-mail address in your resource box.
2. Gain credibility. You will become know as an expert on the topics you write about. Get an edge on your competion with a boost in credibilty.
3. Free advertising. This will broaden your advertising efforts in addition to yur normal advertising budget.
4. Get Published All Over The Web. Multiple visiting publishers to need free content for their websites, ezines, blogs and more.
5. Get Published in Offline Content. Some publishers may put your content in ebooks and so your advertising can multiply further.
6. Gain Trust. If when people read your article they like it, they will be more likely to buy your product or service increasing your profits.
7. Highlighted Exposure. A publisher may choose to place your article on their homepage or high traffic blog. Placement can increase credibility as well as exposure.
8. Long Term Advertising. Your article may end up in archives to ezine publications. Some subcribers like to read back issues before subscribing.
9. Multiply Income. You may get extra income from people who want to hire you to write other articles, books or even speak at seminars. This can be a great way to multiply your income.
10. Link Popularity! When publishers begin placing your article along with resource box on their websites you will start to raise your search engine rankings. The more links back to you site the more popular you are with the search engines. Start gaining all sorts of popularity today!
1. Brand Yourself. You will brand your website, business and yourself . Make sure you include your name, business name, credentials, web site address and e-mail address in your resource box.
2. Gain credibility. You will become know as an expert on the topics you write about. Get an edge on your competion with a boost in credibilty.
3. Free advertising. This will broaden your advertising efforts in addition to yur normal advertising budget.
4. Get Published All Over The Web. Multiple visiting publishers to need free content for their websites, ezines, blogs and more.
5. Get Published in Offline Content. Some publishers may put your content in ebooks and so your advertising can multiply further.
6. Gain Trust. If when people read your article they like it, they will be more likely to buy your product or service increasing your profits.
7. Highlighted Exposure. A publisher may choose to place your article on their homepage or high traffic blog. Placement can increase credibility as well as exposure.
8. Long Term Advertising. Your article may end up in archives to ezine publications. Some subcribers like to read back issues before subscribing.
9. Multiply Income. You may get extra income from people who want to hire you to write other articles, books or even speak at seminars. This can be a great way to multiply your income.
10. Link Popularity! When publishers begin placing your article along with resource box on their websites you will start to raise your search engine rankings. The more links back to you site the more popular you are with the search engines. Start gaining all sorts of popularity today!
Proofreading Your Own Document
You've just written an important paper, business communique, or other document that will be read by others and perhaps will be the basis for a classroom grade, a prospective business arrangement, or provide necessary information for a specific situation. Regardless of the end use of this document, it is important to you that it not contain any errors or embarrassing grammar and punctuation mistakes. You've run spellcheck, but you understand that spellcheck isn't foolproof. Your document needs to be proofread.
Ideally, you need a professional proofreader (or some other objective person) to read your document and correct whatever errors there might be in it. However, time and circumstance are not always conducive to using a proofreader. When this happens, you have to proofread it yourself.
Self-proofreading is fraught with pitfalls, the biggest of which is that you are "too close" to the text. That is, you know what you meant to write, even if that's not exactly what you did write. Your brain can easily fill in the gaps and skim over simple errors like an incorrect wrong verb tense or a missed word in a well-used phrase. The mechanism in your brain that does this is called your "short-term memory"---and it can be very strong. Before you self-proofread, you need to allow your short-term memory (STM) to "dump" (that is, to allow what is stored in your STM to be deleted).
After you have finished your document---WALK AWAY. You need a minimum of 30 minutes between having finished the document and proofreading it. It is best if you do something that is completely disassociated with that document: work on something else that has no connection to the text in your document, go for a walk, make a few phone calls, or clean the cobwebs out of the corners of the ceiling. Clear your head in any manner you wish, but be sure to do it.
When you are ready to proofread your own document, do not read it from start to finish. It is best if you can print it; this will allow you to read it in non-sequential order. Read the middle two pages first, go back and read the beginning, and then read the last pages. Reading your text out of order will make it easier for you to see what is really there instead of what you want to see.
As you read along, if you "stumble" on any particular sentence, then go back and read it aloud. Yes---say the words. Better yet, put your finger under each word as you say it. This technique will help you to "hear" the error (maybe a wrong verb tense or a word that is missing). When you find an error (spelling, missing word, wrong word, missing punctuation), mark it on the printed page. You don't have to know proofreading marks---just use whatever shorthand you'll understand.
After you have read your paper, out of order, make all the corrections that you have marked. Be careful! It is really easy to insert that comma in the wrong place (and I'm speaking from experience here!). Key in the correction, and then review it on screen. Continue through your entire document, making all the corrections needed.
At this point, you should use "Find" to locate your trouble words. Perhaps you always waffle about whether to use affect or effect. Maybe you know that you often use it's when you should use its. Enter your trouble word(s) into the Find field, and click on Find Next until you have gone through the entire document.
Now you need to rerun spellcheck. For a tip on how to reset spellcheck (so that spellcheck will actually re-check the entire document, not just the changes that you made), go to "How to Re-Set Spellchecker," at: (http://freecontent.janktheproofer.com/ResetSpellcheck.htm).
If time permits, walk away from this document again for 30 minutes. Since you've already cleaned out the cobwebs, maybe it's time to rearrange your sock drawer. Come back to the document and skim through it one more time. If your brain stumbles over anything, read it aloud, put your finger under each word, and check for wrong verb tense, missing word, wrong word, etc. If you change even one thing, then you need to re-set your spellcheck and run it one last time.
Here's a final word of caution about spellcheck: Spellcheck does not always suggest the right thing. That is, spellcheck might stop at its and suggest that it is a commonly mis-used word, do you want to change its to it's. Don't get "Change" happy. When spellcheck beeps, look at the correction it is suggesting and then re-read the sentence in its entirety. If, in fact, you want to make the change suggested, then do so. If not, then hit Ignore and continue on. Likewise, don't get "Ignore" happy---every time spellcheck hiccups, review the change being suggested, re-read the sentence in its entirety, and make a decision to make the change or to ignore it.
There are many other ways that your computer can help you to produce a document that is free of error. For other helpful articles, please go to my index of Writing and Grammar articles at: http://freecontent.janktheproofer.com/#Grammar_and_Writing:.
Through intelligent use of your computer's word processing software, spellcheck, and your brain, you can produce an [almost] error-free document.
Ideally, you need a professional proofreader (or some other objective person) to read your document and correct whatever errors there might be in it. However, time and circumstance are not always conducive to using a proofreader. When this happens, you have to proofread it yourself.
Self-proofreading is fraught with pitfalls, the biggest of which is that you are "too close" to the text. That is, you know what you meant to write, even if that's not exactly what you did write. Your brain can easily fill in the gaps and skim over simple errors like an incorrect wrong verb tense or a missed word in a well-used phrase. The mechanism in your brain that does this is called your "short-term memory"---and it can be very strong. Before you self-proofread, you need to allow your short-term memory (STM) to "dump" (that is, to allow what is stored in your STM to be deleted).
After you have finished your document---WALK AWAY. You need a minimum of 30 minutes between having finished the document and proofreading it. It is best if you do something that is completely disassociated with that document: work on something else that has no connection to the text in your document, go for a walk, make a few phone calls, or clean the cobwebs out of the corners of the ceiling. Clear your head in any manner you wish, but be sure to do it.
When you are ready to proofread your own document, do not read it from start to finish. It is best if you can print it; this will allow you to read it in non-sequential order. Read the middle two pages first, go back and read the beginning, and then read the last pages. Reading your text out of order will make it easier for you to see what is really there instead of what you want to see.
As you read along, if you "stumble" on any particular sentence, then go back and read it aloud. Yes---say the words. Better yet, put your finger under each word as you say it. This technique will help you to "hear" the error (maybe a wrong verb tense or a word that is missing). When you find an error (spelling, missing word, wrong word, missing punctuation), mark it on the printed page. You don't have to know proofreading marks---just use whatever shorthand you'll understand.
After you have read your paper, out of order, make all the corrections that you have marked. Be careful! It is really easy to insert that comma in the wrong place (and I'm speaking from experience here!). Key in the correction, and then review it on screen. Continue through your entire document, making all the corrections needed.
At this point, you should use "Find" to locate your trouble words. Perhaps you always waffle about whether to use affect or effect. Maybe you know that you often use it's when you should use its. Enter your trouble word(s) into the Find field, and click on Find Next until you have gone through the entire document.
Now you need to rerun spellcheck. For a tip on how to reset spellcheck (so that spellcheck will actually re-check the entire document, not just the changes that you made), go to "How to Re-Set Spellchecker," at: (http://freecontent.janktheproofer.com/ResetSpellcheck.htm).
If time permits, walk away from this document again for 30 minutes. Since you've already cleaned out the cobwebs, maybe it's time to rearrange your sock drawer. Come back to the document and skim through it one more time. If your brain stumbles over anything, read it aloud, put your finger under each word, and check for wrong verb tense, missing word, wrong word, etc. If you change even one thing, then you need to re-set your spellcheck and run it one last time.
Here's a final word of caution about spellcheck: Spellcheck does not always suggest the right thing. That is, spellcheck might stop at its and suggest that it is a commonly mis-used word, do you want to change its to it's. Don't get "Change" happy. When spellcheck beeps, look at the correction it is suggesting and then re-read the sentence in its entirety. If, in fact, you want to make the change suggested, then do so. If not, then hit Ignore and continue on. Likewise, don't get "Ignore" happy---every time spellcheck hiccups, review the change being suggested, re-read the sentence in its entirety, and make a decision to make the change or to ignore it.
There are many other ways that your computer can help you to produce a document that is free of error. For other helpful articles, please go to my index of Writing and Grammar articles at: http://freecontent.janktheproofer.com/#Grammar_and_Writing:.
Through intelligent use of your computer's word processing software, spellcheck, and your brain, you can produce an [almost] error-free document.
How To Improve Your Freelance Proofreading Career
Did you know that one of the best ways to get the knowledge you need to be an effective proof reader is to take a training course? It will be the best move you ever make. Courses are not mandatory, but it can be very challenging to find work that is available to those who do not have a proofreading training certification.
If you are trying to build your freelance business, it can be difficult to find the time to take a training course. Who has the time to travel back and forth from college to get this degree or certification? We won’t even mention the costs of enrolling into the college either. But proofreading training courses can be done online. It is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can use a mail based proof reading course as well if you like.
Take classes when you have time. The cost is much less than that of a traditional college. The best part is that if you take the time to find it, you can take the proof reading courses through an accredited college meaning that you are actually getting a college education.
To become a professional proofreader, you must have many skills. It is not a simple job that anyone can do. It does take training and it does take skill and dedication. A proofreading course is a simple step on the way to ensuring a great freelance career. Because they are readily available, it is easy to find them, easy to get in, and well worth it in the cost department.
Establishing yourself as a professional is hard work. It is much easier to get into the field and gain the trust of someone who can later open many more doors for you when you have a certification behind you. It just makes sense to make the time to take the courses and to learn from them so you can excel in your freelance business.
If you are trying to build your freelance business, it can be difficult to find the time to take a training course. Who has the time to travel back and forth from college to get this degree or certification? We won’t even mention the costs of enrolling into the college either. But proofreading training courses can be done online. It is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can use a mail based proof reading course as well if you like.
Take classes when you have time. The cost is much less than that of a traditional college. The best part is that if you take the time to find it, you can take the proof reading courses through an accredited college meaning that you are actually getting a college education.
To become a professional proofreader, you must have many skills. It is not a simple job that anyone can do. It does take training and it does take skill and dedication. A proofreading course is a simple step on the way to ensuring a great freelance career. Because they are readily available, it is easy to find them, easy to get in, and well worth it in the cost department.
Establishing yourself as a professional is hard work. It is much easier to get into the field and gain the trust of someone who can later open many more doors for you when you have a certification behind you. It just makes sense to make the time to take the courses and to learn from them so you can excel in your freelance business.
How to Find a Niche For Your Blog
It is important to realize that your choice of a niche can have a significant influence on the success or failure of your new blog.
Deciding on a theme can be a daunting task. What exactly are you going to write about? Your niche needs to be a popular topic that many people are interested in.
If you are going to blog about yourself, then you better have a very interesting life, or you will have difficulty keeping your readers coming back for more. You should choose a topic that will make it comparatively easy to grow your readership and build a strong following.
Since many bloggers write about their favorite subjects, it’s not a bad idea to start brainstorming by writing down a list of your hobbies, interests, and any areas of professional expertise. Now try to determine a niche you can target within one of those areas.
Should you blog about automobiles in general, or the latest sports cars? If you choose too narrow a theme then you may struggle to come up with regular, fresh content. And if you choose a topic that’s too general your readers may be confused by a jumble of seemingly unrelated posts.
You might consider niches within the following general topic areas which have proven to be popular for blogging:
Automobiles
Computers & Information Technology
Digital Cameras
Gadgets
Music
News
Photography
Politics
Shopping
If you plan to use Pay-Per-Click advertising to get traffic to your blog, then remember also that the hottest topics might have the highest pay-per-click fees.
You can sometimes get great niche ideas by browsing at Blog directories and sites like Google Blog Search: http://blogsearch.google.com
Since it is so time-consuming trying to com up with the ‘perfect’ niche idea, many bloggers and webmasters have turned to specialized niche discovery tools. I particularly recommend Online Gold Finder and NicheTopics.
With Online Gold Finder you can uncover profitable, undiscovered online markets with just a couple of clicks. Read more about Online Gold Finder at: http://www.moneyforblogging.com/goldfinder.htm
NicheTopics is quite handy in a different way. You get to use some great research that’s already been completed by an expert. It is a ready-to-use report on 109 unique, untapped niches. Read more about NicheTopics: http://www.moneyforblogging.com/nichetopics.htm
The tools above are not free but consider for a moment. If you are planning – or would even like - to make some money from your blog, then it will be worthwhile to start off with a well-researched niche.
If a particular tool uncovers a good niche that pays an additional $5 a day, it will pay for itself inside the first month!
Don’t forget, it will be very difficult to change the theme and niche of your blog later. So invest some time wisely during your planning stage.
You will be off to a strong start in building a successful blog.
Deciding on a theme can be a daunting task. What exactly are you going to write about? Your niche needs to be a popular topic that many people are interested in.
If you are going to blog about yourself, then you better have a very interesting life, or you will have difficulty keeping your readers coming back for more. You should choose a topic that will make it comparatively easy to grow your readership and build a strong following.
Since many bloggers write about their favorite subjects, it’s not a bad idea to start brainstorming by writing down a list of your hobbies, interests, and any areas of professional expertise. Now try to determine a niche you can target within one of those areas.
Should you blog about automobiles in general, or the latest sports cars? If you choose too narrow a theme then you may struggle to come up with regular, fresh content. And if you choose a topic that’s too general your readers may be confused by a jumble of seemingly unrelated posts.
You might consider niches within the following general topic areas which have proven to be popular for blogging:
Automobiles
Computers & Information Technology
Digital Cameras
Gadgets
Music
News
Photography
Politics
Shopping
If you plan to use Pay-Per-Click advertising to get traffic to your blog, then remember also that the hottest topics might have the highest pay-per-click fees.
You can sometimes get great niche ideas by browsing at Blog directories and sites like Google Blog Search: http://blogsearch.google.com
Since it is so time-consuming trying to com up with the ‘perfect’ niche idea, many bloggers and webmasters have turned to specialized niche discovery tools. I particularly recommend Online Gold Finder and NicheTopics.
With Online Gold Finder you can uncover profitable, undiscovered online markets with just a couple of clicks. Read more about Online Gold Finder at: http://www.moneyforblogging.com/goldfinder.htm
NicheTopics is quite handy in a different way. You get to use some great research that’s already been completed by an expert. It is a ready-to-use report on 109 unique, untapped niches. Read more about NicheTopics: http://www.moneyforblogging.com/nichetopics.htm
The tools above are not free but consider for a moment. If you are planning – or would even like - to make some money from your blog, then it will be worthwhile to start off with a well-researched niche.
If a particular tool uncovers a good niche that pays an additional $5 a day, it will pay for itself inside the first month!
Don’t forget, it will be very difficult to change the theme and niche of your blog later. So invest some time wisely during your planning stage.
You will be off to a strong start in building a successful blog.
Top Ten eBook Mistakes and How to Correct Them
Did you know that you already have an eBook inside you?
And, like your coach, you can earn thousands of dollars each month?
Even if you are a non-techie like me, you can write your ebook at the same time you write your print book. Or, solve your readers' problems using other articles and reports already in your files. Expand a two-page article with a story or add other how-to's.
If you want to double and triple your present book income, check out these mistakes and correct them now.
Mistake 1. You don't write a short eBook first to test the waters.
Short is in the eyes of the beholder, but let's say from 15-90 pages. Your future customers will be glad to download these pages and print only the ones they need to.
Your eBook needs to be more concise, easy-to-read, and compelling than your print book. That means you can shorten your analogies and stories. You can use a "success format" that poses a question (a heading) your reader wants answered, then answer it. This formula gets to the point quickly, and always remember, your Online audience is busy and doesn't want a wordy style.
Mistake 2. You don't check in with a professional editor or book coach before you sell your eBook.
Yes, it's good to get feedback from peers, but you need to get a professional look at the final edition--someone who can set you straight about words and grammar that makes your writing vital and original. For instance, you need to drop your passive constructions such as "there is" or any form of "is, has, begin or start". Limit the -ly adverbs that merely tell rather than show. Your readers want a picture and want to respond with their emotions. Limit your -ing forms of the verbs. Keep your copy in present or past tense.
Mistake 3. You don't know your audience before you write your eBook.
Emerging authors make this biggest mistake. They have information, so why not write an eBook? Instead think about the audience you will serve. More targeted works well. People who want something quick and easy that will save them time and money--another audience. The best one so far in the untapped Internet or Online audience. Mostly small business people, they are eager to buy what they need to make their life or business more enjoyable, profitable, and easy.
Right now, think of your one or two preferred audiences, and keep their profile of their needs, complaints, or problems as well as their picture by your workstation. Then you will write the book your pre-sold audience already wants!
Mistake 4. You don't automate your business .
As a newbie or non-techie, at first you may resist learning how to do this. Three years ago I knew nothing about the net, and today I've published five eBooks on Internet marketing and eBook writing and publishing. You can too, little by little.
Since each book will not bring you landslides of profit, think about limiting your small priced books. Or, bundle them so that each sale is around $20 and up.
Offer your eBook for sale through an 800 number. One with excellent service is MRC business Support at 800-366-5596. Set up a link for people to download your book. Two companies to investigate are Clickbank.com and Paypal.com.
Delegate some of this work to your computer assistant. Contact your local high schools and technical schools where Online geniuses live. And, the cost is nominal in comparison to the results.
Mistake 5. You don't have a title that sells well.
A good title is short, clear, and clever. The best title includes your book's number one benefit. Use words your audience can relate to. Even cliches are OK for book titles. Instead of "How to Market Online" offer a title like a Web site headline:
"Quadruple your Monthly Book Income--Market Online."
Brainstorm a list of your possible titles with associates through a small marketing survey. Ask them to vote from 1-10 and offer their own title ideas that would make them reach into their wallets and pay $15-20 or more.
6. You don't leverage your eBook for higher price sales.
When you look at the valuable information inside your eBook and you realize you only make $20 a sale, you may want to investigate putting it into an eCourse. These courses sell for $79 and up. With just a little revising and tweaking, you can set your book up to be a hands-on how to course.
You can bundle several lower cost eBooks and list their singular prices. Then offer a fabulous discount to buy all three or four.
Mistake 7. You don't add bonus value to your eBook.
Whenever you put 2-4 bonus special reports at the end of your eBook document in Portable Document Format, you make your offer so appealing, that many will buy for the bonuses alone. For an eBook on How to Write your EBook or Other Book--Fast! an eBook that sells for $24.95, the author offered these three valuable bonuses as an incentive to buy. "Titles Sell Books" - value $4.95, 2. "Write Like a Pro Checklist." - value $3.95, and 3. "How to Get Testimonials from the Rich and Famous" - value $595 . That's $15 of valuable reports added to $24.95--Total value: $40.00 value for only $24.95.
She put a new link on her Web site "Discounts of the Month." With a limited time offer, from her ePromotion bi-monthly offers, she got many new buyers. Everyone wants useful, original information. Everyone also wants a bargain.
Mistake 8. You put too many topics in your book.
Remember, best sellers focus on one main topic. Each chapter must support that subject. When you try to give too much, your information isn't organized, short, and compelling. Instead of the end all, be all book, concentrate on one "how-to" and give plenty of details to make it useful to your reader.
9. You don't market while you write.
Most writers wish someone else would do it for them. Not in this lifetime! It's so much easier to put marketing into each chapter title, each chapter's questions you will answer, rough draft of your eBook's back cover (sales letter), the One-Minute "Tell and Sell," and knowing your targeted audience, thesis and table of contents before you write a single chapter. Knowing these essential "Seven Hot-Selling Points" before you finish your eBook will have you ready to promote the second you write your last word. .
10. You don't brand yourself, your business, and your book.
Some people join an affiliate program or set up an affiliate program for others to sell their products and sell many products. As a marketing coach, what I want for you is to think of the overview "umbrella" you can house your products under. Think about your biggest benefit you offer through your service. Think about your book title. Can you put a key word from it into each chapter title? For the book, "Passion at Any Age," the author put the word passion in each chapter title such as "Passionate Self-Care". In one client's book, "Watch Out! Your Relationships Can Be Hazardous To Your Health." the author included the key words "watch out!" in each chapter title.
The eBook earning curve while short, is important for all writers to conquer. It's easier when you contact a professional coach or take a teleclass to inform yourself. Stop making eBook mistakes so you can earn the money you deserve.
And, like your coach, you can earn thousands of dollars each month?
Even if you are a non-techie like me, you can write your ebook at the same time you write your print book. Or, solve your readers' problems using other articles and reports already in your files. Expand a two-page article with a story or add other how-to's.
If you want to double and triple your present book income, check out these mistakes and correct them now.
Mistake 1. You don't write a short eBook first to test the waters.
Short is in the eyes of the beholder, but let's say from 15-90 pages. Your future customers will be glad to download these pages and print only the ones they need to.
Your eBook needs to be more concise, easy-to-read, and compelling than your print book. That means you can shorten your analogies and stories. You can use a "success format" that poses a question (a heading) your reader wants answered, then answer it. This formula gets to the point quickly, and always remember, your Online audience is busy and doesn't want a wordy style.
Mistake 2. You don't check in with a professional editor or book coach before you sell your eBook.
Yes, it's good to get feedback from peers, but you need to get a professional look at the final edition--someone who can set you straight about words and grammar that makes your writing vital and original. For instance, you need to drop your passive constructions such as "there is" or any form of "is, has, begin or start". Limit the -ly adverbs that merely tell rather than show. Your readers want a picture and want to respond with their emotions. Limit your -ing forms of the verbs. Keep your copy in present or past tense.
Mistake 3. You don't know your audience before you write your eBook.
Emerging authors make this biggest mistake. They have information, so why not write an eBook? Instead think about the audience you will serve. More targeted works well. People who want something quick and easy that will save them time and money--another audience. The best one so far in the untapped Internet or Online audience. Mostly small business people, they are eager to buy what they need to make their life or business more enjoyable, profitable, and easy.
Right now, think of your one or two preferred audiences, and keep their profile of their needs, complaints, or problems as well as their picture by your workstation. Then you will write the book your pre-sold audience already wants!
Mistake 4. You don't automate your business .
As a newbie or non-techie, at first you may resist learning how to do this. Three years ago I knew nothing about the net, and today I've published five eBooks on Internet marketing and eBook writing and publishing. You can too, little by little.
Since each book will not bring you landslides of profit, think about limiting your small priced books. Or, bundle them so that each sale is around $20 and up.
Offer your eBook for sale through an 800 number. One with excellent service is MRC business Support at 800-366-5596. Set up a link for people to download your book. Two companies to investigate are Clickbank.com and Paypal.com.
Delegate some of this work to your computer assistant. Contact your local high schools and technical schools where Online geniuses live. And, the cost is nominal in comparison to the results.
Mistake 5. You don't have a title that sells well.
A good title is short, clear, and clever. The best title includes your book's number one benefit. Use words your audience can relate to. Even cliches are OK for book titles. Instead of "How to Market Online" offer a title like a Web site headline:
"Quadruple your Monthly Book Income--Market Online."
Brainstorm a list of your possible titles with associates through a small marketing survey. Ask them to vote from 1-10 and offer their own title ideas that would make them reach into their wallets and pay $15-20 or more.
6. You don't leverage your eBook for higher price sales.
When you look at the valuable information inside your eBook and you realize you only make $20 a sale, you may want to investigate putting it into an eCourse. These courses sell for $79 and up. With just a little revising and tweaking, you can set your book up to be a hands-on how to course.
You can bundle several lower cost eBooks and list their singular prices. Then offer a fabulous discount to buy all three or four.
Mistake 7. You don't add bonus value to your eBook.
Whenever you put 2-4 bonus special reports at the end of your eBook document in Portable Document Format, you make your offer so appealing, that many will buy for the bonuses alone. For an eBook on How to Write your EBook or Other Book--Fast! an eBook that sells for $24.95, the author offered these three valuable bonuses as an incentive to buy. "Titles Sell Books" - value $4.95, 2. "Write Like a Pro Checklist." - value $3.95, and 3. "How to Get Testimonials from the Rich and Famous" - value $595 . That's $15 of valuable reports added to $24.95--Total value: $40.00 value for only $24.95.
She put a new link on her Web site "Discounts of the Month." With a limited time offer, from her ePromotion bi-monthly offers, she got many new buyers. Everyone wants useful, original information. Everyone also wants a bargain.
Mistake 8. You put too many topics in your book.
Remember, best sellers focus on one main topic. Each chapter must support that subject. When you try to give too much, your information isn't organized, short, and compelling. Instead of the end all, be all book, concentrate on one "how-to" and give plenty of details to make it useful to your reader.
9. You don't market while you write.
Most writers wish someone else would do it for them. Not in this lifetime! It's so much easier to put marketing into each chapter title, each chapter's questions you will answer, rough draft of your eBook's back cover (sales letter), the One-Minute "Tell and Sell," and knowing your targeted audience, thesis and table of contents before you write a single chapter. Knowing these essential "Seven Hot-Selling Points" before you finish your eBook will have you ready to promote the second you write your last word. .
10. You don't brand yourself, your business, and your book.
Some people join an affiliate program or set up an affiliate program for others to sell their products and sell many products. As a marketing coach, what I want for you is to think of the overview "umbrella" you can house your products under. Think about your biggest benefit you offer through your service. Think about your book title. Can you put a key word from it into each chapter title? For the book, "Passion at Any Age," the author put the word passion in each chapter title such as "Passionate Self-Care". In one client's book, "Watch Out! Your Relationships Can Be Hazardous To Your Health." the author included the key words "watch out!" in each chapter title.
The eBook earning curve while short, is important for all writers to conquer. It's easier when you contact a professional coach or take a teleclass to inform yourself. Stop making eBook mistakes so you can earn the money you deserve.
Ghostwriting - It's Not Only For Books
Utilizing a Ghostwriter for eBook product creation is a quick and easy way to churn out product after product.
BUT, ghostwriting is not just for ebooks!
Do you currently have a website and do you already market products?
If you do you are in luck. As we all know, to market your product you need to have newsletters, ezine articles, special reports, bonuses and more.
Well, you can use a Ghostwriter to do all of that for you. You can hire a Ghostwriter to do a "Special Report" for one of your products and send it to your li*st. It may be about a new finding that relates to your product or maybe even a sales letter for another product.
Example:
If you have a product on B*ody Building, you can hire a Ghostwriter to write a report on "Supplements - Learn the good, the bad, and the unknowns on the most popular supplements on the market". You can sell this as a special report, add it as a bonus to your current product or you can give it away to your li*st to add instant credibility.
Do you have an offline business?
Great! You can hire a ghostwriter to create reports for your business to add credibility to your establishment.
Example:
If you are a dentist, you can have a ghostwriter write a report on "Gingivitis - New studies on how to prevent this growing problem" to give to your clients, giving you instant credibility.
Ghostwriting is not only for product creation, but also a great tool to add credibility and value to your already established business.
BUT, ghostwriting is not just for ebooks!
Do you currently have a website and do you already market products?
If you do you are in luck. As we all know, to market your product you need to have newsletters, ezine articles, special reports, bonuses and more.
Well, you can use a Ghostwriter to do all of that for you. You can hire a Ghostwriter to do a "Special Report" for one of your products and send it to your li*st. It may be about a new finding that relates to your product or maybe even a sales letter for another product.
Example:
If you have a product on B*ody Building, you can hire a Ghostwriter to write a report on "Supplements - Learn the good, the bad, and the unknowns on the most popular supplements on the market". You can sell this as a special report, add it as a bonus to your current product or you can give it away to your li*st to add instant credibility.
Do you have an offline business?
Great! You can hire a ghostwriter to create reports for your business to add credibility to your establishment.
Example:
If you are a dentist, you can have a ghostwriter write a report on "Gingivitis - New studies on how to prevent this growing problem" to give to your clients, giving you instant credibility.
Ghostwriting is not only for product creation, but also a great tool to add credibility and value to your already established business.
How Anyone Who Knows How to Type Can Write an Article in 30 Minutes or Less
It seems that one of the fastest growing recommendations
flying around the net these days is about writing articles.
Of course as something starts to pick up momentum it brings
forth a myriad of products, all wanting your hard earned
cash.
Recently I picked up a product by Melanie Mendelson called
"The 30 Minute Article Writing System."
In The 30 Minute Article Writing System Melanie teaches a
step by step system for creating articles on virtually any
topic in 30 minutes or less. Instead of just giving you
more content you are given a clearly defined set of steps
and a time limit for each one's completion.
Although the system is straight forward the largest obstacle
would be the system assumes you have some knowledge of the
topic you are writing about.
This is easily overcome with some quick search engine
research on your topic, however if your not very versed in
your topic it will take you more than 30 minutes factoring
in research time.
Melanie Mendelson, although she has only been working online
for a little more than 3 years has been able to create a
full time income for herself.
Creating her own products, Melanie uses article writing as
her top strategy for attracting customers.
In "The 30 Minute Article Writing System" I found the
simplicity of the system to be it's most powerful quality.
Knowing the exact step to take and having a pre-determined
time limit for its completion keeps your article writing on
track.
The system is powerful enough to have you create very well
written articles even though you may have very limited
knowledge on the subject of your article.
Using the program definitely eliminates any type of writer's
block.
There is also a huge list of sites included in the book for
submitting your articles to for massive exposure.
Although the information is not new the way Melanie presents
it in a clearly defined system is rare and very refreshing
even for someone who has never written an article in their
life.
I must admit I was a little skeptical about the following
sentence from Melanie's sales letter:
"If you are a complete novice, you will be churning out
articles like you've been doing it all your life."
However after going through the system I can see where she
has the proof to back this statement.
Understanding that "The 30 Minute Article Writing System" is
designed to be a quick system for writing articles, I do
wish Melanie would have maybe touched somewhat on the
subject of quick research for topics you might not be
familiar with.
After purchasing the product and using it I believe that
everything stated in the original sales letter was true and
I was left with no unanswered questions or concerns.
If you are at all interested in attracting more search
engine traffic or publicity to your business or affiliate
programs, then this article system should prove very
helpful.
An informative article can draw huge amounts of traffic to
your website and business and I would give this product a 7
out of 10 recommendation to help you with your article
writing.
For more information on "The 30 Minute Article Writing
System", please visit Melanie's site at
http://www.ArticlesIn30Minutes.com
In the future I sincerely hope that Melanie Mendelson
follows up on this product with something discussing related
topics. A few examples may be quick research for your
article writing or the ins and outs of article submissions.
flying around the net these days is about writing articles.
Of course as something starts to pick up momentum it brings
forth a myriad of products, all wanting your hard earned
cash.
Recently I picked up a product by Melanie Mendelson called
"The 30 Minute Article Writing System."
In The 30 Minute Article Writing System Melanie teaches a
step by step system for creating articles on virtually any
topic in 30 minutes or less. Instead of just giving you
more content you are given a clearly defined set of steps
and a time limit for each one's completion.
Although the system is straight forward the largest obstacle
would be the system assumes you have some knowledge of the
topic you are writing about.
This is easily overcome with some quick search engine
research on your topic, however if your not very versed in
your topic it will take you more than 30 minutes factoring
in research time.
Melanie Mendelson, although she has only been working online
for a little more than 3 years has been able to create a
full time income for herself.
Creating her own products, Melanie uses article writing as
her top strategy for attracting customers.
In "The 30 Minute Article Writing System" I found the
simplicity of the system to be it's most powerful quality.
Knowing the exact step to take and having a pre-determined
time limit for its completion keeps your article writing on
track.
The system is powerful enough to have you create very well
written articles even though you may have very limited
knowledge on the subject of your article.
Using the program definitely eliminates any type of writer's
block.
There is also a huge list of sites included in the book for
submitting your articles to for massive exposure.
Although the information is not new the way Melanie presents
it in a clearly defined system is rare and very refreshing
even for someone who has never written an article in their
life.
I must admit I was a little skeptical about the following
sentence from Melanie's sales letter:
"If you are a complete novice, you will be churning out
articles like you've been doing it all your life."
However after going through the system I can see where she
has the proof to back this statement.
Understanding that "The 30 Minute Article Writing System" is
designed to be a quick system for writing articles, I do
wish Melanie would have maybe touched somewhat on the
subject of quick research for topics you might not be
familiar with.
After purchasing the product and using it I believe that
everything stated in the original sales letter was true and
I was left with no unanswered questions or concerns.
If you are at all interested in attracting more search
engine traffic or publicity to your business or affiliate
programs, then this article system should prove very
helpful.
An informative article can draw huge amounts of traffic to
your website and business and I would give this product a 7
out of 10 recommendation to help you with your article
writing.
For more information on "The 30 Minute Article Writing
System", please visit Melanie's site at
http://www.ArticlesIn30Minutes.com
In the future I sincerely hope that Melanie Mendelson
follows up on this product with something discussing related
topics. A few examples may be quick research for your
article writing or the ins and outs of article submissions.
How To Write A Solution-Savvy Sales Letter to To Get Clients
Too many sales letters are shaped into paper airplanes and flown into trash cans because freelancers write sales letters that sell their services. These freelancers have never listened to the quietly- whispered secret that says their sales letters should sell solutions, not services, to yield the best results.
Solutions are jewels; they shimmer in sales pieces.
Prospects will peruse your sales letter if they discover you have a solution (or solutions) to their existing or future problem or problems.
To write a "solution-savvy" sales letter follow the copywriter’s adage: write "client-centered" copy. Zero in on the prospect, his business, his needs, his problems. Then pitch yourself as the freelancer who can fulfill his needs and solve his problems. Crown your claims with clients whom you’ve worked for and specific results you’ve achieved on solving similar problems.
Here are four softly-whispered secrets to write a solution-savvy sales letter:
• SECRET #1: FOCUS ON THE CLIENT’S NEED OR PROBLEM.
As a freelancer writing for this client’s business and industry, you should know the type of needs and problems the client faces regularly — or could face in the future. Zero in on a specific need or problem that is hurting the client’s profitability or productivity. (Note: prospects are more motivated to contact you if you pitch yourself as a freelancer who has a solution to a present problem, rather than a future or potential problem).
• SECRET #2: FOCUS ON THE BENEFITS OF SOLVING THE PROBLEM OR MEETING THE NEED.
Tell the prospect what he and his business can gain if his problem is solved. Usually, it means an increase in profitability or productivity. Maybe both. Also stress the possible consequences of not taking action now to solve this problem.
• SECRET #3: WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?
Here is where you present your solution. First, describe the service you are recommending. A press kit? Direct mail package? A series of ads?
— Tie it into the client’s needs. The client may have a new product to promote; he needs a low-cost marketing method that will produce lucrative results.
— Stress your uniqueness to undertake this task. Why you — and not someone else? What qualifications do you brandish and what type of specific results have you achieved for similar businesses with the same type of problem?
— Offer secondary solutions that also may work to solve the client’s problem. These secondary solutions also may be alternatives that the client’s competition is using; if this is the case, point out their weaknesses and emphasize why your primary solution is better.
• SECRET #4: THE "CLIENT-CENTERED" CONSUMMATION.
The closing of your sales letter should show the client that the benefits predictably outweigh the costs. If the client is investing $6,000 for you to write a DM package, the client doesn’t just get a DM package; he receives exposure for his new product, generates new leads and sales, targets specific segments of his market, increases his company’s profit, etc.
Secondly, recommend a call-for-action schedule. Tell the client when you’re available, how long the project will take, and when he can expect it by.
Here’s a list of common solutions that clients often seek.
Your solution is the:
least expensive
best value
most reliable
most advanced
Your solution offers:
the most flexibility
the highest return for the client’s investment
the highest quality
the most competent controls to measure results
Your solution saves time
Your solution will produce the highest customer/client satisfaction
Your solution eliminates or automates the most labor-intensive operations
Your solution profits on new or emerging trends
© B. Konradt
Solutions are jewels; they shimmer in sales pieces.
Prospects will peruse your sales letter if they discover you have a solution (or solutions) to their existing or future problem or problems.
To write a "solution-savvy" sales letter follow the copywriter’s adage: write "client-centered" copy. Zero in on the prospect, his business, his needs, his problems. Then pitch yourself as the freelancer who can fulfill his needs and solve his problems. Crown your claims with clients whom you’ve worked for and specific results you’ve achieved on solving similar problems.
Here are four softly-whispered secrets to write a solution-savvy sales letter:
• SECRET #1: FOCUS ON THE CLIENT’S NEED OR PROBLEM.
As a freelancer writing for this client’s business and industry, you should know the type of needs and problems the client faces regularly — or could face in the future. Zero in on a specific need or problem that is hurting the client’s profitability or productivity. (Note: prospects are more motivated to contact you if you pitch yourself as a freelancer who has a solution to a present problem, rather than a future or potential problem).
• SECRET #2: FOCUS ON THE BENEFITS OF SOLVING THE PROBLEM OR MEETING THE NEED.
Tell the prospect what he and his business can gain if his problem is solved. Usually, it means an increase in profitability or productivity. Maybe both. Also stress the possible consequences of not taking action now to solve this problem.
• SECRET #3: WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?
Here is where you present your solution. First, describe the service you are recommending. A press kit? Direct mail package? A series of ads?
— Tie it into the client’s needs. The client may have a new product to promote; he needs a low-cost marketing method that will produce lucrative results.
— Stress your uniqueness to undertake this task. Why you — and not someone else? What qualifications do you brandish and what type of specific results have you achieved for similar businesses with the same type of problem?
— Offer secondary solutions that also may work to solve the client’s problem. These secondary solutions also may be alternatives that the client’s competition is using; if this is the case, point out their weaknesses and emphasize why your primary solution is better.
• SECRET #4: THE "CLIENT-CENTERED" CONSUMMATION.
The closing of your sales letter should show the client that the benefits predictably outweigh the costs. If the client is investing $6,000 for you to write a DM package, the client doesn’t just get a DM package; he receives exposure for his new product, generates new leads and sales, targets specific segments of his market, increases his company’s profit, etc.
Secondly, recommend a call-for-action schedule. Tell the client when you’re available, how long the project will take, and when he can expect it by.
Here’s a list of common solutions that clients often seek.
Your solution is the:
least expensive
best value
most reliable
most advanced
Your solution offers:
the most flexibility
the highest return for the client’s investment
the highest quality
the most competent controls to measure results
Your solution saves time
Your solution will produce the highest customer/client satisfaction
Your solution eliminates or automates the most labor-intensive operations
Your solution profits on new or emerging trends
© B. Konradt
Tips On Writing A Killer Sales Letter
Writing a sales letter doesn’t have to be that difficult all you need is the right writing style and some tips to knock out a killer sales letter
Benefits The first thing you need to do is focus on the benefits the reader will find useful. Tell the reader what’s in it for him. Promise them increased sales, better skin, better results in writing a resume or whatever it is that you’re selling. Tell them how your product can help them. Don’t beat around the bush and get right to the point. Stick to benefits, facts and features. Whatever you do don’t be vague it will turn them off.
Give additional benefits. Show additional value other than main benefit. Give product/service features. Support benefit promises with product/service facts. Show how your company will help him. Don’t start sounding arrogant and brag.
Writing Style: An emphasis should be placed on “you” and not “I”. Use words like you and your, so that the reader feels you are writing for him. Write clearly. Make sure your reader doesn’t have to think about what you’re saying. Your main points must be understood immediately. Make yourself believable. Make sure your claims or representations appear to be realistic and believable. Don’t promise a 200% increase in sales because most people won’t believe it even if it’s true! You must be able to back up your claims. Use repetition; repeat benefits throughout letter. Present the same ideas and benefits in different ways.
Ask for action. Ask the reader to place an order, return the sales envelope or the sales card or phone for more information. Give reasons to act now. For example: Make your offer time sensitive a limited supply, two-week sale, and special purchase. Most sales letters fail to do this.
Understand that people are emotionally motivated. They want to:
Make more money
Save money
Do a good job
Experience love
Have a satisfying home life
Get something for free
Look good
Use simple graphics to get the reader’s attention:
Bullets
Dashes
Check boxes
Numbers
Asterisks
Some Things To Remember When Writing Your Sales Letter:
Put yourself in the reader’s place. Note your reactions while reading the letter. Have your friends and associates give you their honest opinions. Don’t tell them you wrote it! For some reason they think it’s bad manners to criticize their friends. Look at their reactions if they roll their eyes then you need to rewrite your sales letter. If they ask you, “Where can I find this?” You got yourself a winner! Listen to any and all comments. Re-write any parts that turn others off.
Be logical when you state your argument. Don’t try to fool them with outrageous claims that border on the fantastic. Your readers are too smart to fall for such trash.
When you begin writing your sales letter try to accentuate important statements using:
Underlines
Exclamation points
All capital letters (Careful here don’t over do it)
Highlight with a second color (Yellow)
The very last thing that should appear on your sales letter is the P.S. Remind your customers of the time deadline and the limited supply of bonuses. Urge them to pick up the phone and call or order immediately. Your P.S. is often read first by customers. So entice them to read the letter by mentioning the free bonuses and the limited time offer. Remember to put a P.S. (post script) on all sales letters.
Sample P.S.
P.S. At $29.95 the Super Car Wax is an incredible bargain reserved for past customers only. Act now, and get a bonus super car glass cleaner yours free! While new customers are forced to pay $39.95 for this one of a kind car wax you get it at significant savings! Act Now by calling 800-123-4567
About The Author
Benefits The first thing you need to do is focus on the benefits the reader will find useful. Tell the reader what’s in it for him. Promise them increased sales, better skin, better results in writing a resume or whatever it is that you’re selling. Tell them how your product can help them. Don’t beat around the bush and get right to the point. Stick to benefits, facts and features. Whatever you do don’t be vague it will turn them off.
Give additional benefits. Show additional value other than main benefit. Give product/service features. Support benefit promises with product/service facts. Show how your company will help him. Don’t start sounding arrogant and brag.
Writing Style: An emphasis should be placed on “you” and not “I”. Use words like you and your, so that the reader feels you are writing for him. Write clearly. Make sure your reader doesn’t have to think about what you’re saying. Your main points must be understood immediately. Make yourself believable. Make sure your claims or representations appear to be realistic and believable. Don’t promise a 200% increase in sales because most people won’t believe it even if it’s true! You must be able to back up your claims. Use repetition; repeat benefits throughout letter. Present the same ideas and benefits in different ways.
Ask for action. Ask the reader to place an order, return the sales envelope or the sales card or phone for more information. Give reasons to act now. For example: Make your offer time sensitive a limited supply, two-week sale, and special purchase. Most sales letters fail to do this.
Understand that people are emotionally motivated. They want to:
Make more money
Save money
Do a good job
Experience love
Have a satisfying home life
Get something for free
Look good
Use simple graphics to get the reader’s attention:
Bullets
Dashes
Check boxes
Numbers
Asterisks
Some Things To Remember When Writing Your Sales Letter:
Put yourself in the reader’s place. Note your reactions while reading the letter. Have your friends and associates give you their honest opinions. Don’t tell them you wrote it! For some reason they think it’s bad manners to criticize their friends. Look at their reactions if they roll their eyes then you need to rewrite your sales letter. If they ask you, “Where can I find this?” You got yourself a winner! Listen to any and all comments. Re-write any parts that turn others off.
Be logical when you state your argument. Don’t try to fool them with outrageous claims that border on the fantastic. Your readers are too smart to fall for such trash.
When you begin writing your sales letter try to accentuate important statements using:
Underlines
Exclamation points
All capital letters (Careful here don’t over do it)
Highlight with a second color (Yellow)
The very last thing that should appear on your sales letter is the P.S. Remind your customers of the time deadline and the limited supply of bonuses. Urge them to pick up the phone and call or order immediately. Your P.S. is often read first by customers. So entice them to read the letter by mentioning the free bonuses and the limited time offer. Remember to put a P.S. (post script) on all sales letters.
Sample P.S.
P.S. At $29.95 the Super Car Wax is an incredible bargain reserved for past customers only. Act now, and get a bonus super car glass cleaner yours free! While new customers are forced to pay $39.95 for this one of a kind car wax you get it at significant savings! Act Now by calling 800-123-4567
About The Author
Writing The Perfect Sales Letter
Before you actually write the e-book we are going to write the sales letter first. Now I suggest you write it in Microsoft Word and save it. Then we can transfer it to the main “Sales site Page” when we are designing our basic site in step 5
The main reason we are writing our sales copy before we ever write a word in our e-Book is because it hasn’t actually being created yet, which means there is absolutely no limit what you can write in your sales letter. The sales letter doesn’t fit the e-Book; it’s the other way around.
Now you can describe exactly what your e-Book will show to the potential customer. There are no restrictions on what you can write in the sales letter. When the sales letter is completed you can then incorporate all the ideas you have come up with into your e-Book
Your sales copy must do the following three things
• Get the attention of the prospects
• Communicate the benefits of the product
• Persuade the prospects into the desired action
Remember the most important part of your page design is your actual sales copy. A fancy website and graphics help but the key is in the words used
Sales letter Structure
• Header/Title
• Promises
• Testimonial
• Info product
• Benefit
• Bonuses
• Guarantee
• Summary
This is the structure that you should use for your sales copy. If you check out the best sales letter they will all follow this formula?
Header
The main function of the header/title is to grab the reader’s attention. The header should be displayed in a large, bold font. This demands your potential customer’s attention and intrigues them to read further on. Include your logo or e-Book cover (discussed later on) close to the header. If you header is not well designed you run the risk of losing the potential customer straight away. Spend time creating your header.
A Promise
This section promises the potential customer a huge benefit which is almost too good to be true. It’s ok if it’s a bit too unbelievable the testimonials will take care of that. Here is an example of such a headline
Discover how my 5 step affiliate programme can increase your income by 10,000 a month
Testimonials
In this section you include testimonials that old/new customers have sent you about your product or service. You probably don’t have any customers yet so email some potential ones your e-book for free in exchange for a testimonial. When you do start selling you can always ask a new customer for one.
Now the testimonials page has assured the potential customer that you can fulfil the promises you made in your header also you have gained a bit of trust from your potential customers so anything else you say that follows the testimonials page will be taken as true. This is the reason why the testimonial is placed at the top to gain trust right away where if it was placed at the bottom after presenting some good sales copy it may be already too late.
Info and product
In this section you will give info on what your product or service is about. You should show your customers a list of problems in this area. Agree with the customers, on how frustrating these problems can be and how you, yourself dealt with these problems. The key is to show the person that you have a deep understanding in this area and you are an expert on the subject. That is very important.
Next you must introduce your product as the solution to the problem. Then you must have a proper e-Book cover design. This is crucial. Many people have never purchased an e-book so you must give them some idea what exactly they will be purchasing
Benefit
This section is basically telling your potential customer of the benefits they will receive from purchasing your product. Show your potential customers the enjoyment they will get from using the product. Give them as much information on your product as you can. Use bullet points to emphasize the benefits. Put in another testimonial just to remind the person that it’s all true. Keeping their trust is highly important.
Bonuses
This is a powerful tactic used to increase sales. Including free bonuses with the purchase of your e-Book will increase the perceived value of the e-Book. Also a deadline on bonuses is also a good way to speed up consumer purchases. Bonuses also reduce the risk of money back returns
Guarantee
Offering a guarantee to your potential customers takes the risk off their shoulders. A good guarantee is the final bit in the jigsaw that will make the person finally purchase the product. The agreement is such that if the customer is not happy with their purchases then can get a full refund. You must remember that lots of your potential customers will be “first timers” therefore a guarantee puts their minds at ease. Guarantees can be 30 day, 60 day, or lifetime; however such guarantees must be backed up with an exceptional product.
Summary
This is one of the most important steps in the sales letter; this is where you close the sale. In this section you must include your most appealing benefit and finally ask for the order, because if you don’t they wont. Finally make it easier for them to order like an “order now” button shown below.
At this stage you should start to write your sales letter in Microsoft word we will concentrate on the html design and implementing the sales letter in it in section six but for now just concern yourself with writing your sales letter. To help you here are some of the web’s top e-book publishers sales sites. You can check out my own sales page at http://www.ebookprofitmaker.com
Sales Letter generator
Ok ill now offer you an alternative to writing the sales page yourself. Only use this if you are willing to spend some money. You may want to check out this piece of software that actually writes the sales letter for you. All you do is answer the questions it asks and you will receive your sales letter. You can find this software at sales generator here
Credit card Transactions
Finally you will need to find a credit card processor later on so your e-Books can be ordered. The one I seriously recommend is Clickbank. Ill go into them in more detail in section 6 but for now I want you to know that all these company’s, including Clickbank, have a set of rules that you must abide by to use their software. Don’t panic ill go through these rules now. Basically it involves putting a certain amount of details in your sales letter and product delivery page so you can be accepted by your credit transaction company. So here they are:
You must provide on your sales page:
• Detailed description of your product
• Buy now link
• Explain how the product will be delivered
• Mention how long the delivery will take
* remember theses are rules not suggestions
So that is everything you need to know on how to write your sales letter, hers a quick summary
We need to:
• Write the sales letter before the e-Book
• Sales letter structure must have , header, promise, Testimonial, info and product, benefit, bonuses, guarantee and summary
• You can have your sales letter made by Sales letter generator
• Certain set of rules should be included in the sales letter for the purpose of the credit card transaction company
The main reason we are writing our sales copy before we ever write a word in our e-Book is because it hasn’t actually being created yet, which means there is absolutely no limit what you can write in your sales letter. The sales letter doesn’t fit the e-Book; it’s the other way around.
Now you can describe exactly what your e-Book will show to the potential customer. There are no restrictions on what you can write in the sales letter. When the sales letter is completed you can then incorporate all the ideas you have come up with into your e-Book
Your sales copy must do the following three things
• Get the attention of the prospects
• Communicate the benefits of the product
• Persuade the prospects into the desired action
Remember the most important part of your page design is your actual sales copy. A fancy website and graphics help but the key is in the words used
Sales letter Structure
• Header/Title
• Promises
• Testimonial
• Info product
• Benefit
• Bonuses
• Guarantee
• Summary
This is the structure that you should use for your sales copy. If you check out the best sales letter they will all follow this formula?
Header
The main function of the header/title is to grab the reader’s attention. The header should be displayed in a large, bold font. This demands your potential customer’s attention and intrigues them to read further on. Include your logo or e-Book cover (discussed later on) close to the header. If you header is not well designed you run the risk of losing the potential customer straight away. Spend time creating your header.
A Promise
This section promises the potential customer a huge benefit which is almost too good to be true. It’s ok if it’s a bit too unbelievable the testimonials will take care of that. Here is an example of such a headline
Discover how my 5 step affiliate programme can increase your income by 10,000 a month
Testimonials
In this section you include testimonials that old/new customers have sent you about your product or service. You probably don’t have any customers yet so email some potential ones your e-book for free in exchange for a testimonial. When you do start selling you can always ask a new customer for one.
Now the testimonials page has assured the potential customer that you can fulfil the promises you made in your header also you have gained a bit of trust from your potential customers so anything else you say that follows the testimonials page will be taken as true. This is the reason why the testimonial is placed at the top to gain trust right away where if it was placed at the bottom after presenting some good sales copy it may be already too late.
Info and product
In this section you will give info on what your product or service is about. You should show your customers a list of problems in this area. Agree with the customers, on how frustrating these problems can be and how you, yourself dealt with these problems. The key is to show the person that you have a deep understanding in this area and you are an expert on the subject. That is very important.
Next you must introduce your product as the solution to the problem. Then you must have a proper e-Book cover design. This is crucial. Many people have never purchased an e-book so you must give them some idea what exactly they will be purchasing
Benefit
This section is basically telling your potential customer of the benefits they will receive from purchasing your product. Show your potential customers the enjoyment they will get from using the product. Give them as much information on your product as you can. Use bullet points to emphasize the benefits. Put in another testimonial just to remind the person that it’s all true. Keeping their trust is highly important.
Bonuses
This is a powerful tactic used to increase sales. Including free bonuses with the purchase of your e-Book will increase the perceived value of the e-Book. Also a deadline on bonuses is also a good way to speed up consumer purchases. Bonuses also reduce the risk of money back returns
Guarantee
Offering a guarantee to your potential customers takes the risk off their shoulders. A good guarantee is the final bit in the jigsaw that will make the person finally purchase the product. The agreement is such that if the customer is not happy with their purchases then can get a full refund. You must remember that lots of your potential customers will be “first timers” therefore a guarantee puts their minds at ease. Guarantees can be 30 day, 60 day, or lifetime; however such guarantees must be backed up with an exceptional product.
Summary
This is one of the most important steps in the sales letter; this is where you close the sale. In this section you must include your most appealing benefit and finally ask for the order, because if you don’t they wont. Finally make it easier for them to order like an “order now” button shown below.
At this stage you should start to write your sales letter in Microsoft word we will concentrate on the html design and implementing the sales letter in it in section six but for now just concern yourself with writing your sales letter. To help you here are some of the web’s top e-book publishers sales sites. You can check out my own sales page at http://www.ebookprofitmaker.com
Sales Letter generator
Ok ill now offer you an alternative to writing the sales page yourself. Only use this if you are willing to spend some money. You may want to check out this piece of software that actually writes the sales letter for you. All you do is answer the questions it asks and you will receive your sales letter. You can find this software at sales generator here
Credit card Transactions
Finally you will need to find a credit card processor later on so your e-Books can be ordered. The one I seriously recommend is Clickbank. Ill go into them in more detail in section 6 but for now I want you to know that all these company’s, including Clickbank, have a set of rules that you must abide by to use their software. Don’t panic ill go through these rules now. Basically it involves putting a certain amount of details in your sales letter and product delivery page so you can be accepted by your credit transaction company. So here they are:
You must provide on your sales page:
• Detailed description of your product
• Buy now link
• Explain how the product will be delivered
• Mention how long the delivery will take
* remember theses are rules not suggestions
So that is everything you need to know on how to write your sales letter, hers a quick summary
We need to:
• Write the sales letter before the e-Book
• Sales letter structure must have , header, promise, Testimonial, info and product, benefit, bonuses, guarantee and summary
• You can have your sales letter made by Sales letter generator
• Certain set of rules should be included in the sales letter for the purpose of the credit card transaction company
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