Great Insight

8:37 PM

Hi Gang:

Im copying an email I recieved from my friends at AWAI.

Its really good if you have any interest in copywriting.

I endorse, recommend, like and suggest almost anything AWAI produces.

Seriously.....its the best of the best :)

Marc Charles

______

Hi, my name is Christina Gillick.

Around AWAI we often say you should follow a plan or a roadmap to success.

But, when first sitting down to put your own plan together, it can feel like staring into a box of 1,000 puzzle pieces.

By viewing the box top, you know what the finished product should look like. But where do you start?

Ill answer that question today.

Then, throughout this week, Ill help you understand how the pieces of the writers life all fit together like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

Youll find as you put the important pieces in place, the picture starts to emerge, and everything becomes clearer and easier.

Lets start with the corner pieces of your puzzle …

Think of these as the basics of persuasive writing. Finding them and putting them in place is a simple, but necessary, step to building your puzzle.

Here are four basics I review every time I write:

1. The Power of One.

This principle – as explained by Mark Ford under his former pen name Michael Masterson – says to always stick to one idea, one emotion, one story, and one action for your reader to take.

Even if this is the only basic tip you use, it will increase the quality of everything you write.

2. Write like you talk.

Next, Paul Hollingshead explains in the AWAI Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting, forget everything you learned in school about writing.

When writing persuasively, its best to write like you talk.

To do this, picture the reader sitting with you. Youre trying to convince him or her to take an action.

What would you say?

3. Emotions sell.

Gary Bencivenga – arguably the worlds greatest living copywriter – teaches us that emotions sell.

Your reader is more compelled to read your copy and take action when you appeal to his emotions – whether its fear, greed, or something else. (Youll also want to include reasoning, facts, and proof – but that piece will come later.)

4. Benefits over features!

This concept, explained in detail in AWAIs Accelerated Program, says that features are the facts or material details of a product, such as the size, shape, or color. For example, "This car gets 50 miles per gallon."

Focusing on the benefits is more powerful, because they reveal how the products features will change the readers life. For instance, "Youll spend less on gas, saving money for other things."

You can read more here about the simplest way to change features into benefits.

While the four basics above are easy to understand, they take time and practice to master.

In fact, I review these basics at least weekly to keep my writing as persuasive as possible.

Todays action item is to print out or write down the four basics above.

Tack or tape it up on the wall close to your writing area.

But dont stop there – review the list of basics each time you practice your writing. (For more information on these basics, see this article.)

If you have any questions, hop over here and post it in the comments.

Then be sure to join me tomorrow for the piece of your writers life puzzle that creates the framework for your business.

All the best,

Christina Gillick
AWAI Circle of Success Member

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