Stealing Pat O’Bryan’s Sales Letter Secrets in Ash Fork, Arizona

I just returned from spending a couple of relaxing days with Michelle (my wife) and Mary (my daughter) at my aunt’s cabin outside of Ash Fork, Arizona.

Right before we hit the road on Thursday morning, I was lucky enough to receive the latest book from Internet marketing expert Pat O’Bryan. The mailman’s delivery of “Your Portable Empire: How to Make Money Anywhere While Doing What You Love” made me even more excited to get moving because I knew there would soon be plenty of time to soak in O’Bryan’s teachings.

The environment at the solar-powered cabin where we stayed proved perfect for relaxation – calm breezes, zero traffic, beautiful scenery, wildlife sightings and, most importantly, no ringing phones, e-mail or even a computer in sight. As a result, I spent a good portion of Thursday and Friday outside, reading O’Bryan’s book from a bench on the front porch.

Maybe it was the serene setting (the photo below shows the view from the bench) …



It could have been the feeling of total relaxation that encased my body …

But getting an opportunity to read O’Bryan’s book without any interruption (minus the occasional request from my 2-year-old daughter to play in the rocks off the front edge of the porch) made it seem like he was spilling his secrets while sitting right next to me. I could almost hear him speak word for word.




Yes, I understand this confession sounds a little crazy, but I guess that’s what happens when you get a rare opportunity to dive into a good book without any distractions.

One chapter that was especially energizing was O’Bryan’s Introduction to Copywriting. As a copywriter, I’m always anxious to read tips and tricks from other people who have experienced success creating content that generates sales.

In O’Bryan’s case, his writing has helped sell hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of his own informational products. What makes his story so unique is he admits to being a relative newcomer to copywriting and Internet marketing in general.

Below are some of O’Bryan’s tips for writing an effective sales page.

• A well-written sales page includes the “big seven”: headline, bullet points, subheads, the body, the guarantee, the close and the P.S.



• Ninety percent of your effort should go into writing your headline, because 90 percent of the effectiveness of your copy depends on it.



• Writing sales copy has nothing to do with intellect. People buy with their emotions and justify it with their intellect.



• Anything with quotation marks around it will stand out.



• If you notice an ad that runs for several months with the same headline, write that headline down! It’s working.



• Bullet points are only slightly less important that headlines. Almost all of your readers will read them.



• Don’t be afraid of long copy … A person who is contemplating a purchase, especially the purchase of an expensive item, wants to know all there is to know about the item.



• The two best kinds of testimonials are from experts and people just like your customer.



• The longer the guarantee, the lower the return rate.



• Bonuses make sales.



• Everybody reads the P.S. … Use the P.S. to convince the reader who has passed right by the “buy now” button to retrace his steps and buy.

As a bonus, O’Bryan followed up the copywriting chapter by interviewing Joe Vitale (my all-time favorite copywriter), who revealed one of his favorite headline techniques.

Vitale said he likes to ask a question in a headline because it engages a reader’s mind. The trick, he added, is creating a question that can’t be answered with a yes or no without reading the rest of your sales letter.

His example: “Which of These Seven Secrets Will Help You Save the Most Money on Your Taxes?”

I’m especially fond of this tip because it builds on what I previously described in this blog as “The Most Powerful Force in Direct Marketing” – curiosity.

Of course, there are plenty of additional tips and tricks for you to discover in “Your Portable Empire.” If you’re interested in making money online, this is one resource you’ll want in your reference library.

Happy writing and reading!

Jelly Belly’s Secret

Because I make a fair share of online purchases, I find myself on the receiving end of many companies’ e-mail blasts, and I’m always amazed at the writing techniques (or lack thereof) businesses use to get me to open their messages.

No, I’m not referring to the writing found in spam e-mails -- which obviously require no writing skills whatsoever -- I’m talking about the e-mails from reputable retailers offering various products and services. Rarely will I open these e-mails for one of two reasons: either the writing provided no incentive or it wasn't strong enough to appeal to my curiosity.

However, this morning was different. After going through the usual deleting process, I came across an e-mail that sparked my interest. It was sent by one of corporate America’s most highly respected executives, Mr. Jelly Belly.

The subject read “Shhh...Jelly Belly has a secret Belly Flops event!”

Immediately, my imagination went to work. I envisioned a large man dressed up as a Jelly Belly jelly bean, flopping himself into a crystal-clear pool surrounded by cheering fans.

I wondered, is some kind of belly-flop event coming to Phoenix? The thought was too much to ignore, so I opened the e-mail and saw this …

To the right of the picture I noticed a large block of text that seemed too lengthy to read, especially at 6 a.m. However, since the text in the subject line created such a vivid image, I forced myself to scan Mr. Jelly Belly’s message. After all, I was curious.

As it turns out, Belly Flops are the “Jelly Belly jelly beans that are a little less perfect … or the ones that somehow escaped the Jelly Belly logo stamper.” Mr. Jelly Belly’s e-mail offered these beans at a discounted price. Although I didn’t buy any beans, his proposition grabbed my interest because it used five effective copywriting techniques that many companies overlook.

(I must stress that by no means was Mr. Jelly Belly’s e-mail a written work of art, but the content quality was well beyond what normally shows up in my inbox.)

1. Mr. Jelly Belly crafted words that helped create a visual image. Sure, the picture in my head was probably different than what Mr. Jelly Belly intended, but that’s not as important as the fact I opened the e-mail.

2. Mr. Jelly Belly used humor. Although it wasn’t fall-on-the-ground funny, the image of a jelly bean dressed in a swim cap and goggles was at least fun.

3. Mr. Jelly Belly set a deadline. The $8 price for two pounds of Belly Flops (which apparently have been sought after for many years) is only valid until Easter Sunday. Mr. Jelly Belly’s deadline encourages a fast response.

4. Mr. Jelly Belly stressed exclusivity. Only “friends” on the Jelly Belly mailing list have access to his offer and the “hidden” Belly Flops page for ordering.

5. Mr. Jelly Belly tied his offer into a holiday. Jelly Belly jelly beans and Easter are a well-known combination. The days prior to Easter are when the Easter Bunny is looking for items to fill baskets.

The next time you decide to offer your product or service through e-mail, try some of Mr. Jelly Belly’s techniques to increase your response rate. One warning, though, you may have to include some of your own techniques as well. After all, the pitch wasn't strong enough to generate the ultimate response from me -- the purchase.

By the way, if you want access to the “hidden” page for ordering Belly Flops, you can view it here.

Why Would I Want a Blog?

Over and over I heard (and read) countless reasons why blogging was beneficial for me and my business.

Sure, I understood how it was another medium for showcasing my articles about copywriting and marketing. Yes, I knew it could help increase the search engine rankings on my websites. Heck, I even saw that executives at many of the world’s most recognized companies had started blogging.

But even after seeing these benefits, I rejected the idea of creating a blog. The primary reason was because I was still convinced that blogging was primarily seen a means for people (with too much time on their hands) to journal private thoughts to an online audience.

However, this perception started changing a few months ago. In fact, I even considered launching a blog earlier this year, but I still wasn’t totally convinced that blogging was for me.

Until …

Last month I received a project that involved writing an article about the benefits of blogging for the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce’s IMPACT Magazine. Included in that assignment was a request to interview Jason Baer, founder and senior director of Mighty Interactive, an Internet marketing agency in Tempe, Arizona.

It was after completing this interview with Jason -- whose blog receives 5,000-7,000 visits each month -- that I finally decided to venture into the world of blogging.

If you would like to see the article that converted me into a blog backer, you can view it here (scroll down to page 13).

Truth be told, there are two other people who helped persuade me as well because I visit their blogs often -- Joe Vitale and Chris Tingom.