Copywriting Articles by John Forde

1. Copywriting Secret of the Masters:
11 Easy Things You Can Do Right Now to Fix a Client’s Website
(and Yours!)
by: John Forde
www.ProCopyWritingTactics.com

2. 11 Easy Things You Can Do Right Now to Fix a
Client’s Website (and Yours!)
The bigger the Internet gets, the more you’ll find yourself being called upon
by clients to "fix" websites that aren’t working. And I’m talking not only
about sales websites that aren’t making money but also about editorial-style
websites. Here are the 11 best ways I know of to do it:
1. Define the site’s purpose in five words or less.
Is this a sales site? Then the goal is: "Sell ______________." Is its
purpose to build an e-zine’s mailing list? Then the goal is: "Get names
for mailing list."
The purpose needs to be that simple. Pick the most important result,
make it narrow, and stick to it. The more you try to accomplish, the
less the site will accomplish in terms of quality results. You can always
create other websites to serve other purposes.
2. Get a headline at the top of the first page.
Forget big logos. Forget splash pages. Get words up top in type bigger
than you think you need. And not just any words. You need a powerful
emotional "hook." A big problem identified. A shocking statement. A
huge benefit.
3. Get a big benefit "above the fold."
If your headline at the top of the page is benefit-driven, you’ve done
this. If your headline is fear-driven or something other than a clear
benefit, apply the "no-scroll" rule: Make sure the reader sees the
benefit before he starts scrolling down the page.
4. Get rid of "click here to continue" page breaks.
For a fluid, more effective reading experience, you need one long
scroll. The less clicking your readers do while soaking up your
message, the better. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
www.ProCopyWritingTactics.com

3. 5. If it’s a site for building a mailing list, get your signup box
"above the fold."
If you’re after email addresses, the sign-up box should be featured
prominently in one of the corners. And it should reassure readers that
there’s no risk to their privacy when they sign up (which had better be
true).
6. Strip away pointless graphics and links.
Don’t risk having readers miss what you have to say by obscuring it
with unnecessary links and graphics. You don’t want images that aren’t
relevant to your message, no matter how cool, cute, or stylish. Nor do
you want to give links to other websites (at least, on a promotional
page) or anything that does not further the sale. Stay in control of the
reader’s attention.
7. Eliminate technological "tricks."
Flashing banners, java-programming, flash-programming or frames are
not only distractions, they take too long to load. Worse, they could
crash your website or the user’s Web browser. Obliterate them.
8. Reread all your subheads.
Skim through the document and read the subheads. Not all of them
have to sell, sell, sell. But it’s a mistake for none of them to do so. You
need subheads to keep hooking the interest of the page skimmer,
which is what most people are when they read both online and printed
direct mail. Subheads are there to pull the reader back in. Well-crafted
subheads offer a path that the reader will want to follow.
9. Check and recheck your offer.
When sales go wrong, the offer is often the reason they flop. Is it the
best possible offer the owner of the business can make? Is there an
aspect of the sale that can be fulfilled online (to cut costs and motivate
the buyer with instant-satisfaction urgency)? Can you offer a better
guarantee? Is the guarantee featured close to the push for action?
Have you reassured your readers that your reply page and their
information is secure?
10. Read the copy out loud.
www.ProCopyWritingTactics.com

4. This old technique still works. Print the page and read the copy out
loud. You can even record it and listen to the playback. Do any phrases
sound dull? Are there sections that are boring or long-winded? Or parts
so good you realize they should land closer to the front? You’ll discover
flaws and opportunities this way that you’ll completely miss otherwise.
11. Get a local usability test.
Get at least three other people who know little or nothing about the
product you’re selling. Let them read the Web page without giving
them instructions on how to navigate. Provide no warm-up about what
to expect. If they all have similar complaints, fix the problem. If their
best response is that they "like" it, you still have work to do. If they
start asking questions about the product and how to get it, you’ve got
a winner.
Click here to find out more about Copywriting 2.0: Your Complete
Guide to Writing Web Copy that Converts
www.ProCopyWritingTactics.com

5. John Forde:A Master at Writing
More Controls More Often
"If you write copy … how many chances to sell your talents to the businesses
you know and trust have you overlooked? Company websites … local sales
brochures … online ads and sales letters … print ads in local papers … even
P.R. pieces or ezine editorial.
It might be the small gigs that get you started. It might be the big
opportunities that let you smack the cover off the ball at your first at bat.
Either way, I’ve met plenty of people who had no grasp about what role
copywriters play.
Masterson’s [Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting] offers the
most thorough and well-organized approach to the subject I’ve seen
anywhere. There’s not a technique or secret in there that I haven’t found
helpful over the years. I owe a great deal of my own success to Mike
Masterson. And I tell him so regularly. As for the program, I’d recommend it
to anybody – not just direct-mail copywriters, but anyone who’s trying to get
a grip on what makes marketing work."
— John Forde
JOHN FORDE has been writing winning controls for going on two decades
now. He’s made untold millions for clients in the financial, health, and travel
industries. John also works as a copy coach, hosting intense seminars for
two or three hundred marketers and copywriters at a time.
John Forde also writes the successful and very useful eletter, The
Copywriter’s Roundtable.
www.ProCopyWritingTactics.com