Rough Draft

Allow me to tell you a story. A story that you will probably be able to relate to in some sense. It s about a stout, whiskered man who thinks sound decisions can come only from a cool head. And that copy should always be short. “I would never read this. It s too long.” That s a... Listen to episode

In spite of being a literary snob, one who turned up his nose at anything that smacked of business … when I was first introduced to the world of direct-response copywriting … I fell in love. I fell in love with the thought of using my writing to influence and persuade people. I also fell... Listen to episode

In the last episode I walked you through the magic that is an Upworthy headline as an introduction to a concept called The 5 Stages of Audience Awareness. The actual name is The 5 Stages of Market Awareness. A concept originally developed by Eugene Schwartz. But I modified it for our purposes. Every product or... Listen to episode

A few years back Upworthy stormed the publishing world — and eventually proclaimed to be the fastest growing media company ever with 47 million monthly uniques after just 17 months of existence. So what s their secret? Tantalizing headlines. Headlines you love to hate and hate to click but you click anyway, because you hate not... Listen to episode

Here’s yet another way to build credibility and trust when it comes to making a bold claim … which is simply this: explain the mechanism behind your claim. Here s what that looks like. Let s say you re a fitness trainer that makes the claim that in just 14 minutes a day customers can add muscle to... Listen to episode

Imagine it s late afternoon, Sunday. You are curled beneath an afghan, still bloated from the fried fish you inhaled for lunch. You are sleeping heavily. Until your doorbell erupts. A young woman in a peasant top and floral pencil skirt is standing at your doorstep. She looks over her shoulder. A tall man wearing a... Listen to episode

If you want people to believe in something that’s true-but-hard-to-believe — you simply demonstrate that your product does what you say it does. Show them how it works. Here’s one famous example … The history of the elevator is long and rich. But the first elevators weren’t installed until the mid 18th century. While these... Listen to episode

While Enlightenment-era thinkers like Denis Diderot, Benjamin Franklin, René Descartes, David Hume, and Thomas Jefferson — giants from the age of reason — would like you to believe otherwise, we are not as rational as we think we are. Recent books like Irrational Exuberance, Emotional Intelligence, and Descartes Error teach us that even the most... Listen to episode

You could have a great product, a revolutionary idea, or a compelling piece of content, but unless you position it with the right approach that instantly captures the imagination of your ideal prospect, forget it. Listen. People will rush to do business with you if you can help them achieve their dreams, calm their fears,... Listen to episode

Your product has two identities. But your customer buys your product because of just one of these identities. Oops. See, when you pay $5,000 for your son s braces, you aren t buying a middle-aged man to follow you around in a white coat … nor are you buying stainless steel rods to stick in your son’s... Listen to episode

Which desire you lead with in your headline matters. Get it wrong, and even the greatest copy won t matter. Get it right, however, and the world will beat a path to your door. See, your headline is the bridge between your customer and your product. And there are basically three ways of channelling that desire... Listen to episode

We all long for something. Love that will last. The ability to influence people. Scenic vacations. Financial independence. Less anxiety. Copywriters call these mass desires. And copywriting that actually works connects your product to one of these mass desires. When that is done when you ve convinced your prospect that you can satisfy their desires... Listen to episode

Ever wonder how you could get more people to believe you? To trust you? It s easy, actually. And quite odd the way it works. What s the secret? Never tell anyone more than they ll believe. Sounds like a moron statement, right? It’s not. See, the moment your claim passes the point of believability, credibility drops off... Listen to episode

Do you want a simple, sticky formula that turns your listless copy into something that rivets attention, stokes desire, and gets action? I mentioned it in yesterday s episode. I called it the 4 Ps. Promise. Picture. Proof. Push. . In this episode I’ll work through a short example ad (about a pill that makes ugly... Listen to episode

This is what you have to remember: your reader has hunkered down, intending never to move again. Unless of course you give him something to get worked up over. So we ve all done it. We ve all given away the farm. We ve satisfied the interest of a reader or buyer by giving away too much information.... Listen to episode

I ve got a nice little treat for you today. My go-to formula whether I m writing an article, landing page, email, or a LinkedIn profile summary. I ve used it so much this formula has become second nature. And should become second nature for you, too. It will help speed things along, allow you to structure difficult... Listen to episode

Content syndication is sort of like guest posting on steroids. You get all the benefits of guest posting without the work because you are using one article to show up on on different websites. But which websites you publish on matters. Which is why I asked Belle Beth Cooper to come on today s special interview... Listen to episode

This episode is for any one with limited time and limited proofreading skills. Like me. There’s a common myth web writers fall for: this idea that proofreading online isn’t nearly as important as writing for print. If you believe that, you would be wrong. Proofreading is essential. So today I m happy as a kitten to... Listen to episode

Are you comfortable in your own skin? Or do you feel awkward and out of place? If the latter, then today’s episode is for you. Whenever I talk about authenticity or finding your voice, Erika Napoletano is always my go-to person as someone who s owned their personality with an unapologetic, straightforward flair. Don t let her... Listen to episode

Today is a monumental moment in the history of Rough Draft because we are going to break for the first time ever the monologue mold of Rough Draft. In fact, we re going to do it all week. See, I have four short interviews for you from four superb web writers. People who will... Listen to episode