Copywriting Lesson #2 - 3 Effective Sales Letter Openers

Copywriting starts with the very first paragraph which, after
the headline, is likely the part most responsible for gaining
and retaining the reader's interest. The technique of having a
strong first paragraph is essential to any form of writing,
news, fiction, political speech and the rest of it. This
technique is equally important to sales writing. 

The idea is to pique your reader's interest and to draw them in
to the rest of the text much as it was the goal with the
headline but with the added advantage of having more space in
which to accomplish this task. There are certain techniques that
make the logistics of this effort easy to understand. A few are
listed below. 


Method #1: If/Then Statements

The if/then statement is a powerful persuasion techniques and
one of the foundational elements of successful copywriting.
Examples of this would include. 

- "If you're trying to make your lawn beautiful, then this is
the most important message you will ever read." 

- "If you're been struggling to lose weight but nothing has
worked, read on!" 

- "If you're interested in starting your own business but don't
know where to begin, what follows will let you in on the secrets
of the pros." 

Notice how each of these statements address the same concerns
that determine whether or not a headline is good. They define a
problem and a solution, they pique the reader's curiosity, they
address the self-interest element common to everyone and they
make the whole of affair of satisfying these many needs seem
very quick and easy: just read below. Leads such as these are
powerful at a visceral level and make it virtually impossible
for the reader to look away once they've gotten this far. The
opening sentence also presents an opportunity for the writer to
take the rest of the paragraph in a direction that will allow
them to convince the reader through more evidence and the
skillful presentation of what the product has to offer. The
opening sentence sets the tone for what's to follow and should
always set up a scenario that lends the opener to being easily
followed-up with strong and persuasive that make the rest of the
pitch something that naturally follows and which doesn't sound
forced. Remember, a good sales letter should read in a way that
never seems pasted together or scattershot. 


Method #2: Asking a Question

Asking customers a question is a technique common to all
successful sales. It isn't, however, quite as straightforward as
one might believe. In this case, the copywriter walks sort of a
tightrope. The question must be phrased in such a way that the
answer is advantageous toward making the sale. The question must
also be necessarily restrictive, so that the reader's attention
is directed where the writer intends. Don't ask broad yes or no
questions. Yes or no questions have the quality of making it
very easy to inadvertently stop the sale by simply allowing the
reader to make their determination regarding what's being sold
very quickly and, thus, raising the possibility that they'll
lose interest as soon as they answer the question. 

For example, don't ask a question such as "Do you make mistakes
in English?" There is the distinct possibility that the reader
may make hardly any mistakes when writing and thus their answer
would be "no". Of course, this also means that they would likely
have little interest in whatever product is being offered from
that point on as the yes or no question has afforded them a
means to determine that the product offers nothing they need.
Phrase questions in a broad way. "Do you make these mistakes in
English?" would be preferable to simply "Do you make mistakes in
English?" The broader question makes it possible to keep the
reader engaged a bit longer, at least long enough to offer a
list of some common English mistakes and to possibly invoke one
or two with which the reader does, indeed, have a bit of
difficulty. Keep the conversation open. An opening question is
intended to pique the reader's interest and to make what's
written seem relevant to them. Open-ended questions make certain
that they can't simply read the one interrogative, decide that
it doesn't apply and abandon reading the rest of the sales
letter. 


Method #3: Shock Value

Opening with a "shocker" is a time-tested and valuable
technique. This technique can be found in any sort of persuasion
writing including sales copywriting. The idea is to hit the
audience with something they cannot ignore for cause of the
statement being made being so in-your-face and bold. Copywriters
liken the effect to being punched in the face, to use a somewhat
crude analogy. 

Some examples of shocker statements include: 

- "Writing sucks!" 
- "Your lawn looks awful." 
- "You're not making enough money." 

Not all shocker statements need be so coarse as those above.
Sometimes, they can shock the audience but be a bit more subtle
and involving. Examples of this technique include statements
such as: 

- "I could not believe this" 
- "I have to get this off of my chest" 

The latter shocker statements are less of a punch in the face,
so to speak, and more of a shove in the right direction. The
audience is being shocked, to some degree, but rather being more
enticed than they are in the first set of statements. While
these statements are certainly more bold than they are subtle,
they also have a quality of restraint compared to the former
list. 

Either technique is very useful. The product and the headline,
to a large degree, can be used to determine which type of
shocker statement should be used. 

Keep in mind that familiarity lessens impact. One may well be
able to get good results using these statements sparingly and
with an effort made toward placing them strategically within the
copy, but overusing them will have the effect of making them
lose their power and can oftentimes have the effect of making
them seem trite and somewhat silly. Use this as an opening
salvo, but realize that an entire page of shocker statements is
likely to come off as bland and unconvincing.


To Your Success,
YOUR NAME

------------------------------------------------------------
Download FREE ClickBank Review Sites Every Month
http://www.supersalesmachine.com/?hop=CLICKBANKID

Get Instant Access to 300+ 'How To' Video Tutorials
http://www.supersalesmachine.com/c?hop=CLICKBANKID&p=nl


PUBLISHER TIP! Sign up for a ClickBank.com account and replace
CLICKBANKID in the link above with your ClickBank nickname. Your
affiliate link will send visitors to a free membership site.
Whenever they upgrade or purchase any products or services
including upsells through our email promotions or webinar events
you will receive 50%-75% commission on all offers in our
network. We currently have over 90 quality offers in place so
you can earn up to $1,500 per referral! For full details on our
lucrative affiliate program, swipe emails and custom landing
pages visit: http://www.supersalesmachine.com/jv

