One of the best copywriting secrets I ever learned was not in a book, course, seminar or info product.
Nor was it from being mentored or from any coaches.
No… it was in a short story told in a sales letter.
Here’s the scoop:
Several years ago, a world-class copywriter named John Carlton wrote a sales letter to his then private (paid) newsletter list promoting a seminar.
And in that sales letter he told an absolutely fascinating story.
He was working on his first project (a diet ad) with the late (great) copywriter Gary Halbert and was out to make an impression. But when he handed it in, he got a nasty shock.
Gary threw it back to him and said:
Re-write this piece of crap,
and put some frigging empathy into it.”
John was stunned.
Not only had he exhausted himself on this ad, but he was NOT used to that kind of treatment (he had controls with the large mailers under his belt).
And yet, that one incident changed everything.
Because you see, he went home and got back to work. But this time, he would NOT hand in anything but his BEST effort. And he literally went through 17 completely different versions (the 15th being the worst of them all) and nailed it on #17.
The point?
Because of Gary’s humiliating him and forcing him to do better, John had (as he put it) awakened his “inner editor.”
John called it his, “would Gary (or any other top writer) throw it back at me” test.
Something that changed his entire copywriting career.
And you know what?
Ever since then, I’ve done the exact same thing. In other words, before handing an ad in, I run it through my own version of the “would Gary throw it back at me” test, too. I never let an ad leave my sight until I’m as sure it’d be “blessed” by certain copywriting masters I study.
And it makes a HUGE difference in my response.
You can do the same thing — starting today.
If you’ve read and studied a particular copywriting expert’s stuff enough you’ll know (for the most part) what they’d say before you hand it in.
And it really makes a great “gut check.”
Because you’ll KNOW (in your gut) if that headline will pass muster. If that opening paragraph is going to suck your readers in. And if your ad flows in a persuasive way.
Anyway, try this with your next ad and watch what happens.
Just run it through your own, “Would (your favorite copywriting expert) throw this back at me?” test.
It’s like recruiting the best copywriters on the planet to help write your ads.
And it won’t cost you a single penny.
For more copywriting secrets from Ben Settle, check out the free recorded tele-seminar at: http://bensettle.com/blog/10-no-brainer-ways-to-engage-sell-to-skeptics-in-your-ads
