Killer Copywriting - Part 1- The Magic of Your Lead | Copywriting

By "MillionDollarMike"Morgan
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Word Count: 390

Why does your first paragraph of copy need to be so smooth?

Because if you start out soft... or bore your reader... it's game over. No sale. But get them reading and you stand a fighting chance.

What should it do?

1.Ask a thought provoking question that arouses enough curiosity so they read like a madman for the answer 2.Read smooth. Use short words and sentences to entice your reader (5th grade level works fine). 3.Follow through on an angle or promise from the headline . 4.Carry out the promise and show the ultimate reward for reading your salesletter.

When people pay me to do a copy critique, I usually see the writer TRY to get to the point... but they don't. So I have them actually take out a few pages of meandering, pointless copy!

You see, at this point you're at the A of AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action). So your lead needs to keep that all-important attention while moving the reader to the interest phase.

When your copy isn't pulling like it should, 80% of the time, it's your headline, offer, lead or a combination... so tweaking your lead ususally pays dividends.

This is where your prospect knows what's at stake and why he (or she) should keep reading your salesletter. There is no set rule for how long your lead should be, it could be a page, it could be 3. Some move into the big idea right away, some ease into it. It's up to you... just as long as you're not boring your reader.

But regardless, you need to get 2 things done with your lead.

Deliver your Big Promise and introduce your big idea.

What is a big promise?

That big promise is how you solve my problem.

Got it?

The big promise tells me what my life will look like AFTER using your product.

As Emeril says... it kicks up your prospects desire a notch.

That way people have a really solid sense of what's in it for them to read your salesletter. It taps into the deep psychological wants of your market.

What do they dream about, what do they desperately crave, what gets them excited and makes them beg "more, more more"?

Once you know those things, it's the ammo you need to come up with a big promise.

The Big Idea deserves more attention, so I'll devote my next article on it.

My very best,

Mike Morgan

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