Speed Copywriting Explained (Assemble a Web Page That Gets People to Buy From You In the Next Few Minutes)
Most people I know hate writing of any kind. And even the ones I know who LIKE writing... usually hate copywriting.
When I'm talking about copywriting today, I mean putting a web page online that gets people to buy...
It tells people about your report, book, video course or membership site in an exciting way.
"You mean I can't just say anything I want? I have to be careful about what I write? I have to write in a way that grabs my readers and doesn't let go? Sounds like a lot of work..."
Not really, when you have a formula. When you have a step by step system to follow you can do this quickly, almost without thinking, which means you knock it out in just a few minutes while you're still excited about it.
This is really important: I prefer knock out an article, sales letter, graphic, or web page in 5 minutes... make it completely shippable... and look at it later. You can take a break, clear your head, look at it with fresh eyes and put another 5 minutes into it. You can get sales and make tiny adjustments to make it sell better.
That "sounds" great, but how do you do it? Let me show you how I came up with this idea of speed copywriting...
The best skill you could ever have is writing bullet points. You turn a feature (what something is aka the boring part) into a benefit (what it does aka the outcome) and that's a bullet point.
Take your strongest bullet points and those are your headlines. Take your longest bullet points and those are your sentences. You DON'T have to make it any more complicated than that!
Here's one brand new way I thought of to think of benefits... I have many ways but this is something I thought of on a recent coaching call, on the fly. Anyone can do this.
Step #1: List what the feature is (table of contents)
Step #2: Add a second sentence at the end of that table of contents... this sentence MUST begin with the word "Imagine..."
Step #3: Delete the first sentence and the word "Imagine" so you're left with the benefit
Here we go... let's pretend we have a course teaching WordPress and it contains the following videos...
Video #1: How to install WordPress using Fantastico
Video #2: How to install your theme
Video #3: Which plugins to install
Video #4: How to add content
Now let's add a second sentence to each of those. Each sentence will begin with the word "imagine" which does several things: it continues our original thought, makes the statement a little more vague, emotional, and most importantly focuses on the outcome...
Video #1: How to install WordPress using Fantastico: Imagine in just a couple of clicks and just a few seconds you now have your entire WordPress blog installed... it's easy when you know how and now you can fire your webmaster or tech guy forever...
Video #2: How to install your theme: Imagine never needing a graphics designer or webmaster even again... just choose from thousands of professionally designed designs for your blog so you get a website that looks exactly the way you want it...
Video #3: Which plugins to install: Imagine having a blog that automatically submits your content to search engines, links to affiliate products to make you money, builds you a list of email subscribers, and more... in just a few clicks, for free...
Video #4: How to add content: Imagine being able to add a new "post" to your website from any computer or telephone, or even watch others build your web presence for you... that means written articles, audios, and videos that all bring people to your website, and keep them there, every single day...
Easy, right? I just added four sentences... and now we have our four bullet points:
- In just a couple of clicks and just a few seconds you now have your entire WordPress blog installed... it's easy when you know how and now you can fire your webmaster or tech guy forever...
- Never needing a graphics designer or webmaster even again... just choose from thousands of professionally designed designs for your blog so you get a website that looks exactly the way you want it...
- You can have a blog that automatically submits your content to search engines, links to affiliate products to make you money, builds you a list of email subscribers, and more... in just a few clicks, for free...
- Add a new "post" to your website from any computer or telephone, or even watch others build your web presence for you... that means written articles, audios, and videos that all bring people to your website, and keep them there, every single day...
Filed in: Copywriting
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Sounds good Rene, let me know how it works out for you and where you use this.
Very slick and easy! I’ll give it a try on my next site.
Interesting concept. I’ll try this as a blog entry.
What do you mean Ike? You’re going to use this formula as a blog post instead of on a sales letter where you actually have something for sale?
Hi Robert,
Nice post, very nice work.
May I suspect you were born a copywriter by yourself?
It’s not very often that I face smooth and yet powerful short articles. And I’ve been reading others and writing “things” for 45+ years now.
Congrats, Robert!
On the other hand you asked me for a website and I gave you the ugly duckling of websites quite amateur. Don’t pay it so much attention please, as all the others are much better in so many ways.
But I find it funny and…
Anyways, I’d like you to know that this site of yours is already bookmarked by me.
I hope others are smart enough to do the same.
Best wishes,
PT
Hi Paulo,
I definitely wasn’t born a copywriter and for a long time I wasn’t very good. But after a while I got sick of having to write so much just to make 1 point… so I decided I would say the same things, but in less space, more emotion, and in more black/white terms than the wishy-washy way we were all trained in school.
Whatup, Robert!
Great formula – and one that can only be fully appreciated, I think, if we put it into action.
I have 3 products that need sales letters…
And I need to get them out like YESTERDAY.
This is a great way for me to bang those sales letters out right away.
I think there is often a mental block with sales letters,
because of the pressure we put on ourselves as relates to sales.
“If it’s not good enough, won’t that cost me sales?”
It might.
But then again, if you don’t get the darn sales letter LIVE, it will DEFINITELY cost you sales! 🙂 🙂
Will do a 5-min sales letter tonight. At least 1… maybe 2.
Later!
Bolaji.
It’s an easy step to follow indeed.
but the problem is:
—> how the heck can we come up with the left sentences without sweats in our head?
—> any trick on this?
thank
sud.l
That’s really a simple formula to follow and get result super fast! Thanks Robert.
Robert,
I really like your style and get motivated just reading this. Bolaji is my man (his Nocrastinator stuff is awesome!) so if he says something is good – I am going to take his word for it. I’ve bookmarked your site and will be considering you one of my “go-to gurus” now.
Thanks for the info and motivation!!
Aradia
Sud,
The trick is to have a swipe file. You can get mine at http://www.fiveminutecopywriting.com … that has fill in the blank headlines, bullet points, openers and closers you can just fill in and make your own.
Once you start writing these “imagine” sentences, it’s hard to stop.
Very nice post and pretty easy steps to follow. Great Job once again!! I love it!!
Hey Robert,
thank for the url
OTT questions:
1. what script/plugin do you use to tell the posters of any new posting in their email?
2. —- to redirect posters after s/he hit ‘submit comment’ to desired url?
thank
sud.l
Hi Sud,
1. Tell posters about new comments: Subscribe to Comments plugin
2. Redirect posters to new URL: Action Comments plugin
Using Imagine… is a very good transition technique to get you to think about benefits which then become your actual selling points. Very nice.
Robert
As usual you make things simple and easy to follow.
Thanks for the update.
Your swipe file is awesome – I do not even have to think about things – I just fill in the blanks
Jeanne
I consider, Robert as the productivity guru, every post/email of him confirms it..
Thank you
Jai
I’ve used your fiveminutecopywriting Robert and it is a great reference.
I discovered something similar when I was handwriting David Ogilvy’s Rolls-Royce Ad.
I kept trying to figure out how he wrote such powerful bullets.
Then it hit me.
If you placed the word “imagine” in front of his bullets, they still made sense.
So now when I write my bullets, I imagine the word “picture this” Or “Imagine” before a sentences …and out come these jaw dropping words I never imagined i could write before (slight pun there)
I’m actually quite shocked you picked this idea up. I was hoping I was the only one 🙂
Robert – You always impress me with the quality of information you share about copywriting. You’re one of the best IMO …and one of my secret weapons when it comes to writing hard hitting profit pulling copy.
You do get right to the meat of the matter. We really appreciate that about you.
These tips are great and I will use them immediately. Writing stuff when a person is fired up is pretty easy but other times it is exactly what you say — a burning drag.
So thank you for this valuable suggestion.
Have a prosperous day!!
— Deborah
Great idea, Robert. I can do this method of sharing the results rather than the feature. All with that little word, “Imagine.” Now back to editing my sales letter . . .
You Rock!!
Theresa 😎
As usual your stuff is really good and easily actionable. I already bought the product and the upsell for 5 minute copywriting. Should be putting at least some of it into action next week. Have to help Donna get ready for vacation before Sat. so that kind of limits my time. We will be settled in by Monday and I will get to work on some these steps.
Thanks again for always giving us praticle, actionable information.
Many Blessings,
Clyde
I really like the way you “spin” the verbiage to take something dry and boring and make it interesting!
What a simple and brilliant idea! I will try this out in an email to my subscribers and see. I am not that good in writing “salesy” type of stuff, but this is simple to do!
Imagine, You immediately become capable of quickly writing great effective copy that unleashes the attention of avid buyers attracted to your product!
A simple technique that works, nice one Robert. i shall try it out for sure. Many thanks.
Robert, I must say you have done it again, this concept using the word imagine works great. As well as the four daily task. You can always come up with excellent time saving, frustrating concepts that work really well. Thanks again for such a reminder to quit making things so freak’in hard. Hope that makes sense.
Thanks,
Joshua Shoemaker
Robert: Sure looks easy the way you present it.
Everything looks relatively easy the way you go about planning, building, producing websites, products and memberships.
I wish I had your skills! Maybe I can acquire one or two of them
by following your lead. Bring it on!
Thanks,
Paulette Quann
Wow!
You mean I don’t have to create a 42 page clickbank salesletter complete with 56 testimonials from every guru in the industry to make a sale?
I’m in!lol.
Nice work, thanks for sharing a very doable formula for putting more buy buttons out there.
Take care,
Nando
Hi Nando,
Yep it doesn’t have to be a mile long… and what’s funny about long copy and lots of testimonials… is that when I split test “something” on my sales letter (usually a headline) against nothing, the “nothing” usually wins. Even one of my best ever testimonials on an optin page, converted WORSE than that same optin page without the testimonial. You don’t know until you test it, and you can’t test it until you have it online.
Awesome post Robert,
I am going to re-do my sales page based on what you discussed above, and then do some split testing.
This might help turn my crappy sales pages into something that sells.
Bernie
Hi Bernie, sounds good. Make sure you use Google Website Optimizer since it’s free, only takes a couple of minutes to setup, and unlike a lot of split testers, it actually tells you when to STOP split testing.
Great post Robert.
You make everything look so easy.
It sounds very exciting, but I am a bit sceptical with swipe files: they usually fit very well your personal voice and style, but not really mine.
How can you adjust other people’s swipe file to your personal needs in 5 minutes? 🙂
Hi Ellen,
I’ve looked at my swipe file and reduced it to just a “certain number” of headlines that appear over and over again, the same bullet point styles I see over and over again and so on…
You fill in the blanks in my headlines or bullet points and you have something that’s pretty good. If you want to make it even better you can rewrite it using that “imagine” technique and now you’ve drilled down to what the headline/bullet was trying to accomplish in the first place, and now it’s 100% your own.
Hi Robert, As always you are spot on 🙂
But I have a question. Why couldn’t these same points actually be put into a blog post and sell right from that? I don’t honestly see why that would not work.
Comments?
Nancy, my only problem with selling from a blog (instead of a sales letter) is that there are a million things to click on OTHER than the buy button. On a sales letter all you can do is click the buy button.
Hi Robert,
I absolutely hate writing sales copy, however having read through your blog post a few times, I think I’m going to “swipe” your method and see if I can improve a few things on some of my sales pages.
Excellent tips Robert, thank you.
Another great post with cool, helpful tips. I think somehow you got blessed with a ‘magic gene’ because you have the Midas touch with your blog and your products. 🙂
Thanks!
Donna
Wow, Robert,
You got me imagining, actually engaging my brain to think…I can write copy!
Your formula is excellent and to the point.
Thanks.
Robert
This is such a good post for people like me that suffers when it comes to writing copy for sales letters and so
Thanks a lot for sharing your this with us
Fernanda Estrada
As always you make it look so easy. Very inspirational, and we now have no excuses for leaving crappy sales letters around. With this recipe the money WILL be comin’ in – thanks for inspiring all of us through your blog.
I think we owe you quite a bit for staying clear.to the path of success. 🙂
Good article Robert. I seem to run hot or cold when it comes to writing my sales copy. Anything that helps keep me focussed or on task is a plus.
Robert,
Awesome tips!
Definitely fills the sales LOVE BUCKET!
Thank you,
Sherrie