1. One-word sentences? Eliminate. No way! I’ve found that when used with discretion, one-word sentences and even one-word paragraphs in sales copy add emphasis and make the page look more inviting.
2. Who needs rhetorical questions? I do – that’s who! Rhetorical questions are a great way to stop prospects in his or her tracks and get them thinking. My rhetorical headline, “What’s Wrong with Getting Richer Quicker?” Mailed for years.
3. Contractions aren't necessary and shouldn't be used. Baloney! Contractions should always be used – unless NOT using them adds appropriate emphasis: “Don’t buy any stock today” is much less emphatic than “Do NOT buy any stock today”.
4. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with. Not necessarily true. Remember: Our aim is to write colloquially – and most of our prospects break this rule with wild abandon.
5. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction. WRONG! Conjunctions are connecting words … when used at the beginning of a paragraph, they can be very helpful in promoting readership.
6. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive. Again – if you’re speaking to your prospect colloquially, it may sometimes be helpful to.
7. Avoid cliches like the plague. (They're old hat.) That’s as dumb as a bag of hammers. Cliches, metaphors and other figures of speech are more than just colloquial and comfortable; they tend to paint vivid mental images. And as we both know, a picture is worth a thousand words.
8. Also, always avoid annoying alliteration. Some of the most effective headlines ever written used alliteration to make them memorable. Bencivenga’s legendary “Lies, Lies, Lies” “12 Smiling Swindlers” etc.
9. Comparisons are as bad as cliches. Who wrote these rules anyway? Comparisons are essential in sales copy. To make my case, I often compare something that’s happening in the economy or stock market today with something that happened in years past.
And to simplify things, I often compare something that happens inside your body with something that happens outside it: “This supplement is like a rotor-rooter for your arteries.”
And of course, comparing the high value of the benefits my product delivers with its low cost is a proven winner.
10. Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake. Again – analogies are word pictures … they’re used in colloquial conversation … and they’re a quick way to drive your point home.
11. Kill all exclamation points! Not always! Judicious use of exclamation points in copy is helpful to emphasize important points! Overuse can kill, though!
12. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know." You can quote me on this: Waldo was a drooling moron. Quoting a top expert’s implicit or explicit endorsement of your rationale, theme or product is a powerful way to establish credibility.
13. If you've heard it once, you've heard it a thousand times: Resist hyperbole; not one writer in a million can use it effectively. Hyperbole is like art: No one can define it, but everyone thinks they know it when they see it. As the writer, you alone should judge whether your tone and word choices are appropriate or hype.
14. Puns are for children, not for groan readers. Tell that to Arthur Johnson: He knows that light humor – including puns – can be a powerful readership and response booster, especially in heads and subheads!
15. Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms. Nonsense. Colloquialisms communicate. See above.
16. Profanity is for asses. Bullshit!
6 steps to creating a super startup
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