The Copywriting Checklist

How To Sell The Crap Out Of Great Products &Services

Dane Maxwell

Head Honcho at TheFoundation.io

About Dane Maxwell

Im an entrepreneur at heart just like you. Im the founder of Zannee.com and TheFoundation.io. 30 days out of college at age 22, I was scammed for $12,000 on a business website I purchased for sale. Destroyed, embarrassed, and humiliated, I moved home with my parents and swore I would never do anything to anyone like what had happened to me. I would make a difference. Thats when I started Zannee.com out of my parents toy closet. I created a business with real value with clients who I can call friends. You can find my personal Facebook profile here (add me as a friend!). For the last 7 years, Ive worked with hundreds of brokers all over the country providing them software to recruit, retain, and go paperless. Now, I teach entrepreneurs how to build web based companies at TheFoundation.io.

whats in this course

copywriting, really? 1: Instant Clarity Headline 2: declare the problem 3: Present Your Solution 4: Borrow Credibility 5: Social Proof  6: Testimonials 7: Clear Call To TakeAction 8: Reverse All Risk  9: Price Anchoring 10: Frequently Asked Questions final word

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copywriting, really?
I built my business without venture capital or partners, and I was able to do it because ofcopywriting. Really. When creating a new marketing website, or better yet, editing an existing one, I will now share with you the items you need for maximum salespower: 1. Instant Clarity Headline 2. Declare The Problem 3. Present Your Solution 4. Borrow Credibility 5. Social Proof 6. Testimonials 7. Clear Call To Take Action 8. Reverse All Risk 9. Price Anchoring 10. Frequently Asked Questions 1

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Formula

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Instant Clarity Headline

Examples of how to do it
Hot fresh pizza delivered to your door in 30 minutes or its free (Dominos) (Check out wikipedias info page to learn more). Example - Your home sold in 90 days or Ill buy it. Example - In 1 hour, learn the copywriting systems that will double your conversions.

What it does?
Tells the customer in seconds what your product will do for them, not what it is. Forces the product creator to think about the customer, not about theirproduct.

End Result Customer Wants + Specific Period Of Time + Address TheObjections.

Strict Example
Recruit 2 Top Producing Agents Each Week Without Cold Calling Or Rejection (see example).

Mindset tricks
Purpose of the headline? To get your customer to read the second line. Be clear. Not Clever. Clarity trumps persuasion. The best headlines get you to stop, jerk your attention, have greed, curiosity, and unexpected surprises in them Write to the individual, just like youd talk to one person. Dont write to the masses. If you had a gun to your head, and the trigger was pulled if your target customer didnt clearly understand your headline, would you keep it? Its not about your product. Its about your customer.

Rules - You dont need all 3, all the time.

1. Using only the first item (end result) from the formula is ok. 2. Using the first and second item (end result + time frame) is good. 3. Using all 3 items (end result + time frame + objections) from the formula is GREAT.

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declare the problem

Dating advice DoubleYourDating: Have you ever seen a beautiful women, but didnt know what to say to start a conversation? Flight search site Hipmunk: Need to visit your honey across the world? Then youll have to hunt through dozens of crappy flight search sites that drain your energy. 37signals basecamp: Still managing projects with email? Are you still using excel for your to do lists?

Why their situations rough right now without your solution.

Mindset tricks
If you can describe your customers current problem better than they can, they will unconsciously assume you have the solution. If youre not solving a clear problem, its a struggle to get people to pay. Sell insulin to a diabetic, not sugar cookies. 1 reason products fail is because they arent solving a problem someone has - if youre product is a nice to have, not a must have, you dont have much power. If youre selling an aspirational purchase instead of an Ive got this problem, Im going to do it with or without your product purchase - youre in risky territory. Think Nordictrac vs Basecamphq.com. Nordictrac people buy to start doing something (working out), for project management, people are going to do with or without basecamphq. Aspirational purchases usually dont last long. The vast majority of unsuccessful products I see are usually aspirational in nature.

Explain the problem using your customers words.

What it does?
Gets the customer to nod their head in agreement, invites them to read the next line. Lets customer know you understand them. Deepest human desire is to be understood (leverage it). It creates empathy (the most powerful sales tool). Most important: sets up your solution to be presented into the whole gap you just created by defining the problems.

More Examples of how to do it

Sendgrid: On average 20% of email never reaches the inbox Earning $1,000: I cant freelance, I dont even have an idea.

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Present Your Solution

Strict Example
PaperlessPipeline Helps Take Your Real Estate Transactions & Related Documents Online. Say good bye to filing cabinets and hello to happy mobileagents. Email, Scan, Fax, Or Directly Upload Contracts & View Them From Any Computer, Any Browser, Anywhere. Get An Items Needed Checklist Per Transaction To Stay Organized Securely Send Contracts via Email To Clients, The Lender, Or The Title Company When They Ask For It And Travel Without The PaperBriefcase

Rules
1. Try and fit your product into this description for a good practice exercise, regardless of what youre selling. Even if you dont have a product or service to sell, pick a product and try it. 2. Keep it to the top 3 features and benefits, it should be painful to pick. 3. If you sell consulting, replace product name with your consultingpackage.

Formula
Product Name Helps You Do [Task]. Say Goodbye To [Frustration] And Hello To [Benefit]. You Get [Top 3 Features + Benefits For Each Feature]

4. Of all checklist items on this copywriting guide, this was personally hardest for me to crystallize down into an actionable template. There are countless ways to present a product. This is one that works well forme.

What it does?
It forces you to create the 30 second elevator pitch for your product. Customer will unconsciously trust and bond with you because you are clear. Gives customer info to say I want to know more or tells them this is not for them.

benefits in bold. And follow the 3 feature/benefit under each of the top 3 features.

Mindset tricks
Use the language you hear from customers when they describe how they use the product. For PaperlessPipeline: Work Paperless became Show Up To Closing Without Paper and Travel Without Your Paper Briefcase after listening to my clients feedback. Think of your solution first in terms of the benefits. Not the features. Every feature I design is to get the client a benefit, not to get them afeature. 5

More examples of how to do it

SurveyTool.com - Survetool helps you quickly create and distribute surveys with just a few clicks Harvest - Easily track time, send invoices and run your business. Harvest product tour page. You can see they keep it to the top 3 features/

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Borrow Credibility

Tie your company to trusted symbols and famous authorities. Put the biggest brands all over your marketing pages, even if they dont use your product.

Examples
Surveytool.com/pricing - They mention that Dominos and other top brands use surveys to grow their business. But they never say if they use surveytool.com or not. RecruitingNinja.com/tour - I use a quote by Charles Darwin Its not the strongest species that survives, nor the smartest, but the ones that are most adaptable to change. - It creates authority, credibility, and also sets the stage for me to present a solution that will help them change. http://unbouncepages.com/copywriting/ - big brands below the sign upbutton. And just a random idea for you to get your juices flowing. If selling an eCourse, put a quote by Benjamin Franklin (include his photo) below your buy button. An Investment in knowledge always pays the bestdividends. 6

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Social Proof

Show people are using your stuff and signing up.

Examples
37signals is famous for this. Basecamphq.com - millions of people use basecamp PaperlessPipeline.com - a join the crowd with number of files stored and companies registered Aweber.com/order - Shows last 4 people who just signed up on right hand side while you are ordering Freshbooks.com - credibility indicators + social proof. Solid!

More examples of how to do it

SurveyTool.com - Survetool helps you quickly create and distribute surveys with just a few clicks Harvest - Easily track time, send invoices and run your business. Harvest product tour page. You can see they keep it to the top 3 features/ benefits in bold. And follow the 3 feature/benefit under each of the top 3 features.

Rule
1. Never stop selling social proof. Let it bleed into everything you do to make the sale. See on the sign up page for basecamphq, they are still selling social proof on the right hand side.

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Formula
Their Stats

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Testimonials

Rules
1. Dont use testimonials word for word as folks tell you or send them in. Re-order the biggest benefit to be at the top, bold it, and put the rest of the testimonial below it. See this excellent example of putting the biggest benefit in action - click here. 2. For me, testimonials on websites are not nearly as powerful as within an email. Marketing tip: I send an email out with 1 persons testimonial and a sign up link to users who have not bought yet. (Reason #6372 to do lead gen :-) 3. Ive found folks are more likely to read testimonials if its just one by itself, and 1 at a time, they are scattered throughout a sales page, but if stacked among 5 to 10 or more they gloss over it. 4. If people have no idea who the person is on the testimonial, find some sort of authoritative or relatable fact on them. Heres Why The #1 Agent In Texas Is Excited! (then follow with testimonial) or put directly below their name something like Head of the association of Realtors or A $500,000 ProjectManager 5. Spread testimonials out all over your website. 1 per feature, on the sign up page, below the click to register button. Never stop selling testimonials. Every single page should have a testimonial on it.

Proof your product works in your customers words.

Specific end result or benefit customer got + Specific Period of time + Accompanied Feeling + The Persons Name With

Strict Example
For PaperlessPipeline.com: Ive saved $200 per month alone in file folder savings. It took 3 days to get implemented, and I recruited my first agent in the first month as a result. I can now be home with my baby son and review files. The freedom is incredible. - Robb Campbell Top 10 RE/MAX In The World 200+ Agents

Examples
Hudl.com - 3 testimonials on top right hand side. Notice each is touting a different benefit. 100 testimonials all saying the same thing isnt nearly effective as 10 touting a specific, different benefit. PaperlessPipeline.com - 6 or 7 spread throughout the site all touting different benefits and common objections people have about this niche of software. A 237% increase in conversions by adding a testimonial - I ran 2 variations, one with a testimonial, one without a testimonial. The screenshot to the left shows the website that had the testimonial. Picture the other variation with no testimonial.

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Rules

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Clear Call To TakeAction

Tell the customer to do something, such as asking for money (without guilt).

1. Freemium software: Make your call to action the end result of what your customer wants to do. Instead of create an account - split-testing software: create an a/b split test - transaction management: create a transaction - project management: create a trial project 2. Buy buttons: Add To Cart seems to test best for most marketers - or extremely descriptive: Click Here To Create Your Recruiting System And Start Recruiting Agents!

Examples
VerticalResponse.com - Try it free Basecamphq.com - Sign up takes less than 60 seconds PaperlessPipeline.com - Try it out Back pain inversion table sales page - the offer to the right is extremelyclear

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Reverse All Risk

2. #s behind refunds: less than 5% refund, if at all, and guarantees can double or triple sales. Do the math. Very well worth it. 3. A good guarantee can sometimes sell the product alone with nothingelse. 4. Bonus tip: Tie your guarantee to the result or main benefit itself ---> The Club: Well pay $500 towards your car insurance if youre car getsstolen.

Think guarantees, but youre really just reducing fear. To look like a fool is one of the biggest fears we humans have. By purchasing a product that turns out to suck, a person thinks they will look like a fool. When people buy products, they do not just consider themselves. They wonder what their friends, neighbors, co-workers, and family will think of them while they are pulling out their credit card.

Examples
YourBRT.com - double your money back guarantee Earn1k.com - Youll make $1,000 on the side, or Ill be your first client. Heres a guarantee that sold 10s of millions worth of a self published book on self improvement. Try this book or product, 100% at my risk. If it doesnt immediately solve every problem youre now facing, free your mind from worry forever, and let you walk 2 inches taller, then send it back... and every penny of your purchase will be returned. That is why I am willing to lift all of the risk off of your shoulders and place it firmly onto mine and offer an iron-clad, 60 day money back guarantee on the example product name. Aweber.com/pricing.htm - 30 day money back guarantee

If you dont love [product], call or email us and well refund every pennyimmediately.

Rules
1. The more outrageous the better. Not just a refund, but double your money back. (Ive never had anyone ask for double their money back).

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Price Anchoring

The Contrast Principle

If you put your hand in warm water, then put it in cold water. The cold water feels much colder than if you just put your hand in cold water to begin with. The principle affects the way we perceive the difference between two things when they are presented one after another. For instance if you pick up a light 2 lb. weight, then pick up a 10 lb. weight, the 10 lb. weight will seem much heavier than if youd just picked up the 10 lb. weightalone.

The same principle works with pricing, heres How to do it:

Link or tie product price back to a physical product in similar category If you did this by yourself what itd cost If you hire me 1 on 1 what youd pay Example of above 3: GetFitWhileYouSit.com The dollar amount you gain by buying What 1 additional deal will bring you You lose $X dollars by not buying this Make your price seem like a bargain: Robert Cialdini is a world renown psychologist, and one of his principles is The Contrast Principle. Your time is worth x/per hour, you save 3 hours per month, thus Xsavings Example: For the price of a Frappuccino, you can learn every step I use to write profit-pulling copy.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What an FAQ does

SwoopoManual.com - FAQ Increased conversions from by 85% by adding an FAQ right below the buy button. Questions were gathered via email and he took the most popular questions like Can you guarantee Ill win every auction on swoopo if I buy your ebook? or If youre so good at winning on swoopo, how come youre telling us everything youknow? YourBRT.com/free-cd-offer - I ask questions like why are you giving this cd away for free, whats in it for you? and who are you and why should I trust you? Its a brand new site so I dont have conversion data on it yet, but it is converting. It works. Hudl.com/signup - Excellent FAQ example. First question is great Why should I pay an annual fee, as opposed to paying up front and owning the system? http://www.sitepoint.com/kits/web-design-business-kit/ - excellent FAQ questions along right hand side, Is $247 really worth it? Who is this trainer and why should I listen to him?

Boost your conversions by as much as 85% with an FAQ!

1. Ask the good questions that create a sale, even extremes like why should I trust you? or Whats in it for you? are great. They are questions that get people to stop and read. Also consider questions that addresspessimists. 2. Ask (and answer) questions you yourself are afraid to answer. Example: Why should I pick you over the competition?

What an FAQ does

Addresses distrust Acknowledges concerns, and then by that, eliminates objections Speaking their language --- highly empathic

This is the end of the checklist. But its not the end for you... this is just the beginning of what is possible with this new skill.

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final word

Did You Know Copywriting Can Sell Products That Dont Exist?
When you goto TheFoundation.io, you can request a free case study to see how a 22 year old from New Zealand used copywriting to get 12 customers and make $2,000... all before he ever built a product... and how you can do the same. Learn how we make magic at TheFoundation.io

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