Writing for Direct Response: My 37 Point Acid Test for Sales Copy
It seems like it doesn’t matter if I’m talking to a home-based or small business owner, a marketing executive, or a copywriter, almost everyone in this business is faced with the same burning question about every direct answer. promotion they create:
“How do I know how strong the sales copy is in my promotion before showing it to prospects?”
If you can identify yourself, you will love this. The next time you’re tempted to put aside a draft, send it to a client, or send it to a design artist or web developer, do the following:
Reserve an hour. Lock yourself in a quiet room. Pull the phone jack out of the wall. Mentally insert your dogs into a potential customer’s Nike shoes, and then read your sales copy just like he or she would.
DO NOT get carried away by editing or changing anything. Instead, watch every fleeting thought that crosses your mind and every feeling (emotion or boredom, conviction or skepticism, clarity or confusion) that arises within you as you read the sales copy.
Then the second you’re done, take out this quiz. Please rate how well your sales copy achieves each of these 37 goals on a scale of one to five as follows:
1: nonexistent or pathetically weak
2: Room for major improvements
3: I’ve seen worse things
4: Pretty damn strong
5: OMG this is perfect I must be a direct response genius
Ready? Here it goes …
1. Is the topic or benefit featured in the headline and lead likely to resonate powerfully with a significant number of your best prospects?
1 2 3 4 5___
2. Does the headline and sixteen instantly head your attention?
1 2 3 4 5___
3. Are they instantly and completely credible?
1 2 3 4 5___
4. Do they present compelling benefits that the potential customer will get from reading this?
1 2 3 4 5___
5. Explain why it is crucial that the prospect read this right now?
1 2 3 4 5___
6. Do the qualifications of the spokesperson establish beyond doubt?
1 2 3 4 5___
7. Do they sell you for reading the opening?
1 2 3 4 5___
8. Does the opening copy connect directly to the headline and prospect, and intensify your desire to read on?
1 2 3 4 5___
9. Do the emotions you experienced while reading the next open copy make you willing to continue reading?
1 2 3 4 5___
10. Are all key statements of fact supported by sufficient detail to make them credible?
1 2 3 4 5___
11. Does the spokesperson present a compelling reason why they are writing this or offering this product or service at the beginning of the running text?
1 2 3 4 5___
12. Is the potential customer being told why it is absolutely necessary for them to read this?
1 2 3 4 5___
13. Is the speaker’s personality and conviction clearly and strongly manifested?
1 2 3 4 5___
14. Does the copy feel like a face-to-face conversation between two friends with a common interest?
1 2 3 4 5___
15. Is the emotional tone of the copy appropriate to the topic?
1 2 3 4 5___
16. Is it clear that the spokesperson is an advocate for the potential client and has an emotional interest in getting this information to you?
1 2 3 4 5___
17. Is the prospect likely to find an emotional soul mate, someone who expresses their feelings, in the spokesperson?
1 2 3 4 5___
18. Does the spokesperson feel like a friend and advocate, and not just another salesperson?
1 2 3 4 5___
19. Do you feel like the copy moves faster as you go through the part?
1 2 3 4 5___
20. Are the practical benefits of the product and / or premiums fully dimensioned?
1 2 3 4 5___
21. Are the positive emotional benefits that the product / premiums provide fully addressed?
1 2 3 4 5___
22. Are the negative emotions your prospect has regarding the topic at hand and will they be neutralized by the fully explored product?
1 2 3 4 5___
23. Are entertainment items scattered throughout and, if so, are they appropriate for the theme?
1 2 3 4 5___
24. Is the value of the product and all premiums fully dimensioned and is the price completely trivialized?
1 2 3 4 5___
25. Is there a plausible justification for the discount, premiums and other elements of the offer?
1 2 3 4 5___
26. Does the guarantee reaffirm the benefits and is it presented in a way that deepens the bond between the spokesperson and the prospect?
1 2 3 4 5___
27. Is the prospect’s desire for instant gratification addressed? Have you emphasized how quickly you will receive the product?
1 2 3 4 5___
28. Did you feel your enthusiasm rise to a crescendo as you approached closing?
1 2 3 4 5___
29. Does the spokesperson present a compelling reason to buy now?
1 2 3 4 5___
30. Is there an urgency motivator: a quick response voucher, a limited offer, a deadline, etc.?
1 2 3 4 5___
31. Would I be strong enough for you to act?
1 2 3 4 5___
32. Does the closure leave you with the feeling that it would be crazy NOT to order?
1 2 3 4 5___
33. Is there a special incentive to order right now over the phone?
1 2 3 4 5___
34. Does the copy of the order form reaffirm the benefits and warranty in a convincing way?
1 2 3 4 5___
35. Does the order form seem simple and easy to use?
1 2 3 4 5___
36. Are the ordering instructions clear and easy to understand?
1 2 3 4 5___
37. Does the order form thank the new customer for their order and start the linking process?
1 2 3 4 5___
How would you do?
Do you want a general reading? Just add up all your answers and check your score …
37-109: Wow! You just gave yourself an “F”. And were you going to give THAT to a client or a designer? If the Earth First ever find out that you were willing to kill a tree to make paper for it, your life won’t be worth a penny. Better get back to the drawing board – QUICK!
110-128: The bad news is that you have a copy “D” in your hands. The good news is that you know exactly how to fix it. Just work through each of the weak sections until you can honestly give them a substantially better grade.
129-146: Okay, that’s about a “C”. Not bad for a draft … but certainly NOT good enough to make it into a final one. I suggest that you start with the sections you rated a “1” or a “2” first, and when you can honestly give each a 4 or a 5, move on to the ones that scored a 3.
147-165: So you’re in the “B” rank, a great start. Just a small adjustment on the weaker sections, and you’re done. Make sure to pay special attention to the headline, the lead, and the open text; When you can honestly give them a 4 or a 5, you may have a big winner on your hands.
166-184: Do you want a job Seriously.
185: Yeah right. What. Oh my fault. I forgot to mention that you have to do this SOBER!
I’m pulling a little on your chain here. The fact is that the overall score is practically negligible. The important thing is that you have identified the things you still need to do to make this sales copy a huge success.