Would you marry a woman after one date?
Would you buy a family home after seeing a few photos of it?
Would you buy a car without taking a test-drive?
Would you allow a doctor to operate on you without having some sort of x-rays or an MRI done?
If you’re like most (normal) people, you probably answered “No,” to each one of these questions, right?
Let’s talk about this, because the real issue related to today’s e-mail, has nothing to do with how MUCH copy you should use… and these questions are relevant to where we are going with this.
The debate over whether long copy sells better than short copy, has been around forever.
“Creatives” will argue that your buyer’s attention span is short, and you need to condense your message into a very quick missive.
Copywriters and armchair psychologists like me, argue that buyers need to have things thoroughly explained to them, before they can make a good buying decision. Which, whether you realize it or not, is what’s going on in those four questions I asked you a few minutes ago.
However, the real issue isn’t either of these things. The real issue is “How much” is enough, not “how long” is enough.
And just like you wouldn’t marry a woman after one date… you wouldn’t buy a family home without walking through it and sniffing out your surroundings… you wouldn’t buy a car without test-driving it… and how you wouldn’t allow a doctor to operate without other verifying exams, first… “selling” works the same way.
Your buyers don’t need to know a LOT, and they don’t need to know a LITTLE. They need to know ENOUGH to make a buying decision.
And so it’s your job to give them everything they need to know, in a clear, brief manner. Nothing more, but for sure, nothing less!
And unless you’re selling something very simple or quite well-known… this means they need a lot more than a logo and a couple of bullets.
They need details, tons of benefits, incentive to order, and a call to action. Not to mention testimonials, guarantees, and a reason to take action now.
And I don’t know about you, but I sure as hell can’t get all this into a logo and a few bullets.
It’s your call, though.
Now go sell something, Craig Garber
P.S. The best example of long vs. short copy is my book, How To Make Maximum Money With Minimum Customers. The book is 354 pages long and most people say they have NO idea how long it is because it’s like having a conversation with me directly. Get it here — it comes with a LIFETIME Guarantee so you can make that decision for yourself
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