NOTE: This is an e-mail I sent to my subscribers…
Remember the day you created your Instagram handle? That moment when you needed to write your bio
Did you get stuck at some point because you didn’t know what to write, especially how to begin writing?
This happens to everybody, including professional writers.
I’m sure most of you already know what it’s called.
But just in case you don’t, I’ll tell you.
So we call it Writer’s Block.
Everyone who is into copywriting, content, writing, or any other kind of writing at all, suffers from writer’s block.
Especially when they are just starting out. Although over time most writers find their way around it, mostly through thorough research…
Surprisingly, it happens to Me too. In fact, it happened today, just as I was about to start writing this email.
But before the writer’s block.
I was really worried about what I was going to write about today.
But then I decided to do what Gary Halbert would always do whenever he’d have nothing to write about….
Gary Halbert In the boron letters he wrote to his youngest child from prison, he said that there were days when he did not know what to teach his child…
But even when he didn’t have any inspiration, he would just start writing anyway.
And eventually, something good would come to mind…
I do that sometimes. Today is an example.
I usually write with my phone, before transferring it to the computer to edit, format, and finally send it to the automation software.
So, today I decided to do it differently.
Sit at the table with the computer in front of me with an opened window of Google Docs and wait for a while, then hope that something will come to mind as I search through my mind about the many struggles that copywriters and marketers face…
I thought of many challenges, but I decided to settle for the fundamentals…
I decided to write about the very first sentence you write whenever you’re writing an ad, a sales letter, an e-mail, or anything that is intended to sell something to somebody, or even if you’re writing a blog post.
Whatever you decide to write about, you’re almost always going to have problems with how you begin, especially when you don’t do enough research.
That First Sentence is the beginning of your LEAD. It’s the most important part of your body copy.
So, now let’s get right into business
By now, you already know that the purpose of every line in your copy is to get your readers to read the next sentence.
So every word must lead to the next word, every sentence must lead to the next sentence, and every paragraph must lead to the next paragraph.
That is the sequence
That is exactly the only duty of each sentence—what every sentence in your letter should achieve.
That is their primary responsibility.
And when they achieve that one duty, then definitely you’re going to get them to read on and on and on
Now remember,
If the purpose of all the elements in your copy is to get people to read it, then what we are really talking about is getting them to read the first sentence. Isn’t it?
This tells you that the first sentence is really important.
So, how can you make it so important that when your readers read through it, they will go on to the next sentence?
Because chances are that if they don’t read the first sentence, they are not going to read the second sentence.
What can you say in the first sentence to get them to read the next one?
Well, here is a quick tip.
Since the first sentence is very important and will determine whether or not your readers will continue reading,
you have to make it simple,
very interesting and compelling enough that they want to read more.
But how do you do that?
One is to make it short.
Lead off with a short statement of fact that agrees with a struggle your reader may be having.
I’ve gone through some of the best Classic ads. And what I saw was that the very first sentences were super short.
You can look at some of them if you will.
Good luck with that anyway…
You could say.
Losing weight is not easy.
It’s you against the computer.
It’s easy.
He had to happen.
Hats off to IBM.
Making money is not easy
I used to work hard.
One thing that you notice from these very short opening sentences is, they all have something in common.
They addressed a particular thing that your reader may readily agree with, but they are also very incomplete.
For instance, everyone knows that making money is hard. That is why the poor are in the majority.
If it were that easy, then everybody would be rich.
If you ask people who want to lose weight, they’ll probably tell you how hard it is for them to go to the gym, go on road walks, and all of that.
Within your research, you should be able to understand what your prospect struggles with.
With that understanding, you can start your opening sentence with something that they can agree with, or something that piques their curiosity, such that they want to know why you said so.
You can also start by challenging the status quo.
You can start with a controversial statement that challenges what people generally believe in.
For example.
You could say.
You don’t need money to live a good life.
You can now get into real estate without spending a dime.
Making money is easy.
You want to ensure that your opening statement is so important that it catches their attention and forces them to want to know more.
Try This;
Now, try Writing three opening sentences for a post that’s aimed at getting people to follow you on Instagram
Do you see how each sentence is so easy to read and very short because you made it simple, easy, and relatable?
Think about the analogy of locomotives.
When the locomotive starts to chug from a standing start, it really works hard.
The amount of commitment and energy that the train must exert is monumental.
But once the train starts to move, the next few feet become easier, and the next few even easier.
So it is with copy
Magazines used this technique
Many magazines use a variation of this technique in their articles.
They start an article not with a very short sentence, but maybe with a very large type.
Once they have you sucked into reading the copy, you turn to the next page to read the rest of the article.
You’ll notice that the typeface has gotten smaller. But that’s OK.
The purpose of the large type was to get you into the article, and it worked.
Now it is up to the author to keep you reading and turning the pages.
In direct response, you’ve got a lot going against you unless the readers are genuinely interested in your product, and if they are,
Then you’ve got to really grab and keep them.
So your first sentence should be very compelling by virtue of its short length and ease of reading.
No long, multisyllabic words. Keep it short, sweet, and almost incomplete so that the reader has to read the next sentence.
If all the elements are designed to get you to read the next sentence in an ad.
Then what is the purpose of the first sentence?
If you guessed that it was to convey a benefit or explain a feature.
That would be impossible. How could a short sentence do anything more than get you to read it?
The correct answer is, of course.
The purpose of the first sentence is to get you to read the second sentence.
Nothing more, nothing less.
You probably figured this out already anyway. I know you’re very smart
Now remember, this isn’t the time for you to start mentioning the benefits and features of your product.
As a matter of fact, you don’t get to talk about your product in the initial sentences because you need them to read to the point where you transition to your benefits and features.
Of course, at some point in your letter, you will have to tell them about your product.
But you need to get them there first.
So transitioning is something that would help you get to that point, but before then, you’d have to keep that interest burning.
Imagine you were talking to a stranger in person…
How would you talk to someone who was right in front of you?
Remember, be simple. Be easy to read. Be sweet. Be inviting. Be sympathetic.
Also, make it almost incomplete, so that they want to know more.
And when they go to the next sentence, that next sentence is supposed to get them to read the third sentence, the third sentence, the fourth, all the way to the end.
That is how to keep them reading until you transition to your offer, features and benefits, pricing, guarantees, bonuses, and then your close/call to action.
You want to make sure that you have their attention from the beginning right to the other stages…
Because if you lose them, you don’t get them to buy because they have to read your copy first before they can buy what you’re selling or what you’re promoting.
Or subscribe to your YouTube channel, follow you on Twitter, or take whatever action you want them to take…
I hope this is clear and that you enjoyed reading this email. I’ll see you in the next email.
To your success
Godswill
Stay Frosty…
P.S:
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