John Carlton on Copywriting

John Carlton - One of the Top Copywriters Anywhere

John's presentation was AWESOME - phenomal stuff; powerful speaker. You'll love this information.

The Shortcuts to Writing Great Copy


Divide 167 by 3
Picture a pile of money that represents how much money you need to retire
Imagine a pleasant sexual memory

These touch each part of the thinking brain.

Connect and bond with the reader
Copywriting can get you ANYTHING you want in life


"I have moved online because that's where the action is."


Build your list and occassionally ask them to buy things from you.


The basics of selling never change.


The web is just another delivery system for your sales message.


Copy is King


It is the nature of all advertising that your message will face continual difficulties getting through.

john-carlton.com - Blog

Secrets of a good blog (It doubled his sales, even though he's not selling on his blog)
1. Content
2. Personality

Salesmanship is the most overlooked part of every business.

You need multiple ways to reach people; Intel, Apple and HP had a conference last year to talk about the collapse of the Internet - the infrustructure, as it is, can only handle so many people.

When you imagine your prospect, imagine them as impossibly unlikely to take action as possible; your job is to get them to move.

Three kinds of copy

Bad - will kill your business
Mediocre - heartbreak copy; you know you're doing about 10% what you could be doing.
World class - write your own ticket.

The Hook

Do sales detective work; interview people; understand what about the product grabs people.

Make a story out of the product.

Amazing Secret Discovered by One Legged Golfer . . .

Headlines are almost unbelievable - they're always true. Then you need to back it up and prove it true.

What is the gossip? What are the rumors about the product? Do some spy work.

Nothing happens until the copy gets read.

Con men are the best salesmen; street sales people are next best.

People are greedy; tap into their greedy desires.

Don't be embarrassed to ask for the sale - if you have a good product, it's your job to ask the prospect to try it.

If your product is good, make your guarantee long. Year long guarantee - lifetime. If the product is any good, guarantee it.

Discover the astonishing secrets of the most respected, knowledgable, and successful _______ in the world.

Appeal-O-Meter

Almost Nobody - Almost Everyone
Cold, Hard Reality - Magic (the closer to believable magic, the better you'll sell)

The biggest mistake is to not keep asking people who buy to buy something else. Never stop asking.

Most people don't keep track of their best stories. The best way to construct a hook is the "incongruous juxtaposition of compelling elements" - the underdog who won it all, the ugly guy who got the girl, the high school dropout who became a billionaire, the skinny guy who hit the ball farther,

Bonding with your reader; share passion, use slang, talk as though you're sitting with them at a bar.

Stop trying to elevate yourself above your prospects.

Nothing happens until your ad gets written.

The best secret of the richest:

Never re-invent the wheel, find out what the market already wants, find out how other marketers get them to buy, then do it.