Keith Goodrum

Stephen Dean is an outstanding copywriter & marketer. About a week ago on his blog he posted an offer to be interviewed, and you could post it on your blog. Incredibility only 3 people responded!

For me it was a no brainer. Anytime someone with Stephen’s knowledge & experience will allow me to fire 10 questions about their about their specialty… I’m there.

Hope you enjoy the interview, and I highly recommend Stephen products. You’ll get a lot of value out of them no matter what level your copywriting or marketing skills are at.

What do you feel is the most important part of a sales letter?

(Stephen) The most important part, as far as where the most readers are lost, is the headline and deck copy. This is where you have to get their attention by saying something unique, timely, useful and specific.

The headline is well known for being very important, however, so I like to mention proof. Proof is very important in a sales letter,whether it be testimonials, credentials, case studies etc. You need
to have it and many people leave it out.

The long sales letter has taken a beating over the past couple of years in certain circles, do you feel it still has a place in online marketing? Why or Why not?

(Stephen) Yes. And there are other factors to take in to consideration. For example, if you build a great relationship with your blog readers you’re not going to need as much copy to sell to them. The sales process started on your blog, before they got to the sales page. You’ve already provided the proof or credibility that they need to see.

But what about someone who’s never heard of you or your product? They need to go through the sales process too, so you’ve got to start at the beginning.

What is one mistake you see repeated over and over again in most sales letters/web sites?

(Stephen) I see a lot. I created a product based on 7 of the most common mistakes, called “7 Copy Sins”. A big mistake is not demonstrating how you’re different. If your headline could describe 10 different products you’re in trouble.

Another very common mistake is not applying scarcity, or giving the reader a real reason to act immediately. This can be as simple as giving away a valuable bonus to the next 10 customers, but many people don’t do it. That’s why I just released “Digital Scarcity” to give some real examples of how to add this tactic.

You hear people complain about copywriting containing too much hype… How you do write compelling copy while avoiding hype?

(Stephen) Well, a couple of things. You want your copy to be energetic usually, but hype without substance won’t work. You can avoid hype by being specific and backing up every claim you make. Also, you’d probably be best dropping exclamation points except for when you really mean it.

What place does testing hold in your copywriting?

(Stephen) I try to convince all of my clients to add testing to their sales pages. And I stay on to help them do it. I have my own split test software at http://www.easysplittest.com, and I also recommend James Brausch’s Muvar.

And one thing people should probably do more of is testing before they rite the copy. If you can send 1000 visitors to a squeeze page that gives out a free report, you can find a lot of information about which headline or angle will work the best. And that could shape how you write the rest of the copy.

What areas do you like test first, second, third?

(Stephen) The headline is always first. And an extension of that is testing the lead copy, essentially what comes after “Dear Friend” in your typical sales letter. And testing the price is an overlooked gem.

What are the pros & cons regarding people writing their own copy?

Well, a plus is that it’s cheaper initially. And if you’re not getting a lot of traffic, it can be hard to make the leap to paying big dollars for someone like me.

So if you enjoy it, it’s a great skill to learn and apply. But if your skills are lacking it can be very costly to continue to send visitors to a sales page that’s bound to lose sales compared to professionally written copy.

Could you share some of your favorite copywriting tips, or tactics to help boost conversions?

(Stephen) Well here are some things to think about…

Think about what makes your product or service different, and then make sure the difference is very clear in the sales letter. If you’re just more of the same, why would they keep reading?

Consider raising your prices, there’s a good chance a higher price point will actually convert better. In my tests, $97 converts much better than $77. But you do need to test.

Every time you make a claim in your sales letter, immediately back up your claim with proof.

Do you have any tips on writing headlines?

(Stephen) Yes, if you’re a beginner keep it simple. I’d stick to common templates like “How To” and “Discover…”

Then be specific. If it’s “How To Make Money Online.”, change it to “How To Make Money Online In 74 Minutes Or Less.” And better yet, “How You Can Make Up To $253.00 In 74 Minutes Or Less.”

The specifics helps make your product unique. You couldn’t place that last headline on any product. But just think of how many products that first headline could apply to…

What do feel is the best way someone can improve their copywriting?

(Stephen) 3 ways. Read copy, write copy, and read about writing copy. I’ll often track down expert copywriters like Michel Fortin and Gary Halbert and read some of their copy before I start on a project. That’s still a part of my normal routine.

Then, of course, you need to practice. So just writing your own copy by mimicking what you see from the experts is good practice.

But the best way to get direction is through copywriting books and courses. My product at www.2hoursalesletter.com will give you the basics of copywriting extremely fast. And www.7copysins.com is the follow up that attempts to preempt common mistakes you’re likely to
make.

Then I have the advanced courses at www.tappingmichelfortinsbrain.com where I let readers have access to my private conversations with Michel Fortin about copywriting.

And of course I address copywriting tactics often at www.stephensblog.com.

For print books, One of my favorites is “Tested Advertising Methods” by John Caples. It’s quite affordable at Amazon.com.

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