I dragged myself in early on day four to hear our next speaker; Alan Forrest-Smith. As a general statement I quite like Alan - I think he is very talented at copywriting and he can give a good presentation. However this wasn’t a good example.

In essence Alan spent 1.5 hours telling us how great he was, how great it was to have lots of money, that this happened fairly quickly for him (ignoring all the business experience he gained as a hairdresser and then owner of a number of salons) and that if we attended his next level copywriting course (for £20,000 - only £5k down the rest when we get some business) then we could enjoy that lifestyle too.

A few people just walked out once the ego trip got moving…

To be fair he did let a few copywriting tips slip and they do give an inkling to the depth of Alan’s knowledge:
1) 85% of people don’t read beyond the headling.
2) The first paragraph is a critical starter.
3) Each paragraph should lead the reader to the next one
4) Have a no risk no refusal offer. Are readers hesitant? If so the you need to change your offer.
5) Have a call to action - tell them what to do.
6) Audio should be set to play automatically, if they have to click to play then they won’t. Must have play, pause & stop buttons.
7) Every word should be directed to the buyer. It should be as long as it needs to be to tell the story.

-Paul

Paul Quirk is a director at Know It Use It Ltd
http://www.ValuedClientSystem.com - From Prospects to Customers to Valued Clients
http://www.VCSHosts.co.uk – Create Your Online Business In A Box

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