Copywriters know that they should include come kind of proof in their copy, but a lot don’t.

This was refreshing and I liked how you presented the ideas of sticking proof in sales copy. Nice )

I’m looking forward to reading part 2… You’re right on with your words of wisdom and I can’t wait to read what you have to say about the advanced techniques.

Until then…

John
The ‘Courageous’ Marketeer

On that particular squeeze page, 96+% of my prospects know who Michel Fortin is and how great a guy he is (and not too shabby at copy, I hear, too . So I’d be missing an opportunity if I didn’t include some kind words he said about me that’s RELEVANT to the offer–key word there.

Cheers,

John

Many thanks to everyone who participated and had fun with “fruit”.

And good luck to those who’ve stumbled across this site and tried to figure out what the heck is going on!

We’ll do this again real soon.

John

Today is my FIRST DAY as a new AWAI member and I came upon your post.

I thought maybe, just maybe, you might be in one of those “funny moods” you mentioned – and I might be able to “sneak in” our your generous offer to those lucky 10.

You’re familiar with the “bakers dozen”, aren’t you? I’d be shocked if you weren’t…

What do you think? Will my effort bear any fruit?

By the way, I love creative writing so I’m hoping my education in copywriting will keep bearing fruit for many years to come.

Best wishes for your continued success.

Virgil

best…………….valentina

An excellant article. Great “ad”-vice! I incorporated much of it in writing a spot for a local produce market that claims to have the finest FRUIT in town. Thanks to your suggestions, I was able to dig down for the real pulp and write some juicy copy. (nyuk, nyuk – does the offer still stand?)

Cheers, Champ!

- Al Henderson

The attribution of flaws resonates with me. That makes sense and does make the product seem more credible and less hypey.

And you really need to write the way your customers talk to get better results. If you speak my language I’m more likely to buy from you than from someone who doesn’t talk my talk.

Geoff, you raise a good point. I’m not a lawyer (and I don’t even play one on TV!)

But I’m obviously familiar with that story, and I even looked up the word “preponderance”.

———————————————-
pre·pon·der·ance (prÄ­-pŏn’dÉ™r-É™ns) also pre·pon·der·an·cy (-É™n-sÄ“)
n.
Superiority in weight, force, importance, or influence.
———————————————-

But of course it could mean something different in lawyer-speak. I only meant that your proof should be overwhelming. Lack of proof should NEVER be a reason they don’t buy.

It should be that it’s not the right offer for them at the right time. Or something else you don’t necessarily have control over.

Bottom line is that anything you DO have control over, you should take the time to make sure you do your homework, especially when it comes to credibility and believability of your claims.

Cheers,

John

As a lawyer, I have always found it amusing that the senior lawyer in that story demands “a preponderance” of proof. Technically, a “preponderance” translates to “barely enough” — it is the weakest standard of proof in litigation. It is also phrased as “more likely than not.” Lawyers will make closing arguments where they trot out a little set of metal scales and talk about the jury “weighing the evidence” on both sides, and noting that for the plaintiff to win, the balance has to tip only the very slightest amount in the plaintiff’s favor. A feather would be enough to tip it in that direction.

Stronger standards of proof in the law are such things as “clear and convincing evidence,” which is needed for some kinds of intentional torts, and “beyond a reasonable doubt,” the strictest standard, generally applied in criminal prosecutions.

So, in the lawyer story, it would be more fruitful for the lawyer to have demanded “clear and convincing” evidence, because that standard is not just “more likely than not” but “substantially more likely than not.”

GLB