The
10 Minute”
Copywriting
Speed Course
Kelvin Dorsey
1
The 10 Minute Copywriting Speed Course
© Kelvin Dorsey Marketing 2015 | All rights reserved
The “10-Minute”
Copywriting Speed Course
T
oday...
...I thought I'd do something different.
And that something different is this:
I'm gonna break-down some
"sales
copy"
barney-style
copywriter John Carlton.
brilliantly crafted
from
world
class
There's far too many marketers online today farting
out lame-limp-wristed copy that has as much impact
as a fart in a thunderstorm.
But...I want better for YOU, my little marketing
crony.
I want MY subscribers to be "armed to the teeth"
when it comes to the skill of copywriting.
Know this:
Skillz pay the billz, baby!
And I don't know of a better skill to develop than
the skill of copywriting for bringing in the
cabbage.
This one short easy lesson will arm your bad self
with the simple secrets of persuasive sales copy
that zings with white-hot power!
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The 10 Minute Copywriting Speed Course
© Kelvin Dorsey Marketing 2015 | All rights reserved
Hoo Haa!
I'm getting excited.
Ok Chief, you ready?
Goodie.
I have my marketing-scalpel in hand.
I will now dissect....
Here's the sample of sales copy from copywriting
wizard John Carlton that I'll break-down for you...
(John
is
writing
to
sell
a
self-defence
type
product here. This is just one benefit or bullet
I've chosen from many that he wrote on that
particular sales letter)
Here it is:
How to use the "hip-swinging secret" soldiers use to drop
opponents instantly -- no speed or strength required, yet it's
like driving a 160 lb. bar of lead into the bad guy's belly! (It's
so effective, you don't even have to come close to hitting your
"target" area... even the sloppiest attempt by you will bring him
to his knees!)
Hmm.
Where to start?
Ok, first thing I want you to observe is how casual
and relatable the style of writing is.
If you saw the whole sales letter, you'd see how
friendly and conversational the copy is.
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© Kelvin Dorsey Marketing 2015 | All rights reserved
It's as if John's sitting at a bar having a few
drinks... while telling a friend how impressed he
is with this self-defence product he's discovered.
Most marketers write like they're selling from
behind a boardroom table to a bunch of corporatestiffs.
And it sounds as personal as a Christmas card from
a bank.
Not good.
You want to sound warm, friendly and agreeable.
You want to come across as
something exciting to share.
a
friend
who
has
And you don't want to come across as a super-slick
salesperson either.
This is such an important point that you should
tattoo it on your body somewhere.
Listen, this is oh so very important:
The "tone" of your writing will either keep the
readers defences up, or pull their defences down.
Ok, I think you're picking up what I'm putting down
there, aren't you?
Goodie.
Onward.
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Now, look at the first two words:
"How to"
People love to
interest them.
be
shown
how
to
do
things
The little but devastatingly-effective
phrase is pure gold.
"how
that
to"
It gets your readers attention, and pulls on their
interest and curiosity on the topic - in this case
it's learning self-defence.
The "how to" phrase opens a loop in your readers
mind that needs closing.
Meaning:
Their curiosity's now wants to be satisfied. So
they keep reading to satisfy it.
Simple stuff, eh?
Yet so under-used by so many marketers.
Ok, now let's look at:
"hip-swinging secret"
Now obviously in this product - I think it's a
video or something - the instructor shows you how
to use your hips in a way that brings down your
opponent.
Now, amateur marketers would explain (sell) this
technique in a lame-ass way like this:
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The 10 Minute Copywriting Speed Course
© Kelvin Dorsey Marketing 2015 | All rights reserved
In this video you will learn how to bring down an
opponent using your hips yadda yadda...
Yawn.
That's some seriously weak-sauce dude!
That whole sentence was devoid of all curiosity and
drama.
Now look what Mr Carlton does here:
John takes something kinda bland (using your hips a
certain-way to bring down an opponent) and sexes it
up.
It's now the "hip-swinging-secret"
Ahh...now that
doesn't it?
sounds
a
little
more
interesting
He gives it a name.
You always want to take something that's dry-asdust and make it sound fascinating.
Giving something a name will do that.
Then Mr Carlton tags on the
selling-words at the end of it.
"mother"
of
all
And that is the almighty word:
SECRET.
I don't care who you are, when you read the word
"secret" in a piece of content you're interested
in, your logical mind goes wacka wacka.
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Why?
Because your subconscious-mind gets all excited.
It jumps up like a sugared-up 7 year old at a
birthday party and takes over.
It thinks:
“Ooh...lookie here, some behind-the-curtain stuff!”
Yup, we all love insider-information, and the word
"secret" triggers that response in us all.
What?
You say that word wouldn't work on you?
Don't be so sure Pookie.
That's like saying you won't ever be tempted to eat
too much chocolate - or whatever your vice of
choice - because you're aware that too much
chocolate isn't good for your waist line.
It doesn't matter that your consciously aware of
something.
Us humans are irrational, emotional creatures.
Nero-science
claims
that
almost
95%
of
our
decisions and behaviour stem from our subconscious
minds.
As a marketer, you'd better get-hip to that type of
information.
People buy with their emotions.
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The 10 Minute Copywriting Speed Course
© Kelvin Dorsey Marketing 2015 | All rights reserved
If you neglect to use the word "secret" cuz you
think it's overused and "hypey", you're leaving a
lot of money on ye olde table.
Listen, there's only one thing you really need to
know about using the word "secret" in your
advertising.
And it's this:
It just freakin' works!
Nuff said.
Next.
Ahh, look at that word:
soldiers
That word "soldiers" is actually working hard as a
soldier in this piece of copy too.
Know this:
Every word you add to your sales message should
earn its keep.
And in this case, the word soldier is doing just
that, and then some.
It's a thing of beauty.
Here's why:
John being the diabolically-clever marketer that he
is, knows that by telling his readers that
"soldiers" use this secret technique, that it will
bring mucho credibility to this claim.
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It's not just "anyone" using this technique.
No Suh!
Freakin' hard-core soldiers use it!
And if it's good enough for soldiers, it's good
enough for anyone.
Right?
Right.
Credibility will ALWAYS jack-up the believability
factor in your sales message.
And John just borrowed a whole lot of credibility
right there by mentioning soldiers use this secret
technique.
If your reader doesn't believe what you’re saying,
she's not buying.
It's that simple.
So major on using credibility.
Ok moving on.
Let's look at:
"drop opponents instantly"
Look at the word "drop"
That's humdinger of a word.
Why?
A couple of reasons.
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First reason:
It's a short punchy word.
You want lots of short pithy words when writing
sales copy.
You wanna make it
prospects to read.
easy
as
People in
squirrel.
have
attention-spans
general
possible
for
your
of
a
And online, it's even worse.
They're more like a squirrel on crack.
If you can replace a three syllable word with a two
or one syllable word....DO IT!
The other reason why "drop" is a top-shelf word is
because....
It's a verb!
You want lots of verbs too.
Verbs are show-off words.
They jump-off the page.
Verbs plant an image inside your reader's noggin'.
You can't read; "drop opponents instantly" and NOT
see that in your imagination.
And when selling, you
prospects imagination.
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want
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© Kelvin Dorsey Marketing 2015 | All rights reserved
to
fire-up
your
You want your prospect seeing themselves using your
product in their mind's eye.
This is very important Chief.
Because you ONLY have words on a page/screen to do
your selling, your reader obviously can't pick up
and hold the product you’re selling.
And all great salespeople know that letting your
prospect try out your product before they buy goes
a long way to closing the sale.
It's why the car salesman wants to get you inside
that car and driving it.
He wants you to experience what it would it would
be like to own that car.
The savvy salesperson knows that getting a prospect
to try out a product will get them involved with
the
product
on
a
deeper
level.
An
almost
"subconscious ownership" of that product happens
inside the prospect.
Once the prospect has tried out the product, it's
now a lot harder to give it back.
Or to not buy.
So....
...seeing you only have words on a screen to do the
selling, getting them to visualize what your
product will do for them is the next best thing.
Harken Unto Me....
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...Neuroscientists say that your subconscious-mind
can't tell the difference between something that's
imagined, and something that's real.
So plant images in your reader's mind of them using
your product and all the benefits that come from
using your most wonderful product.
And using lots of "verbs" to help
visualize is lethally-effective.
your
reader
Yup...
The force is strong with verbs.
Howz it going?
You keepin' up with all this?
As you can see, there's a lot going on behind each
word, phrase and sentence, eh?
You know, it's really a whole lot of little things
working together make the big impact.
Like a swingin' jazz band, where all the musicians
feed off each other and all their contributions
working together make "sweet tender music".
Except
with
copywriting
(your
written
sales
message) all words, phrases and sentences play
together to make "sweet tender sales".
Comprendo?
Good.
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The 10 Minute Copywriting Speed Course
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Ok, now let's look at the word John tagged on the
end of: "soldiers use to drop opponents"
It's the word:
"instantly"
Ahh yes...another high-octane "selling word".
Why so?
Hang on. Just before I answer that, I feel I need
to say this:
All this stuff isn't hypnosis tricks, NLP or any
other such voodoo mumbo-jumbo.
It's simply just understanding human nature and how
people buy. And then writing in a way that works
with that primal-nature, instead of against it.
If your writing or sales message doesn't appeal to
your prospects primal needs and wants, you're
screwed.
You must work with Mother Nature, not against her.
Seems obvious doesn't it?
Yet so many marketers work against it in their
sales message and wonder why their ads are totally
ignored.
As a marketer, you MUST know what motivates people.
When you do, selling becomes child’s-play.
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You'll be able to flick on your prospect's "buyer
switch" as easily as flicking on some lights.
So what I'm sloppily trying to say here is this:
Selling is NOT:
Tricking, convincing, or any other arm-twisting
type technique that's being taught out there by
sales gurus.
Nope.
Selling is simply giving people what they want.
Notice that little word at the end of the previous
sentence?
Yeah, that word.
Want.
Yup, people must *want* what your selling.
Make sure the only people you advertise to are
THOSE people.
But alas...
...it's not enough to find a group of people who
want your product or service.
Why?
Cuz of something called:
Competition.
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That's right Pookie, chances are you're not the
only one on planet
selling, right?
earth
selling
what
you're
And that's where salesmanship comes in.
You must be able to persuade a prospect why they
should buy from you and not some other schmuck.
And that my friend is what I'm giving you right
here.
By dissecting a section of John's sales message,
you're getting an inside look at world class
persuasion and salesmanship.
And doing it with nothing but words.
When writing sales copy, words are the tools of
your trade.
And John's been masterfully using words to bring in
millions worth of sales for 20 odd years.
So pay attention.
If you take this stuff seriously, you really can
super-charge your business.
Ok.
Onward.
Where was I? Oh yeah...I was about to tell you why
the word "instantly" is a word John uses a lot. And
why you should too.
Here's why…
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Cuz every freakin person on God's green earth is
genetically wired with the impatient gene.
Have you seen a hungry baby!
It ain't gonna patiently wait while mother goes to
prepare the bottle of milk.
That baby will scream the house down until it gets
that milk.
And you know what?
We never really lose that type of impatience.
We may not cry and crap our pants over not getting
something we want quick enough, but we're just as
impatient nonetheless.
I mean, folk nearly get a brain aneurysm over a web
page taking a few extra seconds to download.
In today's digital world, "instant" is not a luxury
but an expectation.
Tell a teenager they have to wait and they'll look
at you cross-eyed.
“Why can't we just
" they'll mutter.
download
it
or
sumthin'
So you can see that the word instant is a very
attractive word indeed.
The word "instantly" also implies ease.
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And in this case - selling a self-defence product you want these defence moves and techniques to be
easy.
It also implies power and effectiveness, wouldn't
ya agree?
Awrighty...
...movin' on.
Ahh...this ones good.
John writes:
"no speed or strength required"
Now listen up...
John - and any other copywriter worth their weight
in gold - knows that the prospect has low selfesteem around the topic being sold to them. They
don't believe they can actually do it themselves
and are looking for a secret technique/mechanism or
a magic button to do it for them.
That my friend is what's going on inside of your
prospect.
Call
it
emotions.
primal
nature....subconscious....or
It doesn't matter what you call it.
What matters is that you know about it.
But not just know about it, but sell to it.
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Don't sell to your prospects logical mind, sell to
their emotional mind (human-nature).
Sure, you don't entirely ignore logic. You have to
tell 'em why it's a good deal and explain features
and so on... what I'm saying is this:
People buy with their emotions.
If you can't get them emotionally involved with
your product....you're not getting the sale Pookie.
But know this also:
It ain't enough to just get them all whipped up
into an emotional ball.
You still need to address their need for a logical
reason to pull the trigger (to buy).
Look, I could bend your eyes on this stuff all day
long.
But let's get back on point.
Now, I was saying...
....how your prospect has low self-esteem about the
topic you are selling them. And how they're don't
believe they can do it themselves.
Look at how John use that piece of knowledge to his
devastating advantage.
And that is why it's genius of John to write:
"hip-swinging-secret"
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John makes it sound like it's a mechanism that does
all the heavy lifting for you.
It's something outside of themselves they can put
faith in.
Cuz they sure as hell ain't putting their faith in
themselves.
And it's also why he writes:
"no speed or strength required"
It keeps building the prospects belief that this
product will work for them and that they'll be able
to do what it instructs them to do.
Just adding to this point, you gotta realise that
people ONLY buy what they want, not what they need.
Case in point:
When it comes to writing, I knew that I needed help
with my grammar for a long time.
My grammar was so bad my grammar-Nazi wife refused
to read anything I wrote just to avoid the stress
and angst it would put her through.
Did I do anything about it?
Nope.
Why?
Cuz I didn't WANT to chief.
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Well, that was until....
...my sweet little 9 year old daughter started
pointing out my grammatical errors as well.
Now that got my attention!
And it also turned my "need" of grammatical help,
into "wanting" grammatical help.
My need turned into want.
Only then... did I log into my Amazon account and
buy a book on "good grammar"
And so it is with every freakin' person on the
planet.
We only buy things we want.
Don't make the common sales blunder of selling to
people’s needs.
That's a tough row to hoe my friend.
Nothing good will come of that.
Certainly no sales.
That I'm dead cert on.
I can't stress that enough. If you have to educate
someone on why they need your product....hang up
your sales jacket Pookie.
Just quit while you're behind.
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I'm serious.
Only sell to peoples wants.
Sell 'em what they want, then give 'em what they
need. (remember that, ok?)
Whoa.
That was a real doozie of a tangent wasn't it?
But one well worth taking, if you heed the advice.
Ok...back on point.
Again....it always comes back to:
Know thy customer.
John knows what type of person buys self-defence
products.
Big strong hard-asses?
No silly.
The folk that buy self-defence products are weak
dweebs.
They feel weak as a wet-paper-bag
Stephen Hawking on a sand dune.
and
slow
as
They've probably been bullied or even attacked
before and they feel anything BUT fast and strong.
That's why it's clever of Carlton to address that
by writing - "no speed or strength required"the sales copy.
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The 10 Minute Copywriting Speed Course
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in
Yup, it's all these little things that just keep
ratcheting up the prospects desire to buy.
Onward.
Ok...let's cut open the next piece of copy.
Which is:
"yet it's like driving a 160lb. bar of lead into
the bad guy's belly!"
John's basically saying to the reader:
Fear ye not, because this hip-swinging-secret is so
good that you can be weak as a kitten and still
bring down an attacker with great force.
Johns constantly reassuring the prospect that they
can do it when shown how.
John is super aware of his target markets common
objections.
And you should be too Chief.
And one of the common objections for the
defence market is:
self-
"Will I be able to do what's taught?"
And there's no better way to address that objection
than to write:
"no speed or strength required"
Now this section is another image planted in the
prospects mind.
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You can literally see that 160lb. bar
right into a bad guys belly can't you?
pounding
It's another case of letting your prospect try out
your product in their mind.
They are now visualizing themselves being able to
take down an attacker with that type of force and
power.
It's a great way to describe a benefit of your
product.
And that's what you always wanna do my friend.
Always be placing images of the benefits of your
product right inside your prospects big melon.
And here's something else to put in ye olde sales
bag of copywriting tricks:
Specificity.
Yup, being specific in your claims makes them far
more believable.
Now John doesn't necessarily use specificity in
this piece to help with believability, but more so
to help you visualise the image more vividly.
Carlton doesn't just write: a metal bar
Nope.
He writes: a 160lb. bar of lead
It's more specific.
And easier for the reader to visualize.
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© Kelvin Dorsey Marketing 2015 | All rights reserved
And like I said before,
believability also.
specificity
helps
with
Here's what Claude Hopkins -the granddaddy
direct marketing and advertising crooned:
of
"Platitudes and generalities roll off
the human understanding like water from
a
duck.
The
leave
no
impression
whatever. To say, Best in the world,
Lowest price in existence", etc. are at
best simply claiming the expected.
But superlatives of that sort are
damaging. They suggest looseness of
expression, a tendency to exaggerate, a
careless truth. They lead readers to
discount all the statements that you
make".
Damn...that ol' boy was good!
Onward.
So my dear Watson...get specific with your claims.
Don't write: The best ____ in the world!
You might as well say you’re a Nigerien Prince, cuz
ain't nobody gonna believe that.
You have to get specific.
Specificity exudes integrity, trustworthiness and
accuracy.
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It implies that you've done your homework.
Prove to your reader that you have done
homework and you know what you're on about.
your
And you do that by giving exact details.
For example:
* Instead of: "Best in the world"...
...write: "You have been rated number one for the
last three years by the chamber of commerce"
* Instead of:
...write:
"most home owners".....
"67.8% of all home owners"
* Instead of:
...write:
and
"you can lose lots of weight"...
the
average
reported
weight
loss
over a 28-day period was 34.5 pounds for men and
24.7 pounds for women".
How 'bout them apples?
A lot more believable, eh?
Damn straight!
Remember...
...the more detail you give, the more credible it
comes across.
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Listen,
if
your
product
has
been
scientifically
proven, or discovered by a neurologist, then forcrying- out-load...Tell 'em!
Hey...
...do ya wanna know what separates the "great
copywriters" from the "average copywriters"?
You do Amigo?
Good.
Well, it's this:
Their sales copy is full of believability. Every
claim
is
backed
up
with
proof.
It
oozes
credibility.
Whereas the average copywriter stuffs his copy with
hype.
What you wanna do is turn down the hype in your
writing and turn up the believability.
When you do this, you can make ballsy-big-assclaims and have your prospect think:
"Oh..ok...wow".
Instead of:
"Yeahhhh right!....as if".
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And knowing that a prospect won't buy if they don't
believe what you're telling them, you should pay as
much attention to what I'm saying here as a chronic
gambler who's just gone "all in" at a poker game.
They must believe what you’re writing.
Huh?
You say you don't know HOW to write in a way that's
more believable?
Well..fear ye not my-little-marketing-crony...I'll
show you right now.
Here's how:
The late copywriter Eugene Schwartz
writing with the "language of logic".
called
it
The "language of logic" is simply this:
It's to use words and phrases that give an air of
logic, reason and science behind them.
They're words that don't get thrown around willynilly.
They're words you would only hear in a more
credible setting....like a science lab, a court
room or a text book.
Here's a few examples of "the language of logic”:
* Incidentally
* Science shows
* Research has discovered
* That is a fact
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* For this reason
* Irrefutable
* According to recent studies
* In test after test
Ok, that will get you going. The idea is to pepper
these throughout your copy. Especially when making
a big claim or promise.
Awrighty...
...let's finish this bad-boy off.
The last bit of copy is this:
(It's so effective, you don't even have to come close to
hitting your "target" area...even the sloppiest attempt
by you will bring him to his knees!)
Now, if the reader is still doubting whether she
can do this after that...I mean, geez...go buy a
gun!
Cuz John has taken away every excuse for this not
to work for you.
John is the master of taking something to the
extreme and pulling it back just enough to sound
plausible.
Here's what taking it too far is:
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Even
an
80-pound-arthritis-ridden-senior-citizens
with impaired
secret".
vision
can
use
the
"hip-swinging-
Liiiiitle too much.
Having said that, it's also important to know this:
When writing sales copy to sell your product or
whatever, it may feel like your overstating it.
But trust me Bubba, when someones reading it comes
across understated.
So be BOLD with your writing.
Write with all the enthusiasm of a
opening up their Christmas presents.
5
year
old
Get excited.
And use lots of "attention getting words".
Sorry...what was that?
You would like some examples of attention getting
words?
Ok then.
To finish up here....
...I'm gonna give you a list of words that "reach
out and grab" like a policeman's arm in a donut
shop......
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Here ya go:
Reach Out And Grab You Words
Exploit
White hot
Explosive
Stun
Raw
Fear
Shocking
Dirty tricks
Crack the code
The #1 biggest
Savvy
Spank
Crippled
Cheer
Jaw dropping
Forbidden
Sweaty
Nightmare
Crazy
Chilling
Monster
Butt ugly
Goof off
Scoff
Killer
Blithering
Blow away
Scamper
Swoop in
Zinger
30
Flirt with
Ooze
Suddenly
Heck
Sneak peek
Growl
Snarl
Grow like a weed
Smoothly
Confession
Deluxe
Sensational
Blood thirsty
Blissful
Bonanza
Smuggled
Lust
Warning
Looming
Love
Shattered
Top notch
Humiliate
Scoop
Struggling
Cool as ice
Silky
Scurry off
Barf
Fleece
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Crave
Hypnotic
Sleazy
Snivelling
Money grubbing
Smug
Whopping
Bargain
Little known
Reckless
Breathtaking
Stunningly
Staggering
Conquer
Blacklisted
Crooked
Grit
Fool
Scream
Cold cash
Rattle
Snuggle
Embarrass
Complete mastery
Punch
In a blink
Rustle
Snatch
Stupid
Iron clad