top of page
Search

why doing this in your copy will leave you broke and destitute

Writer's picture: John BrandtJohn Brandt

One of the hats I wear, besides my email marketing bidness, is being the copy chief at The Podcast Factory.


As such, I’ve reviewed hundreds upon hundreds of podcast show notes before we ship them out to our clients.


And through these hundreds (mayhap thousands) of copy critiques I’ve done, as you can imagine, I’ve stumbled upon a myriad of mistakes.


But there’s one mistake in particular I despise seeing and editing more than all the other mistakes combined because it’s the most obvious example of lazy writing, which will leave you broke and destitute, with your clients trying to physically fight you rather than buy from you.


This mistake?


I call it “should copy.”


Here are a few examples:


* Why you should listen to this episode (or why you should buy this product)

* 8 reasons why you should call your customers today

* The biggest mistake you shouldn’t be making in your copy


Notice how these are ultra weak? Well, that’s because they are. And they are because they rely on “should copy” to persuade. But should copy doesn’t persuade, instead it makes your customers dig in their heels and create objections to why they shouldn’t instead of why they should. The more objections they create in their mind, the least likely they are to take the action you want them to.


“Should copy” is a death blow for sales and persuasion.


Plus, it’s the laziest way to write.


Why is it lazy?


Well, “should copy” almost always lacks a crucial ingredient of a persuasive sentence, bullet, or headline:


A benefit or consequence.


Checky:


The first “should copy” bulblet I wrote above was this:


Why you should listen to this episode


But let’s add a benefit to this:


Why listening to this episode unlocks an almost endless stream of persuasive content ideas.


See how much better this copy becomes when we remove the should?


Or let’s try adding a consequence instead for a more morbid feel:


If you skip over this episode, you’re the only person you can blame when your business goes belly up (yes, it’s that important).


Again, do you see how this is leagues stronger than the boring, objection-creating “should copy” version?


Moral of the story?


Don’t use should copy in your copy, unless, well, you hate your business and would enjoy seeing it crash n burn.


Capisce?


Need help nuking the “should copy” littered throughout your emails, so you can make more money each time you hit “send?”



John

0 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

the most irritating myth about copy

The most irritating myth about copywriting (in emails or otherwise) is the unfounded belief that short copy is always superior to long...

4 examples of cursed marketing knowledge

Familiar with cursed knowledge? It’s knowledge so powerful, so eeeeevile!, and so unforgettable that once you hear this knowledge once,...

Why WeWork went right

Searching for WeWork on Google reveals how many NPCs there are out in the world. Almost every article you’ll find from a simple, one-word...

Commentaires


JOIN MY MAILING LIST

and get a free copy of my book... 
The 6-Figure
Profit First Emails 
Product Launch System 
(sells for $47.97 on Amazon) 

As well as regular email tips on sending more profitable emails and building a stronger bond with your customers. 

©2021 John Brandt. john@johnbrandtcopy.com

bottom of page