My friend and copywriting colleague Ben Settle has agreed to do something unusual…
He’s agreed to answer YOUR questions about copywriting… in depth… right here on this blog… for FREE.
In case you don’t know Ben, he’s an amazing copywriter with a knack for writing some of the most interesting subject lines on the planet. What’s more, he’s a genius at coming up with big hooks for emails and sales letters.
Ben has written copy for health products, self-defense products, golf products, and more. Many of those sales letters have generated tens of thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of dollars in revenue and profit.
Which means the opportunity to ask Ben any copywriting question you want is a BIG DEAL.
Here’s how it’ll work…
Simply type the question (or questions) you’d like to ask Ben in the comment section below. I’ll select the best questions and shoot them over to Ben to answer.
As soon as they’re completed, I’ll publish all Ben’s written answers (i.e., copywriting gold) as a brand new post here for you to read, study, print, and save.
With that in mind, go ahead and submit your questions below now…
-Ryan M. Healy
P.S. I’ve done interviews with Ben before — and he always over-delivers. For example, check out this post: Ben Settle Bares All (Well, Almost)
About Ryan M. Healy
Ryan Healy is a direct response copywriter. Since 2002, he has worked with scores of clients, including BoostCTR, Alex Mandossian, Terry Dean, and Pulte Homes. He writes a popular blog about copywriting, advertising, and business growth, has been featured in publications like Feed Front magazine, and is a regular contributor to WordStream.com, BoostCTR.com, and MarketingForSuccess.com.
If you're working hard, but it's not yet adding up to a steady, consistent, predictable flow of ideal clients, listen to this free seminar I hosted with Dov Gordon. Discover why getting clients has been so hard -- and how to make it simple, predictable, and consistent. Get the Free Recording Here! » |
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Hello Ryan and Ben,
I am trying to figure out a great headline for a site introductionto.com!
This maybe a product sell site or a membership site for lifestyle products.
Any help would be appreciated! Also I always have trouble with that first
paragraph in a sales page, any tips?
Thanks in advance,
Joe
Here’s a question submitted by David Mulliner on Google Buzz:
Can you ask Ben: How do you determine which emotional hot buttons to press when writing for specific niches? ie: my product is selling a luxury travel membership, so would that be greed, exclusivity etc… (as seen here: http://dennyhatch.com/billion/)
Thanks alot
David
Nice gesture you two.
I’m drawing a blank.
…
Ben…
Will you consider selling a product where you analyze 10 or so sales letters?
Cause, man, the “Brain Dump” was amazing.
Thanks for helping your fellow scribes, guys.
I’d like to know more about the CREATIVE process Ben uses to create ads.
Does Ben follow the same process to write every ad? Does he use a swipe file? Does he use the “Index Cards in a Shoe Box” method of Gary Halbert? What order does he do research, brainstorming, headline generation, coming up with the “Big Idea”, bullets, etc.?
(If this doesn’t make sense, this is what I’m talking about: http://bit.ly/eDt6ou)
How do you get ideas for hooks in your promotional emails and sales pages?
How long should emails be, for them to be most effective? (I notice yours tend to be long)
Is it really better to send emails every day to your subscribers, rather than less often?
How do you keep subscribers from unsubscribing – or worse, tagging your email as spam?
How did you get good at copywriting?
Thanks for the opportunity, Ryan!
What’s the fastest way to get started writing copy for a living? How long do you think it would take spending 2-3 hours a night learning?
First, get good at writing copy. Here’s one option for that:
http://www.copywritingcode.com
Second, get good at getting clients. I wrote an ebook about how I got my first clients here:
http://www.getclientsreport.com
Can you write a solid sales letter for high ticket products without actually owning the product youself?
Hey Hey Ryan!
Sidebar: Dropped your name the other day to a guy in my mastermind group connected to yr ‘other niche’ – he’ll be a *very* good contact for you, me thinks. His name is Mike.
Anyway, fellow Coloradoan(Ft. Collins) and B.O.C. working in the music industry the last 20+ yrs w/ my own label and music distribution company. Working on my story and core concept for a new offering in June. It will be membership site(in a very specific music niche – called ‘power pop’ – think: Cheap Trick) that will introduce a cool, interactive music enjoyment environment – bringing music fans into the creative process alongside the musicians and, well, just geeking out inside the cool content in the site.
I’m wrestling and modestly struggling with coming up with enticing, engaging copy that introduces my customers to this new idea(membership sites, webinars, e-learning environment ‘n more). For almost 20 years, they’ve been buying little round silver discs(CDs) from my company and now I’m leading them into digesting ‘information’ and it’s something they are not familiar with(the idea of a membership site and all this new fangled technology stuff).
Just not sure where to begin to approach the process leveraging my audience(who do ‘know, like ‘n trust’ me) AND then have them be open to ‘this new thing’ without having a reference point. It’s a big, cool thing once they get in there and start experiencing it – but first, I gotta get them to follow, take the plunge w/ me into this new frontier. Pretty much no one has encountered a membership site concept beyond Netflix and Emusic.
Okay, I’m rambling – I guess the question would be: When approaching writing copy with a niche that already knows and trusts you but which is not familiar with the ‘new concept/vision’ you’ll be talking, what are some of the things I should keep in mind? I need a meaty HOOK! :-D
Stop laughing. ;-P I know it’s a rambling, meandering run-on sentence….I majored in Theology, it’s a hard habit to break.
Flowing Streams ‘o Thanks!
Bruce
Hey Bruce,
Thanks for mentioning me to Mike. :-)
I’m submitting your question to Ben. We’ll see what he says.
Ryan
Hey Ryan and Ben
I have a lot of questions, but what comes to mind could be answered by both of you. It all had to begin somewhere. How did you get started writing? Which teacher was the best one to encourage writing and was he/she a stickler on grammar and spelling? Where do you look for ideas?
Hey Ben, do you put yourself in a particular type of environment when you sit down to write copy?
For example…do you listen to music, go to the beach, search for D.B. Cooper clues etc…?
Thanks for all the great questions. More than 20 were submitted… I just sent Ben the best 14 questions for him to answer. Look for a new post next week with the answers.
How did you two meet? I’ve been freelancing almost a year. Any advice on estimating the time a job will take and what to charge. Yes, Ryan, I have your ebook. Would like Ben’s input as well. Stories are big advantages in letters in emails. Where do you get stories if you live under a rock or very remote areas?
need to know how to get copyright permission to record another artists song
Hey Tony – We specialize in writing copy — not “copyright” — two totally different things. Sorry!
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