Awesome news… My life partner (and business partner), Louisa Levit, won this super-competitive logo competition, and she’s gonna be published in a book!

Lou is a KILLER graphic designer – and the logo she created for this thing is absolutely brilliant.

Here – Lou and I got together some samples of her work to show you (hey – it’s fun to show off from time to time )…

The Logo That's Being Published - "Green Clean Moving" - an eco-friendly moving company

Deux Maries Frameshop

Cover for a DVD info product

Our business card (mine says copywriter...)

Me and Lou on vacation

Pretty awesome stuff, right?

Like I said, Lou is super talented. The first logo (the one that won) is just brilliant. It’s for an eco-friendly moving company.

Now for a funny story about Lou with great copywriting tips hidden inside…

So, the other day I wanted to go to the local bookstore at like 9:50pm, get some coffee, hang out, and get some work done till they closed at 11.

Here’s the thing…

The cafe closes at 10:00 even though the store closes at 11:00.

Lou only wanted to go if she could go to the cafe.

“It’s gonna close by the time we get there – it’s practically 10,” she said.

“Actually… It’s a 2 minute drive, and it’s 9:50 – if we leave right NOW we can make it!” I told her.

All of a sudden she leaped off the couch – ran to the door – put her shoes on, and we were off.

Now here’s the lesson in all of this…

Urgency works!!!

Right as we were getting into the car, I realized what an awesome copywriting lesson that was. Knowing there was only 10 minutes left got her moving like a track star.

Before? She was as likely to get off the couch as a slug is likely to chow down on salt.

So if you find you’re not getting the response you’d like – add some urgency! Put a deadline on your offer, raise the price after the first X amount of orders, or something similar.

I’ll leave it to your imagination to come up with the best option for you

Have a great one,

David

First off – speaking of cool copywriting tricks – my coaching program has gone live and is quickly selling out. This thing is going to be CRAZY. You will walk away feeling, and writing, like a copywriting pro.

And if you don’t?

Why, I simply refund you in full. No. Questions. Asked.

Click here to check it out: http://www.acupofcopy.net/1.html

Okay… Now didn’t I just promise you a cool copywriting trick?

Here it is…

It’s very simple, but one of the most powerful realizations I’ve ever had about copywriting.

This “trick” will get you laser-focused on what exactly to say – and what NOT to say. Because often what you shouldn’t say is just as important to know as what you should.

Okay, here it is…

Ask yourself this question on ANYthing you’re writing copy for…

“Why is buying this product the biggest no-brainer ever?”

You’ll be amazed how quickly your brain pops out the most potent, compact reasons why your readers will want to buy your product or hire your services.

…And you’ll quickly cut through all the crap, too. You won’t write a single word of fluff. Everything you write will be for one purpose: to sell.

Now, I told you it’d be simple!

But you have to at least try it out!

And you can change the question around too, to make it work better for you.

Like…

“Why would someone have to be the dumbest person on earth to not buy this product?”

Or…

“What are all of the reasons that make this product the absolute BEST purchase someone has ever made?”

See, two things happen…

The first is your mind gets on track to answering that question. The way your sub-conscious works, when you ask it a question, it tries its best to come up with answer.

Often, I’ll ask that question, procrastinate for a few hours, and later that day I write brilliant copy. All because I focused super hard on the question, then let it simmer.

The second is you’ll get really enthusiastic about your product – and excited to write about it in your copy.

Enthusiasm is contagious.

Buyers have a sixth-sense for it. When you believe in your product, and you’re excited about it – it shows. People can feel it in every word you write.

Someone can write what “should” be the greatest copy ever – but it might be missing that one little thing… excitement.

Being excited puts you leagues ahead of everyone else – because most people write just for cash. But when you have a deeper purpose – when you really believe in what you’re selling – you’re on a whole ‘nother ladder.

Because remember…

That’s what copywriting is for. Selling stuff that helps people. Nothing else. And when you come up with the biggest reasons why someone would have to be a complete fool to not hire you or buy your product – you’re practically at the finish line.

So ask yourself that question, and then furiously write down whatever comes out of your brain.

Just write a raw, uncensored list. Don’t hold back.

Then, take those ideas, and turn them into well-written copy.

Oh, and let me know what you think.

Good luck, my friend

David

Been a while since I put up a post – I’ve been SUPER busy lately (as I’m sure you have too).

With that said – I have an awesome post for you today that’ll make writing headlines faster and easier, and the headlines you write will be way more effective.

But first, let’s refresh our memories with one really simple thing…

And that’s that headlines have a very SIMPLE purpose:

To call out your target market, and GRAB their attention.

Now, pay close attention to the word ‘GRAB’…

…Notice that I didn’t say “get their attention” or “make them interested”. A headline needs to convince someone that whatever they’re doing can wait a few minutes while they read your website or ad.

So to do that, you probably want to address the most BURNING issue or desire they have, right?

Right.

So to do that – follow this formula:

1. TALK to your customers, and find out their #1 frustration, and the #1 benefit they’ve gotten from working with you

2. Look for patterns in the answers, and find the most common ones

3. Work the biggest frustration/desire into your headline – and leave everything else out

Now, on #3 what I mean is that a lot of people try to fit every possible benefit into their headline.

This does 2 things…

First, it makes it so the benefits don’t really stand out because they’re all clumped together.

Second, if everyone knows everything they’re going to get out of your product before reading the page – why would they keep reading!?

Give’em just enough to keep’em goin.

For example…

If you check out my coaching page headline – it says something like: “How you can boost your monthly income by 5 figures or more by… Writing words down on a piece of paper?”

I stick to one benefit – boosting your income. And I give a “hint” about how you’ll do it (“writing words down on a piece of paper”).

Now go write some headlines!

Of course nothing beats practice. So write, write, write! I usually write about 10-15 headlines before I really find a good one – so just keep that in mind.

It’s OKAY to get stuck, and it’s OKAY to not get it right the first time.

Till next time,

David

Got an AWESOME interview for ya.

My good friend and business partner Bedros Keuilian agreed to spill the beans on how he achieved such massive success. This interview is not only full of awesome advice, but inspiring too, as you learn how Bedros went from living in a tiny, run-down house, to living in a giant property in a really nice section of Southern California.

Just click below to get started!

Interview with Bedros Keuilian

If you have trouble with the player, right click “Download” and select “Save Target As”

Talk soon,

David

p.s. If you enjoy the interview leave Bedros a comment about it

I hope you are having an awesome day/night/morning/whenever it is you’re reading this.

I have a very special interview for you with my very own brother, Steve Hochman, who has personally been a mentor to me both in business and in life.

Steve went from living on the hardwood floor of his ex-girlfriend’s mother’s floor, to now earning close to 7 figures a year (and without a doubt he’s hitting 7 figures this year).

And the cool thing is he constantly helps personal trainers and boot camp owners skyrocket their incomes to live the incredible life that he now does.

Anyway, click play below to get started. Steve reveals some CRAZY-GOOD marketing/copywriting tips that you can instantly apply to your own business.

Oh, and if the audio seems to skip at places, it’s because our connection cut out a couple times, but we always picked back up where we left off.

(By the way – the first 2:30 is me and Steve laughing and goofing off. So if you just want the pure content, skip ahead to 2:30)

Also – in the beginning we talked about special ed for a second. Steve really was in special ed all through school, so we’re not two jerks picking on people who were born with mental deficiencies!

Actually, that’s part of why Steve’s story is so cool because he was a kid who no one thought would succeed, yet he didn’t listen to a word of anyone, took massive success by the reins, and now lives an awesome life with his wife and two daughters out in California.

Here’s the interview. Enjoy

To learn more about Steve Hochman, and pick up some incredible marketing tips, click this link: Fitness Marketing.

Talk soon,

David

Today we’re getting right down into the nitty gritty, because if there’s one thing that’s going to make your copy blow away your competition – it’s your USP, or Unique Selling Proposition.

A quick story to help you understand what a USP is (then I’ll show you a real-life example of how to go about finding yours)…

I know this guy who’s extremely ADD, ADHD, and a bunch of other acronyms that basically mean he’s hyper as hell and has trouble sitting still.

Growing up they put him on all kinds of meds, like ritalin and stuff. It would help a bit, but he was still a really hyper person. But because doctors attached all of these labels and diagnoses to him, he felt there was a problem with who he was, and he got really insecure. He tried to change into someone else.

This kinda worked for a while – but his true nature would always slip out. I mean, if this guy sat down for more than ten minutes at a time you’d think his ass would catch fire because he’d jump up out of his chair and pace back and forth just to settle down some.

And then he met this girl in Miami…

And this girl really loved him for who he was – ADD, ADHD, and every other acronym and all.

And this did wonders for his self-esteem: suddenly he didn’t care about hiding his true nature, and he started to think that there was something wrong with the doctors – not himself.

And you know what? He was right.

See, when he accepted himself for who he was, this “weakness” of his turned into a strength. He became able to channel his energy into everything he did – and he quickly became extremely successful…

…because he figured out that his energy was contagious!

He could get other people feeling hyper as hell too, and motivated to go out and accomplish all of their dreams. And now, people see his ADD, ADHD, and every other acronym he has as part of his charm. It’s one of the many things that makes him unique. He’s not himself without them.

That’s his USP (unique selling proposition).

Do you kinda see what a USP is now? Can you maybe make the stretch to see how you can make this concept work for your business?

If you’re still on the fence, let me help you out…

Here’s a real-life example…

Say there are 10 personal training gyms in one area. All 10 get amazing results. And all 10 advertise like crazy.

How would you go about differentiating yourself from your competition?

First you’d probably want to see what your competition has going on, right? (duh!)

Okay, so say you checked’em out and all 10 have great equipment, and great facilities – friendly trainers, and clients who laugh and smile a lot throughout the workouts.

But there’s something that your trainers do at your facility that none of these other places do…

You have the most off-the-wall exercises that anyone’s ever seen!

Your trainers do stuff like giant tire flipping…

They’ll get on a bike, hold down the breaks, and make their clients drag them by a cable (my brother actually used to do this – no joke! and his clients loved it!)…

They do giant hammer swinging…

And a ton of other crazy, fun, outrageous exercises every time their clients show up that make them feel the greatest sense of accomplishment.

They never know what to expect when they come for a work out – just that they’re going to have a great time.

That could be your USP. Your gym has the top of the line equipment, but you prefer going outside in the parking lot and doing crazy exercises that are fun as hell. Your energy is off the charts.

If someone is looking for a complete and total experience in a workout – you’re the guy to call. Sure they’ll get results and have a great time at these other places…

…but if they want to experience something that they’ll never experience anywhere else in their entire lives, you’re the gym to call.

So basically, as you can see, a USP is a unique look at your business that separates you, and elevates you, above your competition.

It just puts you in a whole ‘nother league.

For a brand new business it could be that they’re going to work extra hard and give every project 110% because they need satisfied customers to compete with the other businesses who have been around for decades…

For an info product it could be that it’s presented in a really down-to-earth and entertaining way – not like those other products that might have great info, but are boring as hell…

It could be that your company uses the greenest way of doing things, so by choosing you people are helping out the environment…

Or it could be something as simple as when someone calls you, they won’t get a machine that tells them to press 1 for this and 2 for that – but they’ll immediately talk to a real-life human being…

Hey, it could even be that you’re extremely ADHD and contagious!

My point is, when you find what’s special about your business – what it is about you that no one else on this planet – then no one can compete with you. Literally.

Because if you’re completely unique – then there’s no one else like you.

And if there’s no one else like you, then there’s no one to compete with! When you set your foot down on who you are, and what’s unique about you and your business, you’re also making a statment to the world that says…

“This is who I am. If you’re like me, too, or if you like the way I do things, then we’ll make a great fit.”

You’re drawing a line in the sand, and people will admire you for putting yourself out there and making a strong statement.

Here are some questions to help you uncover your USP:

1. What is it about me that makes me a unique individual?

2. Why do people like me and want to do business with me?

3. Why do people constantly choose me over my competition?

4. What are my greatest strengths as an individual? As a business?

5. What was a defining moment in my life? Why was it such a defining moment? What did I learn about myself in that moment, and about life in general?

Then scroll down and post your answers in a comment!

Looking forward to reading’em

-David

Been a little while since I posted… Things have been crazy lately! But the good kind of crazy. The kind that means bills are getting paid and food is being kept on the table

Last weekend (or was it the weekend before? <_<) I was at FIS, the Fitness Info Summit, in Orlando. Holy cow I was forced so much substantial, in-depth information about creating and launching information products that my head nearly exploded by the end of Day 2, and for about 2 days later I was a muttering zombie who just stared at the wall, brain fried, trying to process it all.

Yeah, this was pretty much me after FIS.

Plus, my bro Steve Hochman brought me up on stage. I’ll post the video when I get it. We’re pretty ridiculous together. I think you’ll get a good laugh out of it.

But anyway! Onward!

I’d like to demonstrate for you guys the power of story. There is literally no more powerful way to enter into the heart and mind of your reader than through a story.

Allow me to demonstrate…

Here’s a not-story:

Stop and ask yourself…

• Are you tired of being overweight?
• Are you ready to lose 5 pounds this week?
• Are you frustrated because nothing has worked, from diet pills to personal trainers?
• Do you want to feel great about yourself in a swimsuit when you go to the beach?
• Do you want to see your reflection and love what you see?

Here’s a story:

Jane always wore a one-piece bathing suit when she went with her friends to the pool. She thought she was doing everyone a favor.

“No one wants to see my fat stomach!” she’d say.

Her whole life she’d been overweight, at least 80 pounds overweight, so she got used to the “looks” people always gave her. She got used to people laughing at her. And she got used to the feeling that she wanted to be anywhere in the world other than inside her own skin.

Now let me ask you…

Which of these made you want to read more? Which one sucked you in and really spoke to you as a human being? Which one could you connect with?

Assuming I did a good job, it should be the story! Can you see how my story communicated everything those bullets did, but it did so without being so forced and obvious?

Now, I’m not saying that the bullets were BAD – bullets very similar to these have been proven to sell. They work. All I’m saying is that if you want to take things a step further – a story is necessary too. A story can communicate everything bullets can, just more subtly and hypnotically.

However, both are necessary, because some people will just skim and read headlines and bullets. But for the people who stop and read what’s inbetween – hit’em with a story.

Stories slip right past our defenses – we let them in. When they’re touching and sincere we drop our guard and become absorbed, entranced, in what they have to say.

I’ll leave it to you to connect the dots of what this means for your copywriting.

Till next time,

David

So this is a very short and sweet continuation of my last blog post on the importance of “reading minds”.

Here’s a super practical way to look at this concept.

Think of your favorite band…

Got it? Do you have a song in mind too?

Great. Okay, now imagine that you are speaking with a total stranger.

And pretend that you guys are just chatting – maybe you bumped into each other at the market.

And then pretend that as you’re talking, the stranger mentions your favorite band and says, “Oh I love those guys! They’re my favorite!”

Instant connection, right? Suddenly the stranger doesn’t feel like such a stranger, right?

You have something in common. And suddenly a conversation about the band opens up. And then that leads to a conversation about what you do for a living, and your family, friends, and before you know it you’ve just made a friend.

Now, what’s this got to do with copywriting?

Just like you’d feel an instant connection with a stranger who had the same favorite band as you – your readers will feel a connection with you if you have something deep in common with them too. That’s why it’s very important that you find out as much as you can about your clients, and about who you want to become your clients, because you never know what little detail in their life will get you in the door.

That’s why headlines talking to women that say, “Get back in your skinny jeans!” work so well – all day long in the backs of their heads many women are thinking, “Gosh I wish I was back in my skinny jeans – oh look at that girl over there she is in her skinny jeans and oh boy so is that one…” and suddenly a headline says, “Hey, you can be back in your skinny jeans, too! Just read this!”

…and there’s a good chance she’ll either really want to read the magazine, or that she even will, because that headline entered a conversation that was already going on in her head…

That’s how million dollar sales letter writer Robert Collier put it.

-David

“What’s the next piece of information this guy’s gonna feed me?”

“Is he just trying to get me to buy something?”

“How do I know I can trust him?”

“How do I know this isn’t a scam?”

Everyone who is currently your client, is thinking about becoming your client, or who used to be your client has asked themselves these questions. Or they’re asking themselves these questions right now.

Your job as copywriter, marketer, entrepeneur is to first off…

Accept that everyone has these doubts. You have them too! In fact, if you’re like most of us, you’ve never bought a single thing in your adult life without answering each of these questions, be it consciously or sub-consciously.

Then…

Answer these questions to yourself about your business, as honestly as possible. What I mean by this is if you really are just trying to get people to buy something – be open about it! Or if you have other motives besides money, think about what those might be. How do people know they can trust you? Who are you anyways? Why should anyone listen to you?

And finally…

Communicate your answers to your customers (that’s where the copywriting/ phone calls come in).

I’ll go through these 3 steps about my own business, so you can see what I mean.

1. Am I just trying to get you to buy something?

Yes and no. Yes, I want to make money because to me money means time with my loved ones, vacations, the ability to help others. But I’ve chosen a profession that helps other people make money so that they can accomplish their dreams too.

Who am I anyway?

I’m a guy who happens to be passionate about copywriting and marketing. I’ve done quite a bit of it and have a good sense of what works and what doesn’t. I’m not the greatest copywriter in the world, but I’m a good one who knows how to get results, and I like sharing what I know. It makes me feel special and warm inside. lol..

How do you know you can trust me?

Well, I wish I had a great answer for this but I struggle with the question myself.

I have only two things I can offer you as answers: 1, the testimonials of my clients whose results show that I can be trusted when it comes to copywriting and marketing, and 2, the information on this blog. If you read through it, and decide for yourself that I know what I’m talking about, then I believe I’ve earned your trust.

So, there you have it.

I’ve just poured out my heart and soul for you! (and hopefully I haven’t sent you running!)

Sometimes admitting that you don’t have a good answer, or that you don’t know the answer, shows just how genuine and trustworthy you are.

That’s really what the point of this exercise is – it’s to show you that when you’re in front of your customers, either in person, in writing, or on the phone – keep in mind that these questions are perculating inside of them. The best thing you could do is be like a mind reader – answer these questions before they can even ask them.

And answer them honestly, even if it means admitting a fault or saying “I don’t know”.

Keep in mind, making sales is not a Miss America contest!

Customers aren’t judges – they’re ordinary people like you and me who want to do business with someone who will treat them like a dignified human being and who can solve a problem or two that they have.

Till next time,

David

Your testimonials are a gold mine for copywriting.

So are your competitors’ testimonials.

What do I mean? Let me show you…

Say you have a few testimonials that sound like this:

“I used to think I could never learn guitar. When I was growing up my family told me I just wasn’t musical. But after the 4th lesson I could already play a song.”

“You’re a very inspiring teacher and I’m learning very quickly – I felt with the right teacher I could succeed and you proved to be that teacher.”

“I’m learning the deeper part of playing music – the soulful side – something I didn’t know could be taught. It’s bringing a depth to my playing that I never had before.”

This is how I would turn these into copy for a website, newspaper ad, etc.:

To an aspiring guitarist,

Maybe you think you’d never be able to play guitar. Maybe as a child someone told you “you’re just not creative” or “you’re just not cut out for music”. Or maybe not, maybe you’re one of the few out there who knows you can succeed on the guitar if you only had the right teacher.

Regardless of your background with music, I guarantee you after just 4 lessons you’re going to have a song under your belt (or close to it). And not only that – you’re also going to learn how to connect to your inner-musician to play soulful, meaningful music. Just about anyone can learn how to play a few chords and scales – but what separates the great guitarists from the average ones is the ability to play from the heart.

And that’s just what I’d like to teach you….

Now, this isn’t the most brilliant copy in the world (I just wrote it off the tip of my head), but did you see how I weaved the things written in those 3 testimonials into the copy? And did you see how I used the same language in the testimonials in the copy? I pretty much copied them word for word!

Here’s why this works so well…

The most powerful way to get people to trust you, whether on the phone, in writing, or in person, is to use their language, and their words, to describe their problems, and their aspirations.

If you use words that they’d never use – it creates a disconnect. Your customers will feel unfamiliar with you and your service. But testimonials give you these words that you need to connect to them – all you have to do is weave them into a story or some copy like the example above.

Here’s where your competitors’ testimonials come into play:

Your competitors’ testimonials discuss the problems and aspirations of your target market just as well as yours do. So use’em! Take the language of their testimonials and morph it into copy. The more testimonials you read, the more language you adopt from your target market, and the better copy you can write.

Till next time,

David