The difference between good copy and great copy are in the results achieved. In direct response, the number of actions the copy generates is what makes copy great. The more actions the copy drives, the greater the copy is.

My friend John Reese, a master at simplifying what we often tend to unnecessarily complicate, says it best. He says the only metric you should ever really count on is this: Yes or No.

That’s it.

Sounds simplistic, I know. But here’s the key point: your copy may get great feedback. It may entertain. It may inform, educate or even inspire. But if it doesn’t sell, it doesn’t matter.

Now, what makes great copy nudge people into action requires a variety of different things I often find missing with most of the copy I critique.

So let me share with you 3 powerful elements that can help you turn your not-so-good copy into good copy, and your good copy into outstanding copy.

1. Give Reasons Why.

Great copy proposes a series of benefits that the prospect will enjoy once they respond. But this is the area most people struggle with. What makes a good benefit? Heck, what makes a benefit in the first place?

A feature is what the product has. An advantage is what that features does. But a benefit is what that advantage means to the reader specifically. It’s the specific motive to which that feature caters. In other words, a benefit is the reason why the feature exists and why it’s important to the reader.

Look at it this way: a benefit is what a person intimately gains from a specific feature — not what YOU think the customer will gain from it.

Granted, trying to figure this out can be a little challenging.

So here’s a tip: whenever you describe a feature (or what you may think may be a benefit), say this: “What this means to you is this,” followed by a more personal benefit your reader gets from the feature.

Keep asking until there are no further reasons to give. Here’s an example (and keep in mind that I’m repeating myself, here, for the sake of illustration only):

“This stereo has a 14-band equalizer. What this means to you is, you can adjust the frequencies of the sound. What this means to you is, you can add depth and dimension to your music. What this means to you is, you can adjust the music the way you like. What this means to you is, you can make your music sound as soft and relaxing during those nice quiet evenings to create the perfect ambiance while enjoying a delicious dinner in the company of your friends, or as rich and lively as if you were at a concert listening to your favorite band and feel just as if you were right there, in the auditorium fully immersed in the experience. What this means to you is…”

Here’s another example.

My wife Sylvie tells the story of a nutritional supplement company who was once given out free bottles of a specific supplement. Their website clearly indicated, “Free Bottle!” Aside from a form to fill out in order to request your free bottle, that was pretty much it in terms of copy.

Response was so-so. However, when the owner added the following statement to his copy…

Why are we giving away a free bottle? Because we’re so confident that, once you give us a try and start seeing the amazing improvements in the way you feel after a single bottle, you will come back to us for more.

Just adding that simple statement more than tripled response. Whether it’s because people are skeptical and don’t want to be scammed, or whether they’re confused and don’t bother taking action due to the lack of information, the reason is not as important as the fact that giving people reasons why boosts response.

Tell readers why they must read, why the product is important and why they must buy (and buy now). To help you, think of the “5 Why’s.” Which are:

1. Why you (the reader)
2. Why me (the author)
3. Why this (the offer)
4. Why now (the urgency )
5. Why this price (the value)

Give as many reasons why as possible for any of the above five. Doing so qualifies the reader. It credentializes the copy and the author. It adds proof and believability. It justifies the need to act now by adding scarcity. And it builds perceived value to backup the price.

For the more reasons you give, and the more specific and personal those reasons are, the more believable you are and the more compelling your copy will be.

2. Tell a Good Story.

Good copy makes a good case. But great copy tells a good story. Keep this in mind: a great copywriter is also a great salesperson. However, all great copywriters AND all great salespeople also have one thing in common…

… They are also great storytellers.

One of the people I admire is Gary Halbert. Now Gary, at a seminar I was attending, was one of the speakers. On a topic that at the time seemed totally unrelated to copy, sales or Internet marketing, began to talk about this newfangled anti-wrinkle cream he came across.

He went on to talk about how the product came about, how it was made and even how the product worked. Not only was the story itself quite fascinating, the way in which he told the story made us hang onto the edge of our seats.

Ultimately, he told a great story that captivated the audience.

In the process, he wove his story into an explanation of the product, linking his story to features and then features into benefits, such as the fact that an accidental discovery led to the creation of the cream’s key ingredient, which contained special hydroxies formed during the crystallization process.

The story (specifically, the analogy) was that these hydroxies were like millions of microscopic prisms that reflect light. He went on to describe that it was those prisms that helped to make your wrinkles invisible.

It was a terrific story. And while some people missed it, Gary indirectly provided the greatest lesson of the entire seminar.

Because his story was a powerful lesson itself.

Why? Because the mind thinks in relative terms. A key component of telling great stories is to relate them to the reader in terms they can understand. Often, this can accomplished with the help of analogies, examples, metaphors and case studies.

One of the most well-known users of this powerful technique is Drew Kaplan, creator of DAK. (Incidentally, if you ever get your hands on a DAK catalog, you are adding an incredible swipe file to your collection.)

For example, DAK sells electronic equipment, and some of their products include stereo speakers. But to illustrate the depth of the sound these speakers create, Drew doesn’t call them speakers. He calls them “Thunder Boxes.”

Here’s another. If you visit the DAK website and click on the wireless headphones, a pop-up will appear with the name and the following description:

WIRELESS MARRIAGE SAVER
It’s late at night. Your spouse is asleep. And you’re watching the late, late, late show without bothering her. That’s why I called these ‘wireless marriage savers’. These wireless headphones were an infrared breakthrough. Now, I’ve also found them in 900MHz and 433MHz so you can even roam from room to room while you listen to your favorite music, even MP3 or TV sound. The products get better and the price gets cheaper. Pretty neat!

Here’s another example. As a comment to one of my blog posts on the power of creating mental imagery, a reader made this powerful comment:

I used to work in corporate finance. When I gave presentations the audience’s eyes would glaze over in about 30 seconds because most people find numbers boring, really boring. Once I started painting pictures with my numbers I suddenly found people paying attention. When people knew how many plasma TV’s a million dollars would buy or how many years the average person would have to work to recover the money the company lost that quarter they suddenly understood what I was saying.

But what if a story makes the copy too long?

When people object to long copy, I often argue that long copy is like a good Stephen King novel. (Notice my analogy, too.) If you were a diehard Stephen Kind fanatic, and if his latest book was, say, over 600 pages, would you stop reading it because it was too long? No.

In fact, most Stephen King lovers I know often read his books in one sitting. They tell me they simply can’t seem to put the book down.

Dan Kennedy calls this “message-to-market match.” Like a Stephen King fanatic, when your copy is targeted and your audience is interested in your offer, they will read it. All of it. No matter how long it may seem to you.

3. Think For The Reader.

Sales are largely based on faith. Faith in the company, faith in the product and faith in the delivery of the promised benefits. And sales trainers often tell you that, like a good fiction story, you must temporarily suspend all disbelief.

And belief requires “the suspension of critical thinking,” my friend and copywriter Peter Stone would say.

It is important to understand that people first buy on emotion and then justify their decisions with logic. Even the most analytical types buy on emotion, whether they express (or are aware) of their emotions or not.

Just like the comment of the reader to one of my blog posts mentioned earlier, she used mental imagery to convey strong emotional feelings when relating boring financial figures to her audience. And I would submit that even the most analytical types among her audience appreciated her approach more than just a bunch of monotone data.

Conversely, critical thinking causes the suspension of feelings. If your reader starts to think too much, then fundamental fears, doubts and concerns take over, eventually leading to the greatest killer of sales: procrastination.

Why? Because if we focus on logic first, we tend to think about other needs, concerns and preoccupations at that time. And more important, we may think about other, more important things we can do with our money.

YOU must do the thinking for your prospect. Don’t stop short of describing the benefits, offering reasons why and telling stories simply because you’re afraid of insulting your audience’s intelligence.

You’re not.

Clients often say, “My clients are not idiots,” “the benefits are obvious,” “they can think for themselves,” “it’s pretty intuitive already,” or “they can figure it out on their own.”

Technically, that’s true.

But leaving the copy to the reader’s own devices will also open up a can of worms, since they will also think of all the other things that may be irrelevant, untrue or unnecessary, which will negate the sale.

They may exaggerate certain aspects that may be perceived as negative, even though they are not, and possibly come up with erroneous conclusions that will cost you perceived credibility — and ultimately, the sale.

And unlike a face-to-face sales presentation, you’re not there to answer any questions or objections. So your copy must do that for them. In fact, my friend and copywriter David Garfinkel says it best:

You must do the thinking for your reader and tell them why your offer is so valuable. Of course, they may ‘get it’ in the abstract. But going from the abstract to the reader’s specific situation requires thinking on their part. A prospect considering your offer wouldn’t dare do that thinking. You have to do it for them.

So here’s a tip: use the so-what acid test. If at any point in your copy your reader asks so what, then that part needs to be more personal. It needs to be more specific to the reader. And it needs to give more reasons why.

Otherwise, delete it because it’s irrelevant.

If you don’t, your copy will not speak to your reader. It will make your long copy seem long. And above all, it simply will not drive your reader to act.

About the Author

Michel Fortin is a direct response copywriter, author, speaker, consultant, and CEO of The Success Doctor, Inc. Visit his blog and signup free to get tested conversion strategies and response-boosting tips by email, along with blog updates, news, and more! Go now to http://www.michelfortin.com.

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