Step Number 10 Create A No-Holds-Barred Opening Paragraph
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Create a no-holds-barred opening paragraph that immediately begins to deliver on the promise made in your headline.
Okay, so your headline has seized your reader’s attention and made a powerful promise. What you have to do next is follow through by immediately showing the reader how you can deliver on the promise you made.
That promise is what got your reader into the letter. And it only makes sense that the next step is to hammer home your ability to deliver on that promise.
Your reader wants to know what’s in it for them and they want to know right now. They don’t want to wait for half a page or even a couple of paragraphs. They’re greedy to gain what they need or solve their problem.
Now, there are a lot of books written on copywriting that say you can open with a story, motivational quotations, a statement that flatters your reader, a human interest line, and so on.
I disagree completely. While those techniques occasionally work, more often than not they fall flat on their face. More importantly, those types of openings are valid only if they deliver on your main promise. And 99 out of 100 times, they don’t.
Besides, why bother with an indirect opening? Your reader isn’t looking to be entertained. They’re looking for benefits – MAJOR benefits. So give them what they want and give it to them as straight, simple, clear, and compellingly as you possibly can.
Here’s a real-life example. What follows is one of the headlines I showed you above, along with the opening paragraph and second paragraph of the actual sales letter.
== == == == == == == == == == *
How To Sell Much More Of Your Software
And Eliminate Your Two Worst Headaches!
….Now an ace copywriter (who is also a former software engineer) can kick your sales into high gear – and make your life a whole lot easier at the same time!
Dear Marketing Manager,
Can your business use hundreds, perhaps even thousands of additional sales? Would you like to achieve this and get rid of your two most nagging problems?
If so, I know you’ll find this letter to be extremely valuable. Because I’m going to show you precisely how to pull in tons of new orders and get rid of your two biggest headaches at the same time!
== == == == == == == == == == *
In this letter, the opening paragraph doesn’t waste any time getting right to the point. The major benefit is restated in a powerful, exciting way. Then the second paragraph ties another powerful promise “you’ll find this letter to be extremely valuable” to the original promise.
Pretty simple, isn’t it? The secret is in focusing strictly on the customer and on what the customer needs the most.
No grandiose bragging about the company’s glorious history. No cute stories. No stuffy quotation.
Just tough, tight copy that really makes the reader want to find out more. And to find out more, they have to keep reading your sales piece.
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