This is lesson 3 of our 10 part mini-course on sales letters
Your copy will obviously be different if geared towards surgeons rather than schoolchildren, but whoever you are trying to reach, your message should be simple and direct. Cater to the short attention span and say what you need to say clearly and without going round the houses.
Even in a long piece of copy, the overall message should be contained in the opening gambit. You can go into detail later on, but many people will not have the time or patience to wait for the punch line.
Bear in mind also that – unless you are catering to an audience of rocket scientists – there will be a diverse group of people potentially in receipt of your message. You don’t need to talk down to people, as though you’re talking to five year-olds, but you should say what you mean very clearly. Language that is difficult to understand may be a deal-breaker for some.
Imagine a school teacher addressing a class after a heavy fall of snow, and consider which message is most effective: “There shall be no gratuitous redistribution of nature’s benevolence” or “Don’t throw snowballs”. They both mean the same, but the message of the first will be lost on the majority of school-age kids, if not most adults. (This is a genuine quote, by the way!)
Remember that flowery or “clever” language can alienate a large part of your audience, either because they won’t understand what you’re saying or because they’ll think you’re being unnecessarily elitist. Don’t try to impress anyone, just write in a conversational tone that will reach your target audience.
Regards,
Arthur M.
http://scrnch.me/j3i58
PS Check back for lesson 4 of our 10 part mini-course on sales letters
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