Strange Questions I Get About Other Copywriters

Question: I recently got a sales letter back from another copywriter. It seemed like everything in the letter was hyperbole and didn’t really sell the product, it just talked about how amazing it was without any real substance. Why is my copy so hyped up?
Answer: After writing copy for ten years of seeing the results of testing, doing numerous courses on copywriting and studying all the great masters of the craft, I can tell you that the short answer is; not enough research.
The upside to hyped up copy is that response rates are generally higher. Meaning your hype fuelled promotion will outperform in a head to head test. Which means that if you aren’t paying attention you could get sucked in by short term gains made from the higher response rate.
There are drawbacks to hyped up copy, especially over the long haul. Firstly customers who respond to hype driven copy don’t tend to be very loyal. They are not good repeat buyers. Costing you long term dollars. Products are unlikely to live up to the hype.
The old saying applies here – fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me… So I won’t order again.
People who respond to hype driven copy tend to be more likely to request refunds. Making your promotion less profitable.
Hyped up copy will cost you long term business and that is the most amazing breakthrough you’ll ever read… (Yes I am joking; the cure is the most amazing breakthrough).
The way to get hype out of your copy is relatively straight forward:
Research and Lots of it.
If you are working with a copywriter who isn’t doing the research, one of the best tactics to avoid getting back hyped up copy is to provide them with the research. It means that firstly all your copywriters don’t have an excuse for producing hyped up copy. The second advantage is that they all have the same grounding which will make their jobs easier. Making you a more popular client.
Good copywriters will do research anyway. But giving them a base means that they can afford to invest more time into what you could call advanced research – you’ve given them the grounding they need so they can go and dig up some other research as well. Cool factoids that can increase readership, consumer research…
All the research will allow a good copywriter to put forward a compelling sales letter that is compelling, engaging and brings you loyal and responsive customers. You have to admit those are the best kind of customers aren’t they?