Copywriting Master Class 3 Shortcuts To Writing Bullets That Open Buyer’s Wallets

A lot of copywriters write bullet points. A lot of bullet points are not as good as they could be. They can end up a bit like a cover of ‘Smoke on The Water’ or ‘Stairway to Heaven.’ Everyone does them and most people’s version leaves a lot to be desired.
Some of the best bullets every written came from Boardroom Reports’ sales letters. One of their classic sales letters that starts with “What Never to Eat on an Airplane” which could easily be a bullet.
Right on the front page there is a bullet that makes you want what they are offering “How to get VIP treatment in hospitals. (All patients are not treated equally.)” The copy is twice hinting at how useful the information contained in the product is. But they don’t tell you what the information is – making virtually irresistible in the mind of the prospect.
If you want to be able to write bullets like that, quickly and easily, you need practice and a big swipe file of ideas.
Nothing else will get you there as quick as those two things. There is almost no problem that hasn’t been solved somewhere in the history of the world. Very little original thought is needed in most situations.
That is why you want a swipe file. It will give you the ideas you need to write your bullets quickly and easily.
However, if you want them on hand all the time the best thing you can do is take all those bullets and write them out by hand seven times each. Writing anything out by hand means it bypasses your conscious brain and is burnt into your subconscious. They’re ready for you to access when you need it.
It sounds a pretty disappointing secret but it is a powerful one for those who actually do the work. You kind of have to take me on blind faith here. The best copywriters in the world all honed their craft by writing copy out by hand. It burnt the art of successful bullet writing into their brains.
The third trick to writing great bullet points is to know how to polish them up so they are as compelling as they can be. I’m taking examples from the ‘what never to eat on an airplane letter.’
The best questions you can ask to improve your bullets:
Can you add an element of time to the bullet? “A simple way to prevent Montezuma’s revenge” can be improved by adding timing, “A simple way to prevent Montezuma’s revenge that takes effect in just 3 minutes.”
Can you be more specific? Our example bullet of “Collect Interest from two money market funds at the same time, using just your spare cash.’ Add a specific amount “Put an extra $1,217 in your pocket each year by collecting interest from two money market accounts at the same time, using just $11,756.”
The final way to improve a bullet is to make it desirable for your target market. Taking “what never to eat on an airplane,” you could make it more desirable by changing it to “What never to eat on an airplane so that when you disembark you feel rested and full of energy.”
There you go three shortcuts to creating stronger bullets, however the best shortcut is to hire a copywriter to do the thinking for you. You can stay focused on the task at hand and will get the added benefit of fresh eyes looking at your marketing.