| Friend,
In my last message we discussed the importance of headlines to a direct response marketing ad. Today we're going to talk about...
The Subheadline and Body Copy
In a direct response marketing ad, the subheadline follows the headline, and it serves as a kind of segue between the headline and the main body of the ad.
There's a reason why I group these two specific ad elements together, and that's because both serve a single purpose.
Which is, to get the reader to read the rest of the ad!
I know, I know—that was also the purpose of the headline, right?
Well, sort of. The headline does the heavy lifting when it comes to drawing the reader into the ad, and then the subhead and body copy has to get the reader to go deeper.
The Real Purpose of Body Copy In An Ad
The idea is to get the reader to the offer and call-to-action, because that's where we really want the reader to end up. But we can't just jump from the headline to the offer.
Actually, we could—I see ads all the time that are nothing more than a headline and an offer. In fact, I've created a few ads like that myself.
But those types of ads tend to work best with a "warm" audience.* And since in most cases with direct response marketing we're dealing with a "cold" audience, then we need a little more time to warm them up before we hit them with the offer.
And that's really what the subheadline and body copy does.
How Do You Boil A Frog In 30 Seconds Or Less?
That old saw about boiling a frog, by turning up the heat a little at a time, well... it's true for a lot of things. Yet, in direct response marketing we don't often have the luxury of time.
In most cases, we're only going to get one shot to grab the reader's attention, draw them into our ad, and then hit them with an offer they can't refuse.
That's why your body copy has to be on point. Meaning, it has to be written so it not only supports the emotional appeal and bold claim you made in your headline—it also has to enhance it.
And the first step to doing so is to stay on task.
Find A Single Theme And Message, And Stick With It
Here's what I mean. Let's say you start your ad with a bold claim like "Better Grades and A Positive Attitude In Just 30 Days!"
If you then start talking about how great your style is (yawn) and how many medals your students have won (who cares?), you're going to lose the reader. The reason why is because you got them excited and then let them down.
Your headline promised better grades and a positive attitude, but as soon as you started talking about your style and accomplishments, you got off task and off topic.
This might be the most common rookie mistake people make in creating ads for their business.
They get off to a great start with the headline, and then they drop the ball before they get to the end zone by jumping from topic to topic and abandoning the theme, idea, or promise that got the reader to look at the ad in the first place.
And that brings me to the second point I want to make about writing a subhead and body copy, which is...
Talking About Yourself Will Kill Your Ad
Seriously, it will.
Now I know I've told you in the past that you have to be willing to toot your own horn in your marketing. That's absolutely true. However, ask yourself this...
What's the most fascinating topic for just about anyone on the planet?
That's right, it's "Me-me-me-me-me-me-me."
And that's why most people have a tendency to talk about themselves in their ads. Sure, that subject is thrilling to you, but it's the most boring, yawn-inducing topic to everyone else.
Which is why your subheadline and body copy should be about "You-you-you-you-you-you-you" instead. In fact, your whole ad should be focused on what you can do for the reader, instead of what you've accomplished and done.
A Logical Progression
Finally, your subheadline and body copy should follow a logical progression. No matter how few words or how little space you have to work with, the subhead and body copy should naturally lead the reader through the ad and to the call to action.
This is probably the most difficult thing for the average person with average writing skills to do, because it requires a bit more wordsmithing than most people are capable of handling.
That doesn't mean you can't write your own ad copy and make it work. But, you may find that it takes you a lot of trial and error to get this part down.
A good direct response marketing ad should be like a rock concert and a lullaby, all at the same time. It should get the reader pumped and excited, while also subtly convincing them that yes, they need to "click here" or "call now" immediately.
But now I'm jumping ahead of myself, so I'll save that topic for the next email.
Coming Up...
Tomorrow I'm going to talk about the offer and call-to-action. Stay tuned!
Until next time,
Mike Massie MartialArtsBusinessDaily.com
Quick-start Guide to My Books and Resources: - Looking for a list of books and resources I've written? Click here! - Need business coaching to grow your dojo? Click here…
P.S. - *A warm audience is one that you already have a relationship with. For example, you are part of my warm audience, because you already know me through this email newsletter. Remember that's it's always easier to sell to a warm audience than it is to sell to a cold audience.
Yet, your warm market will always be much smaller than your cold audience. That's why you always need to be bringing people in your local market "in from the cold" by developing relationships with them via social media and your email newsletter. More on that in future emails...
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