Posts by John Forde
Brain-Writing
“Brain-writing” is not my term. But we’re going to make it our own by revising it a little to make it more productive… You brainstorm to get ideas when you have none. Ideally, you do so in a group. So you can feed off each other. So you can legitimize sitting around drinking coffee. So…
Read MoreWhy Your Next Bad Idea Might Be Your Best Friend
YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A FLOP TO BE A FAILURE
I’ve invested plenty of time in failing ventures too.
Six Messages You Never Want to Send
Does your marketing copy send prospects a message you never meant to send? Let me clarify…
Read MoreParalyzed by Worry
What keeps your customer up at night?
When he sits on his bed, one shoe on and staring out the window… what’s he thinking about?
Read MoreTurning No Into Yes
“By focusing obsessively on how to make an idea smooth,” says marketing maven Seth Godin, “You can dramatically increase its velocity.”
Read MoreConfessions of a Brush Jockey
This past weekend, I painted our bathroom.
And it reminded me of the good old days.
See, way back when, yours truly used to be a painter.
Read MoreWhy Simple Writing Works Better
Someone once asked me… Why I would, so often… (at least in copy)… Use so many… One-line paragraphs… And so many… well… of these things: “…” Of course, the above is exaggerated. But there’s no getting around it… Many copywriters really do use a lot of one-line paragraphs. Or even one-word sentences. Why? Let me explain…
Read MoreHow to Write Better Marketing Copy Faster
Regardless of what kind of writing you do, says a study from the National Writing Project of Louisiana, three key components seem to have the biggest influence on how creatively productive you’ll be. What are those components? 1. A Consistent Working Environment Almost all the writers in the study had a designated “place” where they…
Read MoreIs Your Product Trapped in “Commodity Hell?”
I shaved this morning thinking about “commodity hell.” That’s when a market for a product is so crowded that every version of it is practically the same. Interchangeable with the competition. And the only way to give yourself an advantage is to slash prices until the pain of profit loss squeezes either you or your…
Read More“Need to Tell” vs “Want to Tell”
In marketing copy, “need to know” info is the facts your prospect has to hear to help him make the decision to buy your product. But it’s often the “want to know” info that has more pulling power. By that I’m talking about things your prospect has an emotional interest in.
Read MoreHow to Turn Your Pile of Research Into a Seamless Promotional Package
Every business is in sales. But not everyone feels comfortable selling. As someone who writes sales copy for a living, that’s worked out great for me. I get hired to craft the persuasive sales pieces that even crack entrepreneurs are sometimes afraid to touch. But what do you do when you don’t have the luxury…
Read MoreThe Simple Secret of… Complexity?
Usually, the writer’s mantra is “K.I.S.S.” (Keep It Simple Stupid.) And most of the time, this rule works just fine. Yet, we also know that writing – especially the kind of writing we do in sales letters and editorially – is more and more about building relationships. And aren’t relationships complex, built layer upon layer?…
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