Welcome to my Social Blog
It makes a lot of sense to learn from the greats.
Robert Collier made it rain in the 1920's and 30's with nothing but a typewriter and a handful of good ideas. Of course, each million he made back then would be worth some $14 million now, in 2022. He immortalized his work in his Letter Book, giving us the opportunity to see exactly how he did it.
Here's my top 10 takeaways:
Your Approach: Remember that you're approaching a stranger for a conversation. How would you approach someone in casual conversation?
"You'd listen for a while, when you chimed in it would be with a remark on some related subject, from which you'd bring the talk around logically to the point you want to discuss."
News Value: Is there something in or about your offer that is interesting enough to divert the readers mind from everything they're doing? Or, is it necessary for their success in a certain accomplishment? Identify that and lead with it to attract the right attention.
"Tell a [person] something new and you have [their] attention. Give it a personal twist or show relation to their business and you have their interest."
6 Prime Motives of Human Action: Love, Gain, Duty, Pride, Self-Indulgence, & Self Preservation. You aim should be to blend these motives in such a way that they're motivated - not to want your offer - but to take ACTION. Love, says Collier, is the strongest motive, but the most difficult to work into a letter. Installing motives requires integrity and finesse.
"[They] may buy if the good [your offer] do [their] children is well presented, but [they] resent having [their] love used to dig money from [them]."
Using Familiar Images as Description: According to Collier, the best way to describe your offer is via a series of familiar images. Take some familiar figure, and slowly add to it until you reach a complete picture of your offer. This, of course, works best when the reader is familiar with the images you're presenting. Collier includes an amazing list of examples in the book.
"Put your idea across to make them see it. Visualize it so clearly that [they] can build it, piece by piece in [their] own mind."
The Ultimate Purpose of Every Letter: Everyone wants something. How can your letter prove to your prospect that taking action, right now, will bring them closer to their goals? I think Mr. Collier says this best:
"You want [them] to do a certain definite thing for you. How can you tie this up the thing [they] wants, in such a way that the doing of it will bring [them] a step closer to their goal?"
"Give them a push without seeming to do so." When it's time for your call to Action, they will be almost convinced. You've got attention, you've got their interest, they are persuaded, but at last, they are hesitant. Use a gentle push towards a minor action, which eventually leads to the action you're after. Like a car salesman, you wouldn't say, "Ready to buy?" First you'd say, "Let's take it for a test drive, here's the keys".
Provide A Penalty: Sometimes, a good push isn't enough. After you give a good call to Action, make sure to include a penalty for inaction. They could want what you have, but the fear of losing out on it may be what they need in order to make a decision. Be sure, too, to offer a highly specific and logical reason for the penalty, so that they believe it will truly happen.
Urgent Desire: Your main goal for a sales letter is induce an urgent desire for your offer. What is it that impels then to act on your offer? Once again, Collier's quote puts this best.
"You may convince [their] intellect that the thing you want [them] to do is right and advantageous, but until you arouse and urgent desire to do it, your letter won't make money."
Put Life Into Your Descriptions: Give someone a smile. Make them laugh from their gut. Tear a lump in their throat. Add the unique value of Life into your sales letter so that their boredom or indifference is shocked away. This is obviously easier said than done, here's one example from the book:
"A poor man can't buy his child the toy they want. So he builds one himself. The boy loves it. After being inspected by a toy manufacturer, he's offered a high position, and no longer has to struggle to feed his loved ones."
"Most cultivate intellect only under the lash, but they revel in emotion at any and all times."
As number seven suggests, I'll leave you with a warning.
Don't read through and analyze The Robert Collier Letter Book until you're ready to deeply understand winning sales writing. He spares no detail. All his highest earning letters are right there to read.
It deserves a place on every copywriters bookshelf.