Dear Friend,

Do you have writer's block?

Do you have trouble staring at a blank piece of paper and don't know how to get started?

You're NOT alone.

Believe me, I know how tough it is to sit down and create killer copy from scratch, especially if you're green. There are times in my life when my mind is completely frozen and I can't write squat.

Therefore, I've dug around in my Bags of Tricks and come up with 11 battle-tested ad themes that will help you blast through your writer's block and crank out brilliant, cash-producing copy in no time flat!

Plus... I'll give you suggestions on how to adapt these concepts to your own business for maximum effectiveness!

KILLER CONCEPT #1 - Problem, Magic Solve

This is one of the marketing profession's oldest and probably most widely used ad themes. It has three distinct sections: you state the problem (usually a pain your target market is experiencing), you stir up the problem, and then you offer your stuff as a solution for the problem.

Here's a great example...

Case Study #1 Craig Proctor's Real Estate Success System

"How You Can Make Well Over $100,000.00 Per Year As A Real Estate Agent Working Less Than 40 Hours A Week.... Have A Top Income AND A Life..... And NEVER Have To Make A Call You Dread Or Waste Your Time With Unrealistic Sellers Or Insincere Buyers, Ever Again."

The Problem: Most real estate agents are frustrated with the income they're taking home. They're working their butts off and they're totally burnt out. They hate cold calling. And they want to work less and make more.

The Solution: If you buy Craig's stuff, you'll never have to make a cold call again. You'll have dozens of highly qualified prospects calling you. You'll be able to take weekends off. You'll be able to get out from under the ridiculous workload. Most importantly, you'll finally be able to make a 6-figure income as a real estate agent.

The Lesson: Most people are looking for a quick fix. John Carlton put it this way: "Most guys would like to eat a MAGIC pill, go to bed, and wake-up in the morning with a beautiful spouse and a million bucks in their bank account."

Always keep that in mind when you write. The quicker and easier you can make it for 'em, the better. (And if you know where to find that magic pill, PLEASE give me a call!)

KILLER CONCEPT #2 - Tell Me A Good Story, and I'll Give You My Money.

Remember when you were a little kid? What was your favorite thing? That's right. You asked your mom, "Read me a bedtime story."

Stories sell. People love to hear a story. A story paints a picture in the mind of the reader/consumer. A GOOD story can communicate your message subliminally, by stimulating thoughts and emotions. And the BEST stories remove the skepticism and barriers that can prevent sales.

Here's a fantastic "tell me a story" headline example:

Case Study #2 -- Grandma Ruby's Magic Pain Relief Cream

How An 82-Year-Old Great Grandma
From Iowa Accidentally Discovered
An Amazing Secret That Will Almost
Instantly Erase Your Back And Joint Pain!

The ad goes on talking about how a little gray-haired, 82-year-old great grandma named Ruby Zimmerman from remote farming town in Iowa was mixing up a batch of moisturizing cream from her kitchen table... and how she accidentally stumbled upon a formula that ends chronic joint and back pain. And so on.

Does your product or service have an interesting story?

KILLER CONCEPT #3 - "I've Got A Secret"

Pssst. Hey, come here…closer. You wanna hear a really juicy secret?

Gotcha!

You're probably leaning in to this newsletter right now, ready to "get the secret." The desire to know is a powerful force. It's led to the word 'secrets' being WAY over used, but that is why it is used.

People are nosy as hell and they love to feel "in the know." Everyone gets a kick out feeling like an insider and getting special treatment because of their "secret" knowledge.

If you've got something, don't FLAUNT IT…TAUNT with it. Make it appealing, alluring, and most of all TOP SECRET…and you'll make the sale.

Check this out...

Case Study #3 - GuyGetsGirl™ Guide

"Discover How To Pick-Up Beautiful Women
So Easily, and So Fast, You'll Have THREE
Dates By The End Of This Weekend… And a Girlfriend (if YOU Want one) Soon After!"

Uncover Powerful Insider Secrets That
Will Skyrocket Your Sex Life And Make
Wonderful Women Beg You To Date Them --
Even If You're Bald, Fat Or Ugly!

Pretty intriguing, huh? Every Mr. Wrong has dreamed of being Mr. Right and has probably wondered "What do THEY have that I don't?"

If you can identify an information pocket and then create the "desire to know," in your prospects, you won't have to overcome any objections they may have…they'll do that themselves!

KILLER CONCEPT #4 - Put Your BIG Money Where You BIG Mouth Is - Guarantees

If you're selling stuff that delivers over-the-top, measurable results that your customers can see, touch, smell, feel, or count... then you're in a position to use this amazingly-effective concept.

Case Study #4 -- Marlon Sanders' Amazing Formula

Your Products Sell Like Crazy Or Triple-Your-Money-Back! Discover the Amazing Formula that Sells Products Like Crazy!

"Oh no, Dan. I can't offer a guarantee. What if people rip me off?"

You chicken… or should I say "Chicken Little." The sky isn't falling!

Listen closely: People WILL rip you off no matter what you do. It's part of the business. It doesn't matter what the hell you do, some morons will use your product, return it, and ask for a refund. Period.

You can't protect yourself from the "bad guys," but you can let the "good guys" know that you're a "white hat," too. When you offer a guarantee that you will reach into your own pocket to "make things right"... you will flip a lot more customers who would never otherwise consider trying your stuff. That's because your guarantee has nudged them over the dividing line between "Trust" and "No Trust."

Think about it: do you seriously give a damn if making a handful of refunds will bring you an EXTRA one-hundred more sales? Do the math. Calculate your numbers and you'll know if this concept will work for you.

KILLER CONCEPT #5 - "What's New, Pussycat?"

Most of us are interested in news of some kind. That's why we've got newspapers, magazines, and 24-hour news channels. And why do we buy "news" papers and watch television "news" everyday? Because new discoveries fascinate us…especially, news that is related to our individual preferences, biases, and personal interests.

Press releases are the most common application for the news headline, but they can also work in many other areas.

Case Study #5 -- The Anti-Aging Super Serum

Amazing Anti-Wrinkle Breakthrough!

"Doctors Are Shocked By New 30 Second
Face-Lift-In-A-Bottle That Turns Back The
Clock 10 Years In Only 60 Days"

"Recent Discovery Reverses Aging Beats Wrinkle-Reducing Retinol By 150% It Surpasses Botox (While Being Safer)... And You'll Save A Small Fortune! Read The Astonishing Story Below"

You get the idea?

If you have news to share -- a new product or a new use for an old product, for example -- be sure to "install" that news into your headline in a big way.

KILLER CONCEPT #6 - Tell 'em Before You Sell 'em

The essence of this concept is the promise of a reward just for reading the content. The lure that there's a payoff at the end that will justify the extra effort and time required to read further.

These headlines tell readers what they can accomplish and how they can do things better. Provide tips, helpful advice, or reveal some valuable, usable information and your reader will be hooked.

For example, you can use headlines such as:

This strategy works great with service-type business. If you're a realtor, a plumber, a consultant, or whatever, I highly recommend you creating some sort of information product -- a free report, a free audiocassette or videotape -- that gives your prospects information.

Let's say you're a mortgage broker, you can try something like this...

Case Study #6

Warning! Do NOT Refinance or Get a Home Equity Loan Until You Have Read This Free Report That Reveals The Biggest Mistakes People Make With Their Finances and Their Mortgages!

The purpose of your FREE report is to provide enough helpful advice and establish you as a "leader" in your field. It will demonstrate to customers that they would benefit from working with you in the future when they need your products or services.

The reports deliver a non-threatening, non-salesy message that shows the prospect that you have empathy and compassion for their life and their concerns.

This empathy is the building block of trust. And once the trust is established from the first reports, then you can follow-up with phone calls or mailings to "seal the deal."

Put yourself in your prospects' shoes, when you're ready to buy... who you gonna call? (Ghostbusters?) The guy who just wants to "vacuum" your VISA or the guy who takes time to educate YOU?

KILLER CONCEPT # 7 - An Ethical Bribe

There's a reason they put a "prize" in every box of Crackerjack. People are greedy. They love something extra, or something for nothing.

So make your offer as irresistible as possible! Not just compelling…irresistible. There's always something you can include in your offer that will turn a "no" into a "yes."

Unleash the mercenary from within! Pile on the bonuses till your prospects are crushed under the weight and simply give in! Do not stop until they say, "You win, take my money!"

Here's a perfect example...

Case Study #7 -- Dan Kennedy's Inner Circle Newsletter

From Dan Kennedy

I want to give you the tapes of my latest Marketing & Moneymaking Super Conference, which people paid ,487.00 each to attend, free.

FREE:

6 Audio Tapes, 8 Special Reports, 1 Book, 2 Critique Certificates, Telephone Consulting & Coaching, a veritable truckload of moneymaking information and assistance...ALL FREE...and all you have to do to get all of it is say "maybe."

Have I finally lost my mind?

Dan's newsletter only costs $149 a year, but look at all the FREE stuff he gives to people who subscribe.

If that's not a shameless bribe, I don't know what is. And this is an instance where you can really see why Dan Kennedy is considered the king of marketing: he makes the product (in this case the newsletter) secondary to the bribe.

This offer has worked for Dan Kennedy for many years and has brought in thousands and thousands of new subscribers.

Lesson learned: Everybody loves a good deal.

KILLER CONCEPT #8 - Bill me later/free trial offers

This concept is similar to the ethical bribe concept. Again, you're taking the risk off the prospect's shoulders and putting in right into your pocket. How's that for trust-inspiring?

Magazines do this all the time. You simply send in a reply form saying you want to subscribe, and they bill you later.

Case Study #8 -- Nightingale Conant

At last! For the first time, there is a complete self-training program on the most amazing achievement technique ever discovered...

Announcing
The Power of
Visualization

by Lee Pulos, Ph.D.

- we invite you to try it

for 30 days

FREE!

This concept is wonderfully powerful, but don't overuse it. It can cheapen the value of your products.

And one more thing: Make sure the prospect believes your product is a good deal or you will get a lot of returns. The three most important words in the "Bill me later" book are: Over-deliver. Over-deliver. Over-deliver.

KILLER CONCEPT #9 - "Oops... I Screwed Up"

If you're offering an incredible deal that sounds almost too good to be true, you'd better explain why. If you don't, consumers will just assume your "too good to be true" deal is just that -- a fake. They won't walk away from your sale... they'll run.

And in a related story: if there's a flaw in what you're selling, admit it.

Here's an example. You bought too much inventory in the fall when business was hot, and now it's winter and it's the "off-season" for what you're selling. Don't try and hide the truth. Tell it to the world.

Case Study #9

MY MISTAKE IS YOUR WINDFALL

I'm practically giving my widgets away just to clear our Widget Warehouse

Being open and honest like this can boost the credibility and believability of your offer. Makes perfect sense doesn't it?

When you admit to a flaw or take responsibility for a mistake, people perceive that you're being honest with them. People like that. And nine times out of ten, when you tell someone you've got a problem, they'll want to help (if they can.) YOU like that!

I encourage you to give it a try.

KILLER CONCEPT #10 - No Wind-up… Just Pitch

Sometimes -- when you have a truly great product or service…when you know you've got an unbeatable price... when you know the audience reading your ad is hungry "like the wolf" for what you have to offer -- sometimes, less is more. Just make your pitch.

No gimmicks. No secrets. No stories. No excuses. No ums and ahs. No ifs, ands, or buts. Just make your case in a simple, straightforward way.

Case Study #10 -- John Childers' Speaking Course

If you've been wondering how to make an obscene amount of money as a speaker, just as I've done for 20 years...

I'll reveal all my strategies, step-by-step in a powerful 4-day Speaker Training course…

I've assumed ALL the risk and taken ALL the excuses out of your way to success in what has been called "the world's highest paid profession!"

KILLER CONCEPT #11 - "Don't believe a word I say, listen to THIS guy."

This is a relatively advanced technique. It's called 3rd party endorsement.

Basically, instead of doing your own selling, you have someone else pitch your stuff for you. Say how fantastic you stuff is. How it has changed their lives. How your stuff is the best thing since sliced bread or flush toilets.

The best way is illustrate this concept is by showing you a headline of a lead generating ad Joe Polish placed in various carpet-cleaning magazines. Joe didn't do the writing, himself; a carpet cleaner named Jim Wolverton wrote this free report.

Free report, nothing -- it's a great big, hairy advertorial (an advertisement in an editorial's clothing). Wait and see.

Case Study #11 -- Joe Polish's Free Report

EXPOSED!

Small Town Carpet Cleaner Speaks Out And Reveals The Raw Truth About That Marketing Guy, Joe Polish, Who Advertises In This Magazine All The Time!

The whole story, or should we say "ad," centers on how Jimbo was skeptical about Joe's marketing course.

Jim didn't really believe that Joe's course could deliver, but he was desperate so he bought the package. Of course, it blew him away and he learned a ton of stuff. He's now making money hand over fist and is as happy as a pig in truffles. At the end, he closed by saying he wasn't paid or given anything to write this ad (letter) up about Joe Polish.

"Exposed!" is basically a LONG and DETAILED testimonial written like a feature article in a newspaper or magazine. This kind of ad theme is especially effective as a follow-up. If you're doing direct mail, this could be your 2nd or 3rd letter in your mailing sequence.

Wrapping Things Up

Can you see how these amazing concepts might work for your business?

There are probably another dozen ad themes that are commonly used. But these are the diamonds in amongst lesser gems. I've been using these concepts successfully for many years. Other marketers have been using them for decades.

If you only use these ad themes, you'll be so stinking rich you'll need a special "Moneybags Deoderant" and have to rent a Brinks truck to get your money to the bank.

Now go out there and apply this stuff!

Don't Be A Stranger!

I'd love to hear from you. Don't be shy to drop me a line and let me know how you're doing.

Until next time,

Dan Lok

This article was written by: Dan Lok, "The World's #1 Website Conversion Expert." Dan's the "go-to" Internet marketing genius that professionals in more than 49 different industries have turned to for hundreds of money-making ads and sales letters.

Dan's reputation for success precedes him and includes a track record of selling over $25.7 million of merchandise and services. Some say, his skills are so sharply honed that he could sell snow to Eskimos… and at a premium price!

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