The Adventures of Alex, the Email Copywriter

We’ve looked at the six types of leads as mentioned in the book “Great Leads”.

The Offer Lead which goes straight to the sale.

The Promise Lead that is a bit more indirect and therefore addressing readers who are “on the fence”.

Then there’s the Problem-Solution Lead which is a classic that you see being applied widely in the internet. You address a problem that the reader feels and you follow up with a solution.

Even more indirect lead types are the Big Secret Lead where a mysterious or unknown secret leads the promo and the Proclamation Lead that features a strong bold claim that catches your reader off-guard.

And finally, there’s the Story Lead.

Enjoy the episode.

Cheers,

Alex, The Email Copywriter

In part one of this 8-part series I’m talking about the importance of a lead for your business.

And I’m using that as an excuse to summarize the book "Great Leads - The Six Easiest Ways to Start Any Sales Message" by Michael Masterson and John Forde.

As a public listener of my podcast, you get access to this 1st episode today and the last (eighth) episode in one week. If you’d like to listen to all 8 parts, you can join my mobile-learning community and business platform called "naii.io varsity" for free—it’s quick and easy. If you would like to join the varsity, please send an email to v a r s i t y (at) n a i i (dot) i o.

So why bother about leads, right?

Let’s first define what a lead is.

…

Cheers,

- Alex, the Email Copywriter

A community friend recently said:

On my email list, people just signed up for my short films. Really, they’re just fans, so I have no idea what to do with my list (mainly because I'm not working on any film project right now as well).

This is tricky territory.

You don’t want to create just filler content.

But you also don’t want to lose the connection to your readers.

What do you then?

I’m attempting to give an answer in this episode.

Cheers,

- Alex, the Email Copywriter

Art is an activity. It’s something you do for leisure and pleasure. It’s when you gather with friends and have a beer while watching soccer on the telly.

That’s what part-time artists think.

It’s neither good nor bad. It just is.

But, in consequence, it means that their willingness to take the uncomfortable route is significantly lower than the willingness of a full-time artist which I happen to be.

That’s important because…

Art is hard… work!

Cheers,

- Alex, the Email Copywriter

I’ll be real practical here and lay out how to write a video ad by dissecting a real ad that’s out there in the wild.

This ad is from the company “Lumē”. They’re selling non-toxic deodorants.

Let’s start with the general structure of such an ad.

Structure:

1. Hook - grab their attention

2. Problem - help them feel the pain

3. Solution - show how the product helps the pain

4. Call to Action - ask them to buy

5. Doubts & Credibility - resolve doubts and establish credibility

6. Second Call to Action - Reminder to buy

7. Outro - Conclude your ad and give time to click

Why the ad works?

1. It has a story (husband and wife). Telling stories is usually a good idea.

2. The problem is demonstrated understandably.

3. The product has a unique mechanism in terms of how it works (eliminating odor before you stink).

4. The benefits (e.g. water-based, works everywhere) are demonstrated.

5. It’s shown how life looks like after using it (future-pacing).

6. The ad shows how it works and why it works.

7. People have their say about the product.

8. They express a (money-back) guarantee.

9. They handle objections (doesn’t stain your clothes like other deodorants to spend less time doing laundry)

Cheers,
- Alex, the Email Copywriter