nick usborne's guide to online copywriting
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January 2003
Issue # 23
In this issue:
>> Intro: Selling to Business and Non-Profits
>> Article: The Enthusiastic Sell
>> Readers Write Back: Fighting for Respect
>> Ads for Friends: A Book and an Email Service
>> Survey: Are You Being Paid More?
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'Net Words - Creating High-Impact Online Copy'...
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Greetings,
The results from the last issue's survey go some of the way towards confirming a feeling I have had for the last little while. 87% of respondents said yes, as writers, they are being treated with more respect now than they were a year ago. Good!
In this issue's survey, we'll try to find out whether anyone is actually feeling this increased respect in their pocket books.
Now on to this week's article. On the subject of using an 'enthusiastic' copy tone for non-ginsu-knive sales, this is the first in two or three short articles I'll be devoting to the subject of writing business-to-business, or non-profit copy.
How different is this writing style from consumer copy? It's a tough question - and I hope to be able to share some of your feedback over the weeks to come.
In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this issue - and please participate in the survey.
Until next time.
Nick
>> Feedback: nick@nickusborne.com
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ARTICLE: THE ENTHUSIASTIC SELL
As any Ginsu knife salesperson will tell you, enthusiasm sells.
But that slick, breathless pace usually won't work for a more considered purchase, for business services, or for non-profits.
That said, there is still a place for enthusiasm in 'serious' copywriting.
So how can you convey enthusiasm without sounding like a BS merchant?
I have two thoughts on this.
1. Make absolutely sure that your enthusiasm is founded not simply in a desire to sell more, but in an honest and sincerely conviction that what you are selling really will be exciting to your audience.
2. If you are just jumping up and down with excitement about your business service or new product, pull back your own enthusiasm a notch or two. With all the sincerity in the world, TOO much enthusiasm will always sound false.
And this is particularly true online, where readers have a heightened sensitivity to a 'bs' sales pitch.
Share your enthusiasm, with honesty, but also pitch it at a level that will be credible to a serious audience.
If you enjoyed this article, check out 'The Best From Over 200 Articles by Nick Usborne' - an edited compilation of the best of my articles for Clickz.com, between 1998 and 2003.
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READERS WRITE BACK: FIGHTING FOR RESPECT
"Yes, I think I've consistently gained more and more respect and have been included on more and more projects. However, this inclusion was not given to me. I had to fight for it and still do fight for it on an almost daily basis. I definitely don't wait to be included in discussions. I'm constantly asking questions, hunting down answers, and inviting myself to meetings (if needed). It's hard work, but the only way you're going to get respect is by earning it."
"I think it all comes down to what the customer wants. And the customers have responded incredibly well to the regularly updated website content, email newsletters, and various other online initiatives which have been introduced during the past year. The response has proved to the powers that be that online is the way of the future, and hopefully the quality of my copywriting has helped to show that what they thought was hogwash actually does have a value proposition for customers."
>> Feedback: nick@nickusborne.com
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ADS FOR FRIENDS: A BOOK AND AN EMAIL SERVICE
> The book...
"Persuasive Online Copywriting: How to Take Your Words to the Bank"
This is a short (a good thing) book on copywriting online, with a particular focus on achieving high conversion rates. And yes, I have actually read it! And yes, I learned a thing or two or three.
[The friends who may benefit from this brief pitch: Bryan and Jeffrey Eisenberg of Future Now Inc.]
> The email service...
Whatever you might need for your email and newsletter programs - content creation, editing, list management, delivery, tracking, analysis, or everything - I've worked with these people for over 5 years, and they do a great job. (And they bill in Canadian dollars!)
[The friend: Sylvain Perron. You can reach him at (514) 931-0255 Ext. 409, or sperron@inpixmedia.com]
NOTE: These ads aren't paid for. Just a small service for some good friends
who have done a lot more for me than I have for them.
>> Feedback: nick@nickusborne.com
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SURVEY: ARE YOU BEING PAID MORE?
OK, so you're being treated with more respect - but are you being paid more than you were a year ago?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
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