I remember when I was in school, back in the stone ages when we didn't have personal computers, all the dull text books I had to read.
It was probably the most excruciating experience of my life.
You'd think these guys had no sense of humor at all.
Well, I guess when you're writing about American History, it's hard to laugh.
Maybe so, but reading sales copy shouldn't be like trying to read the dictionary.
Humor is probably one of the best ways to spruce up your copy and keep the reader interested.
This article is going to touch on this subject and give you some tips on the best way to do that.
Naturally, how much humor you inject into your sales copy is going to depend on the product you're selling.
Let's be honest.
If you're pitching a natural cure for cancer, the person reading your message is probably not in the mood for many laughs.
Most likely they're facing a life and death situation and humor in your message may not be looked upon in a favorable light.
Ultimately, it could drastically reduce the number of sales your copy generates.
On the other hand, if you're pitching a product that isn't a matter of life and death, then it may not be a bad idea to inject some humor into the pitch, especially if the product is something that is taking care of some age old problem that people just love to complain about.
What you do is direct your humor towards the problem in a way that pokes fun of the problem and gets the prospect to laugh at.
Then you can turn your attention to the solution in a serious tone.
The trick is to make the transition a smooth one.
But how DO you inject humor into a sales letter? The best way is with a story.
A personal story usually works best.
This way, not only are you injecting humor into the copy but you're telling a personal experience that will have the prospect identifying with you.
You're killing two birds with one stone, so to speak.
Let me give you a very brief example.
Let's say you're selling a new and faster processor for a personal computer.
You could tell about your personal experience with old slower PCs.
Something like this...
"I would have kicked my old slow PC down the stairs but it probably would have taken a year just to reach the bottom.
Getting work done meant running a program and then leaving the house to take in a movie and a meal at the Ritz.
" Sure, it's an exaggeration, but it's funny and will get the prospect laughing along with you.
From there, you can lead into how you developed this new processor that really does the job, and so on.
There is room for humor in sales copy.
It doesn't have to read like War and Peace.
If you'd like more great copywriting tips, check out my signature below.
You'll turn yourself into a crackerjack copywriter in two shakes of a lamb's tail.
To YOUR Success, Steven Wagenheim
It was probably the most excruciating experience of my life.
You'd think these guys had no sense of humor at all.
Well, I guess when you're writing about American History, it's hard to laugh.
Maybe so, but reading sales copy shouldn't be like trying to read the dictionary.
Humor is probably one of the best ways to spruce up your copy and keep the reader interested.
This article is going to touch on this subject and give you some tips on the best way to do that.
Naturally, how much humor you inject into your sales copy is going to depend on the product you're selling.
Let's be honest.
If you're pitching a natural cure for cancer, the person reading your message is probably not in the mood for many laughs.
Most likely they're facing a life and death situation and humor in your message may not be looked upon in a favorable light.
Ultimately, it could drastically reduce the number of sales your copy generates.
On the other hand, if you're pitching a product that isn't a matter of life and death, then it may not be a bad idea to inject some humor into the pitch, especially if the product is something that is taking care of some age old problem that people just love to complain about.
What you do is direct your humor towards the problem in a way that pokes fun of the problem and gets the prospect to laugh at.
Then you can turn your attention to the solution in a serious tone.
The trick is to make the transition a smooth one.
But how DO you inject humor into a sales letter? The best way is with a story.
A personal story usually works best.
This way, not only are you injecting humor into the copy but you're telling a personal experience that will have the prospect identifying with you.
You're killing two birds with one stone, so to speak.
Let me give you a very brief example.
Let's say you're selling a new and faster processor for a personal computer.
You could tell about your personal experience with old slower PCs.
Something like this...
"I would have kicked my old slow PC down the stairs but it probably would have taken a year just to reach the bottom.
Getting work done meant running a program and then leaving the house to take in a movie and a meal at the Ritz.
" Sure, it's an exaggeration, but it's funny and will get the prospect laughing along with you.
From there, you can lead into how you developed this new processor that really does the job, and so on.
There is room for humor in sales copy.
It doesn't have to read like War and Peace.
If you'd like more great copywriting tips, check out my signature below.
You'll turn yourself into a crackerjack copywriter in two shakes of a lamb's tail.
To YOUR Success, Steven Wagenheim