The 99.7% rule of being right

[The Writer’ s Life]( February 16, 2017 Hi {NAME}, Earlier this week, I told you how my own special "Dream Team" helped propel me toward the writer's life. (If you missed that essay, [please click here](.) One member of my "Dream Team" — although he probably doesn't know it — is Bob Bly. As I've mentioned, I got started in copywriting because of Bob's book Secrets of a Freelance Copywriter. If it weren't for that book, I don't know where I'd be today. And I've followed Bob throughout my copywriting career, reading his articles, books, and just about anything of his I can get my hands on. (You can read more of his essays at Bly.com.) So today, I want to share with you an essay he wrote for his Direct Response Letter. It's a short essay. But an important one. It deals with your credibility as a copywriter in a time when "fake news" is running rampant and your readers are becoming more and more cynical. What's Bob going to talk to us about today? To quote Jack Webb from an old Dragnet: "Just the facts, ma'am. Just the facts." Yours for a successful copywriting career, [Signed] Will Newman --------------------------------------------------------------- Don't State Your Opinions as Facts When in Fact They Aren't By Bob Bly Bob Bly Recently, I sent an email marketing message to my list offering one of my audio home-study programs. BP, a subscriber of mine whom I like and respect, was highly critical of this offer. In BP's opinion, "An audio course is reminiscent of platform shoes, the IBM Personal Computer, and when the Bee Gees were all living" — implying that audio products are somehow old school and antiquated. A simple Google search would in an instant show BP that his claim of audio being old hat is completely wrong. According to the Audio Publishers Association (APA), audiobook sales in 2015 totaled more than $1.77 billion, up nearly 21% over 2014. Also in 2015, 9,630 more audiobook titles were published than in the previous year — bringing the number of audiobooks published in 2015 up to 35,574. And according to an article in The Wall Street Journal, consumers listened to an average of 5.8 audiobooks for the entire year of 2015. Midway through 2016, that number was already at 6.7, and expected to reach as high as 7.5 by year's end. I can also speak a bit from personal experience, not just third-party Google research. In my tiny online business, CTC Publishing, we have grossed hundreds of thousands of dollars selling how-to information on audio. The takeaways from BP's brash, subjective, and uninformed claim of audio information obsolescence: - Google makes it so quick and easy to do some research, you are being foolish if you do not take a few minutes to get the facts before writing or speaking on a topic. - Don't give subjective opinions on topics that have factual and undisputable answers. Want to debate with your friends about whether Trump will be a good president? Feel free. Want to convince me that TV psychic Theresa Caputo can speak to the dead? That's a tougher position to defend, given there is no scientific evidence supporting the existence of the afterlife. - Don't defend so many of your positions so rapidly and vehemently. We are not always right. We are often wrong. That includes me. And you. In his best-selling Spencer novels, the late Robert B. Parker said of Spencer's sidekick Hawk: "Hawk always knows what he is talking about. Not because he knows everything. But because he only talks about things he knows." My version: Don't proclaim your opinions to be facts unless your certainty is 99.7% or higher. That purple is a color is a fact. That purple rugs are beautiful is an opinion. FROM WILL: Are you bothered by "fake news" and how loosely "facts" are being thrown around in advertising these days? As Bob implies, that's a rotten way to build a relationship with your reader. That's just one of many insights you can learn working with Bob. Over his 38 years of writing persuasive copy, he's picked up hundreds of tips that you could use to build your career. And he's willing to share those insights with you as part of the "Dream Team" of business-building experts AWAI has put together to help you succeed. This team of experts will show you how to get clients … negotiate fees … hone your writing skills … market your writing services … and so much more. For a full rundown on the many ways they're going to help you, [go here to learn more](. Let us know your thoughts on this subject by [commenting here](. And return tomorrow when I interview another copywriter who's taught me a ton of new ideas. *** What We're Recommending this Week *** Launch a Booming Writing Business in 30 Days! AWAI's brand-new Virtual Business Building Intensive will take you step-by-step through building a complete freelance business … one that's up-and-running and attracting new clients and paying projects … in 30 days flat! Limited spots are available due to the hands-on, interactive nature of this event. [Hurry! Claim Your Seat Today.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Trouble viewing this email? [View in your browser, here](. For questions or requests: [contact us online](. --------------------------------------------------------------- ©2017 American Writers & Artists Inc. Do you know of someone who would benefit from reading The Writer's Life? Simply direct them [here](. --------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- American Writers & Artists Inc. 101 SE 6th Avenue, Suite A Delray Beach, FL 33483 (561) 278-5557 or (866) 879-2924 Ensure your subscription delivery. 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