The almost creepy-powerful copywriting secret I learned from a lawyer

Several years ago, I first had one of my sales letters reviewed for legal compliance by “Email Players” subscriber Mike Young. It was quite the education, too. In fact, while I am certainly no expert on the subject, and I very well may be wrong… going by what he told me, it’s rather astounding how many sales letters — even by so-called world class copywriters with legal departments reviewing their copy — look like gigantic "fed bait" targets to me now. Anyway, I quickly went to work fixing the compliance “holes” in that ad. And, soon after that, I ran it. Then something interesting happened. Even though I thought for sure the changes I made to my sales letter to make it more compliant with its claims would have made its response significantly weaker… just the opposite happened. Response, engagement, and sales were way higher than expected. The quality of customer was also way higher than expected. And my knowledge of copywriting soared higher than expected, too. The reason? My theory is three fold: 1. The more compliant my sales copy, the more believable it is. 2. The more believable it is, the more likely it’ll sell the skeptics. 3. And the more it sells the skeptics, the more sales from the higher quality customers I tend to get — probably because skeptics are often a 2-5 x’s bigger market segment than the hyper buyers sitting around in their moo-moos drawing welfare each month that are attracted to the screaming claim & exclamation mark-ridden copy are. In fact, it was such a valuable experience I invested a pretty penny in having a bunch of my other various companies’ sales letter analyzed a few months ago, and am having even more done today. I probably have invested nearly $20k in these reviews over the last 6 years or so, and it’s always worth every penny. In fact, in my humble but accurate opinion: It could be that one the greatest copywriting “hacks” is having it legally compliant… Well, guess what? This is something I touch upon in the upcoming September Email Players issue where I analyze a sales page I wrote, after being inspired by something the great A-list copywriter Bob Bly said when he read it a few months ago. As far as the compliance stuff goes: I don’t spend a lot of time on it, so don't think it lets you off the hook to have an actual lawyer review your ad copy when applicable. But, I do show you four words/phrases I use in nearly all my ad copy to try to stay as compliant as I can, that also helps my business tap into this effect of attracting better, higher quality, more pleasant-to-deal with customers (i.e. Player with Money as Gary Halbert used to call them), vs the typical drooling impulse and hyper buyers who, yes, love to buy everything, but are a PITA to deal with, are the biggest abusers of the helpdesk, and who never do anything with what they buy. You may not get more customers doing it, but you will likely get better customers. The kind of who like to buy from you repeatedly, and not just one time before flitting off to the next bright shiny object they see, never to buy from you again. If you're a short game kinda guy, I don't know if this will make you very happy. But if you are a long game, 4 quarters vs 100 pennies kinda guy like I am, then probably it'll be right up your righteous alley. Anyway, unlike 99% of copywriters I do not take a mercenary approach. Probably because I’m not a hired gun and have to deal with the fallout of my claims. If you're a mercenary freelancer - i.e., basically a parasite off your client's success, brand, and list - who likes to pound your chest about all the sales your copy helps get, but without mentioning the refunds, chargebacks, customer service nightmares that copy creates... you probably won't like this part very much. Can't say you weren't warned. Whatever the case, to subscribe in time before the deadline go here: []( Ben Settle P.S. Here’s a ‘lil taste of what awaits you in the September Email Players issue: * A bit of a strange copywriting writing trick I learned from an attorney that can help (1) make your sales copy more legally compliant and (2) increase your sales at the same time. * A bizarre secret (found all throughout the Bible) that can help automatically give your ad copy more credibility, more drama, more intrigue, and, yes, more sales. (And no, it does not matter if you’re writing to anyone religious or even "turning on the rotisserie" atheists — does not matter, this tweak of human psychology works across the board.) * What the great retired A-list copywriter Doug D’Anna told me on a Twitter Spaces call about what would have made his world class copy even better, stronger, more responsive had he focused on it more early on in his career. * The sleepy-looking “S-word” you can add almost anywhere to your sales copy to snatch more attention, nab more engagement, and grab more response. * An ingenious way of writing bullets in a way that feels like you are teaching something but, in reality, you are only making the reader hungry to buy what you’re selling. * A Hollywood screenwriter secret that can not only make your ads more persuasive, but can also make the experience of buying as fun and enjoyable as child opening Christmas presents. (Not even exaggerating either — this is the exact same psychology that makes it so a child can’t sleep at night before Christmas but applied to your advertising. Powerful stuff. And most copywriters never think about it.) * A writing secret used by Stan Lee (when naming the fictional country of Wakanda that sounds so real many people literally have admitted to looking for it on a map) that can add lots of drama to your sales copy. (The secret is also “baked” into the mega selling book title “The South Beach Diet”, if that tells you something.) * A neat little twist you can put on your ad copy bullets that can help make them automatically (the brain almost can’t help itself but focus on what you’re selling when doing this) get more attention, more engagement, and more sales. * One of the best places to learn how to write powerful headlines that practically nobody look at anymore. * A “quickie” guide (you can see on display in one of the late Gene Schwartz’s most infamous ads) to writing persuasive pre-headlines for your ads and sales letters. * A trick I learned from the late, great copywriter Robert Collier for writing longer (even entire paragraph-sized) bullets without losing peoples’ attention. * Why it can be a big, fat, even business-fatal mistake to write to, pander to, and sell to “hyper buyers.” (I doubt 1 in 1000 copywriters will agree with this controversial — but absolutely proven in my 22+ years in the game — take on copywriting. I even had to explain this to one of the world’s top direct mail guys recently, but he understood after I showed him my side of the story. Yes, hyper buyers are easy to sell to, and yes you can get a lot of buyers, and yes that is who probably 99% of copywriting books, courses, teachers tell you to focus on selling to… but if you are the business man who has to deal with the fallout of catering to them, I suggest reading this very closely and carefully. Most copywriters take a mercenary approach and only care about “response” — which is a big mistake, imo. Anyway, more about this inside.) * A clever way to write deck copy (the copy under the main headline) that takes away some the “bite” people feel when reading a sales pitch — potentially making it more likely to be read, consumed, bought from. * One of the top 10 copywriting courses I posses that isn’t even about copywriting. (Admittedly I do not know where you can get this today, except maybe on eBay.) * How to choose the perfect photo for your sales letters. * How to structure your ad copy opening sentences in a way that has “built in” believability and credibility. (Probably even if you say something totally crazy.) * 3 magic transition sentences (based on what the late, great A-list copywriter Jim Rutz did in his ad copy) that can help make your sales letters, emails, and other marketing compulsively readable. * A delightfully sneaky way to get rid of “sticker shock” when selling high ticket offers. * A shrewd (but gutsy, almost nobody will even test it, they’re too scared) way of writing sales copy that can help open the reader’s mind, automatically lowers his sales defenses, and sometimes completely removes price resistance. * Why so much sales copy written by zoomers (that has nothing to do with the quality of their actual writing) gets ignored or even mocked by prospects they are attempting to sell to. * How to “recruit” celebrities to help write your ads without paying them anything. * An unusually persuasive way (that, I think, was invented by Gary Halbert) for writing bullets that add a thick persuasive layer of interest, intrigue, and engagement to nab sales you probably would not get otherwise. * How to shamelessly (but legally and ethically, no stealing or plagiarizing required) use the work of experts (even famous experts) about whatever you are writing about to help better sell your offers. * What to say when you get to the last third of a long sales letter to help keep readership higher, more engaged, maybe more likely to buy. * A surprisingly effective way to use yellow highlighting in sales copy to nab way more readership and sales than you probably would otherwise. * 3 tried-and-true sentences (you can swipe “as is” if you want, I don’t care, and don’t even know who first invented them) to segue into your close — whether in long sales copy, emails, or any other kind of advertising. * And a ho' bunch more. In fact, I am also including a special 8-page bonus report called: “The ‘Get off my lawn!’ Zoomer-Friendly Direct Marketing Cheat Sheet” I don’t, as a rule, cater to Zoomers, pander to Zoomers, or have much to offer Zoomers. Not even necessarily through any fault of their own, either. Usually when they come at me I’m like the old fart in the lawn chair telling them get the hell off my property. But a couple months ago a guy asked if he could interview me by email. His questions were coming from what sounded like a Zoomer perspective. I cannot say he is a Zoomer for sure, though, as I have never seen him. The questions just come off as Zoomer-ish. Good questions though. And he came at me with respect, and not with any idiotic entitlement like a lot of the youts do. Anyway, I thought my answers might be useful for all generations of Email Players subscribers. Especially since they are quick, raw, and curt. Just like my temper when I see Zoomers on my lawn… All right, here is the link to get in on the September issuewhile you still can: []( This email was sent by Ben Settle as owner of Settle, LLC. Copyright © 2024 Settle, LLC. All Rights Reserved. No part of this email may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from Settle, LLC. Click here to [unsubscribe]( Settle, LLC PO Box 1056 Gold Beach Oregon 97444 USA