How To Improve Your Sales Letter Writing Skills


by Stuart Elliott - Date: 2007-03-15 - Word Count: 590 Share This!

Copyright © 2007 Stuart Elliott

I'm always being asked what is the quickest way to learn the secret triggers and buttons that master copywriters use in their copy.

The thing is, there is one way that doesn't cost a dime and that will implant these things in your brain as surely as a sledgehammer will crack a walnut... But most people simply ignore it.

You may even be the same...

But you know what? There is no surer way to absorb the little triggers and understand the psychology of the emotional hot buttons. You'll also learn how a good sales letter flows by simply finding a some killer copy and writing it out, word for word onto a piece of paper - BY HAND.

This is important - don't type it on your computer or just read it. Actually take the time to write it by hand.

I was doing just that the other day - something I've made into a routine - and it's amazing the little things that I suddenly started seeing. I'd not noticed them when I'd been reading the sales letter, but they suddenly leapt out at me as I wrote it down...

Simple but 'Oh-so-effective' things like the choice of one small word... the use of the hyphen to join phrases and make the copy 'move quicker' or simply changing an adjective for a verb to add more punch and impact. This is the 'copywriting language' that your English teacher couldn't teach you at school.

When you read a sales letter these things affect or move you but you are not always sure why.

However, when you copy a sales letter out longhand you have time to see and understand exactly what the smallest changes can do. And what's more, these 'tricks' become implanted in your brain by the very act of writing.

It's almost as if they jump off the paper and run up your arm before settling inside your head. It's one of those strange things that happen. I don't know how it does, but it works.

Not doing something as simple as this costs you in two ways:

1. You don't get to learn the secrets - Period.

2. It costs you money because you probably buy courses and DVD's that don't teach you these little secrets.

So why is it that people don't make a habit of doing something as valuable as this? Is it because it takes too much time?

It could be. People do tend to want the quick way out which is a little shortsighted...

I know that time is valuable but so is education.

So, if you make a habit of writing great sales letters out longhand the time you spend doing so becomes negligible. You'll even find that as you copy out a professional copywriter's sales letter your own sales letter will begin forming itself in your head.

And, as soon as you've finished your little homework task you'll be steaming full speed ahead into writing your own killer sales letter.

Another benefit of this that is crucially important to those who are non-native speakers of English is it teaches you how to use English at the same time.

Give it a try - I'm sure you'll be amazed at the results.

And if you're not sure where to find some good copy to practice with, have a look at some of Gary Halbert's work at 'thegaryhalbertletter.com' or Clayton Makepeace's 'makepeacetotalpackage.com'

These are two guys whose work you should be devouring daily.

By the way when I say copy a sales letter I don't mean plagiarise it, I mean write it down word by word - by hand so you can learn from it.

To you success, always.


Related Tags: copywriter, sales letter, sales copy, sales letters, stuart elliott, clayton makepeace, gary halbert

Stuart Elliott is a world-class copywriter who has written numerous articles about sales letters and copywriting. Drop by: http://howtowritekickbuttcopy.com to pick up your Free Copywriting Power Guide. Your Article Search Directory : Find in Articles

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