Every element of copy has just one purpose — to
get the first sentence read.

In his seminars, Sugarman would quiz his students on the purpose of various
copy elements: the headline, the graphics, the sub-headlines, etc. Why are
they important?

“What is the purpose of a headline?” Sugarman would ask.
Every time the student started with some complicated, jargon-filled
explanation, he would cut them off.

“The purpose is to get the first sentence read,” he would counter.


“And the purpose of the first sentence is to get the second sentence read,”
he continued.
And so on, down a slippery slide that leads to your offer and the sale.
This is an extremely valuable way to go about structuring any writing, and it’s
crucial to writing intended to persuade or sell. Many times we find ourselves
so eager to arrive at our conclusion that we forget that the essence of making
a persuasive point (or causing any action) is how we get there.

Step by step.

Now … how do we get there?
With this simple framework in mind, the stage is set for drilling down deeper
into the nitty gritty of the “step by step.” We’re now in a better position to
more fully appreciate the specific techniques that apply to all of the various
elements of strong copy.
For example, we can now see:
•• Why a strong, compelling headline is critical
•• Why immediately focusing on the benefit to the reader is so crucial
•• Why you must make a promise to the reader that you later fulfill, and
•• Why you must back up everything you’ve said with very specific proof.


If no one reads, all is lost.

And the key to getting someone to read is one sentence at a time, so
compelled by that sentence that they want to read the next. In other words,
how you say it is how you get there.
And while I did get you to read this entire chapter, I wouldn’t exactly
recommend the strategy employed here. It worked, but pulling cheap stunts
like this won’t help you in the long run.
Besides … my four year old daughter staged a daring rescue of the kitten
when I wasn’t looking.
Kids!


To Be, or Not to Be
Now that’s a question.

The first six words of Hamlet’s Act III, Scene 1 soliloquy are without doubt the
most famous line William Shakespeare ever wrote. It’s also one of the most
recognizable quotes in the English-speaking world.
And not a single word over three letters long.

The lesson? Keep it simple. Good copy is written in clear, concise, simple words
that get your point across. It’s conversational.

You can also fracture the occasional rule of grammar, if it helps to make
your writing more digestible. Sentence fragments, one-sentence paragraphs,
beginning with conjunctions and ending in prepositions are all fine,
even desirable.

And don’t forget to use plenty of bullets and numbered lists. Think your
audience is too sophisticated for this? Don’t be so sure.

A recent study shows that more than 50 percent of students at four-year
schools and more than 75 percent at two-year colleges in the United States
could not:
•• Interpret a table about exercise and blood pressure;
•• Understand the arguments of newspaper editorials; or
•• Compare credit card offers with different interest rates and annual fees.
The bad news is that these kids are more literate than the average US adult,
which is not that surprising considering that the vast majority of US adults
have less education.
So … keep it simple and clear. No one will ever complain that your writing is
too easy to understand.