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How to Collect Tons of Testimonials
with the Secret “SPURF” System

Testimonial

In the world of selling, you can use testimonials – among other techniques – to take advantage of the principle of “Social Proof.” According to this principle, all of us look to others to help us decide how to act. The more people doing it, the more correct it seems.

I illustrated this idea recently in part 1 of this series, Testimonials and Teenagers Whizzing in the Bushes: The Power of Social Proof.

Few people, however, make an effort to collect testimonials and keep them on file. So let’s look at a simple system I’ve developed to gather testimonials from your customers.

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The Ultimate Desktop Copy Coach

Ultimate Desktop Copy Coach

As promised, I’ve done a review of The Ultimate Desktop Copy Coach from Clayton Makepeace. The course just became publicly available about 30 minutes ago, and there are lots of extra bonuses thrown in for those who move fast (including one from me).

The short answer is… it’s a great A-to-Z copywriting course taught in an accessible style. At over 1,000 pages of comprehensive copywriting knowledge, it’s likely the only course in copywriting you’ll ever need.

Click here for my review.

Update: This product is no longer available. For more great copywriting advice that’s absolutely free, check out our Copywriting 101 Guide to Writing Effective Copy.

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The Savvy Copywriter’s Advantage:
Creative Storytelling

What's Your Story?

Some people write to sell, and other people write to tell stories in novels and film. Pretty cut and dry, right?

A copywriter is the selling type… she uses her talents to promote a person, place, thing, or idea. That copywriter chooses words to make the subject look and sound great so that a desired action happens. It’s all about marketing, sales, and conversions.

But great copywriters are also storytellers.

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George Carlin on Writing

George Carlin

Whether you enjoyed his material or not, George Carlin was a gifted writer and performer with a particular talent for language. Not only in his wonderfully rhythmic word choice, but also in his ruthless linguistic dissection of the symbols we take so seriously without a second thought.

Eleven days ago, Psychology Today Senior Editor Jay Dixit interviewed Carlin by phone. Dixit went into great depth with Carlin, and the comedian himself called it “the most complete interview I’ve ever done.” It was also his final in-depth interview, as George Carlin passed away from heart failure June 22, 2008.

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The Most Powerful Persuasive
Element of Blogging

Blog Triggers

As a content marketing strategy, what’s the most powerful aspect of blogging? Which psychological trigger is most likely to inspire the click, whirr purchase decision you’re hoping for?

Is it reciprocity, social proof, or authority? What about scarcity or commitment and consistency?

Well, it’s all of those combined. But the most powerful additional thing about blogging is an aspect of human nature that doesn’t require a psychology degree to understand.

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Are Sales Slipping Through Your Fingers? Close the Deal with Logical Benefits

Logical

In earlier posts, I talked about how to use emotional benefits to drive reader interest, and gave you some sample headlines you could use as a jumping-off point.

Emotional benefits trigger the “me-want” response. They create desire for our offer. But creating desire isn’t usually enough. Unless you’re selling a purely emotional product like fashion or music, you also have to give your reader enough logical ammunition to justify the purchase to himself.

This is where logical benefits come in. These are all the rational, intelligent reasons we have for buying the stuff we want. You hook prospects with the heart, but you close the deal with the head.

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