And the Winners of the Copyblogger Copywriting Contest Are…

The votes are in and the scores have been tallied. So, I guess it must be time to reveal the three winners of the first ever Copyblogger Copywriting Contest.

First off, I’d like to thank everyone who submitted an entry. We received a lot of great submissions, and it’s almost unfortunate that we can only have first, second and third place winners.

Secondly, I’d like to thank Darren Rowse and Seth Godin for volunteering their time to judge. They both shared great insights on their top choices, which we’ll see below.

And last but not least, I’d like to thank Squidoo for providing the $10,000 in free advertising that will be divided up among our winners. I’d especially like to give a shout-out to Megan Casey at Squidoo for her assistance behind the scenes.

OK, enough of that. Here are the third, second and first place winners, their ad copy with a link to the landing page, and commentary on each.

Third Place: Andy Wibbels

Screwing Up Your Blog?

Learn the Top 5 Blogging Blunders (And How to Stop Doing Them Right Now!) Get instant free access…

Judges Commentary:

Seth: This is clear and actionable and the landing page won’t appeal to all but will move a decent number.

Darren: Simple, to the point and will get results with many.

Brian: This is a classic “squeeze page” technique that will put some off, but is actually great at connecting with your most motivated prospects.

Andy wins $2,000 in SquidOffers advertising for his third place finish.

Second Place: Ian Lurie

Create a Successful Internet Marketing Plan in 4 Weeks

You’re smart. You’re on Squidoo. But your internet marketing efforts make you hang your head. Maybe pop an antacid or two. You need some help: Time with an experienced internet marketer. Work with Portent Interactive CEO Ian Lurie, and make tangible steps towards more sales, more leads, more attention, or more of whatever it is you need from your online audience.

http://www.portentinteractive.com/consulting/

Judges Commentary:

Seth: Ian did my favorite one. Touches all thee usual buttons, but in a more original way. (a picnic table?). The only 10 on my list.

Darren: Not bad. The headline was the best part of the ad—the copy of the ad was strong at points—the landing page was good although dragged a little.

Brian: This is a nice all-around effort. He speaks to the audience in his ad copy (but might try a stronger call to action), and the landing page is cleanly eye-catching, well written and sprinkled with intermittent calls to action.

Ian wins $3,000 in SquidOffers advertising for his second place finish.

First Place: Michael Furniss

Badly Drawn Stickmen Reveal How to Attract and Convert Filthy Rich Customers

Filthy rich customers are great, because they’ll pay more, buy more often and complain less. They’ll make your business more profitable and you richer, while competitors are left fighting over the penny-pinching scraps you throw aside.

You’ll discover the 86 steps to getting filthy rich customers, including:

1. How to identify your perfect rich customer
2. How to tweak your product to attract the rich
3. How to seduce the rich before the sale

Win a free 15-minute consultation, request this FREE guide now.

Judges Commentary:

Seth: I like a lot about this one. I like the clever headline and the shameless appeal to the opportunity seekers.

Darren: This was the first one that I actually wanted to read all the way through and click on.

Brian: Unique approach causes curiosity and the concept is smartly woven throughout—from ad copy to landing page headline, visual and body copy. The integrated approach makes the “stickmen” more than a gimmick and keeps you moving to the call to action.

Michael wins $5,000 in SquidOffers advertising for his first place finish.

Tidbits:

Entries were evaluated by assignment of a score of 1 (terrible) to 10 (exceptional). The first and second place winners pretty much left the crowd behind when their scores from each judge were combined, and yet Michael only beat Ian by one point. Andy led the rest of the top tier pack to finish third.

Congratulations to the winners and thanks again to everyone who entered! Megan Casey will be contacting the winners to arrange for delivery of the prizes.