I was putting the finishing touches on a sales letter, and almost didn’t use my “secret ingredient.” But I’m glad I did. Let me share it with you.
Before you submit your final copy, read it out loud.
Seriously, your ears will catch things that your eyes miss. Blatant, embarassing, damning things that will sabotage your best marketing efforts.
My blooper this time was simply to leave out the letter ‘c’. Instead of saying “Close more sales” the phrase boasted that this service would help the prospect “lose more sales.” For want of a ‘C’ I nearly got an ‘F’.
I know I’m not the only one who does this. Just watch Jay Leno’s headlines and you’ll see some doozies that already went to print. Or for an insider’s perspective, hang out with some copywriters who are sharing their war stories. My favorite was a woman from the DMA who reported a banner that used the word “pubic” instead of “public.”
This stuff is funny, but make sure you’re always laughing at them, not with them!
