Copywriting - I Can't Stand It Any More!

By Author: Stephen Simmons
Total Articles: 38
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Introduction:
Before starting it needs to be known that this author is not an expert copywriter. He has known a few and certainly does not want to challenge their experience nor knowledge in the matter. However, as Popeye the Sailor Man used to say at times is " I can't standz no more!" He is just going to write what he knows up to this point. That is the short and sweet of it all.
Body:
He has always been a fan of the short sales letters and feels they pull the best conversion for him. However, there is a phase now where long sales letters are the craze. Well, this author agrees with Popeye the Sailor Man " he just can't stand it no more!' He is tired of reading those long boring sales letters. It is being heard through the grape vine of marketing buddies that the short copy is coming back into the picture and will be the choice later down the line once again. For him that is good news. He thought those days would never end.
The ones in favor of long copywriting think whatever it takes to convey everything you want to say should usually do the job! That is their reasoning behind writing sales letters ...
... that look like books in the library. It's hard to conclude whether short or long works better. What works for others may not work for you. and the only way to find out is test, test and test some more. But please do it quickly. Give the author a break. He just can't stand it no more!
Most individuals just skims and scans sales letter. Now there are no records to show that is the technique used by most , but you can bet if there was a poll taken it would indicate it is true.
Most individuals don't have the time to read so much, with so many things competing for their attention. And they will still buy a product, after having skimmed, scanned quickly up-and-down in random fashions stopping where things catch their attention. It's hard to keep their attention with long sales letters.
They figure long copy is fine, as long as you get to the point much earlier in the copy leaving the remainder of it to be for the people who so chose to continue reading. Some individuals are cautious buyers and will want to read the entire copy, More power to them. However, the author feels the readers have just about had enough.
Sales letters should do what they are designed to do without sending the buyer to sleep or to make them run in the opposite direction! If a copywriter can write a long letter and meet this criteria more power to him. Many people seem to think a letter has to be a certain length, as if, they have to make it long because everyone else does. That is a big mistake!
Some copy writers think that you just need to convey the crucial message, whether it takes 10 x paragraphs or it takes 5000 x sentences to break down the prospect's barriers. They suggest you just need to get the message across. However, if you have to write long then you need to think about your approach and make it more concise.
But for the most part, long sales letters convert at a much higher rate than short sales letters. They just don't seem to do that for the majority.
But you must understand the mind of a consumer. Most consumers like to feel like they've done their research before they buy something. This might be true!
Truthfully, it really depends on a couple of factors. 1. Different niches may require different length. 2. It depends on your credibility in your niche. 3. Price of the product. 4. Copywriters skill.
Conclusion:
It's hard to conclude whether short or long works better. because what works for others may not work for you and the only way to find out is to test , test, and test some more. But there is one thing for sure and that is It doesn't need to be long or short. It needs to be effective.

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