Blank Page Anxiety? Read This.

Recently, I took the time to re-read several sales letters written by the greats. You know, Gary Bencivenga, Jay Abraham and Carline Anglade Cole just to name a few. I was mining for nuggets of wisdom that might help copywriters and marketers like you level up your game.?

And that’s when I discovered something.

There are five primary ways the pros start all of their sales letters. I only found a handful of outliers. 90%+ of all the sales letters in my swipe file start with one of these five techniques, regardless of how old it is.?

And I’m going to reveal those to you today.??

Now, for the purposes of this newsletter, I’m going to assume you’ve already done your research and come up with a few headlines. You do research and make a list of headlines before writing, yes? Good.?

Anyway, I know some people like to say the old school stuff doesn’t work anymore. But I can assure you… they’re verified idiots. They’ll say things like, “customers are smarter than they were back then.” That’s true. But not in the way they think.?

I used to work in car sales and I know firsthand that human psychology hasn’t changed one bit. The same techniques that worked in the 70s still work. Sure, they’re dressed up a little differently these days. But the reasoning behind it all is the exact same.?

Anyone who says old school hard selling techniques don’t work anymore is spewing nonsense. Probably to help them cope with their abysmal sales skills.?

OK. I’ll get off my soapbox now so we can get into it.?

Number 1: “If…then” statement. This is one of Gary Bencivenga’s favorite ways to start a sales letter. It’s what we call a conditional statement. If you’re part of this group, then this applies to you. If I wanted to use this technique to start this newsletter, I could have written, “If you’re ready to exile blank page anxiety for good, then this month’s edition of Copy for Life is for you.”

What makes the “if…then” statement so powerful is that it flies underneath the radar of your prospects brain. According to Bencivenga, it disarms your reader’s B.S. detector and makes them more receptive to what you’re saying.

Here are a few examples from proven sales letters:

“If you are a direct response advertiser, here is a no-risk offer from Powell, Rosenthal, and Bloch…”

“If you have a weight problem, I want you to take a good look at the pictures on this page.”

(To the right of the text block is a before and after picture of someone who lost over 500 lbs.)

“If you are interested in living a very long life… and… staying young and healthy… this will be the most important message you ever read.”

Number 2: Do you?/Are you?/Have You? A probing question meant to immediately isolate your target prospect. If I started this newsletter with this technique, I may have written, “Do you want to banish blank page anxiety for good?” Or maybe, “Are you a copywriter who’s tired of fighting blank page anxiety?”

What makes this so powerful is that it allows you to focus on people experiencing a specific problem. Notice I didn’t say, “Are you curious about how to write a better first sentence.” I almost fell asleep writing it. But blank page anxiety is a crippling phenomenon that many writers experience.

The do you/are you/have you technique is designed to get your target prospect to say, “YES! That’s ME!” This also seems to work well on social media.

Here are some notable examples that use do you/are you questions:

“Are you a web designer or developer running a freelance or agency business?”

“Are you a food addict?”

(Food addicts are damn proud of it.)

“Do you have the constant urge to write but the fear that a beginner hasn’t a chance?”

(This is from 1936. But the basic appeal still works for copywriting products today.)

“Have you ever wondered why there is so much excitement about winning money playing the casino game of blackjack?”

Number 3: (Did you know) Interesting fact. This technique can take one of two forms in presentation but it’s the same idea. “Did you know beating blank page anxiety is easier than you think?” Or, “Beating blank page anxiety is easier than you think.”

As far as I can tell, whether you frame it as a statement or a question is a matter of taste. The interesting fact can also be phrased as a what/what if question. For example, “What if I told you the secret to never having blank page anxiety again?” Either way, this technique is designed to build curiosity. We want our prospect to say, “Tell me more, please!”?

In order to make this work for you, be sure to ask the question, “So what?”. I’ve seen mediocre copywriting try to use a truism as an interesting fact and fail miserably. Make sure your interesting fact is enticing your reader.

Here some examples of interesting facts from proven sales letters:

“Did you know the quality of your smile has a more direct effect on your personal (and business) relationships than any other part of your appearance?”

“With the cost of basic necessities such as food on the rise, and many retirees today worried about outliving their savings, it’s no wonder why more and more people are using HECM reverse mortgages to turn their home equity into extra income for retirement.”

“At 60 miles an hour, the loudest noise comes from the electric clock.”

(This was the headline and the first sentence of the iconic ad.)

“What if you could release the power of ONE amazing ‘Miracle Molecule’ in your body and INSTANTLY experience a dramatic improvement in your health?”

(Replace “what if” with “did you know” and it still works.)

Number 4: My name is X. The use case for this opening is a bit narrower than the others. You’ll typically see this opening in the health and wealth spaces. “Hi, my name is Sean and I used to suffer from crippling blank page anxiety. But then I discovered blah blah blah.” This technique is perfect in the first email of a sequence or if you’re selling a product that solves a particularly embarrassing problem (poor health or financial struggles).

Here are a couple examples:

“My name is Dr. Ross Stewart and I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.”

(This was an ad about having better sex.)

“My name is Jay Abraham. I grow businesses for a living.”

(Technically two sentences but the same technique, nonetheless.)

“Hi, if you don’t know me already, my name is Tom Dyson, former analyst for two of the largest investment banks in the world (Citibank and Saloman Brothers) and publisher of Palm Beach Research Group.”

(This also uses an if… then construction.)

Number 5: Story. It’s true that all good copy uses storytelling elements. But opening with a story is one of the most effective ways to start any written material. I used a story to start this newsletter. The primary mistake I see people make is telling a completely irrelevant story and trying to make it work anyway. Don’t do that.

If you’re going to use a story, it needs to be closely related to whatever you're pitching. It needs to be priming your prospect’s mind to hear about your product.?

Here are some examples:

“A number of years ago I met a man, we’ll call him Mr. X for now.”

(The ad goes on to talk about how Mr. X compiled all of Jay Abraham’s paid material into a single product and how you can now buy it.)

“Management consultant David D. Seltz is one of the nation’s foremost authorities on small businesses. He has written 12 books on the subject and…”

(This is a credibility story.)

“She was wearing Claudette’s favorite color which sent the sycophants scurrying like ants. The audacity! The nerve!”

(An ad for a pearl necklace.)

“How does an out of shape 55 year-old golfer, crippled by arthritis & 71 lbs. overweight, still consistently humiliate PGA pros in head-to-head matches by hitting every tee shot further and straighter down the fairway?”?

(This is technically the headline but could work as a first sentence.)

Well if that doesn’t cure your blank page anxiety, I don’t know what will! In fact, you’ll probably find yourself writing multiple candidate options and having to pick between them. A good place to be!?

All the best,

Sean Ryan

P.S. If you have friends you think would benefit from this, share it with them.?

P.P.S. You can hire me to write for you. Email me at [email protected] for a free consultation.???