What Decades of Kick-Butt Controls Can Teach Marketing Directors About Bullets and Fascinations

Why should you read and heed the secrets I reveal in this article?

Put simply, because the ability to craft great bullets and fascinations is one of the most potent skills A-list copywriters and marketing directors ever acquire.

They understand that the ability to recognize both good and bad ones separates the “meh” from the “Wow, this bullet is good!”

Don’t believe me?

Scan any of the controls you have at your disposal.  Look closely, and you’ll discover tons of sales letters and even larger promotions based almost entirely on great bullets and fascinations. 

This is especially true when selling books through the mail or selling products and services online.

Any marketing director or A-list copywriter worth their salt has sharpened their bullet and fascination skills to a world-class level.  And this hard-won skill shows up in their packages every time. It’s not often you see a big package without at least 10 to 20, if not more bullets and fascinations throughout.

It’s incredible how these little benefit-packed sparklers do so much in 1 to 2 sentences.  

Most Bullets and Fascinations Offer Benefits … But GREAT Ones Do So Much More Than That.

The best bullets and fascinations often do the following:

• Seduce the prospect to read, read, and read some more!
• Build desire — bit by bit — by creating the urge to “know” the secret the bullet promises to reveal …
• Seize the reader’s attention and keep him zooming through the copy …
• Make the sales message more readable (which always boosts response!)
• Pump up the promotions with more variety and prevent the disastrous “flat” benefit syndrome
• And so much more!

 Wanna know how?

Here’s the …

Secret Way to Write Bullets that Make it IMPOSSIBLE for Your Package to be Put Down

I’ve always been impressed with those who can write great bullets and fascinations, understanding that it’s not just an art but a science.  That it’s about taking all the right tools and assembling a little powerhouse of desire.

The elites begin by researching the daylights out of their subject matter before writing a single word.

The late great Gene Schwartz would begin reading a book multiple times, highlighting key points and titbits with each read. Then he’d have his secretary or typist type up all his notes (which would often add up to a 60 to 70-page document). Then, he’d organize the information and begin filling in the running text, creating the fascinations as they came to him.

Seven-figure copywriter Parris Lampropoulos begins by researching and writing as many as 700 fascinations. Yes, 700!

He usually keeps around 100 of them but likes to have about seven times more than he can ever use or need. 

Parris’s elite strategy ensures every bullet and fascination that makes it into the final draft is top-notch, the ‘cream of the crop.’

I’m sure you’ve experienced this yourself, especially when reading long sales copy online. You’re reading a string of bullets and find 3 out of every 4 of them are so-so at best. You can bet the copywriter didn’t write seven times what he needed or get to select the best of the best.

Having read many sales pieces over the years, I can see how this would give Parris many options in his bullet sections, making them a delightful and easy read. 

This is the most crucial thing in copy, especially if the promotion is packed to the rim with fascinations — it just takes 1 or 2 bad ones for the prospect to start ‘skimming.’

And it’s those 1 or 2 bad bullets that will get the promotion tossed.

I have skimmed many promotions over the years for that very same reason. 

And am sure you have too.

So… 

Remember — The #1 Job is to Keep the Prospect READING

If there is one thing savvy marketing directors and A-list copywriters focus on is this … MAKING THE SALE. So do their level best to keep the prospect reading.

I have noticed that when I read good sales copy from cover to cover … I start feeling like I WANT the product NOW! That’s the magic of long copy.  It ONLY works if the reader KEEPS reading to the end.

That’s why my mentor Carline Anglade-Cole constantly talks about systematically weeding out “weak links” in my copy — because weak links lose readership. And ultimately, sales are lost. And because they’re so easy to read, bullets can be the deadliest of weak links.

The elites never underestimate the power of a weak bullet. They know bullets that are either long-winded, tell not show, or are downright boring will trigger skimming and scanning. They understand that that sales letter is a nano-second away from being put to one side or thrown in the trash. 

The cool thing is that when they vary their bullets, the copy has a natural ebb and flow to it and never feels false. 

They know variety is the spice of life. So create long bullets and short bullets. Some bullets blind and others reveal the full secret their prospect can put into action immediately.

And not only that, reading through their bullets gives the prospect an exciting feeling. Almost like she’s on a roller coaster ride and doesn’t know which way she’s going to be turned from one minute to the next. 

Why is that important?

Because if they can get their prospect through the long series of quality bullets and fascinations, the chances of making the sale shoots up.

An increase in sales is what all direct marketing teams want.

But what if your results are already good yet feel they could be better?

This is …  

For Those Marketing Directors Who Are Almost (But Not Quite) Satisfied with Their Marketing Campaigns — and Can’t Figure Out What’s Missing

In a nutshell. The elite way to build powerful bullets and fascinations is by putting the target audience’s thoughts and feelings front and center in each headline, bullet, and fascination.

This technique is not so popular as it used to be. We’re more likely to write bullets and fascinations jam-packed with big promises or are artificially pumped up full of benefits. 

True, these types of headlines work in their place. Heck, I use these headlines all the time.

But it’s not often that the ideal target audience is identified in the headline. Literally called out by name.

So, if you want your campaigns to go from great to ‘out of this world,’ then identifying your reader — calling out her thoughts and feelings in the headline can only do one thing. Get her to nod and say,

“Yes, at last! Someone’s listening to me.”

“Someone gets what I am going through and has a solution for it—finally!”

This is something all marketing teams can aspire to. 

Just imagine it …

Having an army of killer bullets and fascinations at your disposal giving you a whole slew of fantastic headline ideas and possibilities at your fingertips.

Some of the absolute best of the best writers in the business will often begin their writing process with bullets and fascinations.

Keeping their target audience top of mind.

That way, when it’s time to write the headline, they’ve got dozens … if not HUNDREDS of possibilities for their pre-headline, headline, and subhead copy.

Wow! You’ve certainly learned a lot about assembling bullets and fascinations.  But we have only scratched the surface when it comes to all things bullets and fascinations.

That’s why I’d like to close out by pointing you in the direction of one fantastic article and two short videos on a man who was coined the ‘Master of Fascinations.’

In these resources, you will...

• Discover why he was Boardroom’s secret weapon behind the scenes for over 20 years: https://www.briankurtz.net/the-best-copywriter-you-never-heard-of/ next ...
• Swipe this evergreen control, and study it till you can recite each bullet and fascination in your sleep: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uItz-Bxi2jE, then …
• Target your ideal prospects right down to the bone with these zingers that pack a one-two punch: https://infomarketingblog.com/targeting-your-ideal-prospects/ 

Check them out – you’ll be glad you did!