I refer to my dog Tika as my “learning experience” dog.
In her youth, she made Marley of Marley and Me fame look like a paragon of obedient canine virtue.
Tika had a troubled past and by the time I adopted her, she had pretty much every behavior problem in the dog training books. My husband couldn’t actually touch her for the first six months we owned her.
Want to test the health of your marriage? Get a bad dog.
Tika flamboyantly flunked two obedience classes and after consulting with vets and behaviorists, I embarked on a massive behavior modification campaign.
The good news is that it worked, and she has evolved into a wonderful dog.
The bad news is that you can’t let up on the basics. Tika is 14 years old and if we slack off even a little, her bad behavior returns.
Copywriting is the same way. You can’t slack off. If your last sales letter, or email campaign, or landing page fell flat, maybe you’ve forgotten some of the basics.
1. Get their attention
Tika flunked out of obedience classes because she couldn’t focus on anything for more than a nano-second.
After clinical testing, we learned she has doggie ADHD (called hyperkinesis in canines).
Getting the attention of a dog with a brain chemistry problem is challenging. Treats didn’t work, since Tika never actually looked at anything. Praise and happy voices sent her spaz-o-meter through the roof.
Most people reading your copy are at least as distracted as a dog with ADHD.
They need a reason to pay attention, since they’re bombarded with messages thousands of times a day. Why should they read yours?
You’ve read it before, but I’ll say it again: your headline needs to stop people in their tracks either by arousing curiosity or by saying something so mesmerizing that people feel...
