Remember those fun hot summer days when you were a kid?
You would go to a friend’s back yard, set up a slippery slide and have fun for hours sliding up and down the slide.
Once you threw yourself into the slide you would just keep sliding down, unable to stop, until you reach the end.
Well, this is exactly the same type of unstoppable slide that you must create when you write.
Most people think that the number one priority of the copy they write is to make a sale, get a sign-up, or even get some SEO traffic. But that is all wrong!
No matter what you are writing, whether it is a sales letter, an email newsletter or a blog post. Your number one priority is to get your content read.
The copywriting legend Joseph Sugarman, in “The Adweek Copywriting Handbook
“Every element must be so compelling that you find yourself falling down a slippery slide, unable to stop until you reach the end.”
Sugarman continued to say that “The sole purpose of the first sentence is to get prospects to read the second sentence, and the sole purpose of the second sentence is to get them to read the third and then the fourth – all while you are building a selling environment for the sale of your product.”
This means that every element in anything you write must be so compelling that your reader finds themselves falling down a “slippery slide“, unable to stop until they’ve reached the end.
Every sentence you write must make your reader want to
read the next sentence you write.
Yes, the entire purpose of copywriting can be boiled down to this single statement.
You must pull the reader right through your page, your story, your features, and finally to your call to action.
This is a lot easier said than done, but don’t worry, you won’t be able to do it most of the time.
Even the best copywriters in the word struggle with this. It takes time, practice, and split testing to get it right.
But if you succeed at creating these fun and exciting “slippery slides“, you are sure to have some fun and profitable times!
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Article by Jesus Ramirez
Jesus Ramirez is the creator of Marketing Unfolded. Connect with Jesus on Google+ and Facebook.
Jesus has written 25 awesome articles.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I couldn’t agree more Jesus – you have nailed the primary purpose of any content marketing article.
I can’t remember ever using those slides when I was a kid – it was probably too cold in England!
I agree with both the commentators that this strategy is not well in U.K however it is going well in some states of America like California. Thanks Jesus for sharing your awesome resources.
The strategy sounds similar to “The Bucket Brigade” which I read several years ago. Very effective.
Hey Oswald,
I’m not familiar with “The Bucket Brigade,”
but if it’s anything like Joseph Sugarman’s stuff then in sure it’s great!