DAY 1: HEADSPACE

Today’s sales letter went well. It was a bit of a grind, as I didn’t get too much sleep last night (Halloween shenanigans).

It’s made me realize that, not only will I have to follow a structured process to make this work, I’ll have to stick to a strict schedule as well.

Product

I wrote about Headspace today. It’s a product I absolutely love, and one that I’ve been raving about for years.

It helped me come off of antidepressants, and it is legitimately one of the things that keeps me sane. It’s an integral part of my self-care, and I think everyone should do it.

Who is the Customer?

I found an article that mentioned Headspace’s user base is pretty much split down the middle in regard to gender. Beyond that, there’s a pretty even distribution age-wise from 18 - 65.

So, my audience was broad.

In general, I identified them as people whose anxiety and stress are so severe that they’re interfering with their ability to enjoy life, perform at work, and get a good night’s rest.

My belief is that, only once people get to this level of pain will they be willing to do something about it.

Customer Level of Awareness

I assumed (maybe wrongly — not sure) that the customer knew little about meditation, other than that it’s for Buddhists or hippies.

Essentially, they are problem-aware, but not solution-aware.

One of the things I did in the letter was try to bring meditation down to a level they could resonate with — one that was more logical than emotional or spiritual.

Big Idea + Rationale

The big idea is something I picked up from the Headspace website that they emphasize pretty heavily.

Neuroplasticity — the idea that you can literally reprogram your brain with experiences.

Someone who experiences a high level of anxiety on a regular basis is essentially reinforcing that mental pattern.

So, the idea of meditation is to provide a safe, relaxed environment to reprogram the brain to experience less anxiety.

Headspace essentially holds your hand and guides you through the reprogramming process (using meditation).

Big Promise + Rationale

The big promise is that, by using Headspace, they’ll get everything they need to reprogram their brain to experience less stress and anxiety.

Lessons Learned

Overall, I’d say today’s letter was “decent.”

There were a lot of places I could have been more specific — especially with the pain points. I could have drawn a much better picture of that stuff.

I also think I could have been more specific about how Headspace helps and how it’s the best solution.

Overall, I think the big idea behind the letter is solid.

And I really like that I was able to position meditation as the means of reprogramming the brain. I think that angle is likely to resonate with an audience who is unfamiliar with the practice and bring it to a level that’s a bit more scientific and easier to conceptualize than sitting cross-legged saying “ommmm” repeatedly.

DAY 2: CALM THOUGHTS

Today’s sales letter was interesting.

I did the bulk of the research last night, which will be my plan going forward. (About 2 hours or research in the PM and 1-2 hours of writing the next AM — ideally.)

But this was (as far as I can remember) the first sales letter I’ve written for a supplement. There were a few things I really enjoyed, and a few things (dealing with ethics) that I really did not.

Product

Source Naturals Calm Thoughts

I chose this product because it’s something I’ve used before and really enjoyed. I haven’t taken it in awhile, but I remember it being extremely effective in maintaining some level of mental clarity/performance after a night of little sleep (which, after doing some research, I think is probably due to the Tyrosine in it — isn’t learning fun!?).

Who is the Customer?

I determined the target customer by perusing Amazon reviews. It seemed that most reviewers were female, and somewhere along the line, I developed the belief that most were middle-aged.

There was no real science that went into that determination — honestly just an educated guess on my part.

Customer Level of Awareness & Sophistication

I’d say the target customer is solution-aware in that, they understand taking a pill (or having a drink) can reduce anxiety and stress in the short-term.

However, I’d also say, for the purposes of this sales letter, they were aware of the wrong solution.

Big Idea + Rationale

There are a couple things at play with this big idea.

The first being that GABA, a neurotransmitter, is responsible to the relaxed, laid-back feeling associated with Benzos or alcohol.

The second being that it’s possible to attain a similar feeling without prescription drugs or alcohol.

The target customer either uses or has used prescription drugs or alcohol to “take the edge off” (that phrase pulled from at least one, probably 2 or more Amazon reviews).

But — the customer also knows (somewhere deep down) that constantly using prescription drugs or alcohol to numb feelings is not healthy.

So, the goal of the sales letter was not to change the solution (take a pill — which, in my personal opinion is probably NOT the actual best solution — more on that in the Lessons Learned section), but to change the type of solution from prescription drugs or alcohol to a seemingly more (not actually or entirely) natural solution.

Big Promise + Rationale

The big promise is that, by taking Calm Thoughts, you could achieve the same or similar effects as taking Benzodiazepines like Xanax or Valium or drinking alcohol — in a more seemingly natural manner.

Lessons Learned

I really liked doing the research for this letter. I’m realizing lately how important research is to the writing process.

In the past, I would sit down and start putting words on the page as quickly as possible. But I now realize that doing the research makes the writing part much easier.

The opener of this letter pretty much wrote itself after doing the research last night.

Being a consumer of supplements myself, I would assume that I’d like writing about them.

Surprisingly, I was wrong.

In doing the research I found that certain ingredients in the supplement might react adversely with other medications or not even provide the effect promised by the supplement.

Beyond that, I realized that I have a problem with encouraging someone I do not personally know to take a supplement. I don’t know their health history, I don’t know how they’ll react. And it’s my actual nightmare to recommend a supplement to a stranger, they take it, and have an adverse reaction.

I don’t want that on my conscience.

Aaaand, I’m not comfortable recommending a pill to fix anxiety or stress.

While some people certainly could benefit from that, my own experience has shown that things like meditation, exercise, time with friends, and working with a therapist are much more effective and beneficial than taking a pill and moving on.

So, the main lesson learned today (and yesterday) is that copywriting is very powerful. With the right amount of research, logic, and copywriting skills, you can make a convincing argument for nearly anything.

Make sure you’re making the argument for something you believe in, something that will actually help people. Don’t leave your ethics at the altar in favor of making more cash.

After yesterday and today, I have much more respect for the power that copywriting holds, and want to make sure the work I do promotes products that actually help people and make their lives better.

DAY 3: THE DAILY STOIC

Today was a bit more of a grind than I was expecting, largely because I didn’t do enough research last night.

I’m finding that ideas come more easily when I do all my research one day, then write the next day.

Product

Today, I wrote about The Daily Stoic, a book I love and that has been a very helpful part of my morning routine.

Who is the Customer?

Essentially, the customer was me — someone who is looking for a lens through which to view life and its challenges, but is not necessarily aligned with a religion or faith.

Someone who likes to think of themselves as a “do-er.” Someone who’s working toward a better version of themselves, but doesn’t always have the framework through which to do it.

Customer Level of Awareness & Sophistication

This customer is problem-aware.

They know they’re stressed, busy, and afraid to face their problems, but they don’t exactly know what to do about it.

This sales letter would be entirely different if it had been for an audience who was aware of Stoicism.

Big Idea + Rationale

The big idea is that Stoicism is a thought framework you can use to live a happier, simpler, overall better life.

Big Promise + Rationale

The promise is that The Daily Stoic can give you the benefits of Stoicism in less than 10 minutes per day in an easily-digestible way.

Lessons Learned

I would have liked a little more time with this letter. I think I have a strong knowledge of the audience — as I’m a member of it — so I was able to tailor the copy to that, using language like “do-ers of the world,” and repeated calls to “take action.”

However, I think I could have drilled into the pain points a little better and done more to describe The Daily Stoic as the best solution to those pain points.

In general, I’m okay with the letter. But with more time, I think it could be much more effective.

DAY 4: CRAVE DOG FOOD

This is the perfect example of an ad that needed more time. There are a few bits that show some promise, but overall, I don’t think my Big Idea or Big Promise had enough time to develop.

More on that in the Lessons Learned section.

Product

Today, I wrote about CRAVE Dog Food — which is the food I feed to my dog, Wallace. (pic included)

Who is the Customer?

As far as I can tell, dog owners are spread pretty evenly across male/female and age demographics.

The one important thing I noted was that the customer needs to have disposable income. If you don’t know where your own next meal is coming from, you probably aren’t too worried about what your dog is eating.

Customer Level of Awareness

The customer in this scenario is unaware. The letter educates them about the problem (their dog’s diet should mimic a wolf’s diet).

However, if I could re-do it, “solution-aware” might be more appropriate, because I think a lot of people recognize the importance of grain-free diets for both humans and dogs.

Big Idea + Rationale

The big idea is that, since dogs are descendants of wolves, their diet should closely match that of wolves (i.e. mostly meat).

Big Promise + Rationale

The big promise is that CRAVE gives dogs a diet similar to their wolf ancestors in an affordable package.

Lessons Learned

I think there’s a tendency among new or new-ish copywriters to believe that clients pay for words or time.

i.e.

“If you hire me to write a sales page, you’re paying me for the amount of words I write or the amount of time it takes to complete the project.”

And, indeed, some clients to prefer to pay by-the-hour, or by-the-word.

But ultimately, in those pricing models, the idea is to get the work done as quickly as possible. Clients might get the words, but they don’t get the expertise.

See, I don’t think the real value of copywriting lies in a copywriter simply being able to provide copy.

If the M.O. is “Hey, can you write this? I need it ASAP.,” then you’re not going to get anything good.

The magic happens after the writer has had time to immerse himself (or herself) in the idea for long enough to let it percolate and fully develop.

Today’s sales letter was not great, because, while I think some of the ideas expressed in it were sound, I needed more time to fully develop them in order to make a strong argument.

So — if you’re a copywriter working with a client who doesn’t understand why copywriting takes so long, remind them of this.

They are not paying you just for words. If they were, you could charge them $100, throw some garbage onto a page, and deliver it before the day was over.

Instead, they are paying you for the right words, which only come after hours of research, thinking, writing, editing, researching more, thinking more, writing more, and editing more.

Putting words on a page is quick. Putting the right words on a page takes a long time.

DAY 5: TOOLS OF TITANS

Aside from the first day, when I wrote about Headspace, this may have been the easiest day of writing.

I attribute that to the fact that I am a part of the target audience, and — when writing — felt like I was speaking to either myself or a close friend.

The words flowed naturally because I fully understood the audience.

Product

Today, I wrote about Tools of Titans, a book by Tim Ferriss.

Who is the Customer?

Essentially, the customer is me or one of my friends. A young-ish professional working to improve his or her life in a variety of ways, but not always exactly sure how to go about it (due to a lack of life experience).

Customer Level of Awareness & Sophistication

The customer is solution-aware. They realize the problem — they’re not exactly where they want to be in life, and they know the solution — gain wisdom from others & put in the work.

Big Idea + Rationale

The big idea is that, if you want to achieve “success,” whatever that means for you, one of the best things you can do is get advice from someone who has already succeeded and adopt some of their practices to your own life.

Big Promise + Rationale

The big promise is that Tools of Titans essentially lets you sit down with extremely successful people and get their advice — in an easily-digestible format.

Lessons Learned

A few lessons from today:

1. I did not feel guilty at all writing this sales letter.

With a few of the other products I’ve written about, there has been some guilt associated with selling the product. Often, this comes from the belief that the product I was selling probably wasn’t actually the best solution for the problem it was supposed to solve.

However, with Tools of Titans, I did not feel that. To me, this is a legitimately helpful product that could truly make a difference in the life of a reader. Because of that, the letter not only flowed naturally, it flowed from a clear conscience.

2. Understanding your audience is HUGE.

The reason this letter was so easy was because I was essentially talking to myself when writing it. While we can’t be that close to every product or prospect, if you can metaphorically sit down and have an honest conversation with your customer — that’s the best place to sell from.

3. Information products might be my niche.

I’m a sucker for info products. Books, courses, you name it. If it’s information, I want access to it.

Because of that, this seems like a natural fit for me. Double bonus points for the fact that I can write this sales material with a clear conscience — because I KNOW the product(s) is worth purchasing.

DAY 6: YOU ARE CARDS

This one was a bit different.

Rather than a strict direct response sales page, I envision this one as more of a homepage — potentially a landing page.

That being the case, I approached it a bit differently. More on that in the Lessons Learned.

Product

My friend Taylor recently launched a product called “You Are cards.” Essentially, they’re little cards that say “You are appreciated.”

They’re a cool idea, and the people I’ve given them to have really appreciated the sentiment.

Plus, if he can use any of this copy, that would be cool too.

Who is the Customer?

Full disclosure, I really didn’t think too intentionally about who the customer is here. Not because I have no idea who they, but because I think I inherently know who they are.

These cards are $5 a piece (or 5 for $20). My experience with products like this tells me the audience who’d be most interested is millennials. People who recognize the world we live in is a bit shallow and who would be willing to spend some cash to make it a little less so.

Customer Level of Awareness & Sophistication

Problem-aware.

As I mentioned, the customer recognizes the world is a bit shallow, but they’re not exactly sure of the solution. This sales page drills into the problem, makes it tangible (and a bit painful), and then presents a potential solution.

Big Idea + Rationale

The big idea is that the way we show affection to others is two-dimensional. Genuinely expressing affection and appreciation is scary, but not doing so is even scarier.

Big Promise + Rationale

You Are Cards provide a way for people to express genuine appreciation to others in a simple, tangible way.

Lessons Learned

A hard-sell isn’t always necessary.

Most of the sales letters i’ve written to this point have been hard sells. But with this one, I didn’t go that route, because I don’t think the audience would be receptive to it, nor do I think a hard sell would be congruent with the product.

The audience has seen their share of hard sells and (unless a serious value is presented) has learned to distrust them.

Beyond that, in my opinion, a product that seeks to bring more love and appreciation into the world doesn’t necessarily need a hard sell. I think that, for this type of product, once you drill into the need and problem enough, the product sells itself to those receptive to the message.

DAY 7: DEUTER FUTURA 28

This letter really took on a mind of its own.

I started believing the audience was one demographic, but as I kept writing, it morphed into something else.

More on that in the following sections.

Product

I wrote about the Deuter Futura 28. I bought an old version of this backpack after reading about it from a book written by my favorite blogger at the time.

Who is the Customer?

Initially, I wasn’t writing to a specific gender. The customer group was both males and females, generally millennial-age, with some disposable income and a huge passion for the outdoors.

As I began writing, the idea of “breaking up with your old backpack” and trading up to a newer, better one really became the focus. And, as that happened, I took on a snarkier tone.

It wasn’t so much a conscious choice as it was a natural reaction to that angle.

Customer Level of Awareness

This customer is solution-aware. They may not be specifically aware of the Deuter Futura 28, so I hesitate to call them product-aware, but thankfully, they are aware that backpacks exist.

Big Idea + Rationale

The big idea behind this one is that, even though your old backpack has served you well, you can “break up” with it, and trade up to something newer that suits your current needs better.

Big Promise + Rationale

This is a little murky, and if I had more time, I’d nail this down a little better. In general, the promise is that the Futura 28 is better than the current reader’s backpack, because it’s designed to be more comfortable.

I emphasized this by highlighting the features.

Overall, not bad. But the big promise could definitely be clearer.

Lessons Learned

When I started this project, I thought it would make me a master at writing sales letters. I’ve learned a few things about that assumption:

1. The letters are starting to flow more naturally.

Words seem to be coming out a bit easier, and I’m hitting more of a rhythm where I can recognize that it’s time for the CTA at the end.

2. The biggest change hasn’t been in the quality of the letters, but in the way my mind works.

Witty phrases are starting to come more easily. Both in my writing and in my daily life, I’ve found myself a bit more able to throw out quick witticisms here and there, and while that’s definitely good for copywriting, more than anything, it’s just FUN.

In regard to this letter, specifically, I think it shows promise, and I like the angle. BUT, it definitely needs some more massaging. I think the snarky tone, while fun, walks a fine line.

My main fear would be that it talks at the reader rather than to the reader. If I had more time with this one, I’d work to walk that line a little better.

DAY 8: PITT LONDON

One of the main reasons I wanted to do this project was because it would be hard.

I knew that, while the idea of writing a sales letter every day sounded romantic, it would probably be pretty challenging.

I tried not to think about that though.

Writing today’s letter wasn’t hell, by any means, but (due to my schedule today) making myself finish it was harder than it’s been the past few days.

But that’s kind of the point.

Product

I wrote about a Kickstarter product called Pitt London. I’ve never used it, it just looked like a cool product with a lot information to pull from on the Kickstarter page.

So here we are.

Who is the Customer?

I didn’t define this as much as a probably should have. In general, the customer is a moderately active millennial who prefers buying natural products when possible and makes environmentally-friendly decisions when it’s easy.

Customer Level of Awareness & Sophistication

This customer is solution-aware. They know that natural deodorant exists, but if they’ve tried any — they know that the majority of natural deodorants simply don’t work the way you want them to.

Big Idea + Rationale

There are a couple big ideas in this one. I should have done a better job narrowing down.

In general, the big idea is that natural deodorants don’t work, and antiperspirants are unnatural.

Beyond that, there are a few tertiary ideas:

• Pitt London is good for the environment (or at least better than other deodorant packaging)

• Pitt London actually works, thanks to Arrowroot Powder as a main ingredient

• The gua sha applicator provides health benefits

If I were to re-do it, I’d narrow this down A LOT. I think the problem is that this product has a lot of cool features, each of which deserves to be talked about, but that can take the focus away from the big idea.

Big Promise + Rationale

The big promise is that using Pitt London is making a healthy, effective choice for the individual and the environment.

I’ll admit — this could be a lot better.

Lessons Learned

Cool products are both easy and hard to write for at the same time.

It’s easy, because you can write a lot of shit about a cool product. It’s hard, because if there’s so much cool shit — how do you decide which cool shit to focus on?

Beyond that, I learned that showing up and writing every day is what makes the magic happen. But this lesson isn’t from my writing today, it’s from Steven Pressfield’s War of Art, which I was listening to earlier.

If you haven’t read or listened to that book, holy shit — do it now. It will light a fire under you in the best way.

DAY 9: WALLET WIPES

I have to stop doing these at night. It’s killing me.

That said, this one was fun,  yet challenging. And it could still use a lot of work.

Product

I wrote about an imaginary product called Wallet Wipes. This is something my friend Jeremy and I have talked about. Basically, it’s a package of wet wipes that can fit in your wallet.

It’s not a completely new idea, but I think with the right marketing there could potentially be a market for it.

Writing this letter was fun because, not only was I using my creativity with the writing, I was also creating certain product features on-the-fly. So that was cool.

Who is the Customer?

The customer is an urban millennial, male or female, generally liberal, concerned with hygiene and prefers to buy all-natural and organic when possible.

Customer Level of Awareness & Sophistication

This customer is unaware. They are not aware that the way they’re currently wiping is “incorrect,” but they do have an unspoken desire for cleanliness.

I was able to reference Breakthrough Advertising for this (as it contains some extensive guidance on how to write for unaware customers) and “lead into an unacceptable problem by starting with a universally-accepted image” — or, at the very least, an eye-catching image.

This customer is probably at the second stage of sophistication. They’ve seen products like this before, but never legitimately considered them.

That said, looking back, I’m not sure the sales letter adequately addressed that level of sophistication. Ideally, it would have contained some sort of claim that makes it better than the other wipes the customer may have seen.

Big Idea + Rationale

The big idea is that people are walking around with dirty butts and they don’t know it.

Big Promise + Rationale

The big promise is that Wallet Wipes can give the customer the cleanliness they want in a natural, convenient way.

Lessons Learned

This was a fun one. The idea that my profession has taught me to write about poop and butts is something that my 7-year-old self would absolutely love. And quite frankly, 26-year-old me loves it too.

But I don’t think this letter is perfect, by any means. This is certainly a sensitive topic, and there’s a very thin line between being playfully humorous and being crass.

I’d love to have had more time to determine where exactly this letter lies in regard to that line. I think TUSHY, who I drew a lot of inspiration and information from, does this pretty well with their target market.

I think one of the main takeaways from this is that, just because a topic is humorous doesn’t mean it will be easy to write about. I honestly thought I would just be able to throw this together, but it was a lot harder than I expected.

Beyond that, I think I do my best work when I write in the morning. There’s something about researching right before bed and then sleeping on it that gives my brain time to organize all that info.

DAY 10: STRAVA

Some days, you write something good.

Others, you write a turd.

Today, I wrote a turd.

Product

I wrote about Strava. I use it to track my runs, and I like it pretty well.

Who is the Customer?

Middle-aged, middle-class male who participates in endurance sports

Customer Level of Awareness

Solution-Aware. This customer understands that fitness trackers are beneficial to helping him achieve better training results.

Big Idea + Rationale

The big idea is that, if you truly want to improve at something, you have to measure your results.

Big Promise + Rationale

The big promise is that Strava can help you track your fitness results, enabling you to practice more purposefully and eventually reach your goals.

Lessons Learned

Well, it’s 2:06AM.

So — I guess one of my lessons is that I gotta start doing these much earlier.

I got behind on my research the other day, and I’m still paying the price.

Ideally, I’d do research for the next day’s letter the night before, then write the letter the next morning.

The past three days, I’ve done the research in the morning, and written the letter at night.

I’ve known for a while that my best copy generally comes in the morning. So I’ve got to try to shift my schedule to accommodate that.

This letter was a turd because I didn’t have the brainpower or the time (I’m tired AF) to think more critically about the words I put on the page.

This one was very much a “throw some words up there and roll with it” type thing.

That said, one of my main reasons for doing this challenge was to prove to myself that I had the grit to work hard at something — even when it wasn’t easy.

I can’t exactly say I worked hard tonight, but I can say that I worked — and it sure as hell would have been much easier to go to bed early instead of staying up and knocking this out.

So yeah, the sales letter wasn’t that great. But I did it. And today, that’s what’s important.

DAY 11: CLEAN CLOSET CAPSULE WARDROBE

This one went really well. Probably because I am my own target customer — and because it’s a company I legitimately want to start. (It doesn’t exist, yet.)

Product

I wrote about a product I intend to create called Clean Closet Capsule Wardrobes.

Essentially, they’re lightly-customized capsule wardrobe recommendations for men, based on a quiz.

(Similar to what Hawthorne does with cologne.)

Who is the Customer?

The customer is a young to middle-aged male. He likely works at a white-collar or creative job. And, while he wants to look good, he simply doesn’t have the interest in learning about fashion or shopping regularly.

Instead, he would prefer a done-for-you wardrobe that tells him what looks good and where to buy it.

Beyond that, he realizes the importance of conserving mental energy and is open to trying new things (like a minimalist/capsule wardrobe).

Customer Level of Awareness & Sophistication

This customer is problem-aware.

He realizes that he doesn’t exactly love all his clothes and that he doesn’t exactly love shopping either. But, he doesn’t realize that there is a solution for these problems.

That being the case, he’s also in the first stage of sophistication, since he’s never seen a product like Clean Closet before.

Big Idea + Rationale

There are two big ideas in this sales letter. If I could re-do it, I would pick one.

One of the two big ideas is that shopping is not fun. The customer knows this and will resonate with it.

The second big idea is that decision fatigue leads to bad decision making. In the letter, this isn’t fully developed, and the tie-in with the product is a bit loose. This could definitely use more work.

Big Promise + Rationale

The big promise is that Clean Closet Capsule Wardrobes will give the customer a brand-new, clean, masculine look without shopping and eliminate the decision fatigue that comes with choosing what to wear every day.

Lessons Learned

I’m starting to think of these sales letters the way an artist would think of her sketches.

They’re not fully developed, and they’re certainly not masterpieces, but they hold the bones and ideas of greater things — if you give yourself the time to fully flesh them out.

That’s the beautiful (and tragic) thing about this project. Creating a new sales letter every day forces me to continually come up with big ideas and tie them back to a product — which is an incredibly beneficial (and fun) exercise.

However, it doesn’t give me enough time to fully flesh out those ideas into the best possible sales argument. Rather than polished letters, I end up with sketches.

And sketches are great — but they need some finessing if they’re going to become masterpieces.

All that to say, I’m realizing the HUGE importance of editing and allowing yourself to stew on an idea for a while before calling it “done.”

DAY 12: THE WAR OF ART

Today felt good.

Product

I wrote about a book titled The War of Art.

If you haven’t heard of it, it’s by Steven Pressfield and it discusses how creatives battle Resistance with a capital R, and how you can win that battle.

It’s especially interesting, because Steven’s story is one of true perseverance, as you’ll see in the sales letter.

Who is the Customer?

The reader/customer is an artist or creative who recognizes that he/she isn’t living up to his/her full potential.

They don’t know what the solution to that problem is, but they’re looking for it — whether that search is conscious or unconscious.

They’re uninspired, unmotivated, unsure of themselves. They’re making excuses for why they’re not working harder or haven’t succeeded yet — and they know they’re making excuses. Maybe not consciously, but deep down they know that. That’s why the book resonates with them, because it hits this deep chord they know is true.

Customer Level of Awareness & Sophistication

This customer is problem-aware.

They know that they’re not achieving their full potential, whether consciously or unconsciously. For those who are at the unconscious level, the Pre-Headline of the sales letter calls out that struggle to get them at the level of awareness necessary for the letter to be effective.

Big Idea + Rationale

The big idea is that the reader is creatively blocked and facing an invisible foe that’s continuously sabotaging them.

Big Promise + Rationale

The promise is that, since Steven Pressfield has been fighting this battle for years, he knows how to win. The book is essentially a “battle plan” for conquering creative block and defeating the invisible foe (Resistance).

Lessons Learned

Headlines are ridiculously important throughout a letter.

I’ve always recognized the importance of the main headline, but in today’s letter, I used some templates from Copyhackers, as I’ve been doing for the past few days, to beef up the headlines throughout, and they made a huge difference.

I’ve read before that the main purpose of headlines is to break up copy, and I think that’s true. But headlines shouldn’t just do that. Each headline should instill a serious desire to continue reading.

If you’ve been studying copywriting for a while, you’re probably thinking: “Duh. Every sentence should instill a desire to read the next one.”

Yeah, I know. But for whatever reason, I didn’t apply that to headlines until today. So, this might be something you’ve been aware of for a long time, but PSA:

All your headlines are important AF, not just the one that starts your letter.

DAY 13: BUSINESS OF COPY

Damn, this one was intimidating.

Product

Today, I wrote about Business of Copy — a copywriting course/membership site that focuses extensively on teaching copywriters how to run their business as opposed to teaching them how to write.

It’s literally a course I had been wishing for before I found it. I remember thinking, “I wish I could just know exactly how successful freelance copywriters run their businesses.”

But when I came across BoC a few weeks later, enrollment was closed. So I reached out to Abbey Woodcock (who created the course with her partner KC), and she graciously opened the doors for me.

Who is the Customer?

The customer is someone like me, honestly.

A copywriter who is getting by, but knows they’re not doing everything as effectively as they could be.

They’re fairly confident in their copywriting skills, but they’re hesitant to go after their dream clients.

Customer Level of Awareness & Sophistication

The customer is Problem-Aware.

They know there’s a problem with the way they’re running their business, but they don’t know there’s a course out there that has the answers they want.

That being the case, this is the first course of this nature they’ve seen. And to my knowledge — it’s the only course like this. So — they’re in the first stage of sophistication.

Big Idea + Rationale

The big idea is that the best clients, i.e. the customer’s dream clients, want to work with people who present themselves as professionals. They want to work with business owners, not freelancers.

Big Promise + Rationale

The big promise is that Business of Copy provides everything you need to go from “freelancer” to “business owner,” including systems, tactics, and templates, so you can start going after your dream clients and earning more money.

Lessons Learned

Writing for other copywriters is intimidating.

This letter was fun as hell to write (and most of them are), but it was also scary. Knowing (or hoping) that Abbey would see this put me on my A Game.

At times, it felt hard to get words on the page, but loosely following Clayton Makepeace’s sales letter template helped a TON.

So, if you’re a copywriter who needs some direction, TEMPLATES ARE YOUR FRIEND.

Beyond that, I’m realizing that these sales letters are just sketches. I might have mentioned this yesterday, but they’re not finished products by any means.

That said, it’s still cool to develop a “sketch” for a new product every day and test my mind to come up with new sales angles.

Finally — if you’re having trouble working or putting words on the page — just sit down and decide to do the work. Grab some tea or coffee, put in the headphones, and commit to putting shitty words on the page.

You can turn them into good ones later.

DAY 14: LEADPAGES

Have you ever watched a horse race?

You can almost always bet that the horse who comes out of the gate first will finish somewhere near the end. It gasses out too quickly.

That’s how I felt about this sales letter.

Product

Today, I wrote about Leadpages, a popular landing page builder.

Who is the Customer?

The customer is a busy entrepreneur. Anywhere between 30 and 60.

He/she understands marketing funnels at a high level and knows that the company needs to build an email list, but the knowledge stops somewhere around there.

Customer Level of Awareness & Sophistication

This customer is Solution Aware, maybe even Product Aware.

Regardless, they’ve seen other landing page builders before. So you’ll notice that the letter doesn’t hardly sell the concept of an email list or WHY landing pages are important, because it’s assumed the reader knows that already.

Instead, it works to position Leadpages as the best builder for their particular situation.

Big Idea + Rationale

The big idea is that a busy entrepreneur has limited time. They don’t need “perfection,” they just need “done.”

Big Promise + Rationale

The big promise is this:

Because Leadpages comes with a substantial amount of templates and the builder is so simple to use, it’s got an incredibly quick learning curve and requires little effort to get up-and-running (i.e. generating leads).

Lessons Learned

One of the difficulties of doing a sales letter per day is that I can’t get incredibly deep into a product, which means that writing to a Product Aware or Solution Aware market is challenging.

You’ve got to develop an intimate knowledge of a product in order to describe it in a way that’s both simple and enticing.

Oddly enough, I have little interest in writing for SaaS products at this point. Maybe it’s because it was so hard to put words on the page, but I think I enjoy writing for products where I can use a bit more of a narrative structure, instead of hyping of features and benefits.

That said, I realize that I need to get a lot better at writing features and benefits regardless, because I often find myself reverting to the same bullet structure or using the same phrases repeatedly — not cool.

DAY 15: THE POWER POTATO BY MEDITATER

I feel like I start a lot of these with “it was fun,” or some variation of that.

But my hope is that today wasn’t just fun for me to write, but will be fun for you to read as well.

Today was my 15th day writing these, and I figured I’d give myself a little break by writing something that would require very little research and that would let me be as ridiculous as possible.

Product

I wrote about a product called Power Potato by Meditater.

This is an idea my friends and I came up with and shot a (yet to be released) Kickstarter video for.

We’re planning to eventually launch that Kickstarter, but probably won’t use this whole sales letter — it’s a little too ridiculous. I’d imagine parts of it make the cut, though.

Who is the Customer?

The customer is a millennial with disposable income.

Interested in health, self-actualization, and memes.

Likely suffers from anxiety, but isn’t crippled by it and doesn’t take himself/herself too seriously.

Customer Level of Awareness

This one would work best for a problem-aware customer, but preferably not one desperate for a solution, as they would just get pissed off when I say “oh yeah, it’s a potato, btw.”

Big Idea + Rationale

The big idea is that there is a “miracle plant” that the reader is familiar with, but hasn’t been able to “harness its power” yet.

Big Promise + Rationale

The Power Potato allows them to “harness the power of the potato” and send one to their friends to help them through tough times.

Lessons Learned

Now that I’m writing this, I think the biggest issue is that the big idea and the big promise aren’t tied together well enough.

The big idea is engaging and inspires a lot of curiosity, but I didn’t do a great job of tying the product to that idea — or at least describing why someone would send a Power Potato to a friend instead of just writing on a potato and keeping it for his/herself.

Beyond that, I loved using an opener that teases the product and hints at a lot of details, but doesn’t figuratively spill the beans until pretty far down the page.

If you’re wanting to write an opener like that, I think the key is to be intimately familiar with the product. Know its story and know its features and benefits, so you can sprinkle them throughout a narrative without saying exactly what you’re talking about until it’s absolutely necessary.

DAY 16: SCRIVENER

I’m learning that how smoothly each letter goes depends on how much research I do the night before.

No research = A lot of pain the next day

A lot of research = Very little pain the next day

Product

Today, I wrote about a writing tool called Scrivener. I’d worked on a blog post about Scrivener for a client before, so I was pretty familiar with it before starting the research last night, but it was fun to dig into customer reviews and learn more about the selling propositions of Scrivener instead of just its functionality.

Who is the Customer?

The customer is an aspiring author; in this case, a novelist. The customer isn’t a novice writer. They know their creative process works, and they’ve been writing long enough to know that they don’t exactly love conventional word processors.

When I was looking through Amazon reviews of Scrivener, I looked at the other reviews a few people had written (besides their Scrivener reviews), which was very helpful.

When writing about a product, I think there’s a tendency to overplay its importance in someone’s life and present whatever problem it solves as the only problem they’re experiencing, which isn’t always the case.

It was good to realize that these people were indeed 3-dimensional. They don’t just care about writing. They have other hobbies and passions, too.

Customer Level of Awareness & Sophistication

This customer is either unaware or problem-aware. I think the letter could potentially work in both cases.

For the unaware customer, it brings attention to the problem solved by Scrivener.

For the problem-aware customer, it validates that there is actually a problem and presents the solution.

Big Idea + Rationale

The big idea is that the creative process is messy and that conventional word processors aren’t designed to accommodate the messiness of creativity.

Big Promise + Rationale

The big promise is that Scrivener was created specifically to take the jumble of ideas in the customer’s brain and help organize them in a way that will actually lead to progress on their writing project.

Lessons Learned

Toward the end, most sales letter templates call for a description of “the consequences of not taking action” or something similar.

Today, I realized that I have a tough time doing that tactfully. It’s a tough thing to do without coming off as “preachy.”

I haven’t identified a perfect answer yet, but when I do, I’ll let you know.

On that note, presenting the consequences on inaction seems like an odd thing to do for a software product sales page. In general, they focus heavily on features, so getting into an emotional narrative feels a bit unnatural.

I’m sure there’s a way to do it tactfully, but again, I haven’t found that answer yet.

Additionally, I think there’s something I need to be asking myself more when I write these:

Am I convinced? Would I buy this?

Because Scrivener is a product that would absolutely be beneficial for me. I almost downloaded it last night after reading customer reviews. But I’m not sure the letter I wrote today would take me from “I’m interested” to “Sign me up!”

DAY 17: THE COPYWRITER UNDERGROUND

I spent longer on today’s letter than I have on most. But that’s because it was another one for a copywriting course I’m part of. That means it was equal parts terrifying and fun to write.

Product

I wrote about The Copywriter Underground. A copywriting course I purchased a few months ago that’s been a huge motivator for me to start taking my career more seriously.

Who is the Customer?

The customer is a copywriter who’s been writing for awhile but knows he/she is capable of more.

They’re “getting by” but they know they could do more, they’re just not sure which direction to take.

Customer Level of Awareness

The customer is solution-aware. They likely know that there are copywriting courses that can help them achieve their goals, but they’re probably unaware of The Copywriter Underground.

That said, I probably didn’t do a great job of appealing to that level of awareness. I think the letter as it reads currently is best suited for a problem-aware reader.

Big Idea + Rationale

The big idea is that succeeding as a copywriter depends on doing the right work — even when you’re afraid. But — it’s hard to know what the right work is if you’re not a successful copywriter.

Big Promise + Rationale

The big promise is that The Copywriter Underground gives copywriters the resources and support they need to work on the right things and join “The Six Figure Club.”

Lessons Learned

I’m learning that writing for more aware audiences is tough. I really like elaborating on the problem in a sales letter, but for more aware audiences, that’s not as necessary, and it’s been a challenge for me to shorten those sections.

I really like writing more personality-driven copy. All the paragraph asides in this one were a blast to write.

Beyond that — bullets are hard. Making features sound fun and elaborating on benefits requires deep thought, and it’s not as simple as throwing some words on the page.

That’s something I need to work on.

DAY 18: THERAPY

So — uhhhh, yeah. I wrote a sales letter about therapy.

Product

Not like a cool new app called Thera.py or anything like that. Nope — just actual talk therapy.

Why?

Well, to be honest, I procrastinated pretty hard today. So I knew that, unless I wanted to be up late, I’d have to write about something that I’m familiar with and that I understand the demographic of.

And that’s how you end up with a sales letter about talk therapy for millennials.

Who is the Customer?

The customer/reader is a career-focused millennial who’s affected by anxiety or depression or who just genuinely feels like he/she is running from problems as opposed to actually facing them.

Customer Level of Awareness

I’d say this customer is Solution-Aware. But I don’t think the reader would immediately resonate with a message of “therapy is important, you should do it.” So, the letter drills down into the pain points of being a millennial who experiences anxiety, depression, and a racing mind before presenting the solution.

The idea is that, by presenting the pain in a tangible way that the reader can resonate with, when the solution is presented, he/she will be more receptive to it instead of discounting it immediately.

Big Idea + Rationale

The big idea is that, while millennials often consciously or unconsciously adopt the philosophy of “I’m not going to think about it right now” to solve problems — that doesn’t always work.

Big Promise + Rationale

The promise is that, in therapy, you’ll get a safe space and an experienced professional, to help you deal with the problems you’re facing, so that you can stop running from them and start fixing them.

Lessons Learned

Time, time, time.

I might have mentioned this before, but up until the last few months, it’s been my belief that, if someone is paying me to write, I should be writing.

At face value, that makes sense. But here’s the deal:

The writing is infinitely better when I’ve had more time to do research and immerse myself in the idea.

Since today’s letter was thrown together, it’s half-decent, at best.

Aside from The Power Potato (Day 15), the best letters I’ve written have been the ones I’ve spent the most time on.

I’d be willing to bet there’s a direct correlation between the quality of a letter and the amount of time I spent on it.

That said, when doing client work, I no longer feel that my #1 priority should be writing. Research comes first.

After that, the writing will handle itself.

DAY 19: FOUR ROSES YELLOW LABEL

Today was interesting. I did a substantial amount of research, yet it was the shortest letter I’ve written. And I really didn’t even think of it as a sales letter...

Product

I wrote about Four Roses Yellow Label bourbon. It’s the entry-level bourbon from Four Roses and is created by blending 10 different bourbons together.

Who is the Customer?

The customer is a middle-aged man.

In my research, I ended up on a bourbon review site and noticed that all the people who were commenting were guys with names like Frank, Dan, James, Scott, Tony, and Jeff.

That gave me a pretty good idea of the demographic these guys come from.

I did make the assumption that they would want to be perceived as hardworking, mellow, consistent, and strong — which tied heavily into the ad.

If I was working on this as a legitimate project, I would have done A LOT more customer research. More on that in the Lessons Learned.

But, because I identified these as character traits that were important to the reader, I created an avatar named “Frank” (yeah, unfortunately, he’s not real) who embodies these characteristics — and also drinks Four Roses as a “reward” at the end of every workday.

Customer Level of Awareness & Sophistication

This customer is either Product-Aware or in the Most Aware stage.

He knows bourbon exists. He’s probably tried multiple brands. He may even have a brand he loves. That being the case, he’s in the later stages of sophistication as well.

Big Idea + Rationale

The big idea is that Four Roses Yellow Label is the hardest working bourbon there is, because it’s created from 2 different mashes, 5 different yeasts, and 10 different bourbons.

Big Promise + Rationale

The big (implied) promise is that, if you drink Four Roses Yellow Label, you get to perceive yourself as someone who is hardworking, mellow, strong, and consistent.

Lessons Learned

Writing for products that don’t explicitly solve a problem is tough. But, I realized that, even if the problem isn’t explicit, there’s still an implicit problem that a product can solve for someone.

In this case, I identified that implicit problem as a desire to be perceived with classic masculine characteristics like being hardworking, strong, consistent, and mellow. Now that I type it out, I’m not sure that last one fits the bill, but it’s something that Four Roses consistently emphasizes in their branding, so I wanted to work it in there.

Regardless, drinking Four Roses gives the customer the opportunity to identify himself (at least internally) as someone who embodies those characteristics. i.e. It allows him to become who he wants to be.

I envisioned this as a TV commercial or even a classic Mad-Men-era print ad, which was fun, but very challenging, because I couldn’t use the direct response formulas I’m very used to.

I realized that, while selling any product is essentially selling a better version of the customer to him/herself, selling a product like this leans heavily on the idea and backstory of a brand, rather than the problems it solves or its features.

So, overall, one of the more interesting things I’ve written during this project. It was a unique challenge.

DAY 20: PREFLIGHT DIGITAL

Today’s letter was surprisingly easy to write.

I credit 2 things:

• I’ve written about the in-person version of this course before. So I was pretty familiar with the messaging, target demographic, and unique selling proposition of the product. (Full disclosure: There are a few recycled phrases/ideas from previous copy in this letter, but most of it is brand-new.)

• Four Roses bourbon

Product

I wrote about PreFlight Digital. A potential online course from the Nashville Entrepreneur Center. (Not guaranteed the course will go live, though, so don’t shoot the messenger.)

Who is the Customer?

The customer is a middle-aged professional who’s been kicking around the idea of starting a business for years, but hasn’t made any moves to make it a reality.

They know they want to eventually start a business, but continually put it off. This being the case, I think the letter needs a bit more urgency to drive this person to action.

Customer Level of Awareness

This is a tough one. I think this letter would work for a customer from Unaware through Solution-Aware.

I don’t think it provides enough detail to satisfy a Product-Aware customer, but up to that point, I think it does a good job of naming the problem and presenting the product as the solution.

Big Idea + Rationale

The big idea is that successful businesses are built on ideas that are validated.

Big Promise + Rationale

The big promise is that PreFlight Digital can give the reader a proven process to validate their business idea and build their business.

Lessons Learned

This is one I’m continually learning:

Customer research is important AF. I think this letter is good, but with more time spent learning about the customer, it could be a lot stronger.

Beyond that, it’s super-important to know what the reader needs to believe in order to buy.

One of the things I highlighted before starting writing this letter was that “it has to cut through their bullshit of ‘one day,’ and make them believe that ‘now’ is the time.”

One of the characteristics of the reader I identified was that they believed they would start their business “one day.” After this or after that.

I think this letter could have done a much better job of highlighting the urgency/importance of the decision.

DAY 21: THE COMPLETE KETOGENIC DIET FOR BEGINNERS

I got to nerd-out with this one, and that was a blast.

I’m super intrigued by the ketogenic diet. I’ve done it myself multiple times (and I’m half-assing it right now), but I’ll freely admit it’s hard to stick with — even though I’ve seen great results from it.

That said, if I were to create a legitimate ad for a keto-related product, I’d want to be careful with the wording I used around adherence to the diet.

Product

I wrote about a book called The Complete Ketogenic Diet for Beginners.

Truthfully, I wrote about this book because I wanted to write a letter about a keto product. And I wanted to be able to educate the reader about ketosis, instead of writing to a reader who already knew about it.

Who is the Customer?

The customer is middle-aged and overweight.

They’ve tried diets before, but results come slowly, and the diets are hard to stick to.

This person has seen all the promises before, and, while they haven’t completely given up on the idea of losing weight, they’re not incredibly hopeful, either.

Customer Level of Awareness & Sophistication

This customer is problem-aware.

They know they are overweight, but to them, it feels a bit like an unsolvable problem — as they’ve tried other diets before, but been unable to stick with them.

This customer is definitely in the later stages of sophistication, as they’ve seen all the weight-loss promises and the mechanisms by which weight loss is achieved.

If I had more time with this letter, I’d work to make sure the headline appeals to that level of sophistication.

Big Idea + Rationale

The big idea is that other diets are ineffective. They work slowly, and because of that, it’s hard to stay motivated.

Big Promise + Rationale

The promise is that the keto diet gives drastic results quickly (within the first 14 days), but there’s a “catch” (keto flu) and starting keto is hard, so it’s important to get all the help/guidance you can.

The Complete Ketogenic Diet for Beginners essentially provides a blueprint to starting keto the “right” way and increasing the odds of adherence in the first 14 days.

Lessons Learned

Writing about health products is hard — at least in this challenge.

The medical practice is indeed that, a practice. It’s continuously evolving, and while I, personally, may believe in the power of the ketogenic diet, it’s hard to state that confidently in a sales letter until there is a massive amount of data to back it up — at least in regard to the effect keto can potentially have on cancerous cells, diabetes, etc.

But, I really enjoyed writing this letter, because I’m passionate about the topic and find it incredibly interesting.

I also think I need to do a better job of addressing objections. The sales letter template I’ve been using doesn’t specifically call out an FAQ section, so, while I think I’ve done a good job of walking the reader through my arguments, I could do a better job at addressing their objections.

DAY 22: HINGE

The actual writing today wasn’t too challenging, but it has been rough making the time to be at my computer while I’m at my family’s house for Thanksgiving.

Product

I wrote about Hinge — a dating app that’s made a point of being vastly different from both Tinder and Bumble.

Who is the Customer?

The customer is a millennial who likely lives in an urban area. While I have no data to back this up, I’d guess there’s a 50/50 split between male and female users. If this were a project I was being paid for, I’d do more research on that front.

Customer Level of Awareness

This customer is solution-aware.

They may be product-aware, but even in that case, I think the letter does a good job of explaining why Hinge works the way it does. Even if they’ve used the app, they may be unfamiliar with the logic behind its UX.

Big Idea + Rationale

Other popular dating apps in the market aren’t geared to get you dates — they’re geared to keep you using the apps.

Hinge, on the other hand, has been created to match you with someone you’d like so that you can stop using the app and get out in the real world.

Big Promise + Rationale

The promise is that, by using Hinge, you’re taking advantage of a more authentic and genuine dating experience

Lessons Learned

Writing for a product you genuinely believe in and have researched is nearly effortless.

If you’re convicted about what you’re writing, the words flow from your brain to the page seamlessly.

I think there’s something to learn in there about the projects we choose to work on.

Not only does writing for products we believe in feel better mentally and emotionally, it actually makes the work itself easier too.

DAY 23: FELIX GREY

I thought doing these sales letters during the holidays would be easy, since I haven’t been doing much client work.

But they’ve actually been some of the hardest days.

I’m at my parents’ house, and for most of the time I’m working on these, I feel guilty for not spending time with my family.

I’m definitely learning that, while work is important, it doesn’t (and shouldn’t) take precedence over time with family.

Product

I wrote about Felix Gray — a company that makes computer glasses that actually look good.

Who is the Customer?

The customer is a millennial living in an urban area who spends most of his/her day on the computer or staring at a smartphone.

Customer Level of Awareness

This customer is unaware. They’ve got a sense that staring at a screen all day is probably not good for their health, but they can’t pinpoint exactly why that is. So, the letter puts a name to that fear and provides the solution to it.

Big Idea + Rationale

The big idea behind this is that our bodies were not designed to stare at screens as much as we do, due to the blue light they emit.

This is something Felix Gray does a great job of highlighting on their site, so credit for it goes to them — not me, unfortunately.

Big Promise + Rationale

The promise is that Felix Gray glasses block 50% of blue light and actually look stylish  — unlike most computer glasses. Again, credit to FG for this one.

Lessons Learned

Research isn’t something that can be improvised. You can’t do most of it day-of and expect for it to enter your subconscious for effective use. If you want to research effectively and be able to use that information, do your research long before you start writing.

DAY 24: FLYBY

The good news is that I’ve gotten pretty decent at churning out “okay” sales pages with little research.

The bad news is that writing “okay” sales pages aren’t fun to write. They feel like a cop-out.

Product

I wrote about a product called Flyby. It’s basically a hangover prevention supplement.

Who is the Customer?

The customer is largely the same customer I’ve been writing to the past few days. A millennial in an urban area who’s career-focused, busy, and enjoys drinking socially.

Customer Level of Awareness

This customer is problem-aware. He or she is well aware that hangovers are a problem, but didn’t realize there’s a supplement that could prevent them.

Big Idea + Rationale

The big idea is that the reader doesn’t have time for a hangover. If you’re nursing a hangover, it means you’re missing out on life.

This was something I picked up on from the Amazon reviews of the product, as a lot of people were using it to make it easier to consistently drink on vacations.

If I had more time on the letter, it would definitely play into the FOMO aspect a lot more. I think that, beyond the fact that hangovers are legitimately painful, the “you don’t have time for a hangover” angle is pretty strong.

Big Promise + Rationale

The promise is that, by taking Flyby, you can beat hangovers forever.

I’ll admit, the promise in this one could be a lot bigger. Right now, it’s more of a statement of the feature of the product (beating hangovers), rather than the benefit (more time to have fun, etc.).

Lessons Learned

Sometimes a simple headline is best.

I felt weird about a 3-word headline, until I realized that, for the audience I’m speaking to, it provides all the information necessary and gets them to read the next line — which is exactly the point of a headline.

DAY 25: THE ENDURANCE DIET

Today went pretty well. I got to write about a topic I’m very interested in, so the research was super fun.

Product

I wrote about a book titled The Endurance Diet: Discover the 5 Core Habits of the World’s Greatest Athletes to Look, Feel, and Perform Better

Who is the Customer?

The customer is someone in between the ages of 25 - 65. He or she is a runner that has tried restrictive diets before (Paleo, keto, veganism, etc.) and found them so challenging they’ve given up.

Customer Level of Awareness

The customer is problem-aware.

They know there’s a problem with their eating, and they want to eat healthily, but with so much conflicting information he/she isn’t even sure what “healthy” means anymore.

Big Idea

The big idea is that there are common threads that tie together the diets of the best endurance athletes in the world. These threads make up the foundation of The Endurance Diet.

Big Promise

The big promise is that the book will tell the reader everything they need to know about The Endurance Diet, so they can start applying it to their lives.

Lessons Learned

Problems are easy. Solutions are hard.

While it can be difficult to nail down the pain points of an audience, once you do so, it’s easy to write about them.

However, writing about the solution(s) to those pain points is much harder. As it requires not just a deep understanding of the pain points, but also a deep understanding of the product.

Today’s letter started fairly strong (the Systems & Secrets lead was good for that), but my knowledge of the product was limited, so it ends with a bit of a thud.

That said, I think the letter has a lot of potential, and with more time, could be great.

DAY 26: ELEVATE BRAIN TRAINING

...I gotta start finishing these earlier in the day.

Product

I figured it was time to write about another app. So I wrote about Elevate Brain Training — a “personal brain trainer” designed to “improve the way you speak, read, write, listen, and more.”

Who is the Customer?

This was a bit challenging. I’d love to do more customer research to figure out exactly who’s interested in this type of app. But I made a lot of guesses for this one — which is inevitable when you’re trying to hurry up and write a sales letter instead of spending all day on customer research.

My theory is that this customer is someone who works a white-collar job, but finds themselves bored or unchallenged. They’re concerned with their health, but since they’re probably comfortable at their job and their life in general, they don’t realize they’re neglecting their mental prowess.

Customer Level of Awareness & Sophistication

This customer is unaware. And, since there aren’t too many of these types of apps on the market, the customer is at one of the earlier stages of sophistication. So, for some members of the audience, it’s sufficient to just say something along the lines of “it’s like a gym membership for your brain.” If I could do it over again, I’d focus more on the how to that statement in order to address slightly more sophisticated audience members.

Big Idea + Rationale

There are really two big ideas at play here. I’d probably narrow down to one if I wrote it again.

The first is that the reader may be neglecting an important aspect of their health that could cause huge problems down the road — their brain.

The second is that the human brain was designed to solve problems. If it doesn’t have problems, it will create them seemingly out of nowhere.

Big Promise + Rationale

The big promise is that Elevate gives the reader a clear, controlled, easy way to exercise their brain and let it do what it was designed to do — solve problems, which provides the added benefit of no longer neglecting that #1 most important aspect of their health.

Lessons Learned

One thing I really liked about this letter (that I actually did unintentionally) was to separate the reader from his/her brain.

Sounds weird, but bear with me for a minute.

By positioning the readers and their brains as two separate entities, I was able to take the blame off of the reader for the way their brain behaves. i.e. “Your brain is crazy sometimes, but it’s not your fault.”

Then, I could position the solution — Elevate — as the correct next step forward on their path.

I’d be interested to see a split test between two versions of this letter: one that plays on the readers guilt and does not separate the reader and his/her brain, and the version that I wrote today.

I think it would be interesting to see how leaning into that guilt in the copy affects conversions.

That said, I’m happy with the way the letter turned out.

DAY 27: TREKS TITANIUM HEADPHONES

These past few days have been a grind. I feel like I’m crawling my way to the finish line.

Product

I wrote about Treks Titanium — a pair of bone conduction headphones especially useful for those who run, hike, or cycle.

Who is the Customer?

Since I’m using Bob Serling’s Power Copywriting Formula (as much as I can for a sales letter written in a day), I’m developing a customer profile here. Based on some research (and guesses), here’s what I’ve got:

Anthony

42

Lives in Portland, Oregon

Cycles to work most days (weather permitting)

Has two children. Son, Age 9: James. Daughter, Age 7: Anna.

Software Developer at a …

Went to college at University of Oregon

In addition to cycling for transportation, he likes to hike, run occasionally, and try out new recipes with his wife, Jen.

Customer Level of Awareness & Sophistication

This customer is problem-aware. But it’s not a problem they like to admit: they’re putting themselves in danger.

One challenge with this letter was highlighting the pain (cyclists unnecessarily putting themselves in danger) without coming off as preachy. Honestly, I don’t think I did a great job at this, and it’s something I would improve if I had more time on this one.

Big Idea + Rationale

The big idea is that cyclists who want to listen to something (music, audiobooks, podcasts) while riding have had to either choose between their safety or their enjoyment. It’s an unfair decision.

They already place a lot of trust in drivers, so it doesn’t make sense to give up something (their hearing) that could keep them safer...but sometimes you want to listen to something while you ride. That’s where Treks Titanium comes in.

Big Promise + Rationale

The big promise is that, with Treks Titanium, cyclists no longer have to choose between safety or enjoyment.

They can have both.

Lessons Learned

I’m a big fan of Bob Serling’s Power Copywriting Formula. It’s 36 steps and its intensive.

I didn’t follow all the steps in this letter, but followed the ones that were reasonable/made sense for this letter.

One thing I really enjoyed was that it’s not just a process for writing the letter, it addresses the offer and the research as well, which I really like. It’s one of the most comprehensive formulas I’ve come across.

Beyond that, it has you write the features and benefits before writing the headline. I wasn’t crazy about that initially, but once I started, I really liked it, because it forces you to go beyond “how am I going to start this letter?” and starts with “what’s most important about this product?”

And I think that’s a great place to start.

DAY 28: THE ASK METHOD

I love writing about marketing products.

Because, when writing to marketers, I feel like you encounter less skepticism. While other marketers know exactly what you’re doing, it feels like a bit of an acknowledging head nod, like “I see what you’re doing here, but do ya thang.”

Product

I wrote about Ask, a book by Ryan Levesque that details his survey funnel strategy to learn more about customers so you can serve them better.

Who is the Customer?

The customer is a digital marketer, an early stage startup CEO, or a personal brand.

This is a person who has some background knowledge of marketing, but is humble enough to know they don’t know everything.

They have an idea of who their customers are, but they’re either not earning as much as they’d like, getting enough leads, etc.

In general, it’s someone who has a vested interest in the marketing success of a company.

Customer Level of Awareness & Sophistication

This customer is problem-aware.

They know they’re not making as much money or getting as many leads as they’d like. They are likely in the later stages of sophistication, as they’ve probably seen many marketing courses or books by this point.

That being said, I think this letter could do a better job of addressing that deeper level of sophistication by focusing on how The Ask Method helps them understand customers better.

Big Idea + Rationale

The big idea is that, if you don’t understand your customers well, you’re leaving money on the table.

Big Promise + Rationale

The big promise is that, The Ask Method can help you understand customers better than they know themselves so you can develop a product they love and want to buy.

Lessons Learned

I may have said this in an earlier letter, but I think understanding problems is easy.

It’s framing the solution in the best way that’s a challenge — at least when you’re confined to one day for each sales letter.

In order to truly understand why a product is great, I think you have to spend time with it. Quantity time leads to quality copy in this case.

Because, while it’s easy to understand a solution at face-value, the only way you can get a better understanding of the true essence of a product is to live it and breathe it for a while.

DAY 29: DESIGN PICKLE

It. Is. Done.

This was the last one. Coincidentally — or not coincidentally — it was one of the easiest ones to write.

I initially planned to give myself November 30th to write a blog post about all these sales letters and the lessons I learned from them. I’m still going to write that blog post, but I imagine it will be extensive — and I need a break.

So, I’m taking tomorrow off. I’ll use the months of December and January to work on a kickass blog post compiling all the biggest lessons learned from this project.

So keep an eye out for something big early next year!

Product

A wrote about a company called Design Pickle. It’s basically a simple, reliable, affordable way to outsource graphic design.

Who is the Customer?

This customer is someone who works at a small company and has been managing their graphic design process for a while.

They’re not skilled in graphic design, nor do they actually want to do it, but since the company needed someone to do it, they picked up the slack.

Now, the company is doing more work than ever/has a bigger audience/etc. and they’re looking to outsource design work.

Customer Level of Awareness & Sophistication

The customer is solution-aware.

They realize that outsourcing graphic design is the key to solving their problem (low-quality design or just the stress of having to do it yourself), but they might not know about the challenges associated with outsourcing graphic design.

That said, I think the letter does a good job of highlighting the pain points and consequences of bad design, but it could do a better job at digging into the pain of working with a freelancer.

Big Idea + Rationale

There are a couple of big ideas at play here. If I were to do this again or as a legitimate project, I’d narrow it down to one.

The first big idea is that doing design work by yourself, when you’re not interested or skilled in it, is a pain in the ass.

The second is that bad design keeps the company from getting as many customers as they could with good design.

The third is that outsourcing design work is also a pain in the ass.

Big Promise + Rationale

The big promise is that, with Design Pickle, you can push design work off your plate for one flat rate per month and know you’ll end up with something you like (because they offer unlimited revisions).

Lessons Learned

Customer awareness is one of the most crucial pieces of any sales letter. But it’s not enough to just slap a label on it and say “unaware,” “problem-aware, or whatever.

Copy is best when it seems to know exactly where the customer is coming from.

One thing I like about this letter is that I think the intro would really resonate with anyone looking to outsource design services. Because it directly speaks to their exact point in the customer journey, they’ll be thinking “Wow! This is me!” while reading it.

And copy that resonates with readers and drives them to action is what we’re aiming for.