Tips to Write Messages That Get Results

Keep it short and simple

There is a big difference between writing in hard copy, such as a book or magazine, and writing on the Web. On the Internet people are more likely to read about what you have to write about if your paragraphs and pages are short and broken down into simple easy to read sections.

So let your first message be brief -- two or three short paragraphs. Let the recipient request further information via a Web page or a follow-up email message. Use the second stage to do a more in-depth job of selling.

Words you should use and words you shouldn't

Write your message as a one-to-one communication. Pretend you're sitting down to talk to a friend. Focus on the reader, not yourself: try to use the words "you," "your" and "yours" frequently. On the other hand you should avoid over-use of such words as "free," "save" and "money," -- and stay away completely from such hype-tinged words as "fantastic," "unbelievable," "absolutely the best," etc.

At all costs, stay away from the look and feel of spam. Although the first part of your write-up has to grab the readers' attention, you should avoid screaming headlines, message in all capital letters, multiple exclamation points, or deceptive "gotcha" subject lines.

And don't forget to check the spelling, grammar and punctuation. Take the time to edit your message for errors. If you're not a good speller, get help from someone who is.

Put the emphasis on benefits

People want to understand clearly and quickly how your product is going to benefit them. They want to know the key product benefits, they want compelling reasons to believe the promise being made, and they want information about the most valuable features. Your message should be about the customer's needs and how your product will fulfil those needs, not about how wonderful you are and how great your product is (in your own opinion).

Make your offer exclusive

Tailor your promotion so that it's exclusive to the people who receive it, then give them a strong reason to act immediately. Once you've grabbed their attention and you have provided the information (benefits), its time to make subscribers desire your product or service: you should let them know that this offer is only being made available to them and that it will only be available for a limited time.

Call to action

The last part of your message should spur readers to action. Be clear in your mind about what you want the reader to do after reading your message. What do you want? A reply by email? A visit to your Web site? An order called in to your toll-free number? Let the user know what response you want, and let them know in a compelling, urgent, benefits-oriented way. Include complete contact information, and triple-check it for accuracy.