Those Amish web copy geniuses – who knew?
Every year in fall for the past three years, the friendly people at www.amishfireplaces.com have taken out the same full-page ad in the USA Today, so it must be working.
The headline: “Public has just 48 hours to get free heaters”. The sub-head is lengthy but powerful: “A new infrared miracle heater is actually being given away free to the first 17,247 readers who call to beat the deadline to order their first miracle heater that drastically slashes home heat bills”.
Copywriting results start with good headlines
Does it pass the “4-U test”? Urgent? 48 hours is pretty urgent. Unique? Who knew that the Amish were involved in infrared technology? (there are two pictures below the headline and body copy showing Amish people) Useful? Slashing home heat bills is pretty useful to about 80% of the U.S. Ultra-specific? It doesn’t get much more specific than 17,247.
Beyond the headline, though, this ad (and the website copy) illustrates a few principles that are worth re-visiting:
The secret of transubtantiation
The copywriter takes what could seem like a very ordinary space heater and transforms it into your own personal slice of Amish life combined with miracle heat at a ridiculously low cost. Transubstantiation is the creative process of imagining and representing a product or service in a way that is bigger, better, and more valuable than it normally appears.
Forge a personal connection
Both the ad copy and the website copy accomplish this by adopting an intimate voice. The selling voice is natural, honest and sincere. When you can tap your natural selling voice – the one you use to persuade your family, friends and those close to you – you’ll have a powerful tool at your disposal.
Tell your prospect what to do
A given with direct response copy, but surprisingly, even costly full-page spreads in the USA Today often appear without a clear directive. This ad does a brilliant job of explaining what action the prospect must take, narrowed down to exactly what time he can call in to get his heater based on which zone he lives in.
I won’t tell you to “heat up” your own copy with these ideas, but there is something to be said for classic copywriting principles. And if you want to slash your heating bills this winter, there are only 3,281 left.
Then call me at 1-888-207-4916 and we’ll power your website copy up a notch.