10 Sneaky (Yet Totally Ethical)
Copywriting Secrets of a
ClickBank Biz Opp Blockbuster
Alvin Huang’s VOGenesis is one of the biggest earning, highest climbing ‘biz opp’ offers on Clickbank in recent years.
I wrote the copy.
Back in November 2015, it defied expectations, hitting the #1 spot in the e-business category in just a couple months. And it went on to put a smile on the face of more than a few ClickBank affiliates as it climbed as high as #8 across ALL of Clickbank.
Translation?
It made, and continues to make, a TON of sales. Last time I check, its gravity was 141. (So if you’ve got a business opportunity list, I highly encourage you to promote.)
Look, even our Alvin is bragging about it on Facebook (and for good reason…)
In this Conversion Gods Case Study…
- We’ll look at WHY VOGenesis made so much money…
- WHY it (still) converts so well across a variety of different types of traffic…
- And most importantly, HOW YOU can do the same…
I’m pulling no punches in this article.
Instead, I’m yanking back the curtain and revealing what makes VOGenesis a copywriting success.
And lest you think this is just me being boastful, please think again.
If you’re looking for bragging my friend, THIS is bragging:
I have had as many as 3 ClickBank offers in the Top 10 of all of ClickBank–AT ONE TIME.
I write for the biggest ClickBank product marketers out there. In the most competitive markets like weight loss, health, fitness and relationships.
And I train marketers as well as super affiliates in the craft of writing compelling copywriting in ClickBank’s own University.
Now THAT’S bragging 😉
What I’m trying to say without sounding too much like a douche is… I know whereof I speak.
Instead of gloating, I want to share with you a few of the critical “make or break” elements I learned writing VOGenesis and other Clickbank offers like it, so that you can, too.
You see, I believe the business opportunity market is HUGE.
If you have a good product, there’s no reason you can’t do the same.
Here’s how to “sell the dream”…
Secret #1:
Your Prospects Want the Easy Money
(If They Wanted to Work For It, They’d Get a Job)
Obviously, “easy” is a relative term.
That’s why regardless of the product, it’s so important in your copy to dimensionalize exactly how easy it is to make money.
You just can’t say it’s easy. Instead, say things like…
“Can you click your mouse 3 times?
Because that’s how easy it is to start making
$50, $100, even as much as $250 a day…”
(TIP: it helps IMMENSELY when your product can GENUINELY back up this promise.)
Now, you business opportunity may be hard, it may be difficult for the majority of people to implement.
If that’s the case, you have a few options:
- Abandon the idea…
- Carve off a piece of the opportunity that IS implementable and have people get started with that…
- Reengineer your business opportunity so that it IS easy to implement…
I’ve helped clients do all of the above. Because…
If your business opportunity isn’t easy at some level, it’s not going to convert worth a darn.
Making a business opportunity look and sound, and heaven would hope, actually BE easy like VOGenesis, is one of the true secrets to biz opp success.
Secret #2:
The “Big Unfvckupable Idea”
Your offer needs an overarching, compelling concept, a big idea or storyline.
(There are soooo many biz opps out there, you need to outshine the shiniest of shiny objects…)
The kind of idea that works best is an idea which is so good, you don’t even need a A-list copywriter to sell it (but obviously it helps even more when you do.)
I call this “the Big Unfvckupable Idea”.
Frankly, if you’ve got a business opportunity, chances are you haven’t thought about this much.
But you should. It’ll make the difference between a VOGenesis-type rocket launch and a dud, never to be heard from again.
Tons of books have talked about this, they call these ideas “hooks.”
A hook can be a gimmick, a story, an unusual angle, a celebrity or a unique method of making money.
However today, I want to ratchet up your game to ensure your success.
In the biz opp arena, you need something BETTER than a hook.
Something so much better, you can’t lose–even with crappy copy.
Candidly, it’s not so much the words I write as a copywriter, it’s the time I spend coming up with that big unfvckupable idea that I’m compensated for.
My job is to find that idea and then once I do, turn it into something compelling.
You should invest your time doing the same.
Secret #3:
Make the Central Character in Your Story
a Composite of Your Market
In VOGenesis, our narrator, Jenny is an ambitious yet frustrated mom.
She’s tried everything to make money for her family. And everything has either been a scam or let her down.
She’s at odds with her husband who wants her to go back to work.
We used Jenny because we felt she represented our target market–work at home.
Where VOGenesis succeeds again is in our research.
As you’ve probably guessed, the majority are women. Women with kids.
That’s a good place to start. But that’s not quite enough.
In VOGenesis, I targeted moms who felt trapped and built the story around them.
They have the skills, they have the talent, but everybody wants them to either come to the office, work for peanuts or miss being there for their kids.
At times, even their husbands can be at odds with their desires.
This situation gnaws at them.
Not being able to provide… not giving their kids the best… not being there when they need them most.
This particular market is crying for help. That’s what we liked about it.
We told them “there’s a better way.”
Now, in focusing on these women, we intentionally gave up focusing on other work at home sub-markets. It was a strategic decision.
My point is this:
Figure out who is your best market, find a customer or someone associated to your business who best represents it. You can find them in your testimonials.
And then develop a fascinating storyline around them.
Secret #4:
Make Their Greed Glands Gush
Greed and envy are two of the seven deadly sins. Combined, they’re one heck of a motivator.
This is where VOGenesis does it’s heavy lifting.
We want the prospects seeing how THEY could and should be the one making all that money.
We want to be squeezing their greed glands–hard.
Not just once, but again and again. Multiple times. And then a few more, just for luck.
By the end of it, you want your prospect salivating at the chance of making extra money using your method. Easily.
The best way I know to do that is to use an NLP technique called “future pacing.” (Google it.)
Stick prospects into the money-making picture in a not-too-distant point in time. Enjoying all the benefits of your business opportunity.
The money, of course. But also the feelings of pride, confidence and security. As well as the lifestyle elements of their newfound success.
- The cars…
- The houses…
- The fame and fortune…
- The girls…
Get them to see themselves in their mind’s eye, feeling the feelings.
A Strong Word of Caution…
Now, as you may have guessed, achieving that presents one or two challenges.
- You can’t make outlandish claims of easy money without falling afoul of ClickBank or the law…
- If you just blurt out and say “hey, you’ll make a ton of money,” it’s unlikely to convert.
Those types of claims may sound exciting to YOU but they will likely fall on deaf ears. Why?
Because nobody *BELIEVES* you. Yet.
Ok, now here’s where we got kinda lucky with the VOGenesis offer…
The product itself IS somewhat original.
You’d hope that would be the case with any product, however in the business opportunity market original products are as rare as good hair days for The Donald.
VOGenesis reveals how to make fast, easy money as a voiceover artist.
And it’s 100% true.
It gets even better: My client, Clickbank svengali Alvin Huang actually pays thousands of dollars to voiceover artists every single month.
These people can make $250… $500… $1000 or more for an hour’s work.
So he knows how lucrative voiceover work can be to a voiceover artist.
Which leads me to the next secret…
Secret #5:
Pile On the Proof
You won’t get far with wild claims and painting rosy pictures of far-off dreams of luxury Caribbean lifestyles…
You’ve got to PROVE everything you say, in as many ways as possible.
Especially when it comes to income and how much money a user can expect to make with your money-making system.
Now, contrary to what’s being said online, screenshots of income amounts DO work.
They may not have the WOW factor they once used to, but people still get a palpable rush seeing Clickbank and Paypal screenshots bursting with cash plastered all over a sales letter.
Why do you think this is so effective on your prospects?
Because they can’t help but imagine what it would be like for THEIR account to look like that.
They can’t help but dream.
The greed in them is strong. “Look, all this could be YOURS!”
However, I believe there’s an EVEN BETTER form of proof when crafting your business opportunity copy…
What is it?
PROOF you know what
you are talking about…
Demonstrate it in the sales letter or VSL.
A personal story serves us well here:
I was writing copy for a “get rich quick” commercial real estate training program a few years back.
Everything was going well. That is, until I asked for proof customers could make the kind of money the marketers were saying is possible.
I kept pressing them for screenshots of checks or bank account balances, anything that would further the cause.
All I got back was… silence.
More pressing by me. Probably making a nuisance of myself at this point.
One day I got a call from the top dog marketer. Into the phone he yelled…
“We don’t need no fvcking proof!
Write the damn copy!”
I was astonished. He had no proof yet, because this was a new endeavor.
However, he wasn’t telling me to lie, fake or do anything illegal.
He called me to say in no uncertain terms I needed to do exactly what I’m going to tell you to do now…
The most powerful form of proof is creating “verisimilitude”, i.e. believability. Proof you *know* what you’re talking about.
So how do you do that?
First, in my mind I start off by giving my prospects and readers enormous credit for having a highly-tuned BS detector.
Truly, nothing gets by them.
As you may already know, one phrase, one word can cause a mad dash for the back button. (Oh and don’t even think about doctoring those income screenshots. No good can come of that.)
Trust me, trying to pull one over on them, or trying to pull a fast one, and you’ll lose them in the blink of an eye.
I’ve seen it happen on multiple times, when I review recordings of visitor site engagement on http://ClickTale.com and http://crazyegg.com.
Not to mention, (and not to get too self-righteous,) but how can you sleep at night?
It’s far better to invest your time sharing an engaging, specific, believable, true story which enrolls them in the idea they can make money using your method.
In the telling of your story, you want to add tiny, almost imperceptible, experience-rich details providing an extra layer of credibility. 99% of sales copy storylines lack fundamental element.
For instance, which has more believability…
“I remember like it was yesterday. I didn’t have a dollar to my name. I didn’t even have enough for dinner.”
… OR…
“I remember like it was yesterday. I had exactly 63 cents to my name. 13 cents of it came from a last minute couch diving. I knew exactly what I would spend it on, too. Two 25-cent tacos (plus tax) and a cup of water at Del Taco over on La Cienega Ave.”
I’m sure you’ll agree the second one is far more believable.
While adding this level of description and detail is difficult on us as marketers and copywriters, the goal is to make it easy on your prospect to believe.
Remember: Your prospect desperately wants to believe you. To trust you.
We all know the reasons why.
So let’s make it easy for them.
Secret #6:
Details Matter–Describing Their Very First Sale
When it comes to a biz opp sales letter, I endeavor to detail the feeling, the experience, the physical reality of making your first cash online.
That first taste… the first sale, the first commission, whatever it is, can be a seismic event for newcomers.
If you can get your prospect imagining, feeling, sensing what it’s like to make that first glorious sale… they’re halfway sold.
Imagine…
…the heart-stopping anticipation… followed quickly by the exhilarating “this can’t be real” feeling reading your very first “Notification of Payment Received” email from PayPal…
…tentatively logging into your Clickbank Account… and then… feeling your eyes pop out of their sockets, your jaw drop to the floor, gasping in delight as you take in your first weekly snapshot…
…the proud, self-secure “nobody can mess with me” feeling that carrying around $1000 in your wallet can have.
These are experiences few have had but everybody wants.
The experiences are universal.
Embellishing, romancing each experience for everything it’s worth is key to you creating a winning offer.
Secret #7:
Variety is the Spice of life
Have you ever watched an entire movie from one camera angle?
Have you ever watched a movie being told from one vantage point with no scene changes or character sub-plots?
The answer is no. Why? Because it would be boring.
The viewer would be able to anticipate what would happen next.
Do that in a sales letter or VSL and you’ll kill the sale.
Mix it up. Create variety.
In other words, keep it interesting, ok?
Nobody likes to read things in a structured fashion and neither should you write that way.
They skim. They’re all over the place.
For instance,
- Should the story come before the promise of the business opportunity or after?
- Should the call to action be at the beginning or the end?
- Should the bonuses come after the pricing?
The answer is there is no right answer, no matter what the gurus tell you.
In fact, that is exactly why you see guru formulas fatigue.
The prospects are overwhelmed with offer after offer presented in the same fashion.
Remember Tao of Badass and their “This is a goldfish” promotion?
Everybody swiped it. Right behind it came…
- This is a toilet…
- This is Albert Einstein’s formula…
- This is a glass of water…
Then, the market got sick of these.
Trust me, following the copywriting crowd is NOT how you write blockbuster ClickBank offers.
You write them as you would trying to sell someone face to face, belly to belly.
You focus on what the prospect wants, not what you want.
Which is the subject of Sneaky Little Secret #8…
Secret #8:
Keep It Light.
Prospects Are Not Interested in
the Specifics of the Opportunity
(Except When It Comes to
How Much Money They Can Make)
Now you may think I’ve just given you license to drone on and on about how great your opportunity is, drowning your prospects in a sea of details.
Hardly.
In fact, it’s quite the opposite.
Trust me, I’ve made this mistake. A lot.
Thinking the prospect wants to know all the facts.
The truth of the matter?
They don’t.
Surprisingly, they would rather spend the time believing the promise(s) your opportunity holds, rather than nailing down the specifics.
Listen, I’m British. We’re known for being ultra-skeptical of business opportunities.
So if I had to work off my (decidedly British) gut instinct, I’d be one out of work copywriter.
Fortunately, I am able to put my feelings aside, and focus on what the prospect wants rather than what I want.
And what prospects really want is coming up next in Secret #9…
Secret #9:
Take Your Prospects On an Emotional Rollercoaster Ride
Sure you’ve got to sell them, but just as importantly is you have to entertain them.
You’ve got to take your prospect on an exciting ride.
How do you do that?
The first thing is you need to grab their attention. And you have roughly 3 measly seconds to make your case for holding that attention…
And then, you have to keep on holding their attention every 3 to 5 seconds after that….
(TIP: One of dumbest things you can do is stick one of those fancy schmancy logos at the beginning of your video or at the top of your sales letter. Get to the meat of your message–fast.)
Think about it…
Your prospect probably has 17 Google Chrome tabs open, the kids are screaming in the background and there’s a dozen other things they would rather be doing.
Why should they keep watching your video?
Give them a good reason. Make it so they can’t look away.
And how do you do that?
Again, tell a story.
The storyline should be far more than about how you were successful each incremental step of the way.
There should be LOTS OF DRAMA.
Unexpected setbacks, temporary failure, serendipitous moments, twists and turns as you turned your big fat failure into overwhelming success.
Success that you now want to share with your prospect.
The story should be light and fast paced. Don’t dwell on any one point too long.
For example, did you know the movie Lethal Weapon was carefully constructed to have action scenes at precise intervals?
Every 8 seconds there’s a scene change. Or an explosion. Or a change in point of view. Or an explosion…
It’s part of the reason we’re so hooked on blockbuster movies as we watch. You can see similar structure in Marvel movies today.
Keep that in mind as you put together your story.
Every couple lines you want to give your reader/viewer a JOLT that shocks them out of their neon-screen slumber. Frequently tie it all back to how your story benefits them directly.
You see, think they “think” they know how the story will go.
Maybe they do, but you inserting lots of big and little “oops!” and “aha!” events make the story so much more believable, consumable and credible.
And entertaining.
Also, make it unexpected.
In other words, can you lead your viewer/reader along so that they absolutely have to see how it all turns out in the end?
Not only does this keep their attention, but little by little, it racks up big credibility and belief points.
Gradually they begin to feel they know you, what you’ve been through, your challenges and accomplishments.
At some point in the conversation, “CLICK!”… they trust you.
They trust you enough to believe you’ll deliver on your promises.
Don’t let them down.
Secret #10:
Close… Hard
The majority of business opportunity offer I see have weak, wimpy, pathetic closes.
A weak close implicitly tells me the product owner doesn’t believe in their product. It tells me they’re scared of being able to fulfill on the promise.
In VOGenesis… and for that matter Coffee Shop Millionaire and Clickbank University and any of the dozens of biz opps I’ve crafted over the years…
I close and I close hard.
Make no mistake, if I have my way, if you watch the VSL, you’re going to buy VOGenesis.
Why?
Because it WILL change your life.
I guarantee it. I’m certain of it.
I spend as much time and as many passionate, emotional words as I can, getting you to at least consider it.
I’ll use desire as an emotion, of course. But I’ll also appeal to the prospect’s sense of logic and reason.
But I’ll save my biggest gun for last.
FEAR.
Fear of the future. Fear of failure. Fear of missing out. Fear of being looked down upon.
Fear of losing all they hold dear in their lives.
Fear is the most powerful motivator of them all.
I always lock that sale down using a combination of desire, logic and fear.
Trust me, I realize what I’m saying sounds manipulative.
And no doubt, it is.
But it’s not deceptive. My words, my desires for someone are out in the open for everyone to see.
And truth be known, I’m proud of them.
Wanting the best for someone, wanting to help them change their lives is a true calling for me.
Business opportunities like VOGenesis can change someone’s life.
I know because I’ve seen the results first hand.
I believe in them so much, I’m willing to put passion into my writing, making sure they get the outcome they’re looking for.
What outcome is that?
A better life.
I’ve said all that to say now you know why the close is so strong in VOGenesis.
It’s because I believe. Alvin, the product owner, believes.
So much so, the prospect can’t help but believe.
Belief is contagious.
So that’s how I sell the dream…
These days, these 10 simple principles have responsible for generating $50 to $100 million on ClickBank alone.
That not gloating, that’s emphasizing how essential each of these principles are.
Candidly, I used to stress about each and every principle, but today they come naturally.
- I know how to laser-in on a market.
- I know an unfvckupable idea when I see one.
- I know when a business opportunity looks easy enough.
And so on…
You will, too.
I encourage you, if you want a ClickBank blockbuster of your own, look at your business opportunity through each “lens”, each secret.
Mentally rank each on a scale from 1 to 10.
If any one of these ranks really low, either swap out the idea or abandon the promotion. If you don’t, you’ll just be wasting money.
