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Copywriting: The Final Frontier in Using the "Written Word" to Speak To Your Potential Customer

Part 3 of 5

by Kevin Hogan

Proper Use of Open Loops

Typically when I do this, it is effective. But it is possible to "lose" your reader by leaving open loops. I suggest you practice/utilize open loops later in your copy when you first start copywriting.

What seems clear to you as the writer is definitely not always clear as the reader.

In this first paragraph, you can explain the situation, or maybe ask further questions and then explain how the product you are selling can help.

IMPORTANT: In my experience, asking too many questions can dilute the reader from a core concern. Sometimes sticking with one crucual question is very important to keeping attention, capturing concern and deterring departure to do something else.

When writing your starting paragraph, it is important not to wander away from the main point. You always have to remain focused. You should also be thinking about how it will look to the reader and if they will be interested enough to read the whole paragraph.

The point of the starting paragraph is to continue to intrigue the reader and draw them in. Most people who screw up, screw up in paragraph one.

You started out great with an eye catching headline and if your starting paragraph is not just as good, then you will lose the reader.

And think about it.

• You spend months or years on developing a great program or product.
• You spend hours on a great headline and sub head.
• You screw it all up in paragraph one.

Someone who keeps reading is likely to buy, but someone who clicks away half way through will not be buying anything.

Your starting paragraph needs to speak to the reader. It should be the part of the copy that captures the reader emotionally.

When screenwriters submit a query for a screenplay to a producer, they call this, "the hook."

Getting that emotional connection is one way to hook the reader and it certainly is the best way in most cases.

People are emotionally driven.

If you can cause that emotional connection, then you will likely keep them to the end.

Most people make purchases based upon their emotional instinct.

That's a crummy strategy for making decisions, but at this point your job is to run the movie that you've written, directed and produced.

Wire into the emotion and you will have a customer.

How should you start writing your starting paragraph?

Continue: Page | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |

Kevin Hogan
Network 3000 Publishing
3432 Denmark #108
Eagan, MN 55123
(612) 616-0732

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