PROCESO FENTON

Many copywriters, I among them, keep “swipe files”—samples of successful promotions.

I maintain my own swipe file by category. One of the largest categories in my swipe file is “financial publications” because (a) there are lots of mailings and (b) I do a lot of work in that area.

My swipe file grew so big, that it became cumbersome to use as a reference. To solve that problem, I went through the swipe file and divided the samples by the creative or thematic approach they took.

Then, I typed a list of all these different approaches with examples. It now serves as a cheat sheet or “Cliff Notes” to my swipe files. Instead of having to spend hours going through hundreds of samples, I can browse the cheat sheet and get inspiration for my project in just a few minutes. Now, you can too …

Bob Bly 22 E. Quackenbush Ave.

Copywriter/consultant Dumont, NJ 07628

[email protected] phone 201-385-1220

www.bly.com fax 201-385-1138

Idea Starters for Packages Selling Financial Newsletters 1. ONE BIG STOCK.

Tease the reader with the promise that you will give him a recommendation on a great stock that will make him rich, e.g, “The One Internet Stock You Should Buy This Year. Hint: It’s NOT Amazon.com.”

2. MULTIPLE BIG STOCKS.

Tease the reader by offering a selection of stocks poised to earn big returns, e.g., “5 Technology Stocks You Must Own Now.” (Technology Investing)

3. INVENT A TERM.

Create a new terminology to describe the types of winning stocks you pick (e.g., the successful

“Bull Stocks” package for Wall Street Winners, and the Armadillo Stocks package for Phillips).

4. CREATE AN INVESTMENT CLUB.

Agora is very good at this; e.g., Sovereign Society, Oxford Club.

5. POSTION YOUR EDITOR AS EITHER A STOCK-MARKET GURU OR AS AN EXPERT IN A SPECIALIZED NICHE.

The best-known example of the former is Louis Ruckeyser; the best-known example of the latter is Ken Roberts in options.

6. THE SAVIOR.

Dick Sanders says: “This differs from the guru or niche expert in that the savior is put on a pedestal, portrayed on a much higher level and in an elite class. The savior doesn’t show you how to invest but actually does the work for you, sharing his trades and thus saving you from financial ruin or mediocrity.” Example: “Meet Phil Erlanger: Wall Street’s Best-Kept Secret.”

(Squeeze Play)

7. PREDICTION PACKAGE.

Packages that predict big moves, either in the market overall or a specific sector or investment:

e.g., “The Great Supernet Boom of 2002.” (Sagami’s Scientific Investing) “Why Value Investing Will Never Come Back.” (Phillips) “20 Surprises in Technology for the Year 2000” (Technology Investing).

8. PROTECTION PACKAGE.

The theme is “Take my advice or you will lose your shirt.” Tradex is the master of this approach:

e.g., “What you must do before September 15, 2001 to avoid devastating losses.” (Tradex Digest)

9. PROFIT PROMISE.

Promise big returns and back up promise: e.g., “The voice on my phone was trembling. ‘Steve,’

he said, ‘I invested just like you said. And I made $300,000 in one day!’” (Options Hotline) 10. SELL A SYSTEM.

Show that you achieve your profits through a trading system or stock-picking method not available elsewhere, e.g., “This Unique System Will Work, Like a Swiss Watch, In Any Market”

(Erlanger Squeeze Play).

11. GET IN ON THE GROUND FLOOR.

Offer a chance to profit from the next big thing, e.g., “If you missed buying Intel or Microsoft during their infancy, here’s your chance at getting rich from the technology revolution.” The message: You missed out last time; don’t miss out again.

12. NEWS TIE-IN.

Tie-in with current events; e.g. “Terrorists Unleash Economic Hell” (Tradex) and “War, Energy, and the Saudi Time Bomb” (Utility Forecaster).

13. ISSUE-SPECIFIC.

Packages focusing on energy shortages, Arab oil cartel, decaying infrastructure, defense, health care, world affairs, e.g., “The Battle for Energy Independence” (Utility Forecaster).

14. ADVICE.

Tell the reader what to do, e.g., “Buy these 5 Vanguard Funds Immediately.” (Phillips) 15. LEAD WITH YOUR OFFER.

Gain attention with a strong offer or unusual premium, e.g., “A private Swiss, Austrian, or Luxembourg bank account is waiting for you.” (Sovereign Society) “With our compliments … a free trial issue of America’s most trustworthy personal health letter.” (Mayo Clinic Health Letter—successful control)

16. DRAMATIC STATEMENT.

E.g., “The First Great Event of the 21st Century” (Outstanding Investments in Natural

Resources); “The Greatest Market Discovery Ever Made” (Past, Present, Futures); “New Wall Street Shock Ahead” (Blue Chip Growth).

17. CONFIDENTIAL/INSIDE INFORMATION.

Promise to reveal exclusive information available only to a small group of investors on a limited basis, e.g., “Discover the Secret World of Underground Investments!” (Outstanding

Investments) 18. CONTRARIAN.

Say the opposite of what others say, e.g., “You don’t need to be playing too-hot technology stocks to make huge profits on the technology revolution.” (Agora)

19. POSITION THE MAILING ITSELF AS AN INFORMATION PRODUCT.

Give the magalog or reportalog a title that implies the DM piece itself is a valuable information product, e.g., “Special Issue” or “Investor’s Bulletin.” Or Ken Roberts’ classic “The World’s Most Powerful Money Manual and Course.”

20. HIDDEN MARKET.

Offer to let the reader in on a little-known category of investment or market opportunity, e.g.,

“Unusual Stock Market ‘Inversion’ Brings Whopping 45.8% Profit in 14 Days.” (IPO Insider);

“Your stock broker doesn’t want you to know about this $25 billion hidden bull market”

(Senmontier Strategy).

21. MAKE UP FOR LOSSES OR MISSED OPPORTUNITIES.

Missed opportunities, e.g., “How to make back every dime you lost in the market” (Stellar Stocks).

22. AVOID MARKET DISASTER.

Idea: The market is going to crash. We will tell you how to avoid losses plus how to actually make money, e.g., “7 Horsemen of the Coming Stock Market Apocalypse.” (Tradex Digest) 23. ASK A PROVOCATIVE QUESTION.

e.g., “Is Social Security Doomed?”

24. THE SKEPTICAL OR “NAÏVE” NARRATOR.

e.g., “I didn’t believe it until I did the math for myself,” “This system is so complex even I barely understand it …”

25. GREAT TRACK RECORD OR RECENT BIG SUCCESSES.

e.g., “I just made 140% … 225% … 450%. Don’t miss my next big trade.”

Please let me know if you have others to add to the list.

© Copyright 2002 Robert W. Bly. Phone (201) 385-1220