Gary Halbert was a copywriting genius and remains a legend in the world of direct-response marketing.
Hey, it's Tim here...
I run an online business and therefore I've been a few years in the world of direct-response marketing.
Here’re a few things I learned from the man, Gary Halbert:
Work with a "Starving Crowd"
Find a market that is hungry for a solution to their problem, and feed them what they’re starving for.
If you try to sell ice to Eskimos, you’re going to have a hard time, no matter how good your sales copy is.
But if you find a group of people who are desperate for what you have, selling becomes easy. That's the Gary Halbert way - find the starving crowd and feed them.
It’s not just about creating a great product, it’s about finding a great market. (first)
Don't be a Pioneer, be a Ruthless Improver
Find a product that’s already selling like hotcakes (think weight loss, dating advice, that kind of thing), and make yours way better.
Then write killer ads for it.
Give people what they want, not what they need
obody needs another diet book, but boy do they want to shed those pounds.
Tap into those deep desires.
Your Sales Letter is step one, then Repurpose
Take that awesome letter and turn it into articles, emails, whatever. Get your message in front of as many eyeballs as possible.
Look personal, never spammy
Bulk mail = trashcan. Handwritten envelopes = intrigue. It’s about seduction, not assault.
"Reporter Ads" Crush It (Native Ads)
Write an ad that reads like a news article about your product. People eat that stuff up.
Tiny Display Ads For LeadGen
People will read the heck out of those if they’re genuinely interested. Don’t shortchange your copy.
Newsletters Are Tough, But The Payoff Is Big
If you’re a real expert, those subscribers are pure gold. They’ll buy from you forever.
Sell Newsletters/Recurring Via MIFGE
MIFGE = Most Incredible Free Gift Ever. To sell a newsletter, give 'em both: the quick-fix, and the deep education. A freebie report or book satisfies the instant gratification crowd, while the newsletter is for the serious players.
Focus on LTV (Customer Lifetime Value)
The first sale is just the beginning. Astonish people with how good your stuff is, and they’ll keep coming back.
Execution
Ideas are just a multiplier of execution.
Ideas without execution are useless.
You don’t sell people what they need, you sell them what they want!
- Gary C. Halbert
Notes From Gary Halbert’s Direct Marketing Secrets Seminar
The 1h and 10min long video is available on YouTube:
If 100 equals success, 99.9 of that in direct marketing is “getting the sale”.
The 1 big “arithmetic/economical question” is:
How can I sell my product on a cost-effective basis?
But first… if selling is the number one thing you have to concern with, the number one question you have to begin with, is:
What is it that I’m going to sell?
What you want to sell ideally, is
- a superior version
- of a book or other information product
- that is already selling well
- with superior advertising.
It simply costs too much to be a pioneer when the road has already been paved.
You find good-/best-selling books through (repeatedly) appearing ads.
Example (suggested) book titles:
- What To Do About Arthritis Pain
- How To Pick-Up Girls Instantly Anywhere In The World
- How To Negotiate And Win No Matter Who You’re Up Against
- 57 Proven Ways To Lower Your Golf Score
- 27 Secret Ways To Melt Off Body Fat Hour-By-Hour
- Latest Facts On How To Cure Prostate Problems
- How To Flatten Your Stomach In The Fastest Way Humanly Possible
- How To Get What The US Government Owes You
These are proven appeals.
Never ending concerns of people. (evergreen niches)
You don’t sell people what they need, you sell them what they want!
Don’t try to be logical (smarter) about selling.
Become a student of markets!
- Gary C. Halbert
Gary Halbert On Selling Formulas
First step:
Get your selling presentation on paper.
Then: Transform/reform/adjust that sales letter into “delivery systems”.
The people of America sort through their mail while standing over a wastebasket.
Make up your mind about the true delivery (rate) of your message/sales letter.
Make your messages (appear) personal.
Never use teaser copy, never use bulk mail.
Selling is like seduction.
It’s NOT rape!
Seduction works best if there’s a little foreplay.
It’s not about HOW you ask for the order, it’s about WHEN you ask for it!
The dummies (in direct marketing) ask for it on the envelope.
Make your (direct mail) look personal, from one human being to the other.
Gary Halbert On Print Advertising
Be the reporter.
Write a review of your book that looks like an article.
Ads that have an editorial-like look get 500% more readership than ads that look obviously like ads.
Ordering instructions are crucial parts of your advertising.
Study great ordering instructions.
Running Small Space Display Ads That Generate Leads
Don’t use classified ads.
Generally, you want your lead-gen ads to be display ads.
The people who are non-prospects aren’t gonna read three paragraphs of your ad. The people who are geniune prospects for your product want to know every damn single detail about it as long as it is still relevant. Don’t worry about long copy as long as it is still relevant.
- Gary C. Halbert
Gary Halbert On His Newsletter Publishing & Advertising Appeal
You make a major, material, magnificent difference in the profitability of your marketing efforts by re-positioning your product and your advertising appeal.
Gary recommends reading this book:
- E. Haldeman-Julius - The First Hundred Million (direct download here)
The unique way he was selling his books was that people really bought what they wanted to buy.
Some of the best (-selling) titles are:
- How to […]
- Secrets of […]
- The art of […]
- An amazing way to […]
- Now at last […]
Gary Halbert On The Newsletter Business
The most difficult form of information that you can sell.
The people who buy newsletters are the most intelligent, dedicated, and real-players in the world.
Why?
Because the people who don’t buy newsletters don’t understand that success is a process, not an event!
(but they want “the miracle answer” right now; that’s not what you get with a newsletter; they don’t want it parceled out month after month; they want to buy one $10 book to “make it rain money”)
You have to be an expert in your field; don’t “fake” a newsletter.
Put personality in your newsletter, and take a stance.
(and talk/write like you would at the bar, after two drinks, cutting through the crap and being authentic, real and direct. Put your personality in it!)
Gary On How To Sell A Newsletter (In A Way That Works Very Well)
Give away something valuable/premium that people can keep, even if they cancel/refund their trial subscription to your newsletter.
That premium is related to the newsletter and contains the “immediate, magic, genie-type” answer that people are looking for.
That way you satisfy both wants/situations!
(the "immediate gratification/looking-for-an-answer-part and the on-going, professional education part)
Selling Formula: Give away a premium (that you can keep in any case) + trial purchase of your product
You should think of yourself as building a relationship, not (just) making a sale.
- Gary C. Halbert
The first sale is the most unprofitable one you’ll ever make.
Think long-term, think LTV:
Lifetime clients, subscribers, seminar-attendees, etc.
Not just one-time buyers.
Satisfy your customers and deliver more than they expected!
(It’s very rare and because of that easy to (positively) surprise your clients, they will, therefore, buy over and over again from you)
Astonish your customers!
Astonish your customers with the quality of your service and your dedication and your product!
- Gary C. Halbert
Become an opportunity detective.
One of the biggest mistakes people make in selling is that they forget to ask for the order.
- Gary C. Halbert
Best,
Tim