The most powerful headline I ever read and acted upon was a negative headline. It changed my life.
Laptop Battery Yet most books on direct mail copywriting will tell you to cast your headlines, overlines and Johnson Boxes always in the positive. But sometimes being negative is positively good for business. Or, to say it another way, negative headlines in your direct mail advertising are not always bad.
Computer memory is the quickest, cheapest, and easiest way to improve the performance of your system. Find RAM memory upgrades for desktops, laptops, servers, and printers all backed by a lifetime warranty and guaranteed compatible with your computer. Shipping is an everyday low price of $1.99! Computer Memory Outlet sells memory compatible with all leading computer manufacturers like Dell, Apple, Compaq, HP, Sony, IBM, Lenovo, and many more.”
Thinkpad The headline that changed my life appeared in a small display ad in the Daily Mirror, a British daily newspaper. Here's what it said:
According to the indictment, Jones would steal various IBM and Penguin computer servers from Verisign's warehouse in Virginia and sell them to Johnson. Johnson would then sell the servers to several individuals, who would sometimes place them for sale on eBay. As a result of this scheme, the indictment alleges that Jones and Johnson caused Verisign to lose more than $120, 000 worth of computer equipment. In the indictment, Jones and Johnson are charged in three counts with causing the interstate transportation of stolen property, namely IBM 330 and 335 servers, in violation of 18 U.S.C.
Microsoft "No Pleasure Cruises in the Royal Marines."
mail is then sent to the destination SMTP server which then delivers it to the recipients incoming mail server (POP3). 4) The recipient either views the mail directly on the server with a webmail application, or ideally, mail client (Outlook). With Webmail, you are viewing the mail directly on your POP mail server, mail Client like Outlook, you are downloading mail to your computer. A webmail application is great when you are traveling and do not have access to your own computer.
Laptop Computers That's a negative headline, no question. The copywriter wasted no time turning a negative into a positive. In fact, he turned a positive into a negative.
If you use a laptop computer, you know that starting up your laptop just to check a message or find an address or phone number isn't always practical. Speech Recognition in Windows Vista empowers you to interact with your computer by voice. It allows you to significantly limit your use of mouse and keyboard while maintaining or increasing productivity. mail messages in mainstream applications, fill out forms on the Web using voice commands, and seamlessly manage Windows Vista and applications by saying what you see.
Laptop Computer Beneath the headline was a photo of several heavily armed Royal Marines crouching in a rigid raider assault boat, manfully pounding over the waves towards an assuredly nasty landing on some distant enemy beach.
If you have a Dell, IBM, Toshiba, Gateway, Hewlett Packard, Compaq, NEC or Sony desktop or laptop computer or any computer, Internet Cleanup has you covered! back to top
>
Join Mailing List Store
Desktop Computer Beneath the photo was this simple body copy:
"Some of the toughest training in the world. That's what makes Royal Marines Commandos ready for anything. If you think you've got the determination and you're over 16, here's your chance. Find out more by sending off the coupon."
"No Pleasure Cruises in the Royal Marines." When I read that negative headline for the first time, I was slouching at the back of mathematics class, catching up on the comic-strip misadventures of Andy Cap and Hagar the Horrible. The year was 1976. I had just turned 16. My Oxford and Cambridge 'O' Level exams -- and certain defeat -- waited less than a week away. I read the advertisement again. I studied the photograph. I mailed off the coupon that night.
Notebooks The information package arrived within the week. Nine months later I was PO35440S Junior Marine Sharpe, bayonetting dummies with gusto and throwing up my lunch during nine-mile speed marches. Eighteen months later I was dodging bullets and bombs in Northern Ireland. Five years later I was photographing penguins in Antarctica. Ten years later -- and thirteen countries, four promotions, numerous fights and a Falklands War later -- I was a civilian again.
Lenovo That headline would not have worked for me if the copywriter had cast it in a positive way. By promising what I would not get, and by telling me what I should not look forward to, he won me over.
Hard Drive So here's my advice. Don't turn all your negatives into positives. Instead, turn your positives into negatives for a change. Don't be timid.
Travelstar © 2006 Sharpe Copy Inc. You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the "About the Author" message).
Gateway
--
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alan Sharpe is a business-to-business direct mail copywriter and lead generation specialist who helps business owners and marketing managers attract new clients using direct mail marketing. Sign up for free weekly tips like this at http://www.sharpecopy.com/newsletter
Laptop Parts
[ Comment, Edit or Article Submission ]
