Can you use direct response copy for ecommerce products?
I don’t quite get it.
There seems to be this assumption among marketers.
If it’s information, you can sell it with long copy.
If it’s a physical product, you should use the shortest copy possible.
And so you get these product descriptions with just a few sentences, meant to sell some $100 product.
And the novice copywriter who thinks that all copy being used is effective copy sees that and makes a dangerous assumption, or gets confused…
Which leads me to today’s question…
—
Roy
I’m looking to get into direct-response copywriting for ecommerce brands.
How do you use the classic direct-response copywriting principles and methodologies to write product descriptions — and Facebook ads for cold, warm, and hot traffic?
I’m confused because most of the copy in ecommerce is short, like product descriptions for example — or Facebook ad copy.
Thanks,
M
—
My answer? Apply the principles, even if the tactics look a little different…
I recorded a video for this, where I go deeper.
But because I’m gotten a handful of feedback from long-time readers that they miss my text essays, I also want to give a shorter version of my answer here.
There’s a long history of direct response being used to sell products.
Sears started as a catalog, using direct response catalog copy. (I have a reprint of a very old Sears catalog, full of great copy.)
- Peterman grew to $75 million per year selling things like shirts and bags with direct response copy. Before growing TOO FAST, running into financial trouble, and having to restart from scratch. (And apparently doing pretty well once again.)
Joe Sugarman sold electronics — even simple calculators — with direct response ads. Before launching the BluBlockers brand with — you guessed it — direct response!
Today, Stauer is one of many brands regularly using direct response ads in print and online, and form a great example of how to do this.
And there are many more.
Even Amazon.com applies plenty of direct response principles. Even though they don’t always look the same.
Here’s a quick rundown of core principles that still apply…
Have a headline or hook. Use my ABC headline formula to get readership of the copy.
Know your problem/solution equation. This is the problem your product solves, and how yours is a unique and superior solution.
Tell a great story. My Story Selling Master Class has over a dozen templates to do that from a direct response perspective. Story is a cornerstone of direct response copy, and works splendidly for products, too.
Make a clear and compelling offer so the prospect knows what they’re buying.
Use a response device so you can measure response. Good news online is that this can be your simple add-to-cart button.
Find a way to work in urgency. In this respect, products have a huge advantage over information, as scarcity is built in.
Sometimes these must be tactically adapted to fit the format. Especially if you are, for example, listing products on Amazon. Your headline, in this case, is the first line of the description and not the product name.
And yet, all these same principles apply.
I go into more detail in today’s video.
Yours for bigger breakthroughs,
Roy Furr
