The One Word Every Prospect Craves

It’s arguably the most important word in the copywriter's arsenal. It ranks right at the top with words like "free," "new" and "savings." I’m talking about "you." "You" is the word that gets your prospect’s attention and keeps them involved. As Herschell Gordon Lewis says in The Art of Writing Copy, "Unless the reader regards himself as the target of your message, benefit can’t exist. Benefit demands a ‘We/You’ relationship." While the "We" in the "We/You" relationship is important, it’s better implied than communicated literally. If your goal is to put prospects first, then it’s best to have the "you’s" far exceed the "we’s." It’s the "you’s" that matter to prospects. They’re your workhorse for communicating your message and include all derivatives such as "your," "yours," "yourself," "you’re," and "you’ll."  

The NEW Secrets to Copywriting That Sells

Anyone who has worked with me over the past 25 years knows that my mantra has always been “benefits, benefits, benefits.”  Benefit headlines … benefit copy … benefit subheads … benefit captions … anything to hammer home the customer benefits.