More Or Less? The Great Copy Debate

There is a long running debate in business about long copy vs. short copy in advertisements, direct mail letters and websites.

Which sells better? A lot of words on a page or a few strategically placed words? Have you ever thought about it?

I was reading someone’s tutorial the other week about how to get a successful real estate website up and running. Her suggestions included a long list of dos and don’ts. A lot of the typical stuff.

But then I read a line that said, “Don’t fill your homepage with too many words. Your visitors don’t want to read and it will just bore them into going somewhere else.”

Aside from the obvious search engine ramifications of not having much text on your page (You need about 250 words to make a real meal for Google and its partners in crime. Less than that and they’ll go in search of meatier eats.), following this advice will lead you down the path to image advertising and the world of the “creative” advertiser.

Ads like you find being created for big bucks on Madison Ave. It made me think of a story I heard the late great Gary Halbert tell at one of his seminars…

If you have never read his marketing letter, you need to take a moment and do it. He used to charge a lot for a subscription, but now he gives it away.

The web address is: www.thegaryhalbertletter.com

Gary Halbert is considered one of the best copywriters ever. Here’s a summary of the story as he told it…

A letter arrives one day (don’t ask me how, the details weren’t part of the story) and offers you the chance of a lifetime: to pick a spouse and have that woman come to live with you on the deserted island for the rest of your life.

But there is a catch… You have to choose your spouse without seeing her. The only information you’ll have to go on is a letter that she will write to you…

That’s it, just a letter. You have to read it and then make your choice.

Now which type of letter (advertisement) do you think you would like to receive? Something like: Hi, my name is Jane. I am kind and pretty. Please choose me.

No way! Is there any way that you could possibly get TOO much information for this decision?

Now take this concept and apply it to your website. If your prospect is truly interested in buying or selling, is there any way that you could give her too much good information?

Think of your website as your 24/7 salesforce. That’s what you were promised at the beginning of the internet craze weren’t you?

Let’s say you have a sales staff in your business. Would you instruct them to end the sales presentation after the first 400 words?

No way… you make sales by telling the complete story. By handling objections before they even come up… By giving your prospect a full and vivid picture of what their life could look like by working with you. And that takes time and space.

So my recommendation to you is this: write enough to sell.

Tell stories. Get better results. And leave the Madison Avenue type of advertising to the pros. They get paid for creativity. You get paid only for selling something.