As The Beatles’ legendary drummer, Ringo is known for his distinctive rhythms, fills, and drum breaks that he added to Lennon & McCartney’s greatest hits.
So why would Ringo make a great copywriter?
Two reasons:
He knew intuitively the kind of beat a song needed, and what it didn’t.
His drum parts were as important to the songs as their melodies and harmonies were.
In other words, he provided the beat--the cadence, if you will--behind the greatest songs of our time.
And that, my friends, is what I believe would make him a great copywriter.
The fact is, cadence not only influences your sentence structure but also the persuasiveness of your copy.
I’ve reprimanded more than one publisher who chose to change my “whiches” to “thats”
when they were being used as parts of essential clauses.
I let them know in no uncertain terms, “You’re ruining my cadence!” The fact is, the meaning of what you are trying to communicate can be interpreted differently depending on your cadence.
On a subliminal level, it keeps the reader reading,
almost as if they are humming along to a Beatles tune. That may be an exaggeration, but you understand what I mean.
Take my article today. There is a cadence behind every word and sentence. If you have read this far, well, then, it seems to be working.
Please keep in mind I said, “If you have read this far, well, then, it seems to be
working.” I did not say, “If you have read this far, it seems to be working.”
The reason is simple:
It makes my article sound like I am having a conversation with you instead of just talking at you.
So
where an editor might want to cut the words “well, then” as unnecessary, they are an important part behind the beat of that sentence that makes me sound, as you read this, almost human as you hear my words in your head, as if I have spoken them directly to you.
Little things like these make the difference between good copy and great copy--all because of the subliminal beat behind the copy.
That’s because cadence not only keeps the reader from falling asleep but it can also build drama, too.
Example:
There’s a big shake-up ahead in technology stocks, and there’s no escaping it. A new revolution is unfolding … one that’s greater in scale than any I’ve seen
in the past two decades. And it will affect every investment you own now and for years to come. Here’s why:
The great technology boom that made Bill Gates the world’s richest man is entering a new and brutally competitive phase—a phase where high-tech profits will be ruled by marketing breakthroughs and not by technology breakthroughs.
Here’s another example:
Fellow Investor,
I’ve just uncovered a small biotech company that could turn a $200 investment into $1 million. That’s a big claim, I know.
But not when you realize this company possesses a game-changing DNA
technology that’s about to turn the $3.3 trillion health care industry upside down.
That’s not just me saying this.
Bloomberg says this technology “will change the world.”
Forbes calls it “the next step in human evolution.”
Nobel Prize-winning scientist David Baltimore agrees that this will usher in “a new era in human history.”
This is why Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Peter Theil, and 10 other big-money investors are investing heavily in this DNA technology.
These heavyweights see, as I do, this breakthrough DNA
technology eliminating virtually every major disease, from Alzheimer’s to cancer, from diabetes to heart disease, from Lou Gehrig’s disease to Parkinson’s.
Here’s the full story, and why it offers you a rare opportunity to turn $200 into $1 million and why now is the time to grab it.
As you can read, there is a cadence to
each of these examples. That is something that all great copy possesses--a beat.
Does yours?
This is why I write, rewrite, and write again as I edit and polish my copy, because it must have a beat. And that beat, my friends, is designed to have my readers skipping down the page to the order
form.
Ka-ching!
(Notice how “Ka-ching” rings like a “sting”--that is, in music terms a crashing symbol that comes after a drum roll to punctuate a joke.)
That is, my friends, the best example of cadence I can share with you in real time.
I discovered the whole concept of cadence when I started writing copy.
As a self-taught copywriter, I would actually count the paragraphs between concepts in winning direct mail packages. It was from there that I began to understand the importance of the beat behind the copy. I always made sure that my copy had a beat behind every
package I wrote, as well.
That is one of the key concepts behind my Million-Dollar Copywriting Formulathat has helped me write with a style that flows from page one to the
order form, and do it over and over again.
Because of my understanding of cadence, I have been able to fuse together hundreds of winning, market-proven ideas into powerful money-making email campaigns, webinars, and video sales letters--almost as if Ringo were playing the drums behind my copy!
Which is why I get so excited about financial copywriting. I see every promotion I write as composing a song--not one you hum along to but one where people skip along all the way to the order form.
Sort of like a Pied Piper, if you will--with your readers all dancing to the beat of the money that lies at the end of the Yellow Brick Road!
If you’ve read any of my articles, you know that I like to name some of my techniques after a number of bands, artists, movies, and TV shows.
There’s The Beatles, The Jackson Five, the Wizard of Oz, MacGyver, Ringo Starr, of course. Plus the famous "cookie and the dog."
It’s goofy, I know, but I do this for
three reasons. They are:
Easy to remember
Easy to implement
Easy to see the holes in your copy
When I am reviewing my own copy or coaching copywriters, I can quickly run through their copy, say, “Hey, where are The Beatles?” or “You need to get the reader back on the Yellow Brick Road” or simply ”We need to pick up the beat
here.”
For over 30 years, I have been using these techniques to write hundreds of gold, platinum, and multiplatinum investment newsletter and trading advisory promotions. My sincere hope is that you can use them too--to apply them to your writing so that you too can get a few hits under your belt.
This is why, beginning this month, I will be re-opening the doors
to my Million-Dollar Copywriting Formula one-one-one copywriting coaching program.
My motive is honest and sincere:
To create a legacy of copywriting knowledge that proves that
anyone can succeed as a financial copywriter using my Million-Dollar Copywriting Formula.
That’s why the best way to impart my knowledge to you is directly with you.
Not in group classes…
or by your having to read and fill out workbooks, where you are always wondering, “How is this going to help me get better?”
You will learn, as I did, the old-school way: by listening, taking notes, talking things out, and writing and rewriting, until you get it right.
In other words, I will take you by the hand and walk you down the Yellow Brick
Road of the copywriting business so that you can grab your own pot of gold.
If you have read this far, I hope you’ve gotten a feel for how much I love this business that has been so good to me and why I would like to share its blessings with others.
If you are at all considering a career in financial
copywriting, I do hope you choose a career as a financial copywriter. You’ll never again have to sit in some office cubby writing meaningless brochures or flyers for people who don’t appreciate your talent.
You’ll be working with the country’s top financial publishers, who will pay you a king’s ransom in fees and royalties to produce winners. If you can sell the golden dream as I have, you will be golden too.
As a seasoned direct response copywriter, Doug has created hundreds of profitable direct mail packages, emails, and video sales letters for the world's largest specialized information publishers—generating over $100 million in direct sales.
