you’re right about long letters being devalued and it’s a challenge any copywriter has to face. Do we write a letter that clearly explains and answers all the questions in your prospect’s mind or do we go for the shorter letter and hope we hit the right nerve that makes them respond.

Personally I tend to create a letter that suits the people I’m writing to. For example if I’m writing a letter that is going to an existing customer base that already knows about the product or service and just needs to be told about the latest improvement or offer, then a shorter letter suffices.

If the letter is talking about a new product or service or is going to a new prospect, who doesn’t know the writer, then a longer letter may be needed.

At the end of the day I don’t really care if my letter is read from beginning to end, if the recipient only reads part and then takes up the offer - then that’s the result I aimed for. Job done!

And yes - blogs do help to create a relationship so people get to know more about you and what you provide.

Thanks for contributing Sarah,

Carol

In my experience, long sales letters are struggling for several reasons:
- They have been devalued by spammy get rich quick schemes that don’t deliver.
- The average long sales letter isn’t explanatory, informative-rich or value delivering – it’s just long copy for the sake of long copy
- People don’t have enough time or the inclination to read extremely long letters any more
- More versatile, equally cheap alternatives that aren’t regarded as spam, such as blogs and brochures.
With a blog you can tell a story over several posts, and give the impression of coming from a real person, not a faceless rip-off merchant. With a brochure you can use the techniques of long copy, but less blatantly than a sales letter.

Having said all that, I never liked long copy anyway so I’m probably biased!

Sarah

Welcome to the February 8, 2008 edition of a make money blogging carnival.

HL Grove presents 4 Steps To Creating Quality Content For Your Blog posted at MoneyWeb24.

Woody Maxim presents It really is a numbers game posted at Woody Maxim.

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