But Wait, There’s More! — How Billy Mays Can Instantly Boost Your Email Copy…
By: Jay White
Tags: Copywriting, Copywriter, Marketing, Freelance Writing, Copywriting Tips

Quick question: When you hear the words, “But WAIT! There’s MORE!” What pops into your head?

For me, being a fan of direct response marketing, I instantly think of the late Billy Mays.

During Billy’s reign of wildly successful commercials and infomercials, he took direct response selling on TV to an entirely different level, putting unknown products on the national radar and making millions in the process.

But it wasn’t an accident. Billy honed his skills and cut his salesman teeth on the Atlantic City boardwalk, selling portable washing machines.

(Yeah, you read that right — portable washing machines. On the boardwalk. Can you say, “impossible sell”?)

But through this baptism by fire, Billy learned how to push the buttons of his prospects and get them to buy. So when he got a shot on the Home Shopping Network to pitch a little known detergent called OxiClean, Billy gave it everything he had…

…and the phones lit up like Christmas trees!

The rest is history. Billy went on to fame and fortune, becoming one of the greatest pitchmen that ever lived.

But Billy’s genius was not only in the pitch itself. It was in how it all came together, from the look of his presentation to the exact words that were scripted.

He developed a system that was workable, repeatable, and best of all — PROFITABLE. And here’s the coolest part…

You can take much of Billy’s same approach and apply it to your email marketing. Yep, it’s true.

Now, don’t get me wrong here. I’m not suggesting you grow a beard, put on the blue shirt and the khaki pants and leap out at your prospects in your emails.

But what I am suggesting is that we could all learn a lot about marketing from the late Mr. Mays.

And here’s 5 proven infomercial techniques that can instantly improve your emails…

ONE: Believe In Your Product

Before Billy would even consider pitching something, he had to know — without a shred of doubt — that it worked exactly like it should…

As marketers, we need to do the same. If your prospect even thinks for one second that you’re wishy-washy about a product or promotion, they’ll run in the other direction. Because really, if you don’t believe in it, why should they?

TWO: Introduce Yourself

One of Billy’s catch phrases was “Hi, Billy Mays Here, with (product name)!” It was always the first words out of his mouth. When you heard that, you instantly knew the WHO and the WHAT of the message…

Same deal for your emails. An introduction establishes the setting and gives the reader a basis from which to start from. For example, if I start with:

“Hey there — it’s Jay White from Copy Leads Now, and I’ve got a quick question for you…”

That sets things up nicely in just one simple sentence. They know the WHO and the WHAT, right off the bat. And by posing a question and adding an ellipsis, it naturally draws the reader to the next line.

THREE: Show, Don’t Tell

Nothing sells like social proof. And Billy loved to use “wow” demos to show you how the product worked, especially in extreme situations.

For your emails, you can use the same strategy with testimonials. Subscribers would much rather hear from actual buyers than us, because they trust them more. So use this to your advantage.

But don’t just copy and paste — choose the testimonials that give you a great before/after scenario. (“Before I used Product X, I was miserable. Now I’m happier than ever!”) These tend to resonate better with prospects.

FOUR: Make a Good Offer Better

This is where the “But Wait, There’s More!” comes into play…

Billy could really make an audience salivate for a product throughout his spots, but the real closer was in the last few seconds, when he doubled the order, chopped the price in half, threw in a freebie, etc.

This is what sealed the deal and had thousands dialing the number on the screen. And you can do the same in your emails…

Towards the end, toss in a special offer or bonus that pushes prospects off the fence. But don’t just blurt it out — tease it a little, then hide it inside a link to draw a click through. The P.S. is a great place for this.

FIVE: Don’t Reinvent The Wheel

Billy tested and retested everything until he found a winning formula…

It was, for the most part, an identical presentation — all the way down to his blue shirt, tan pants, and beard. There was the “Hi, “I’m Billy Mays!” introduction that accelerated everything to full speed. Then wow demos. Then the reveal of the “secret”. Then more wow demos. Finally a killer closing offer.

Using a proven formula in your emails can deliver the same type of results, especially if you’re using autoresponders. And where do you find a proven winning formula like that? Right HERE.

Apply these principles to your emails and see how it works for you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to go wipe up a spill with my Absorbeez, do a little yard work with my Awesome Auger, fix a few household items with some Mighty Putty, hang some pictures with my Hercules Hooks, get some spots out of the laundry with KaBoom, then do the wash with some OxiClean. Of course, after I’m finished, I’ll use the Steam Buddy to get the wrinkles out.

Yep — I’m a sucker for a great pitch.

Until next time…

JW

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