The
Magician's "Swipe File"
When I first started out selling though direct mail, many of the books
and courses I studied would talk about "Swipe Files". Unfortunately,
many of today's modern marketing courses either fail to mention this
simple concept at all, or downplay the important role it has in improving
your sales copy writing skills.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "A swipe file is a collection
of tested and proven ads and sales letters. Keeping a swipe file is
a common practice used by advertising copywriters and creative directors
as a ready reference of ideas for projects."
You as a professional entertainer should collect the marketing pieces
of other successful entertainers. These are not examples meant to be
plagiarized. You aren't copying work here; you're adapting it to your
own copywriting needs.
"Most writers, when they start out, mimic their favorite authors.
Eventually, we developed our own styles, which were richer for having
first gone through this mimic stage.
The point is this: part of any effective learning process is to mimic
what has been successful before you.
This is true of copywriting, too. And it's the reason you need to start
a "swipe" file if you want to become a successful copywriter."
David Silva
By comparing David Copperfield's posters with Lance Burton's and other
magicians. you can find the common elements that make them work. Collecting
headlines from sales letters, advertisements and press releases, you
will get ideas you can adapt to your own use.
Too many new business peolpe try to re-invent the wheel. It is much
better to see what works and highlight, change, and improve on that.
How do you decide what to put in your swipe file?
Whenever you come across a piece of sales copy, whether it's on the
web, in your email, in a newspaper or it arrives in your postal mail,
you need to take a couple of moments to look it over. If the headline
grabs your attention and the letter draws you in then the chances are
you are holding a good piece of copy in your hands. It may be for a
totally unrelated product than your show, but study it to see why it
grabbed you.
Having a swipe file is vital to become a master copywriter. There’s
no need to reinvent the wheel. Do not copy the exact same words, but
copy the ideas and gain inspiration!
Are you interested in starting your swipe file? You've read my articles
on marketing at BellaOnline, Visions Online and several other websites.
Perhaps you've even been a special client of mine and I've helped design
marketing promotions for you in the past
Now, 25 years of marketing expertise is combined in one super CD to
help you. Go to http://magicmarketing.bravehost.com/swipefile.html
Dennis Regling
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Dennis
Regling is a professional magician,
author and lecturer. He performs educational programs at over
250 elementary and junior high schools every year. Additionally,
he performs gospel magic programs at church camps, Vacation Bible
Schools and other church events. Dennis has authored over 12 books
for magicians. Dennis currently resides in Freeport, Ohio and
performs throughout the east and midwest. Contact
Dennis |
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The
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