Let's briefly take a different view of sales copy. Perhaps you take view that sales copy is meant to talk people into purchasing your product/service. For a moment, let's take a different view that it is actually there to talk people OUT of purchasing your product/service. In many ways, this latter view is more accurate.

Think about prospect as she reads your ad copy. They read a sentence and like what it says. They feel good; they feel hope that this will be answer to one of their problems. They read another sentence. It affirms first and they feel more excited. They are ready to buy, but there is more ad copy. They read on. The third sentence doesn't really apply to their specific problem. Perhaps they start to lose a bit of that excitement. Then fourth sentence completely alienates them. They aren't part of THAT group of people (perhaps you were selling a fitness product and fourth sentence was related to weight-loss). They turn page or click BACK button or close browser. You've lost them.

If your ad copy stopped after first two lines, you would have made sale. Start reading your ad copy in this way. Normally, each sentence is viewed as sentence potentially "sells" them. In reality, usually your prospect is reading each sentence looking for a reason NOT to buy. Start editing your ad copy to eliminate all of those potential reasons. In general, strive to make your ad copy as short as possible.

Not a believer yet? Let me give you some real-life examples that lead me to this conclusion. In early days, I would test click-thru rates using a variety of sales copy. I would try a paragraph against another paragraph. This is where I fist noticed that shorter is better. The shorter paragraphs almost always outperformed longer paragraphs. This is true for both click-thru rate and overall amount of revenue generated over a period of time.

BL: Very important! Most of what I learned 6 or 7 years ago about doing business on Internet came from articles written by others already working online. Today, most of my new customers and clients are generated by articles I write.

MS: How long have you been writing Ezine Articles and what are main topics that you write about in your Ezine Articles?

BL: I've been writing Ezine articles for 5 years and I mainly write about Marketing and Sales

MS: Bob, amongst all promotion techniques you use, how important are Ezine articles?

BL: 1st ...by a large margin

MS: Are there other techniques you use?

BL: Yes. I also do off line promotions by postcard.

MS: Bob, what sort of articles have you had most success with? In your experience, what kind of Articles are most in demand?

BL: "How to" articles about how to find more prospects and customers or how to close more sales. I've been very successful at building my own business and helping other business owners build theirs. I write about things I learned and use ...and tailor my writing specifically to help other small business owners.

MS: Some Ezine Writers promote a product or service in their Resource Box, while others aim only to get a subscription to their free Newsletter. What would your advice be for getting maximum results from your Resource Box?

BL: Both methods are effective. To generate maximum response byline must offer reader an enticing benefit.

MS: What have you found to be most effective ways of getting your Articles published?

BL: Building my own list of publishers who requested articles from me.