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Articles from Karon Thackston | Selfgrowth.com
- Five Sections of Your Copy Guaranteed To Get Read - by Submitted on Mar 01, 2005 from Karon Thackston© 2005 http://www.copywritingcourse.com Only about 20% of your copy is going to get read. The rest will simply be scanned. I'm sure you've heard the statistic before. It's nothing new. While it might sound frightening or frustrating, it's a fact of copywriting life. So what do you do ...
Views: 1188(1 vote) - How To Write Little Tiny AdWords Ads That Bring Giant-Sized Profits - by Submitted on Nov 10, 2004 from Karon Thackston© 2004 http://www.copywritingcourse.com It seems to be a phenomenon. You try Google AdWords Select, your ad gets “disapproved” by the powers that be at Google, you count your losses and give up. It doesn’t have to be that way. There are two primary factors to succeeding at Google AdWords. ...
Views: 1280(1 vote) - Limited Time Only (Shh! It's A Secret) - by Submitted on Aug 09, 2005 from Karon ThackstonKaron Thackston © 2005 http://www.copywritingcourse.com Under normal circumstances, you'd shout it from the rooftops. After all, when you have something urgent to say, you want others to know about it, right? But when it comes to “limited time only” offers, lately I've noticed a disturbing ...
Views: 1398(1 vote) - Is Your Ad Killing Your Brand? - by Submitted on Jan 10, 2011 from Karon Thackstonby Karon Thackston ?2002 http://www.copywritingcourse.com It’s funny to me how companies spend thousands of dollars to develop a brand only to wreck it when they create their advertising campaigns. They pour over colors, fonts, logo designs, Web site creation, USPs, and target audience ...
Views: 2353(4 votes) - Case In Point: Designing A Site That Demands High Traffic - by Submitted on Jan 10, 2011 from Karon Thackstonby Karon Thackston ?2002 http://www.ktamarketing.com Marnie Pehrson may not be well known for driving traffic to Web sites, but she should be! Her ability to get literally hundreds of thousands of page views a month is simple astounding! (NOTE: I said “page views,?not “hits.?BIG difference!) ...
Views: 2374(4 votes) - “Out of Focus” Ads Can Cost You Customers - by Submitted on Aug 08, 2003 from Karon ThackstonAs I was riding down the road last week, I noticed a billboard. As I sat waiting on a stoplight I kept staring at it. I couldn’t help wondering what those people were thinking when they created that thing. It made no sense to me whatsoever. The focus was completely off. They were spending ...
Views: 1106(1 vote) - A Lesson From “The Apprentice” That Can Make You A Master - by Submitted on Apr 27, 2004 from Karon Thackston© 2004 http://www.copywritingcourse.com I have to admit, I was curious. When I saw previews of a new show called “The Apprentice,” it made me want to at least watch the premiere to see what was going on. Immediately, I was hooked. The whole idea of candidates - from all walks of life, not ...
Views: 976(1 vote) - Are You Asking the Right Questions in Your Copy? - by Submitted on Mar 09, 2004 from Karon Thackston© 2004 http://www.copywritingcourse.com It’s a common approach to writing copy. You begin by asking questions. Why? To evoke thoughts in your readers' minds, to stir up emotions, and to get customers thinking in the way you want them to think. But have you ever thought about how you phrase ...
Views: 1131(1 vote) - Case In Point: Developing An Ezine Built To Last - by Submitted on Feb 04, 2011 from Karon Thackston© 2003 http://www.creatingezines.com Jill Whalen is well known for her search engine optimization talents. She’s equally well known for her ezine, High Rankings Advisor. From its inception in 2000 until today, she has built an exceptionally loyal subscriber base of over 15,000 that would ...
Views: 1385(1 vote) - Case In Point: Get A Full-Page Magazine Ad Free - by Submitted on Nov 21, 2002 from Karon Thackstonhttp://www.ktamarketing.com As you know, I am continually on the look out for innovative marketing ideas that bring a high return on investment. This one is truly creative! Thanks to Roosevelt Best of UK-based Naturally First and Astrology First for sharing his ingenuity – and his results – ...
Views: 1738(1 vote) - Case In Point: Article Promotion Is Not Just For Ezines - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2002 from Karon Thackston© 2002 http://www.ktamarketing.com Almost everyone on the ‘Net is familiar with ezine article promotion. However, Business Essentials subscriber Steve Watson (of Watson’s Streetworks http://www.watsons-streetworks.com) has found a way to get some “free ink” in national paper magazines, too. ...
Views: 1439(1 vote) - Case In Point: Building a Web Business Doesn’t Have To Cost a Fortune - by Submitted on Feb 27, 2003 from Karon Thackston© 2003 http://www.ktamarketing.com Ask Bobette Kyle about building a Web business on a small business budget, and you’ll be amazed what she’ll tell you about planning and coordination. By getting to the heart of the online business structure, Bobette saves small businesses lots of time and ...
Views: 1247(1 vote) - Case In Point: What You Need To Know About Link Popularity - by Submitted on Jun 23, 2003 from Karon ThackstonLink popularity. The term has flooded the ‘Net over the last year, and everybody is in a buzz trying to build link popularity for their sites. But do we really understand what link popularity is, and how it works best? If not, you’re about to find out. Debra O’Neil-Mastaler of Alliance Link ...
Views: 1174(1 vote) - Choosing Keywords That Bring the Best Results - by Submitted on Nov 05, 2003 from Karon Thackston© 2003 http://www.copywritingcourse.com As a search engine optimization copywriter, I’ve seen my share of keywords. When working with me, clients choose their own keywords (or have someone else choose them) and then send me the list to include in their copy. I must admit, sometimes I’m just ...
Views: 1158(1 vote) - Copywriting Makeover: It’s Not About YOU, It’s About THEM - by Submitted on Oct 27, 2003 from Karon Thackston© 2003 http://www.copywritingcourse.com I’ve always loved scented candles. They help create a cozy atmosphere. They give you a relaxed feeling. And - most importantly - they make your home smell wonderful! So, naturally, I was excited when I was approached to rewrite the index (front) page ...
Views: 1074(1 vote) - Copywriting Makeover: Know Where Your Customers Are In The Buying Process Part 1 of 2 - by Submitted on Mar 23, 2004 from Karon Thackston© 2004 http://www.copywritingcourse.com When you begin to write copy for any product or service, there are a few things you have to take into consideration. The first is always your target audience: who you’ll be writing to. Finding out about the needs and wants of the audience members, ...
Views: 1047(1 vote) - Copywriting Makeover: Know Where Your Customers Are In The Buying Process Part 2 of 2 - by Submitted on Mar 23, 2004 from Karon Thackston© 2004 http://www.copywritingcourse.com In part one of this article series, I introduced a client of mine (AEwebworks) who suffered from some copywriting traumas. The basic diagnosis was a lack of synergy within the copy, ineffective use of testimonials, a lack of focus on the target ...
Views: 1080(1 vote) - Copywriting Tips for Sales-generating Brochures - by Submitted on Dec 15, 2003 from Karon Thackston© 2003 http://www.copywritingcourse.com Brochures have held an important place in marketing plans for longer than most of us can remember. There is no doubt that they have the ability to generate sales and increase revenues. Why then do so many of them fail? There are several aspects of ...
Views: 1126(1 vote) - Getting More Sales From Your Order Page - by Submitted on Mar 10, 2003 from Karon Thackston© 2003 http://www.ktamarketing.com It’s the gold medal of e-commerce. Getting that coveted sale is what every online business owner hopes and prays for daily. It’s why we fight for good search engine positioning. It’s why we battle with our copy, making it “just so.” It’s what pays the ...
Views: 1228(1 vote) - How To Ruin Your Press Release in 3 Easy Steps - by Submitted on Dec 17, 2003 from Karon Thackston© 2003 http://www.marketingwords.com I see it almost every day. People who want to generate a press frenzy, but go about it in just the opposite way that they should. There are some definite strategies you need to use when writing a press release that gets results. There are also some ...
Views: 1123(1 vote) - Is It Time For A Copy Facelift? - by Submitted on Feb 04, 2011 from Karon Thackston© 2003 http://www.copywritingcourse.com I just had to laugh! During a recent conversation about how often you should change your copy, I had one person tell me “Well, if there were any *good* copywriters out there, they’d be able to write it once, and it would work forever!” Oh really? ...
Views: 1281(1 vote) - Is Your Copy Upside Down? - by Submitted on Apr 19, 2003 from Karon Thackston© 2003 http://www.copywritingcourse.com As a professional copywriter, I’ve seen my share of copywriting mistakes. One that seems to be particularly common is writing copy that’s “upside down.” When you do this – when you don’t relay your message in the correct order – you lose your audience’s ...
Views: 1145(1 vote) - Is Your Ezine A Wealth of Information or A Sales Trap? - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2002 from Karon Thackston© 2002 http://www.creatingezines.com Ask successful ezine publishers what draws subscribers to their ezines, and you’ll be told one very important thing. Content, content, content. However, many would-be ezine publishers focus more on selling than they do on valuable information. They turn ...
Views: 1419(1 vote) - Pop-Up Windows: A Nuisance or a Gold Mine? - by Submitted on Nov 21, 2002 from Karon Thackstonhttp://www.ktamarketing.com How many times a day do you see them as you surf the Web? Pop-up and pop-under windows have become a widely used marketing tool. But do they work? Are they just a nuisance, or are they really the gold mine that all the “gurus” claim? After doing a good deal of ...
Views: 1711(1 vote) - Press Releases Can Increase Search Engine Positioning - by Submitted on Feb 09, 2004 from Karon Thackston© 2004 http://www.copywritingcourse.com When you write a press release, what is your ultimate goal? No doubt, getting the information to as many publications and on as many Web sites as possible. The focus lies in moving outward… taking the press release to as many *other* sources as ...
Views: 1053(1 vote) - Rules, Regs, and Recommendations for Search Engine Copywriting - by Submitted on Nov 22, 2003 from Karon Thackston2003 http://www.copywritingcourse.com Copywriting is a primary factor when it comes to achieving good search engine placement. However, many times all that is done is to include keywords in the tags of a page and to include a few keyword mentions. While not extremely difficult, writing for the ...
Views: 1110(2 votes) - Segmenting Your Target Audience Through Your Copywriting - by Submitted on Jun 08, 2004 from Karon Thackston© 2004 http://www.copywritingcourse.com Ask any copywriter what the first commandment of copywriting is and they’ll quickly tell you “Know Thy Target Audience.” In order to write effectively you have to know this one group of people and know them well. I guess that’s why many people get so ...
Views: 1234(1 vote) - SEO Copywriting - In the Wake of the “Florida” Update - by Submitted on Jan 13, 2004 from Karon Thackston© 2004 http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword After Google’s most recent update, those in the search engine optimization (SEO) field seem to be standing at attention. As sites that have held long-standing positions in the top 10 flounder and bob around in the search results like a fishing ...
Views: 1052(1 vote) - SEO Writing Strategies for Graphic-Oriented Sites - by Submitted on Oct 03, 2003 from Karon Thackston© 2003 http://www.copywritingcourse.com As a copywriter, I’d love to tell you that every site on the Web needs tons of copy. However, the simple truth is not all do. Many sites simply produce better sales when they use more graphics than words. Since search engines are hungry for words you ...
Views: 1179(1 vote) - Solving the "I Get Tons of Traffic But No Sales" Mystery - by Submitted on Jul 15, 2003 from Karon Thackston© 2003 http://www.copywritingcourse.com I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve heard the statement, “I get tons of traffic, but no sales.” It’s normally followed by comments like: “My site is highly optimized for the engines and my rankings are great. I don’t understand why no one ...
Views: 1060(1 vote) - They're Searching So Why Aren't They Buying? - by Submitted on Sep 25, 2003 from Karon Thackston© 2003 http://www.marketingwords.com There seems to be a common myth regarding site visitors and the buying process these days. I’ve heard this statement more than a few times over the last several months: “My visitors find me when they use search engines. They type in the exact keyphrases I’m ...
Views: 1058(1 vote) - Understanding the Buying Process Can Increase Your Sales - by Submitted on Mar 26, 2003 from Karon Thackston© 2003 http://www.copywritingcourse.com Most marketers don’t give a lot of thought to the buying processes of their customers. That’s a shame. Lending due attention to the buying process can have a dramatic effect on your sales. What is the buying process? Where does your customer fall ...
Views: 1240(1 vote) - Your Site Map: Spider Food or Just A Light Snack? - by Submitted on Aug 03, 2005 from Karon ThackstonKaron Thackston © 2005 http://www.copywritingcourse.com Mechanical spiders have to eat. In fact, they usually have bigger appetites than the real-life spiders you squish under your shoe. What spiders am I talking about? The automated programs sent out by search engines to review and index ...
Views: 1187(1 vote) - Your Target Audience – Who Are They & What Do They Want? - by Submitted on Feb 10, 2003 from Karon Thackston© 2003 http://www.copywritingcourse.com It still amazes me. When I write copy for a company, I always ask about their target audience. I have to know who I’m writing to in order to create a message that will bring a response. But about half the time, the client is absolutely stumped about ...
Views: 1495(1 vote) - Nip and Tuck – Three Quick Tricks for Writing SEO Copy - by Submitted on Apr 19, 2003 from Karon Thackston© 2003 http://www.copywritingcourse.com Have you ever been to one of those sites that has obviously been written to get high search engine rankings? You know the ones… they have copy that sounds like this: “When you buy quality silver jewelry from us, you know your quality silver jewelry is ...
Views: 1236(1 vote) - “Super Verbs” Really Move Your Copy - by Submitted on Dec 08, 2004 from Karon Thackston© 2004 http://www.learn-copywriting.com Run or hustle? Eat or devour? Move or scurry? You can boost the power of your copy by boosting the quality of verbs you use. Verbs show action, and the way you describe that action can have a dramatic bearing on your readers. Why would you want to ...
Views: 1356 - Are Keywords Destroying the Flow of Your SEO Copy? - by Submitted on Sep 08, 2004 from Karon Thackston© 2004, All Rights Reserved http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword With all the shuffling that’s been seen in the search engine world within the last year, the issue of obvious optimizing has become a hot button. The current line of thinking is that most engines (especially Google) are on the ...
Views: 1169 - Calls-To-Action: Making Them Fit Makes All the Difference - by Submitted on Aug 21, 2004 from Karon Thackston© 2004 http://www.learn-copywriting.com It was going so well, so what happened? Many copywriters get off to a wonderful start: The headline is compelling, the body copy is benefit-filled, but then comes the call-to-action and the whole thing falls apart. Why? It could be a dozen different ...
Views: 1193 - Common Mistakes That Can Kill Your Web Copy - by Submitted on Aug 27, 2005 from Karon ThackstonKaron Thackston © 2005 http://www.copywritingcourse.com Sometimes learning what not to do is as important as learning what to do. Copywriting is no exception. I oftentimes see copy that is well written, but obviously created by an amateur. How do I know? One or more of the following five ...
Views: 1086 - Copywriting and Your Five Senses - by Submitted on Jun 25, 2004 from Karon Thackston© 2004 http://www.copywritingcourse.com In its most basic form, copywriting is, among other things, the art of conveying a message in writing for the purpose of persuading someone to do something. This is especially true when writing descriptive copy. Why? Because your customer’s five senses ...
Views: 1193 - Copywriting Is Not One-Size-Fits-All - by Submitted on May 15, 2004 from Karon Thackston© 2004 http://www.copywritingcourse.com I was in shock. Honestly, I shook my head when I read his email. I meant no disrespect; I just couldn’t believe he really felt that way. “Karon, I want you to write the sales letter for my site. How much will it cost me?” read his note. After ...
Views: 972 - Copywriting Is Not One-Size-Fits-All - by Submitted on May 15, 2004 from Karon Thackston© 2004 http://www.copywritingcourse.com I was in shock. Honestly, I shook my head when I read his email. I meant no disrespect; I just couldn’t believe he really felt that way. “Karon, I want you to write the sales letter for my site. How much will it cost me?” read his note. After ...
Views: 932 - Copywriting Is Not One-Size-Fits-All - by Submitted on May 15, 2004 from Karon Thackston© 2004 http://www.copywritingcourse.com I was in shock. Honestly, I shook my head when I read his email. I meant no disrespect; I just couldn’t believe he really felt that way. “Karon, I want you to write the sales letter for my site. How much will it cost me?” read his note. After ...
Views: 966 - Copywriting Is Not One-Size-Fits-All - by Submitted on May 15, 2004 from Karon Thackston© 2004 http://www.copywritingcourse.com I was in shock. Honestly, I shook my head when I read his email. I meant no disrespect; I just couldn’t believe he really felt that way. “Karon, I want you to write the sales letter for my site. How much will it cost me?” read his note. After ...
Views: 969 - Copywriting Is Not One-Size-Fits-All - by Submitted on May 15, 2004 from Karon Thackston© 2004 http://www.copywritingcourse.com I was in shock. Honestly, I shook my head when I read his email. I meant no disrespect; I just couldn’t believe he really felt that way. “Karon, I want you to write the sales letter for my site. How much will it cost me?” read his note. After ...
Views: 1189 - Copywriting Makeover: Making An Emotional Connection - Part 1 of 2 - by Submitted on Jul 30, 2004 from Karon Thackston© 2004 http://www.copywritingcourse.com One statistic shows that over 80% of all buying decisions are emotional. That means your copywriting should be, too. This is something I firmly believe in and have preached for most of my copywriting career. However, all too often, I find people ...
Views: 1365 - Copywriting Makeover: Making An Emotional Connection - Part 2 of 2 - by Submitted on Jul 30, 2004 from Karon Thackston© 2004 http://www.copywritingcourse.com In part one of this article series we began looking at the Cruise Vacation Center site: a travel site whose copy was sorely lacking in emotional appeal and visual imagry. (You can see the previous version of the copy here: ...
Views: 1248 - Copywriting Makeover: Search Engine-Friendly Can Also Mean Visitor-Friendly - by Submitted on May 21, 2005 from Karon Thackstonby Karon Thackston © 2005 http://www.copywritingcourse.com When it comes to search engine optimization, copywriting plays a big role. You want to have excellent copy that appeals to both your visitors and the engines in order to create pages that will rank highly. However, sometimes there can ...
Views: 1169 - Copywriting Makeover: The Value of Being Crystal Clear: Part 1 of 2 - by Submitted on Mar 10, 2006 from Karon Thackstonby Karon Thackston © 2006 http://www.copywritingcourse.com Sometimes, despite our best efforts, the message we most want our customers to hear gets lost in a sea of superlatives. The marketer within us takes over and - before we know it - the core focus of the Web page, brochure or flyer ...
Views: 1083 - Copywriting Makeover: The Value of Being Crystal Clear: Part 2 of 2 - by Submitted on Mar 10, 2006 from Karon Thackstonby Karon Thackston © 2006 http://www.copywritingcourse.com In Part 1 of this series (http://www.marketingwords.com/articles/copywriting_makeover_providerwatch.html), you were introduced to Provider Watch, a company whose site copy was a bit confusing. (You can see the original copy here: ...
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