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Hey there... lately I've been pondering the whole "long copy vs. short copy" arguement that has been going around. Many people take the approach that, if it is about lead generation, shorter, teaser copy combined with a freebie (PDF download or whatever) work well together. Others think that when you need to close a sale, longer copy sells and has a higher conversion.

Nick Usborne (author of one of my favourite books, Net Words)  argues that it really doesn't matter if the copy is longer or shorter, but rather it should be based on the users' expectations. Crikey, there have even been experiments on the subject!

On a personal level, when I see long, direct-marketing writing with the PS, PPS and even PPPS and the "buy now" button between every second paragraph, I tend to cringe. Don't get me wrong: long copy, and by this I mean really fabulous long copy, is an art form. And a rarity. It is one of the most difficult things to write, because it is a process of concentrating on the customer, greeting them, going through and answering every concern or sales objection that they may have, and --here's the kicker-- maintaining their interest from word one to word 1000 or 2000 or more.

So, it isn't the length of copy I have a problem with (unless it's bad of course!) but rather my associations with long copy. Honestly, how many times have you seen scammy, over-hyped product - "Make Millions in Less than 60 Seconds! Web Marketing Secrets that Will Make You RICH!" Sometimes the writing has been really great, but the product was, quite frankly, not worth the time of day. It's this sort of thing that has produced a Pavlovian reaction in me.

With all this Web 2.0 hullabaloo about making connections, building relationships, loving our neighbour... whatev... you'd think that long copy would be the route to go. Period. Point final. But something is happening. There is the beginning of a copywriting revolution. Influential writers like Michel Fortin, who has previously written extensively about long copy and why it works, are saying things like:

I’m seeing long-copy salesletters losing their effectiveness, and shorter copy starting to outsell them. As a proponent of long-copy salesletters myself, you can imagine how much of a wakeup call this was for me. And if you’re a copywriter or a marketer, it should be your wakeup call, too.

Wow.

He's written a fascinating (and free!) 50-page PDF book titled "Death of the Salesletter" and it is a must for any writer. You can go here to download a copy for yourself. In it he says that the scrolling long-copy sales letter is a bit of a dinosaur, and that because of the interactivity of the ever-changing Web that people want more control, more interesting ways to get the same amount of copy- but in different formats: text-based, audio, visual, etc. Multisensory information.  And this is what we have to start thinking about: samples, videos, demos, sales presentations, virtual tours, tutorials, and on and on. Let's not forget user-generated content (think product reviews) which is one of the reasons companies like Amazon and Expedia thrive. Once again, if you are doing any kind of business online - go get Michel Fortin's Death of a Salesletter.

Bravo Michel!! Encore, encore!

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