Gordon Burgett’s Newsletter
For writers, speakers, publishers, and product developers:
#7 / May,
2009
In this
issue:
Feature
Articles
Purpose of
the Newsletter
About
Gordon
Featured Articles
WRITING: Where is your transitional paragraph?
Here’s a surprise revelation:
you need to map out your article or book so that you and your reader(s)
intentionally arrive at the same destination at the same time! More important,
you have to tell them at the outset where you are both going…
You know the single most
important part of an article (even a book) that will keep the reader(s)
continually on track and fully involved? It’s the sentence, or several, that
immediately follow the opening lead.
The lead’s job is to grab us
and make us want to read more. The transitional paragraph links the idea of the
lead to how or where we will go in the paragraphs and sections that follow.
“Forget your winter garb in
In our podcasts at www.visualtraveltours.com we get this
intentional guidance by insisting that in the query they focus on the five
geographically linked segments of their tour, then they write a solid 90-second
introductory text telling the viewer where they are going and the key things they
will see or do when they are there. The title is the lead, the short intro is
the transitional paragraph, and the remaining 30 minutes or so (the heart of
the podcast) are the tour itself.
So your homework is to study
the next ten full articles you read to see how the lead attracts and incites,
the transitional paragraph bridges and points, and the rest makes the opening
promises work. Then use this structure yourself so everything you write has its
day in print.
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PRODUCT
I suppose there are really
two dozen ways to sell a product, but these two are by far the most commonly
used ways that I see on the Web, and they are quite different. Let me explain
each, with examples.
(1) The standard way is to
simply list a product on your website’s index (home) page, then link it to a
page (or many) that provides more detailed information. For example, go to www.gordonburgett.com and activate the
link on the left side that says Great
Second Life. (You can also get there indirectly at Gordon’s Books.) You will see the root page for a general market
book that was published several years ago called How to Plan a Great Second Life. That
page includes the title and sub-title, the book cover, a summary of the book’s
contents, and, in this case, a directory that has the link and a short
explanation for nine categories that a potential buyer would like more
information about.
Through the directory the
reader can link to the order form, table of contents, chapter openings,
introduction, chapter one, dream list, testimonials, large print edition, and
the book’s core information as a booklet or an audio CD. Note that they can
even read two chapters (I like to use the opening sections, which are the
table-setters) to see if the book’s contents and style are what they are
seeking.
The link page from the index
concludes with the order form (again) and a way to receive this newsletter.
ORDER FORMS
There are three rather
standard kinds of order forms too. (A) It can be a fill-in page that can be
faxed or mailed back to the seller with the necessary check or credit card
information; that might also include the phone number or email address where
the same credit card information could be sent to order by those means, and (B)
It can be an electronic order form processed through PayPal or a similar server
(I use a 1
Shopping Cart and PayPal
combination) where the buyer provides the mailing information plus the facts
needed to instantly process a credit or pay card, after which the product is
then either immediately downloaded (through a link) if it’s digital or it is
mailed, if not. The (B) format comes in two types. Either the buyer is
delivered to a full order page where all products (or, sometimes, a selected
assortment) are available (our example [1] does that), from which the buyer
chooses one or several purchases, then enters the payment data.
The second format goes
directly to the shopping cart with the chosen product in the cart. Our second
example, [2], takes this route. That keeps the target product as the primary
focus and expedites the sale on the spot. Usually, though, the buyer can opt to
add more products (they are returned to the full order form), then the full(er)
shopping cart is processed and all of the items are bought.
SQUEEZE AND LANDING PAGES
(2) A newer way to sell
products is to create an opening squeeze page, followed by a landing page. Let
me use my current sales item here so you see how much tighter the selling focus
is.
In this case, I contacted my
newsletter e-list with a short (7-paragraph) email that had the headline, “Earn
Six Figures by Giving Seminars.” The rest of this “squeeze page” (see a copy
here at www.gordonburgett.com/SetUpandSellSeminarSqueezePage.htm)
whets the reader’s appetite to learn more about the three-part, audio CD-based
“How to Set Up and Market Your Own Seminar” that would legitimately show them
how to earn those six figures. There are only two escapes from a squeeze page:
opening the link to the landing page (in this case at www.setupandmarketyourownseminar.com)
or closing the contact.
If they do open the landing
page (indicating at least some interest in seminars or workshops), the rest of
the landing page (mine is short; many are 20 pages long) tells them precisely
how the promise can be achieved—and what the product I have for sale contains
(here I include the agenda sheet for the three audio CD seminar and the Table
of Contents of the workbook), how it works, and—by far the most important—what
benefits the buyer can expect to receive. Landing pages often include
testimonials, video shorts, numbers to support claims—and short, active text
(in one-sentence paragraphs) that oozes with urgency…
Again, there are no
diversions (like the many directory links in [1]) nor any way to delay action,
which is called for at the several “ORDER NOW” buttons where the product
usually appears in a shopping cart ready to be immediately processed. (That’s
not quite true: they can also see how to become an affiliate [to sell the same
or other products of mine] and how to get my newsletter—both almost at the top
of the first page, before the selling starts.) The logic is that the reader has
come to the landing page to learn about one thing, how they can get the
benefit(s) promised on the squeeze page. So all of the contents point to that
product and how (and why) it can and should be bought right now—if it’s not too
late!
Why am I sharing this?
Because we all know about (1) but most of us know very little about the
mechanics and structure of (2), and we need to understand both systems to fully
sell good products that will help those eager to buy from us.
You will notice one
addition: in my example of (2): I include a $10 discount coupon (and coupon
number) good only for orders by June 17. Others might offer an additional free
report, a longer use or subscription period, or some kind of extra incentive.
That’s far easier to control in (2), and to evaluate the response rate, because
you know to whom it was sent. It’s also easier to promote again, if you wish,
to that target market. You could even offer different rewards to different
mailing lists without having to alter the basic product information.
I hope this helps. I wish I
had understood the processes earlier in my career.
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WRITING, PUBLISHING, SPEAKING, AND—A
FREE BOOK!
For about five years the
bulk of my speaking gigs came from my then new book called How to Plan a Great Second Life:
What Are You Going to Do With Your Extra 30 Years? In fact, I was
talking about that in
So what has that to do with
us? In part, I’m pleased to give you a free copy of that book in digital form.
Just link here
and write 5279 in the coupon box for a 100% discount. No tax or shipping. (If
that’s too daring or scary, check out the book first at www.gordonburgett.com/GSLbook.htm!) (The tome’s facts are by now a bit dated but
the processes of putting joy, purpose, and meaning into your second life,
starting at any age, are timeless. Good luck with it…)
But there’s more to share
since we are interested in parlaying your skills and products into your own
highly profitable empire.
I decided at the beginning
of this year to stop promoting that book and speech. It was aging, as was I,
and I had other priorities. It still appears on my product list (in four
formats), but I won’t up-date and publish it again. And I’ll use the remaining
stock mostly as support books to draw attention to the newsletter and other
ventures.
Apropos, when a much
respected colleague asked friends and business associates if they’d like to add
a bonus product to a list of free items that buyers of his new book would
receive, that’s where my “GSL” digital version fit right in. It’s a solid book
with a good selling record; better yet, its digital version, delivered as a download,
has no printed inventory, nor are tax or shipping involved. So the digital
version is my free book.
The benefit to me, other
than helping a friend and sharing a topic I very much believe in? By being in his
catalog of bonus products, the book and I suddenly become known to several
hundred thousand webfolk on a variety of cooperating e-lists, plus all who
accept the gift are added to this free newsletter as double opt-in subscribers.
Which is when I whacked
myself on the side of the head and thought, duh, you guys are already here, why
aren’t I giving the book to you? (Thus the earlier gift link.)
I’m sharing this process
because it suggests a way you can use dated or marginal products as a sort of
bait to attract others who will benefit from your key programs and tools. In
fact, many in this field create e-books and audio CD items specifically for
this purpose, without any intent of selling them at all. (Me too. I’ll tell you
more in coming months.) One related item that serves as a good example and
guide is Bob Bly’s A Direct Marketer’s Secret Weapon for Building a Large and Profitable
Opt-in List: The
“Internet Loss Leader” Strategy. It’s a free step-by-step guide on
how this concept works.
In my case, that still
leaves a (small) pile of unsold physical books. How do they get absorbed? As
free add-ons to sell other books “Let me add [GSL to X book] today…”; as a
valuable component in a bundle of related books usually available at speaking
programs; as promotional items sold at big discount for firms or people seeking
a proven, popular give-away, or finally as a donation to prisons or other
institutions.
The more products and
services you create in your empire, the more each plays a supportive role, the
more income you can honestly earn, and the more people you can help. Bingo.
(Enjoy the book.)
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BOOK: How
long is a book?
A quick amplification from
last month. The other day I saw in some old lecture notes from about 10 years
back that the U.S. Post Office used to define a book as 50 pages in length. And
I received a much appreciated e-mail from subscriber Nick DeCandia, the
President of Den Publishing Company, who says that UNESCO (United Nations
Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization) defines a
"book" as a "non-periodical printed publication of at least
49 pages excluding covers." (Nick also sent the links to prove it!)
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A great article in the April
20 Time Magazine, pp.42-5, called
“Get Rich Slow” shows how you could get rich (slowly, now) in the new economy
with almost no investment except time, a needed idea, and usually some
near-free help.
The topics in the examples
given? Aggregate ranking of car reviews and spare bed rentals for budget
lodgers—but it could be 1,000 others. Mix in noodleconomics, the solution to a
problem, perhaps linkedin.com, and the
kind of tenacious genius that my newsletterfolk have, and bingo—an empire in
bloom!
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Purpose of the Newsletter
Welcome! I’m Gordon Burgett.
The purpose of this free newsletter is to provide useful ideas for the
creation and expansion of your own empire. It is automatically sent to you each
month either because you subscribed to it or because you are one of my valued
clients, prospects, seminar attendees, or product buyers. If you’d rather not
be a recipient, I appreciate your wishes—please just unsubscribe! (Our privacy statement couldn’t be simpler:
I will never rent or share your name or e-mail address.)
If you have peers, kin, or friends or you know somebody else who would
benefit from this newsletter, I’d be doubly grateful if you’d tell them about
it—or share it. They can sign up at the opt-in box that follows. Anybody brave
enough to sign up will receive three free reports,
plus an archive that links to all of the earlier newsletters.)
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About Gordon
Gordon Burgett specializes in niche
publishing and empire-building from writing, speaking, and product development.
That is the theme of his monthly newsletter, "Create Your Own Highly
Profitable Empire."
He has also given 2000+ paid spoken
presentations nationwide, written 36 published books and 1,700+ freelance
magazine and newspaper articles: Gordon is also the owner and director of two
publishing firms. His most recent book is Niche
Publishing: Publishing Profitably Every Time.
Burgett is the Executive Editor of www.VisualTravelTours.com,
leading visual travel podcast production firm in world, and for years has
appeared as a talk show guest on radio and TV shows across
If that's not enough, here's
Gordon's more extensive website bio!
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Gordon@gordonburgett.com / www.gordonburgett.com
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