Speaker 1: Okay, that could be a headline. But as Tony said, using a how to headline is a breakthrough for most people or a how to explanatory sentence, yet when you write for the top mailers in the contract, they will actually say you cannot use how to bullet. And the reason they do that is because again, as Tony said, it’s overused. Lazy writers will have how to do this. Here, I got two in a row. What’s interesting about this and I wouldn’t have brought it up if Tony hadn’t brought it up, this is an A-list piece for a top in mailer. I forced him to do that because I like “how to” so much that I left them in there, so I had two “how to’s.” They happen to be right next to each to other in a coffee because after I get all my bullets, I usually write the bullets as soon as I can when I get my features in benefit list out then I start writing bullets for every single one. Every single feature in the benefits, I started writing books and I will have 20-page of bullets that I will start calling down from a hundred to the hottest 20, the best, and then sort of arranging them in order. So I get in the view. I’ve really nailed in them.
Speaker 2: And it’s not that there’s anything wrong with how to bullet it’s just --
Speaker 1: It’s just over you. It’s way over you.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: And in fact, Rodale does put that in the contract, know how to bullet. So the only reason I get these through when I write A-list pieces is that they’re so good that they have no argument. Their argument is sound. Most writers would have 20 in a row, how to do this, how to do that. Boring, boring, boring. And this by the way is like page 6 of an eight-page letter, okay. Mac.
Speaker 2: Is there a formula for how many bullets could you use if you’re saying 20 a minimum?
Speaker 1: In direct mail, you’re usually limited to an eight to 12-page letter because of postage stuff. So there is a physical limit. On line, people are writing 400 to 800-page letters full of bullets but I go in and I say this is the same bullet as this one. They may not notice that but this is the same benefit, the same feature and they get repetitive, so a good writer goes in. what’s the famous line, good writing is rewriting. You go in and you start colloguing and you start looking how can I say this better? And I will tell you that on this page, these probably started out as 10 or 12 bullets and I sort of combine them.
Speaker 2: Do you write them from the great to least?
Speaker 1: Yes, you don’t save the good for last. That’s another thing that I do when I critique websites or something, they usually hide themselves for screen pages down. I’d say, no. You want everything you can on that first screen page to go and then you start supporting as you go down. You definitely don’t want to save the best for last. That’s a ridiculous to go.
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