My clients shell out $25,000 for me to
write them a sales promotion package.
But my
smart clients can get 2... 3...
even 5 new promotions for the same
price. How?
By giving me the freedom to create
multiple cover tests!
Cover tests are awesome. They allow you
to change the entire look and feel of
your sales promotion on the cover only.
That means you can test different
headlines and cover designs for just
pennies on the dollar. But the better
news is:
The copywriter and the client get more
chances for a winner!
Why put all your creative eggs in one
basket - hoping YOU picked the winning
headline and cover? Let YOUR MARKET
decide - with cover tests!
Here's an example of how one of my smart
clients got a big bang from his creative
buck...
A while ago, I worked on a health
promotion for an oral chelation product.
We tested 4 different headlines:
#1: The Ultimate Pac Man for
Your Arteries
#2: Now you can REMOVE and SEE
the plaque that was clogging your
arteries!
#3: The
New Chelation Miracle
#4: Meet the folks who said,
"Bye Bye Bypass!"
So, which headline won?
If you picked #3 - you're a pretty smart
cookie!
That was the strongest headline and the
official new control - meaning it was
the headline my client used to mail to
his lists of prospective customers.
But...
... Headline #2 and #4 were also strong
- coming in less than a percentage point
from the winner. In other words...
... My client did not have 1 - but 3 new
successful covers! He could rotate
mailing these covers to his prospect
mailing list and fight response fatigue.
So the package stays fresher in the mail
LONGER!
In fact, that chelation package mailed
for over 2 years - using the 3 covers!
So you can see why the client is happy.
He doesn't have to shell out more moolah
for a new package. And for l'il ole me -
the
copywriter - multiple cover tests mean a
longer and steadier flow of royalty
income! Now, that's what I call a
"win-win!"
This is the same client who's given me
up to 5 test panels for every new
package I create for him! I just LOVE
him - and his savvy marketing mind!
Here's why...
Many, MANY times, if I had to pick only
one of those 5 tests to choose, I
would've picked the WRONG one! Here's a
perfect example:
For a launch of a probiotic product, we
mailed the following 5 test panels:
#1: When you poop, do you need a
...
[photo of a plunger] to unstop clogged
bowels ...
[photo of a vice] to tighten up loose
bowels ...
[photo of a gas mask] to keep from
passing out afterwards
#2: The Big, Huge Yogurt Hoax
[an exposé on yogurt]
#3: Unclog your colon!
[with a before and after graphic shot of
what a filthy and clean colon looks
like]
#4: Why suffer? Now you can put
an end to embarrassing gas ...bloating
... constipation ...heartburn
...diarrhea ...irritable bowels ...and
other digestive problems [with
photos of folks experiencing digestive
problems]
#5: When your intestines go
from: [photo of the Sahara
desert]
To this: [photo of Ireland's green
pasture]
You can put an end to your worst
digestion problems in record time.
So which cover won?
Let me tell you this first: I absolutely
LOVED the "poop" and "unclog your colon"
covers. I felt they nailed the USP right
on the head.
I thought the yogurt cover was a solid
test since most people think yogurt
contains acidophilus and other good
stuff for your digestion.
We almost didn't test cover #5. Both my
client and I worried that the message
was too vague.
The "Why suffer" cover was ok but no one
was shouting its praises either.
The winner?
Well, let me say this: If we only tested
my favorite 2 cover tests ( #1 and #3),
my package would've lost. Both of those
covers barely broke even!
If I had put all my money on the yogurt
cover - I would've lost even MORE money!
This cover didn't break even.
The undisputable - and KICK BUTT winner
- was the boring #5 -
"When your intestines go from..."
- yep, the package we almost didn't
test!
And the close runner-up was #4 - the
"Why Suffer" cover no one was thrilled
about!
See what I mean?
Sometimes, there's just no method to the
madness when it comes to picking the
right cover. So why take chances?
If you're a business owner, ask - no -
DEMAND your copywriters give you several
headlines to test. Then, let the market
decide for you!
One important thing to remember: Make
sure your covers look very different
from each other.
Don't waste the opportunity by testing
insignificant things or ideas. For
example...
... You don't need to test whether a red
border will be stronger than a blue
border ...or whether a single word
change on the headline will make a
difference.
Focus on BIG ideas and DIFFERENT
headlines that can give you a 20% or
better lift in response!
I try to focus my cover test on a range
from "safe to crazy".
That means I always include a safe cover
- one that nails the USP of the product
right on the head. This cover follows a
traditional copywriting protocol I
learned from Master Copywriter Gary
Bencivenga:
Solve an urgent PROBLEM + Offer a unique
PROMISE + Deliver unquestionable PROOF +
Offer a user friendly PROPOSITION.
I also call this cover my "bread and
butter" - 'cause momma needs to pay da
bills!
Then I go to the other end of the
spectrum and go for a home run approach.
That's usually a crazy cover idea that
defies all copywriting "rules". My goal
is for the cover to either
bomb - because it's just so "out
there" - or "blow
the roof off" - and create a
surprising new twist on marketing the
product!
And then, I create my "tweeners": cover
tests #2 thru #4 (or however many
additional covers I'm given). They all
have different ideas, designs or
whatever else I think I need to give me
solid tests.
My clients and I have gotten some great
successes with this approach - and so
can you!
As a business owner, you can get more
leverage from your sales package if you
do this: Ask - oops sorry - DEMAND -
your copywriter to create 2 ...3 ...even
5 different cover tests with the final
copy submission. And test as many of
these covers as possible!
Why request 5 covers when you only plan
to test 1 or 2?
Because the optimum time to get the BEST
ideas from your copywriter is while
she's hot and heavy working on your
project!
If you wait 2 or 3 months later to
request cover tests, your copywriter has
probably purged all that info from her
brain and has to start cold.
Strike while she's sizzlin' hot - and
you'll most likely get her best ideas!
You can always test the unused covers at
a later date.
If you focus on testing aggressively
with each and every new creative idea -
you'll soon discover you have several
controls of the same package!
Not only does this type of testing make
sense - it can deliver hefty cents to
your bottom line!
