• “One-shot customer acquisition promotions are going the way of the dinosaurs.
• “Bombastic ‘big promise’ or USP headlines don’t work as well.
• “High-octane sales copy is losing its power.”

Does this mean the outrageous promises, hard sell and hype are finally ending? We can only hope.

It’s good to hear a giant in old-time, hard-sell copywriting finally say what consumers already know. Today’s shoppers — of any age — are more savvy and more cynical than ever. They don’t fall for that old BS anymore. The credibility of media, marketers, corporations and small biz stands near zero when a prospect first catches your scent. That is especially true in email marketing and your website.

Bottom line: They don’t believe what you say. That’s why a good copywriter is so important. It’s up to the copy, the content, your message, to lift your credibility above zero. It’s all about what you say, and how you say it. That’s why, online or off, a good copywriter is worth his weight in gold.

There’s a better way.

Instead of promising the moon, take it slow. Let prospects get to know you first. You don’t propose on the first date, right? So don’t try to close the deal immediately either. In fact, don’t “sell” at all. Not at first. Instead, offer them your help — no strings attached. Give before you ask for anything in return.

Swallow hard and start giving away your secrets. Your best stuff. (Not all of it, of course.) Free information is only appreciated if it’s new and valuable, not more of the same old stuff they’ve heard a hundred times before. Offer them free samples of your product. A free trial period of your service.

Build a new marketing strategy around this concept: stop selling, start giving. Call it “Golden Rule” Marketing. When it’s well executed, it overcomes cynicism, reduces skepticism and raises credibility.

People don’t like to buy from strangers. Unless it’s some kind of emergency, they prefer to get to know, like and trust you first. Guess what? That’s actually better for you, too. Why?

Once you let prospects get familiar with you and your offerings, it is much easier to gently move them along to the next step (touchpoint) in the sales cycle. The more you share, they more they’ll care. That strengthens your relationship, and over the long term it’s much more likely to lead to a long-term relationship, enthusiastic referrals and a booming business.

Need help planning and executing your “Golden Rule” marketing plan? Let’s talk. Want to get to know me better first? Smart move! Sign up for my free newsletter (see form above), follow me on Twitter and/or let’s connect on LinkedIn.

Writing can be a lot of fun. That’s why texting and Twitter and blogs are so popular. Everyone feels a natural human urge to communicate. It’s especially easy and fun when you’re just messing around, if it doesn’t really matter whether anyone actually reads and understands what you’re trying to say. In other words, writing is fun when results don’t matter.

But when something important is on the line, when your writing has to explain, entertain or persuade, when it has to deliver a return on your investment of time and money, writing is a lot harder. That’s why clients pay thousands of dollars for a good sales letter (or its online equivalent, a landing page). If the sales message is well-written and persuasive, the client stands to make many times that amount.

“Easy writing means hard reading,” said Samuel Johnson. In other words, getting and holding the attention of an overworked, multi-tasking, distracted reader is a wee bit tougher than knocking out another quick tweet. Trying to persuade someone to actually do what you want them to do? Now you’re into some really tough terrain.

Don’t believe me? Try writing a note that will convince your kids to go to bed on time when you’re not home. Try explaining to a co-worker how to perform a semi-complex process. Try convincing someone to vote for you, or why they should buy from you rather than your competitor. Then see how easy writing is.

Believe me, I’m not trying to discourage anyone from writing. Quite the opposite. The problem is, good writing fools us. It seduces us all. Good writing makes it look easy. How many times have you thought as you’re reading a book, article or ad, “That’s the perfect way to express it. But it’s so obvious. How else could you possibly say it?”

What most people don’t realize is how long the writer might have sweated and struggled to get it to that point. How many drafts and revisions she might have written and rejected before the work evolved to that “so perfect it’s obvious” status.

Next time someone tells you it’s easy and fun to write, ask to read something they’ve written. See how easy and fun it is to read.

Hmmm, interesting strategy. Is there something I’m missing?

Let’s compare prices. Better yet, since I’m pretty lazy, let ReadWriteWeb do it.

Windows Vista Ultimate with SP1

• Microsoft Store: $319.95
• Amazon: $249.99
• Royal Discount (via Bizrate) $222.98

Another example: Office Standard 2007 (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook)

• Microsoft Store $399.95
• Amazon: $318.99

OK, I realize Ballmer & Co. have to be careful not to incur the wrath of their retail channel by underselling them. But if you’re not going to offer bargains, why even bother with an online store? Would someone please enlighten me?

Or would somebody loan them a clue…

As today’s Consumerist detailed, Silverman has been amazingly successful in getting companies to give him all sorts of free stuff: First class upgrades, hotel room upgrades (how does a free week in the Presidential Suite sound?), hundreds of dollars in cash — all from his way with words.

Silverman has now written a book filled with advice for complaining. The basic technique isn’t too far off from the way to write an effective sales letter. Basically his advice is:

1. Make the opening of your complaint letter personable and personal. Hook their interest.
2. Praise first before you explain why you’re dissatisfied.
3. Keep it brief. The reader is busy and easily distracted.
4. Be reasonable — don’t ask for the moon.
5. Make it clear you haven’t written them off, that you pl;an to be customers again in the future, and that you would welcome some sort of compensation.

As the Consumerist put it, “It’s really just an artful way of demonstrating the basic principle of “it will cost more to ignore me than to take care of my problem.”

Check it out. It’s a fun read. And it may get you what you want next time you’re wronged.

It’s true. Of all the millions of copywriters in all the gin joints in all the world, my modest copywriting site shows up first when you Google that term. That’s way cool, I gotta admit. Even cooler is how I found out.

I got a call the other day from a guy in Austin. He’s seen my work and liked it, and wanted to hire me to write a couple of direct response sales letters for a new financial product his company was introducing in Austin. OK, great.

Like any good businessman, I always ask new clients, how’d you find me? A referral, perhaps? My blog? That outstanding warrant?

No, he said, Google. Do you remember what search term you used, I asked. I didn’t really expect him to remember. Half the prospects who find me via search can’t remember which search engine they used, much less what words they typed in the little box.

But he remembered: “B2b sales letters.”

I was a bit surprised. It’s one of my favorite kinds of copywriting — I love all forms of direct response — but I hadn’t optimized my site for that term. So I tried it myself, wondering how far down the listings I’d appear.

OMG, that’s me in first place, right at the very top of the results page! Whoa. That is very cool.

So remember what they say, folks: Don’t settle for anything less than #1. At least not when you need a sales letter or any kind of direct response copywriting.

(Unless you’re searching on Yahoo. Then you want to demand #3.)

PS: Not to brag, but (ahem) I also show up #1 in both Google and Yahoo for “Maine copywriter.” (SEO? I’ll show you SEO…)