Let’s talk about long copy versus short copy.
The general consensus of opinion is – ‘no-one reads a four-page letter or long form advertisement’; ‘long letters are old-fashioned’; ‘today’s readers want a short sharp one-page one-paragraph message’.
We will discuss the origin of this fallacious thinking another time. But for now, don’t you believe it! The customer or prospect who is interested needs and reads all the facts. Remember, your communication is the salesperson.
You never restrict your sales staff to a limited number of words when they sell face-to-face.
You have to present all the facts in as many words as it takes to do so. Even if it takes 10 pages, the prospect will stay with you as long as you are being clear and presenting a proposition that is relevant.
So how long should a letter be?
You don’t buy a book because it is 100 or 200 pages long, you buy it because somebody has written something that interests you and holds your attention.
Just as a letter has to be as long as necessary to get the story across, so should an email or or advertisement.
