Writing for the web. Web word wizardry. Web writing that works. What does that mean? Your online copy must persuade - it’s integral to getting your visitors or readers to register, subscribe, qualify as leads, and yes, even buy from you. It’s writing that must earn its keep. And to effectively manage the quality of your online writing, you need to understand what works, why it works and how to make it work better for you. Whether you are the marketer responsible for the bottom line or the writer creating the copy, Persuasive Online Copywriting provides the tools you need to get results.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"...An excellent, practical guide to writing with conversion rates in mind" -- Nick Usborne, Author, Net Words: Creating High Impact Online Copy
"...this is a must have volume." -- Larry Chase, WDFM.com Publisher and Author
"Any business-person who wants to succeed online should read and implement the tactics and strategies found in this book" -- Michael Drew, Entrepreneur Press
"This is the Strunk & White of writing for the web." -- Dan Janal, Founder of PR Leads and Author
"Worth reading no matter what your role in copywriting for the Web." -- Debbie Weil, Editor WordBiz Report
"...this is a must have volume." -- Larry Chase, WDFM.com Publisher and Author
"Any business-person who wants to succeed online should read and implement the tactics and strategies found in this book" -- Michael Drew, Entrepreneur Press
"This is the Strunk & White of writing for the web." -- Dan Janal, Founder of PR Leads and Author
"Worth reading no matter what your role in copywriting for the Web." -- Debbie Weil, Editor WordBiz Report
From the Publisher
From the foreword by Roy H. Williams, The Wizard of Ads:
"The internet was a baby born premature. She will certainly survive and grow up to exceed all your expectations, but she must first be given some time to mature. There are some fundamental problems with Internet Marketing that cannot be overcome with simple advances in technology.
What internet marketing needs is people who truly understand the fundamentals of human persuasion and can apply them to the internet. I believe Jeffrey and Bryan Eisenberg have done that in this book."
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
160 of 171 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a well written book and it is one that I recommend to folks who want the basics of writing for the web. Writing Web site copy is hard work and anything that gives you any help at all is welcome.
But I noticed that some of the people mentioned in the book as being helped by the authors or being in some way associated with the authors had sites that didn't apply the rules and tips and teachings that are offered in this book. Yet they have reviews here and in the book. Or some do.
I also ran the "we we test" on their sites that is on the author's site and all scored very low. So it appears that the authors were able to get some good recommendations and reviews but not necessarily by people who adhere to their philosophy.
Having said that, I think this is well worth the read. Don't expect the conversions that the authors seem to think their suggestions will provide. Unfortunately, conversions are much more difficult to get than by applying the advice in this book.
I also found it amusing that the author adheres to the concept of using lots of hyperlinks in the main part of your site (the center) and in his book, Net Words by Nick Usborne, Nice says that's not a good idea at all; that it causes you to lose people. Why is this amusing? Nick works with Future Now as a strategic partner. (Future Now is the site associated with the author of this book.) Future Now does, at least, follow it's own rules. It has lots of hyperlinks on it's page. It has useful tools and a high ranking in the search engines.
So I'm not sure how much stock you can put in either theory or in either book.
The information in the book will, however, be very helpful to those who are writing copy for their own sites or that of others. I just don't think you should believe everything you will read in the book as it all simply doesn't work. Some of it does and for that information, the book is useful.
When copywriters, or for that matter anyone in business, writes a book, it is with the intention of building their credibility and getting more business. And that's fine. But the advice they give sometimes has to be taken with a grain of salt. And the people who recommend the book on the back cover are often folks who write books for the same reason. So you might say they're doing each other a favor.
The proof is in whether or not what you read in a book works. I tested the advice in this book and find it lacking. But I'm in need of more in-depth and realistic offerings. To someone who simply wants help writing their Web site, this is an excellent book. Just don't expect the results that the book, reviewers and those who recommend it seem to think you'll get.
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The short, focused chapters make for a quick and easy read.
Having read just about every book written so far on the subject online copywriting, I must say, that while "Persuasive Online Copywriting" is not the longest book on the subject, but it may be the most useful.
One topic in particular that Bryan and Jeffrey address that I have not seen covered in other books is the concept of writing for specific personalities and visitor types.
This is an area in which I have conducted extensive split-testing, and when done properly, tailoring your copy and navigational paths to specific visitor personas, can greatly improve your conversion rates.
Another reviewer of this book mentioned that it was a bit too in depth for someone with no background in copywriting and that she became lost with subjects such as "Franking" and "Poetic Meter". This may be a valid concern for some readers.
It is my understanding that Bryan and Jeff are students of Roy Williams, author of the "Wizard of Ads" line of books. They even teach a workshop for Roy's students called "Wizards of Web". For those who find some of the concepts mentioned in this book difficult to understand, I recommend first reading a couple of Roy's books. They will give you a good foundation to transition into a deeper understanding of "Persuasive Online Copywriting".
While the copywriting portion of the book is great, I feel that the most important area is the last section of the book, "Understanding Online Conversion". Effective and persuasive copywriting is only one segment of improving your website's conversion rates. And this section of the book gives a good foundation and overview of the overall conversion process.
In my opinion "Persuasive Online Copywriting" should be on the bookshelf of every serious online copywriter, business owner and marketer.
Having read just about every book written so far on the subject online copywriting, I must say, that while "Persuasive Online Copywriting" is not the longest book on the subject, but it may be the most useful.
One topic in particular that Bryan and Jeffrey address that I have not seen covered in other books is the concept of writing for specific personalities and visitor types.
This is an area in which I have conducted extensive split-testing, and when done properly, tailoring your copy and navigational paths to specific visitor personas, can greatly improve your conversion rates.
Another reviewer of this book mentioned that it was a bit too in depth for someone with no background in copywriting and that she became lost with subjects such as "Franking" and "Poetic Meter". This may be a valid concern for some readers.
It is my understanding that Bryan and Jeff are students of Roy Williams, author of the "Wizard of Ads" line of books. They even teach a workshop for Roy's students called "Wizards of Web". For those who find some of the concepts mentioned in this book difficult to understand, I recommend first reading a couple of Roy's books. They will give you a good foundation to transition into a deeper understanding of "Persuasive Online Copywriting".
While the copywriting portion of the book is great, I feel that the most important area is the last section of the book, "Understanding Online Conversion". Effective and persuasive copywriting is only one segment of improving your website's conversion rates. And this section of the book gives a good foundation and overview of the overall conversion process.
In my opinion "Persuasive Online Copywriting" should be on the bookshelf of every serious online copywriter, business owner and marketer.
58 of 68 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This gem of a book offers the most comprehensive (and immediately useable) information on "how to make your website profitable" in the fewest amount of pages that I have yet seen.
As a bonus, it is priced a fraction of most of the available information on this subject. I've paid hundreds of dollars for information that was not nearly as useable as this. (OK I admit I'm a marketing information junkie)
I have purchased dozens of products (printed and ebooks) within the last year alone on this subject. Most of the others talk about search engine tricks, pop-ups, hard sell copy, and basically manipulating your site visitor into doing what you want.
Manipulation may work a little in the short run, but is self defeating in the long run.
This book is much smarter than that. It is in a whole different league.
This book teaches what is really important to long term profits. That is, engaging your visitors and making sure your site is offering them exactly what THEY want.
It shows you how to write extremely effective copy. It also tells you how to discover exactly what your customers are asking you to provide them by watching your stats and web logs.
The basic premise of this book is that without a high conversion ratio, there is no point in buying more traffic. It is much more cost effective to use the techniques contained in this book to increase your conversions than to chase traffic. That comes later. They make a valid point that most folks are doing this backwards.
This book is about way more than just copywriting, by the way. It does an excellent job of enlightening you to many useability factors that may be hurting your sales.
I can't imagine anyone who manages a website and uses even a small percentage of the wisdom contained within not getting a hundred times their investment back.
In conclusion, just buy it and read it. You can not go wrong with this book.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Very underwhelming
I liked the author's web postings, which is what got me interested enough to buy the book. But I felt the book was honestly a waste of money.
Published 21 months ago by sbarie
Enduring Value
Persuasive Online Copywriting isn't a very big book (176 pages) and it's not a very new book (first printed in 2002) but the fact that it remains one of the standards of online... Read more
Published on October 14, 2008 by Charles Thrasher
Persuaded me to keep reading and wanting to learn more!
This book scores a triple play! Its three authors unite to create a book that will help anyone turn their writing and Web site into a winner. Read more
Published on February 14, 2006 by L. Thomas
Incredibly practical - To the authors: great job!
I found this book by browsing on Amazon, and it has been an incredible find. I am currently developing a website from scratch. Read more
Published on February 12, 2006 by Good-Energy Programmer
Excellent Book for Increaseing Online Conversions
Persuasive Copywriting is a great companion to Call to Action, also by Bryan and Jeffrey Eisenberg. Portions of the information in this book were repeated in Action, but that does... Read more
Published on October 18, 2005 by Stoney deGeyter
An eye opener to those who think they know how to write good copy for...
Before reading this book I considered myself a decent copyrighter, not excellent by any means, but decent. Read more
Published on September 20, 2005 by Ash Buckles
HOW TO WRITE WEB COPY THAT MOVES READERS TO ACTION
This book has already gotten rave reviews, but I'll add in my two-cents worth. It's been years since I've had a formal course in marketing, and even then, I wouldn't have learned... Read more
Published on August 31, 2005 by Heather Ivester
Persuasive Online Copywriting
It is a great book. Precise, concise, very practical. It should be considered as the short version of the other book by the same authors "Call To Action". Read more
Published on August 22, 2005 by Erminio Di Lodovico
Worth the Price - A Good Read - Good, Simple Advice
I just got finished with Persuasive Online Copywriting. The style is direct. The information is factual and actionable, although a little repititive. Read more
Published on June 24, 2005 by Anonymous Reviewer
Great book with content that will add to your bottom line...
This book was a great read and quite informative. It'll help you increase your sales by talking to the user at a level that makes your company feel personal, and show to the user... Read more
Published on November 5, 2004 by Cheap Shopper
Inside This Book
(learn more)
First Sentence:
Writing for the Web. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
copywriting online, electrical memory, chemical memory, landing page, online copy Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Roy Williams, The Grok, Accidental Magic, Bard Press, Internet Explorer, Joseph Sugarman, Broca's Area, Net Words, New York, Shark Clothes, Advertising Secrets of the Written Word, Bob Tony, Creating High-Impact Online Copy, Delstar Publishers, The Ultimate Resource, Unique Value Proposition, Write Powerful Advertising Copy New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Writing for the Web. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
copywriting online, electrical memory, chemical memory, landing page, online copy Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Roy Williams, The Grok, Accidental Magic, Bard Press, Internet Explorer, Joseph Sugarman, Broca's Area, Net Words, New York, Shark Clothes, Advertising Secrets of the Written Word, Bob Tony, Creating High-Impact Online Copy, Delstar Publishers, The Ultimate Resource, Unique Value Proposition, Write Powerful Advertising Copy New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 14
books:
See all 14 books this book cites
- Net Words: Creating High-Impact Online Copy by Nick Usborne on 4 pages
- Accidental Magic: The Wizard's Techniques for Writing Words Worth 1,000 Pictures by Rpy H. Williams on page 52, page 147, and Back Matter
- Craft of Copywriting by Alastair Crompton on page 60, and Back Matter
- The Copy Book (Master Craft Series) in Back Matter
- Magical Worlds of the Wizard of Ads: Tools and Techniques for Profitable Persuasion by Roy H. Williams on page 150
See all 14 books this book cites
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