“Announcing the ARSENAL
of Alternative-Health Advertising
PLUS in this letter… the Depression-Inflation Survival Plan
for marketers, copywriters and consultants
Dear Marketing Friend,
Will you look back one day and declare… despite all the madness: “2024 was a BREAKTHROUGH year!?”
Forget about inflation, recessions and even depressions.
You need just two things — IDEAS and ACTION.
Let me explain.
No matter your market or industry…
No matter how long you’ve been in business…
No matter what city or country you call home…
We’re ALL in the IDEA business
And no matter what goes down in the in the world economy — including the now endless parade of emergencies (pandemic, climate, energy and war) — it’s important to cleave to this truth…
Marketers are the middlemen between prospects and dreams!
Because you’re never just selling a product or service — your offers bring ORDER to the lives of your prospects and customers — even if just in those moments they inhabit the world of promise and possibility in your ads.
Perhaps, you haven’t yet had your big BREAKTHROUGH.
Or perhaps, you’ve blazed your share of trails and are planning your “last hurrah.”
Whatever the case…
You’ve come to the right place.
And in case you’re wondering…
Why is a dysfunctional recluse like me claiming I can help you?
Let’s give it a whirl.
Who am I?
I’m a direct response addict, advertiser and archivist.
A hopeless bibliophile, history buff, linguistic dilettante, gym rat and dad. The young’uns often rib me about being a boomer. I’m not!
Now a semi-sane teetotaler and a pretty pious (though flawed!) Latin Mass Roman Catholic. I’m 1890 ELO rated in chess and a former governor of the storied Marshall Chess Club in New York City.
I met my future wife at the Marshall late one summer night while having a beer and solving some chess compositions with my friend, Grandmaster William Lombardy, who was Fischer’s coach during the 1972 World Championship against Boris Spassky in Reykjavik, among other accomplishments.
I promptly toppled my bottle of beer on the inlaid chess table within thirty seconds after Anjelina sat down. Interestingly, my parents met in Washington Square Park just three blocks south, so I guess there’s some romantic providence about Greenwich Village where I’m concerned.
I’ve been fortunate to have worked with hundreds of fantastic marketers, copywriters and business builders from around the globe, from value investing billionaires like Norman Rentrop… to serial entrepreneurs and world class health and beauty brand builders like Peter Nicholas… and from founders and copy chiefs of every sized company… to neophyte copywriters, direct marketers and veteran entrepreneurs, who’ve just discovered the raw POWER of direct response.
I’m still captivated by all facets of direct response, but particularly the old school of direct mail and print. I’ve invested over a million bucks on subscriptions and products to keep my name (and aliases!) seeded on direct mail lists.
Enough about me, mon ami… here’s what it’s all about.
You’ve heard of lifetime customer value?
“Customer A” might be worth only a hundred bucks, while “Customer B” may spend a million or more over a lifetime of doing business with you.
And thanks to the MAGIC of the Internet… there are no boundaries when it comes to acquiring customers… whether it’s a neighbor on the other side of the freeway… or a billionaire in Bonn.
One thing’s for sure.
You DON’T market to these customers the same way.
But guess what?
Just as marketers, copywriters and consultants everywhere recognize the importance of lifetime customer value… there’s a lesser known, yet equally VITAL concept. It’s…
The lifetime value of good ideas!
That’s exactly why I built the “ARSENAL of Alternative Health Advertising”… because IDEAS are the lifeblood of direct response selling.
Truth be told…
“Mr. X” in Hong Kong had a hand in this compilation of BREAKTHROUGH ads… after a recent comment he shared.
Who is he? He’s no mere Jay Abraham inspired device for boosting readership.
He’s a retired Aussie marketing veteran, client and friend who’s been a player on three continents. I’m trying to coax him back onto the playing field for one last HURRAH.
More on Mr. X in a moment… and how his observation can put bushels of bucks in your pocket.
Where was I? Oh right… ideas.
You don’t just need GOOD ideas…. you need…
BLOCKBUSTER IDEAS… that changed the course of business and copywriting!
There’s no better example than Arsenal Ad #24: “Better than Botox?”
It’s one of the rare 5-STAR rated entries in the 107 ad…. “ARSENAL of Alternative Health Advertising.”
I remember sitting in the third row center in the Saint Regis Roof & Penthouse during Gary Bencivenga’s retirement seminar and feverishly taking notes when Gary presented this very ad.
Here’s what Gary said about “Better than Botox?”
“Notice this deft touch — the question mark after the headline. That little question mark greatly expands the strength you can pack into the words that precede it. If you were to state just a flat-out claim ‘Better than Botox,’ you’d have to back up that promise with much stronger proof. The question mark gives you a lot more flexibility.”
At the time of the seminar in May of 2005, the Strivectin ad, “Better than Botox?” was barely two years old.
Nobody knew how it would…
SUPERNOVA into a BILLION DOLLAR product line!
And yet that’s exactly what the conglomerate of companies who came up with Strivectin (and a legion of other products!) achieved long ago.
But they didn’t start with a headline.
They devised a start-to-finish VISION.
So don’t expect to improvise a headline, like “Better Than Xanax?” then to sit back and count your sales. Though kudos to that advertiser who TESTED it.
Gary nailed the compact simplicity and power of this three-word headline with a question mark.
But the subhead was also barn-burner that SHOOK UP the anti-aging market.
Fittingly, a Brazilian subscriber came up with a term for it. He calls it the:
“OFF-LABEL ATTACK” or “OLÁ” in Portuguese… captured in the brilliant subhead.
“Who would have thought a stretch mark reducer would turn out to be the anti-wrinkle breakthrough of the decade!”
And if you know how to deploy OLÁ… you can…
Say “HELLO” to higher price points…
and a boatload more of response!
See, just as the question mark surprisingly strengthens the headline, instead of just making the claim: “Better than Botox”…
So too does the unintended (off-label) use of a universally known “stretch mark reducer” as an “anti-wrinkle breakthrough of the decade.”
And here’s a 2018 ad cast in the same mold with a few thousand insertions under its belt.
(Disclaimer: I’m not an attorney, nor do I play one online. So speak with yours for legal advice.)
Where was I?
Oh, yeah.
Claims connected to an off-label product are much more compelling to the prospect because they harness the credibility of an established product already known to her.
That’s how you get to charge $135 for a 6-ounce tube of cream. Oh, SORRY — I meant high performance serum — what was I thinking?
The beauty of the “Better than Botox?” headline is you can adapt it to almost any market… as long as there’s a STANDARD your prospect immediately recognizes.
But again, don’t expect to conquer the market overnight… even with a 5-STAR concept.
There was tremendous capital behind the Strivectin launch and as everyone who’s a player in this market knows: you need pharma style packaging and top graphic design… if you want to make it to the TOP of the heap… and cash out for a giant payday.
So don’t pin high hopes on replicating this with a DIY operation… run out of your brother-in-law’s basement.
Onward.
Enter stage right… “Mr. X?”
The mystery man from Sydney, now retired and living in Hong Kong, was inspiration for the “ARSENAL of Alternative Health Advertising.”
Mr. X was a student of an American direct response legend who dominated the pages of print from 1975-2004. He was such the able student that he later bought his company.
Here’s what he shared with me back in February about WINNING advertising:
“I’d rather have 3 or 4 BLOCKBUSTERS a month than 50 “also-rans.”
Just as you market differently to customers who buy often… and at higher price points…
So too do you invest your energy in BLOCKBUSTER advertising ideas… like “Better than Botox?”… that can pay you GIANT dividends over time… versus the also-rans.
But don’t think the “ARSENAL of Alternative Health Advertising” stops at just one category of product.
Truth is it goes…
WAY BEYOND supplements, serums and info products!
So if you write copy for or market:
– Dietary supplements,
– Anti-aging serums or
– Alternative health books, newsletters and reports…
You’ll be FLUSH with response-getting ideas that could ring the register till 2025.
But there’s SO MUCH MORE in the ARSENAL, like professional practice advertising, health devices, and high ticket exercise equipment.
Let’s look at an absolutely KILLER professional practice headine… that conquered an island and its starving inhabitants: MANHATTAN… but first…
If you decide to swing for the ARSENAL… you’re welcome to…
Take 90 days full site access to the
AD MONEY MACHINE
Including these for starters:
Secrets of APEX Predators… in the Print Ad Jungle of 2023… PLUS Dr. Sears’ “2-Second” RED PILL Secret for Boosting Your Supplements Brand in Any Ad
An Alt-Health Headline That Will Be With Us 50 Years from Now! “Copywriting catnip” to copycats around the world!
“I couldn’t ask my mother these questions!” Secrets from the TESTING Titans of Rodale Press
Great Leads That Rake In Response THE headline… that copycats around the world swiped to sell tens of millions worth of supplements. It’s a veritable direct response FORCE of nature!
Ultimate ANTI-AGING advertising… 44 GIANT pages and over one BILLION dollars in sales! Everything from world class health and beauty copy… to luscious layouts… to pitching product lines in print… plus product naming and positioning
How To Turn a “1-Page Catalog” Into An Advice Column Advertorial Secrets of advertorial formats that BLAST OPEN new frontiers of response!
$20 Million Book Bonanza (Multi-Channel Sales Madness)
Promise + Proof = Profits Supplements company SNAPPED UP for $24 million not long after this direct mail home run!
TINY TWEAK Transforms “Typecast” Promoter’s Product Into A Triumph Advertising angle that can CRUSH it when a promoter or “house doctor” is associated with one area of expertise…
The Kind of Direct Mail Marketing that Created a $195 MILLION PAYDAY PLUS a warning to “FAT CAT acquirers” thinking sales will magically materialize without winning direct response
The Newsletter Launch Package… That Landed a Half Million Customers (UPDATED)
Alt-Health Headline with 10,000 Insertions and 5-Year Dominance
KILLER Customer Acquisition and An Unstoppable Pain Relief Offer It pains me to admit there’s not much in the way of long form copy for this trio of ads that run almost everywhere.
One of the HOTTEST Alt-Health Headlines of the 2000s… (Selling Prospects on the Product AND the Brand)
Why Some Copywriters Are STILL Making Bank With This 66-Year-Old Headline! HINT: Selling the purview of a ‘privileged’ class
“Why Do Patients Stop Dying When Doctors Go On Strike…”
The Health Guru Who Almost Died by His Own Supply
Marketing Moats and “Anti-Search Marketing” in the Age of Amazon
Even More… $3,200 Anti-Aging Supplements
Marketing secrets of the world’s largest chiropractic franchise… 24-page BLUEPRINT for creating a world beating franchise!
From ZERO to $450 Million with This Affiliate Model? (UPDATE)
Copy Ideas… AFTER You’ve Scaled Everest (Plus Biblical Selling Secrets)
Why Most “One-Pill-Wonder” Supplement Sellers FAIL… and How a Few Get Fabulously RICH
The 2 Planetary Poles of Advertising Claims
My Mailman Can (Still) Quote This Magalog
Fine Tuning Controls and the Ultimate U.S.P for the “Supreme Supplement”
The 4 Envelope Strategies in Direct Mail… and the Inner Envelope Secret
Magic Subject Line Making a MINT! Larcenous subject line lifted from the best in the biz… 25 years later!
![](https://admoneymachine.com/secure/images/Destroy-Cancer-01.jpg")
MILLIONS More Over Your Marketing Lifetime… with FINE Print Offer Copy (Subscription Selling Secrets)
They Keep Laughing… But This Headline (Still) Keeps Working
FABULOUS fascination ringing the register… 9 YEARS and counting!
Case Studies in Catastrophe (When the FTC Comes a Knockin’)
“Fat Magnets”… Copy Crooks… and a MAGIC Weight Loss Headline
KILLER Supplements Control… and Secrets from the “A.B.A School” of Advertising
Super Supplements that KEEP Selling… Decades later!
Crazy Cannabis Controls… and Textbook Pot Pitches that PULL!
Selling PAIN PILLS to Boomers and Seniors
From “House Doctor” to TRUSTED Advisor (EVERGREEN Alt-Health Advertising)
How to Turn “Small Caliber” Bullets into BIG Sales!
Rocking Risk Free Trial Offers for Weight Loss in 2023
The World’s Most Expensive Book and Selling “The World’s Most Expensive (Blank)”
“One Weird Trick” for REVIVING “Clickbait” Subject Lines That SELL! Let’s hop in a capsule and head back in time a decade to the “underbelly” of direct response around 2010.
And waaaay more ALT-HELATH HITS!
These print ads cover a large swath of time — from 1981 to 2023.
And you’re likely to discover more than a few money-making secret weapons… almost as soon as you dive in.
How did these 107 ads make the cut? They were chosen mainly based on two criteria.
1. LONGEVITY (Some ads lasted in print over 20 years!)
2, INSERTIONS (A large volume of insertions denotes a WINNER.)
But you’ll also encounter some that had tremendous PROMISE… but didn’t get off the ground. And in some weird way… these may offer YOU the most promise at carving response out of your market.
Here’s another one of the winning 107.
It’s not a mass market ad, but it had the response getting impact of an atom bomb in its target market.
You could call it…
“The headline that took Manhattan”
It’s one thing to discover the message that hits the WHITE HOT core of your market.
And it’s another to get that message IN FRONT of the RIGHT prospects.
Perhaps, there’s never been a HOTTER message… in front of a hungrier crowd… with a harder hitting headline.
Here’s how the Upper West Side cosmetic dentist fished with NETS on an island inhabited by schools of budding actors… looking for an EDGE at any cost.
The dentist who uncorked “Is Your Smile Holding You Back?” advertised in only one place, Back Stage.
That’s all he needed because the bait was irresistible… and ARSENAL Ad #59: “Is Your Smile Holding You Back?” filled his practice. So much so that after ten years of insertions, he had to STOP running the ad in 1991.
In the pre-Instagram decade of the 1980s, there was one group more concerned about physical appearance than any other: ACTORS. By day they traveled to casting calls and by night they worked as waiters, while standing by for their big break.
What if they could stop waiting tables… and instead get hired next week? This amazing ad offered the promise for over a decade.
Now imagine your product or service isn’t merely of the cosmetic nature, as life changing as that may be.
Imagine YOU are your prospect’s LAST resort
Few ads conveyed this more powerfully than ARSENAL Ad #41: “So. Cal optometrist helps legally blind to see again.”
The idea wasn’t new, but the SoCal optometrist was the first to fortify it into a total package of lean and mean lead generation.
Think about this.
Many prospects outright DISMISS claims because everything they’ve tried has fallen short for them.
Or they’ll commonly say: “Maybe it works… but it won’t work for me.”
That’s almost IMPOSSIBLE to say in response to this headline.
And check out this passage of copy from the ad.
“Paul Bogner, 73, owner of Bogner Pools in Riverside was about to have his driver’s license expire. His doctor told him that he would not pass the vision test at the DMV office due to loss of central vision from macular degeneration. Because his wife is in a convalescent home recovering from a stroke, Paul is living alone. ‘For me to continue to live independently and to visit my wife, I must be able to keep my driver’s license’ says Paul. ‘I was lucky to have seen the article on Dr. Shuldiner in the newspaper.'”
Lead generation in the professional practice world…
doesn’t get any better than this! And the very copy in the ad confirms an important truth: in newspaper print (and now online display) your first job is SELLING NEWS!
Of course, the SoCal optometrist PAID for the ad insertion… and the legion that came after it… but every prospect who ran into it thought it was an ARTICLE.
Two things to know about this ad, amico mio.
1. This optometrist heads a booming practice today, 26 years after this ad first ran.
2. This ad was so successful it was LICENSED to other optometrists around the country.
Now is that copy your mum would be proud of you over, or what?
Let’s change gears for a look at:
A 12-year info marketing classic!
It’s Arsenal Ad #2: “Here are 15 fat-burning foods that cause you to lose weight…”
Mind you it doesn’t come close to the “ultra-marathoner” ad in the ARSENAL… “Recipes for Diabetics” which stood the test of time in print from 1981-2001.
And just like the eternal self-help classic, “How to Win Friends and Influence People” it’s one of the rare convergences in publishing and advertising where the title for the book doubled as the headline for the ad… and DOMINATED for decades in both categories!
Sometimes publishing and copywriting can be elegantly simple.
But in terms of longevity and quirkiness… the nod goes to “Here are 15 fat-burning foods that cause you to lose weight…”
Why?
When an advertiser can run THOUSANDS of ads for a $24.95 report that’s essentially a list of fat burning foods, he’s onto something you could take to the bank in some shape or form.
This is also a textbook example of QUESTION & ANSWER copywriting… which us old school marketers and copywriters grew up with.
No supplements for sale in this 1,971 word epic.
This ad lasted the equivalent of several lifetimes in print (from 1992-2004) at a time when outrageous claims dripped off the page of almost every weight loss ad.
This one was different.
What are the 15 fat-burning foods? You’ve GOT to read the ad.
Yet I’ll admit it.
If you put this unusual ad for “Fat-Burning Foods that Cause Weight Loss” side by side with a RODALE BOOKS classic…
You might think…
So what?
And indeed, you’ll have three Rodale SMASH hits among the 107 entries… as soon as you download the 151 megabyte zipped ARSENAL file.
Yet as formidable as Rodale was at its high water mark in the 1990s, the guerilla weight loss report sold under “Here are 15 fat-burning foods…” outlasted ALL of these Rodale ad insertions and grabs a 4 STAR rating out of 5.
And there’s another benefit you’ll enjoy when you download the ARSENAL — you’ll have four decades of intelligence on WINNING PRODUCTS… in addition to near endless inspiration for headlines, fascinations and powerful proof elements.
Before getting to the promised “Depression-Inflation Survival Plan” for marketers, copywriters and consultants… you may be wondering…
Why print advertising in 2024?
The fact is CRACKING copy works in almost any media, whether it’s online, DRTV, direct mail, radio or print.
But there’s an important thing to keep in mind about print. Long after the last newspaper runs off the press… the “technique” of print will LIVE on!
I’ll confidently go a step further: 10 years from today, you can continue to mine the LEGACY of print advertising and…
CASH IN on 150 years of “idea jackpots”
to SMASH your competition!
Seriously, almost every product or service you can think of (and a myriad you couldn’t even fathom) has been sold through print.
Whether it’s a…
– Lead magnet that lands 150,000 paying subscribers, like Sheet Music Magazine
– “Good cop, bad cop” ad where the founders spar on the page while offering the prospect a “better deal” as in Einstein Moomjy
– Fundraising fun of the Gentlefolk’s Aid Association fishing for WHALES in the ocean of print
– Kookie bass fisherman’s gadget that reeled in $100 million a year in sales, like the “The Flying Lure” or a…
– Rodale Books classic that turned a “small caliber” bullet into GIANT sales
Simply put, the ARSENAL will give you countless ideas on:
How to turn winning print ads into
response boosting landing pages!
THIS is why you need the creative fuel of tested and proven print. Somebody’s already invested in the ad insertion… and unlike a 24-page maglaog… you can grasp the winning idea in seconds!
Have a look at this textbook lead generation from Fisher Investments with $197 billion in managed funds. When Fisher’s marketing director contacted me in July of 2013 about how to make their direct mail advertising better…
I answered him in one word: “TESTING!”
But Fisher’s print and online advertising sets the standard in investment management and lead generation marketing.
Look how their full-page insertion from the August 2022 edition of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance segues to a flawless online landing page.
And remember… if you decide to swing for the ARSENAL… you’re welcome to…
Grab 90 days full site access to the
AD MONEY MACHINE
But don’t think for a moment it’s only for health marketers and copywriters!
No… there’s more… much more!
Zeitgeist for 2023 in This BOLD Bookalog… from the larger than life “copywriting vaquero”
From $180 Million in Sales… to a Bright Orange Jump Suit… And 20 Years in the Slammer
“Amazing Money Making Tales from the World’s Greatest Story Seller” (UPDATED for 2023) 40 pages of some of the biggest pulling story ads that ever ran.
ULTIMATE product positioning (The world’s most powerful money manual)… How to sell 100,000 home study courses at $195 to brand new customers
40 LIFE CHANGING pages that could turn YOU into a fabulous fascination writer… even if you’ve never written one before!
How to run 100,000 ads in print that NEVER fatigue. Likely the ad with the MOST insertions in the history of BIZ-OP.
Which Headline Won? “Panics And Crashes… And How You Can Make Money Out Of Them”
POWER Proof Elements You Can Take to the Bank… Forever!
Brazilian Jujitsu Chiro Copywriter’s “TINYTORIALS” Triumph
“Ogilvy Orchestration” In the Halcyon Days of Merrill Lynch (“How To Speculate in Commodity Futures”)
“Night Table Turnaround Books”… You Don’t Even Need to Open… To Profit From!
The Marshall McLuhan-Eugene Schwartz Newsletter Tag Team Triumph? (PLUS: “The Medium Is the Message” in JUNQUE Mail)
THIS Copywriting Element Was 50% Responsible for Company’s Meteoric Rise to $250 Million
12-page sales letter moves a MOUNTAIN of $995 a year subscriptions… without any fancy graphic design.
Secrets of an UNBEATABLE 27-year “double control” in direct mail… and print… PLUS contrarian advice on why “beating the control” could be a BIG waste of your time… from the winning copywriter himself
100-year old response booster SMASHES your prospect’s most common (and hidden) objections. 21-page digital dossier for ratcheting up response… from those prospects who normally say “No!”
I Like This Headline… Too Bad No One Else Did!
Boiler room on paper…”Pandemic creates potential stock boom of the decade.” This newspaper mailing is the epitome of Marshall McLuhan’s maxim, “the medium is the message”
A Supplements Guarantee… You Can Take to the BANK!
“The Greatest Trick This BLOCKBUSTER Biz-Op Ever Pulled Was… convincing the world… it wasn’t a biz-op.”
“How to Scheme Your Way to Profit” Info Marketers Who Make Millions WITHOUT an Original Idea (Ogilvy famously said: “Originality is the most dangerous word in the advertiser’s lexicon.”)
The “Super Consultant” package… Home study selling secrets… PLUS… How to FORCE readership with the… “Why I hate (blank)” lift letter.
World’s WEIRDEST lead gen lesson… from 20th Century electric guitar marketers… who made a MINT
My mailman can (STILL) quote this magalog… World’s winningest alt-health copywriter’s response rocking TUNE-UP… on a tired 10-year old piece
2 MAGIC HEADLINES battle it out… and the winner is… Welcome to the “mailbox gladiatorial games”
SNEAKY subscription selling secrets. An IRRESISTIBLE offer that’s 100% above board… yet wrings out every last ounce of response.
LEGACY programs that land response…”Why I Will Pay You $4,768 To Cancel Your Subscription Right Now”
MAGIC subject line from quarter BILLION dollar company… yanks response from ANY List. So good it was turned into a direct mail package.
Fabulous Forbes funnels and “The One Stock to Buy in July”… Secrets of the perennial winner to the Forbes’ house file
Simple PERSUASION BLUEPRINT… from a 60 year copywriting veteran to pocket over $100 million. (In his own words… shared in a personal email)
Self-defense package my mailman knows by heart… The envelope teaser copy propelled this winner for two solid years.
“CUSTOM Villas” luxury real estate classic... sold BIG on both sides of the Atlantic
FABULOUS fascination ringing the register… 9 YEARS and counting!
“Secrets of The Societies The Greatest Kept Secrets of All Time for Money, Power, Romantic Love!”
Mel Martin’s subscription selling and POWER pricing… The power of CONTRAST that gets prospects’ greed glands going
Ad lessons from the LARGEST book publishing enterprise EVER in existence (224-page “Dirty Dossier”)
You must be over 21… to read this headline?
MAGIC headline sold 2.6 MILLION books PLUS… How to burn a list of 175,000 paying subscribers
The BIG bookalog that launched a thousand copywriting careers… A 21st Century direct mail list topper for POWER product positioning.
Selling Beethoven by the BOATLOAD… A towering Time-Life offer that ran for years
Mom’s AMAZING pineapple weight loss pitch… (Mailing 11 Years and Counting)
World’s greatest AFFILIATE marketing model? Some things are too good to share… but here it is. An EVERGREEN concept in cash creation with the power of niches.
Plus… HUNDREDS more “Case Studies in Cash Creation.”
Before moving on… here’s a quick…
WARNING! If you’re looking for fancy website graphics or “java jumping jacks”… this offer is NOT for you.
But if you’d like to tap into the power of winning direct response… and countless IDEA JACKPOTS for you and your business… WITHOUT spending a million on products and subscriptions to get them… you’ve come to the right place.
Truth be told though, in today’s world of out of control inflation… soaring energy costs… and bank bailouts like it’s 2009… all on top of the scorched earth of Covid pandemonium… it takes more than just good ideas to get ahead.
And this full page ad from almost fifty years ago is as relevant now as then.
“Hoard the gold, food and ammo!”
Even if the current economic dumpster fire gets worse before it gets better…
It’s vital to cleave to this truth:
Marketers are the middlemen between prospects and dreams!
The DEPRESSION-INFLATION SURVIVAL PLAN wasn’t just an arresting headline any 1970’s newspaper reader would have seen… for Bob Kephart’s Inflation Survival Letter.
It’s a MINDSET and ACTION PLAN for marketers, copywriters and entrepreneurs…
for times just like these!
And no coincidence, around the same time as the Inflation Survival Letter ad… another powerful advertising headline was making the rounds… which marketers everywhere should take to heart.
It came from the pen of direct response legend, Harry Browne, who was also a two-time presidential candidate, investment advisor, author and copywriter!
The brilliant headline read: “How Almost Anyone Can Profit From Inflation, Recessions And Depressions.”
The target prospect for this 1974 ad was the beleaguered American wilting under 11.04% inflation and the 1973 oil embargo that sent energy prices soaring.
And then as now, people wondered out loud about the possibility of a depression.
That’s why this ad worked like MAGIC.
Instead of the usual doomsday headline… this one did the UNEXPECTED. It not only presented the possibility that the prospect could BEAT the recession… he could even THRIVE during a depression.
How?
The prospect’s eyes are opened to the world of possibility of riding in the convertible with top hat… and skipping the soup line!
in tough times in this 1974 smash hit!
As a marketer and copywriter… YOU have the power to offer your prospect the metaphoric ride in a convertible… no matter what products and services you sell.
And no matter where you are today, you’re only one sales letter away from your own convertible ride on a sunny day.
It starts with the right MINDSET and knowing… people will ALWAYS continue to buy and sell and GET RICH… no matter how dystopian the world gets, barring the dark extremes of some of my favorite films: Mad Max, The Day After and Threads.
And speaking of dark, do you know the difference between a recession and a depression?
I’ll tell you:
“A recession is when your neighbor loses his job, but a depression is when you lose your own.”
Maybe you’re an old timer like me and recall Ronald Reagan springing this line on the campaign trail in September 1980. But Reagan got this zinger from labor leader, Dave Beck.
Think about this amusing yet profound quote for a moment.
Because this concept impacts the way you market to EVERY prospect and customer who crosses your path today… whether you’ve been in business for thirty years or you’re just getting warmed up in a new market.
For now, here’s the original source of the quote from the front page of the Portland Press Herald, February 15, 1954.
Beck was a wily union man and negotiator, but it would be hard for even him to get away with: “I’m strictly non-partisan” today.
Try telling someone you’re “apolitical” nowadays and they just might reply: “But are you an apolitical liberal or an apolitical conservative?”
Politics aside…
In times of turmoil… you need SOMETHING MORE to get ahead. So here’s old Lawrence’s:
Depression-Inflation Survival Plan
… for marketers, copywriters and business builders.
Focus on the fundamentals… and forget about everything else.
1. Put more HOT offers… in front of more qualified prospects and customers… more often. It doesn’t matter what products or services you sell, this is the source and summit of your marketing existence: more offers… in front of more qualified prospects and customers… more often.
2. Focus on “Players With Money.” Here’s why you need PWMs.
As long as you can solve their problems, they’re happy to continue paying you. Can you generate leads for them… write sales copy that gets their prospects to take ACTION… scout profitable joint ventures for them… or be the TRUSTED ADVISOR they dare not live without? If so, you’re in business.
3. Take advantage of the RICHES IN NICHES. The fact someone is a specialist is built in proof she knows what she’s doing, so it’s much easier to make the sale.
Example: If you were having a problem with pesky pat rats wrecking your yard, would you call “Mr. Pack Rat” or a generic pest control company? The answer is obvious. That’s why the Arizona based “Mr. Pack Rat” gets inquiries from as far away as Japan. (This is closely related to #6: USPs and POSITIONING.)
4. Focus on SUBSCRIPTION SELLING. If compound interest was dubbed the “Eighth Wonder of the World” — by a group as diverse as Ben Franklin, Baron de Rothschild, Einstein and Bernard Baruch — then subscription selling is the “Ninth Wonder of the World” for marketers and business builders.
But unlike the decades it takes to compound a modest amount of money into a fortune… successful subscription selling can QUICKLY create long term windfalls… often with the same effort as it takes to sell a one-off product or service.
How can I resist?
I’ll refer to Gary Bencivenga’s “Seminar of the Century” again to make the point.
“Wealth is an income stream!” is a life changing concept… once you GET it.
Gary elaborated:
“Why go through all the effort to sell one thing when, with the same effort, you can build in an automatic revenue stream from renewals or repeat purchases?”
Gary doesn’t just talk the talk, he WALKS THE WALK. His magnificent Fresh Pressed Olive Oil Club (CLUB being the operating word) is proof of that.
Here’s one of his recent shipments. And in case you’re wondering… YES… I’m a fan-ATIC!
and food pairings guide
Find a whopping 114 examples in the “Continuity Selling” Category!
5. Promote HIGH TICKET offers. Most marketers miss the boat by NEVER testing the boundaries of how much they can charge for a product or service. So they not only miss out on more sales and profits, but deprive their best customers of the Surf ‘n’ Turf experience they crave.
6. Refine your USP and POSITIONING — for both you as a promoter and your products and services. Example: Can you write anti-aging copy that fills patient rooms at cosmetic surgery centers?
Imagine this… instead of dropping $20k a month on a dubious double page spread with no compelling call to action… the surgical practice could pay YOU to write a campaign to their email list which they limply market to.
How should you POSITION yourself to the cosmetic surgery center… knowing full well you can bring them a boatload of new business… by converting names they already have on their prospect list?
Here’s what you should NOT do — you should NOT position yourself as a copywriter… or Heaven forbid, as a consultant — that’s the kiss of death!
Your positioning is as an INVESTOR… and ALL of the powerful connotations that go along with it. (This small insight can be worth MILLIONS in the right hands.)
Remember, even if you’re operating a “shoestring startup”… you’re investing the most valuable thing you’ve got: YOUR TIME. And when you get your positioning RIGHT… you may discover that everything else falls into place.
Forget about inflation, recessions and even depressions.
You need just two things — IDEAS and ACTION.
The ARSENAL can change your marketing and business life… starting today… because IDEAS are the lifeblood of direct response selling.
Onward!
Question: “What happens after I complete my order?”
Answer: Right after checkout you’ll see the this registration page for the ARSENAL level of Ad Money Machine. After your registration you’ll have three months of access to AD MONEY MACHINE and HUNDREDS of “Case Studies in Cash Creation.”
Question: “What happens if there’s a snafu after checkout and I cannot successfully register my username and password?”
Answer: Don’t fret, send me an email and I’ll get you squared away. I wish the occasional tech failure wasn’t a part of life, but it is.
Question: “How do I access my purchase after registration of my username and password?”
Answer: You’ll be immediately taken to the secure ARSENAL DOWNLOAD CENTER and the transfer of the 151 megabyte zipped file to your computer should take under two minutes. You’ll also find a 32-minute BASIC TRAINING overview video.
Question: “How long will I have access to the ARSENAL of Alternative Health Advertising?”
Answer: You have indefinite access to the ARSENAL. So you can log in today, next week and even next year to download the collection.
Question: “What happens to my Ad Money Machine membership after its expiration in 90 days?”
Answer: Your membership will NOT renew and your card will not be billed again. Of course, you’ll have the option to renew your membership in 90 days if you wish.
Question: “I’ve been reading your emails for a while, but have never purchased anything yet. What do I do once I have the ARSENAL collection?”
Answer: Every ad in this collection is in easy-to-read PDF format. I’m partial to Gary “the Great” Bencivenga’s “Ad-A-Day” regimen. Because reading a great ad each day is one of the best ways to strengthen your “copywriting muscles.” Plus the 32-minute BASIC TRAINING overview video will give you a great understanding of the firepower you hold on your hard drive and how to deploy it.
Question: “What is your 60 day “Pillage and Profit” guarantee?”
Answer: When you download the ARSENAL to your computer… it’s like having 107 elite advertising “special forces” feed you with BIG ideas and inspire you to WIN THE BATTLE against the blinking cursor.
Pillage and profit with it, but if for some reason you’re not ecstatic with the ARSENAL, you can claim a friction-free refund within 60 days. You be the sole judge, you’re covered no matter what.
Question: “I’ve bought some of your products before and been very happy with them. What’s NEW in this product?”
Answer: This is the first rated collection of 107 breakthrough ads in alt-health, based on longevity and volume of insertions. You can profit from four decades of intelligence on winning products, in addition to near endless inspiration for headlines, fascinations and powerful proof elements.
Some comments from clients, colleagues and friends…
who I bribed asked(!) for a blurb
“I love the mix of past and present which shows that direct mail is still viable today.
I live in London, there is no other way for me to get access to this stuff over here.”
(Ranveer Singh, London Copywriter)
“There are few who can hold a candle to Lawrence Bernstein when it comes to knowledge of direct mail and print advertising, past and present. I turn to him for one reason and one reason only — because he’s a walking encyclopedia. His input has helped me with significant customer events.”
(Perry Marshall, The man’s got a Wiki page.)
“Lawrence, thank you for the deep dive into the treasure filled ocean of winning direct marketing pieces.
Looks like you are not only a triple AAA (addict, advertiser and archivist) direct response genius. You literally BREATHE direct response wisdom.”
(Gabi Weidmann, Top German Copywriter, Arzberg, Germany)
“Lawrence Bernstein is the best — and most obsessed — direct marketing archivist I’ve ever met.
More important than that, he’s one of the best teachers at explaining why all these classic ads and sales letters work like gangbusters. What he offers is truly a multi-million dollar direct response education.
In fact, if you can’t figure out how to cram a copious quantity of cashola into your coffers with what Lawrence offers, I predict a steady stream of name tags, paper hats and “you want fries with that?” in your future.”
(Doberman Dan, www.DobermanDan.com)
“I just want to thank you for creating this.
This is easily the most useful copywriting tool since the invention of the word processor. I’ve gone through nearly a ream of paper printing out great, hard-to-find controls.”
Tricia Geib, Geib Direct
“I have the hard drive plugged in all the time. :)”
(Nik Thakorlal, CEO and Founder of LeadsHook)
“From zero to $20 million in two years… at 25 years of age”
(João Eduardo de Campos, Brazilian supplement selling sensation, Santa Catarina, Brazil)
“Looking for BIG IDEAS that could catapult your copy (and your royalties) into the big leagues?
Lawrence has always been my GO-TO guy for finding direct response blockbusters (recent and back to the beginning of time)…
… that light up the neural pathways, and spark connections and ideas I would have never considered otherwise.
Ad Money Machine is aptly named – a resource no self-respecting direct response copywriter can live without!”
(Kelvin Parker, Kelvin Parker, Direct Response Copywriter, CustomerTriggeredPersuasion.com)
“Lawrence. The truth is I lied ! A few days ago when I messaged you that I had already made the price of admission (7500usd) by just reading half of your direct mail masterpiece well let’s just say it was 10 times that. I thank the Lord for having rediscovered you again.”
(Peter Nicholas, Australian serial entrepreneur and world beating health & beauty brand builder)
“Thanks to your guidance, my business is booming. I literally have more clients than I can handle.”
(Financial copywriter, (Awaiting permission to use his name.)
“I love receiving packages from you. You’re like a Direct-Response Santa.”
(Dr. Karl Blanks, Chairman and Co-Founder of Conversion Rate Experts with clients including: GE, Lloyds, Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon, Sony, Vodafone and PayPal)
Hi Lawrence,
Your swipe file and commentaries have become the most powerful weapon to boost our response rates.
There’s swipe files and swipe files. I’ve seen nothing that comes close. It’s unique. It’s the Ultimate.
I refer to it over and over, every week and I am still amazed at it’s power.
Plus It often helps to simplify the complicated!
If I told you how many times I made my investment back I would lose all credibility.
Lawrence, I really have to thank you for your very clever and powerful marketing tool. The tool responsible for our surge in sales!
Every company — direct response or not — should get their hands on your membership.”
(Donald James, Aussie Founder and Marketing Veteran, Sydney)
“God, Lawrence, I really appreciate your stuff, so here’s a testimonial:
If you want to succeed gloriously in this business (assuming you have any talent, of course) sit down for a month and read, learn and practice the principles you unearth in this treasury of great stuff. Marvelous!”
(Drayton Bird, Direct marketing legend at 86 years young, Bristol, England)
“You’re one crazy dude to do all this work, but until you get therapy, I’ll take advantage of it with glee!”
(Dr. Jack Booman, Leading Chiro copywriter, Spring Grove, Minnesota)
“As a marketing enthusiast and dedicated student of the craft, I’m constantly searching for valuable insight and information. And once I found YOU (many years ago) I felt like I had finally found what I was looking for.
I was right.
Since that day, EVERY marketing strategy, sales system, retention model, acquisition model, process, advertisement, etc., that I have executed started with FIRST referencing one or more elements from you, your website, or your partners. From my own house ads to ads for my clients, the foundation of everything I have done began with listening to your teachings, or the teachings of those that you reference/endorse. Dead or alive.
I now own and operate a successful digital ad agency with over 50 employees (give or take a few employees depending on economics 😉 and feel as though I owe you more than a bit of gratitude for my success.
(Digital agency founder, received 1/7/14, prefers anonymity)
“I get loads of emails from online marketers looking to sell me stuff to improve my marketing, but I trust Lawrence to deliver quality every time.”
(Jamie Sylvian, London)
“By the way, Lawrence, I should thank you directly…
Back in early November, Michael Masterson and I gave a speech at the AWAI Copy Bootcamp in Delray that dealt, in part, with the value of focusing on one theme rather than many in headlines and leads.
And the example I threw into our Powerpoint came directly from your website (attributed) where you compared two products for better vision. Naturally, I don’t remember much about the convoluted example. But the better version came from Gene S., “Your Eyes Can Heal Themselves…”
I don’t know where you find this stuff, but the examples were invaluable at making a strong point quickly.
I hope some of the 300-400 people present took my advice during the talk and went looking for your site.”
(John Forde, A-List copywriter and Parisian)
“One of the secrets I teach copywriters and marketers who want to be more successful is to be sure they read a great direct response ad every day.
But where do you find an almost limitless supply of great ads to be inspired by?
The best source I have ever found is Lawrence’s site. I’ve been writing copy for more than 40 years now, and I still do my ‘ad-a-day’ thing, just to keep sharp.
I never fail to be inspired with new ideas when browsing through Lawrence’s collection of ads. I would gladly have paid him ten times, even 100 times its price. Investing in your own knowledge is always the greatest investment you can make, and this is one of the smartest ways to do it.”
(Gary Bencivenga, Copywriting legend and founder of the world beating Fresh Pressed Olive Oil Club)
This is REALLY GOOD STUFF! Also, GREATLY, appreciate the fact that you blew up the examples and published them in a Tabloid format.
Not everyone would go to the expense of doing that, but its the BEST way to see these examples. Thanks, AGAIN, for making this course available.
(Real estate marketing guru, Name withheld)
“Your manual has been instrumental in me writing an ad that generated over $20,000 in just two weeks, so cudos to you Lawrence.”
(Dr. Ivan Carney, Temecula, California)
“My jaw is literally black and blue from hitting the floor over and over again as I got to see the techniques you’ve uncovered. I never dreamed many of these things were even possible, let alone how easy you’ve made them. The word ‘miraculous’ comes to mind.”
(Ken McCarthy, System Seminar Founder)
“If you want to learn what it really takes to sell – well, every single thing he shows has a lesson. I got two ideas this morning for something I am working on, which is actually a get-rich-slowly-but-surely educational service for marketers.”
(Drayton Bird, David Ogilvy said of him: “Drayton Bird knows more about direct marketing than anyone in the world.”)
“I want to take a moment to thank you for providing these updates. You are one of those rare marketers who supports his customers LONG after the sale.
(Karl Barndt, Kuncketown, Pennsylvania)
“I want to thank you very much for coming out to Paradise Valley. It was a great day together with you. We very much appreciate your deep knowledge, insight and love and passion for the history and present of our industry.”
(Norman Rentrop, Founder Rentrop Verlag and one of Europe’s biggest direct marketers)
“Lawrence, you are probably the most dedicated direct response scholar I’ve ever met.”
Tony Flores, Financial Copywriter and longtime #1 to Clayton Makepeace
“I think you’re a genius.”
(Christian Godefroy, European direct response legend)
“I saw you on the Gary Bencivenga retirement DVDs that I purchased. Great publicity for you.
I have to tell you, combining Gary’s wisdom with your swipe files is a lethal weapon.
Confidentially, because I’m not a braggart (in fact, you’re the first person I’ve told this to), my design partner and I have beaten A-list, world-class copywriting and design competition – 4 straight times. That’s how much I’ve benefited from–and appreciate – your material.”
(Rich Silver, Crow Moon Marketing, Dahlonega, GA )
“Brilliant examples, great commentary. This one just gave me an idea for a newsletter we’re about to launch that I think will hit large. I don’t know where you find this stuff, but I’m glad you do.”
(John Forde, Paris)
“If Lawrence has got a product for sale, you should get it!”
(Marty Edelston, Direct response legend and Founder of Boardroom Inc.)
I love long copy as much as the next guy or gal… but it’s time to wrap this up.
I’ve pulled out ALL the stops…
Now “the choice is yours” as they say in direct response.
Because you’re a valued subscriber, I’m knocking $300 off the price tag during this short promotion.
As General MacArthur said: “There is no security on this earth. Only opportunity.”
Forget about playing it safe.
There’s abundant opportunity, if you’ve got great ideas… and put ’em to work.
Yours for bolder response,
Lawrence Bernstein
(The world’s most obsessed ad archivist)
P.S. Don’t miss the SMASHING savings on “The ARSENAL of Alternative-Health Advertising.”
P.P.S. The ARSENAL can change your marketing and business life… starting today… because IDEAS are the lifeblood of direct response selling. You need them now more than ever.
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