One of the work horses in the copywriters stable is the Problem > Solution structure for organizing a sales argument.

So, I just finished studying several hundred ads on a search for standard problem > solution lead formulas.

Here are eight common problem > solution patterns I discovered in these ads.

I’ve categorized and arranged them from the most simple to the most complex. They also tend to follow a shortest to longest copy order. Though, I found many long copy letters and ads that lead with the shorter variations. You’re the artist. These are your paint colors. Use them as you will.

Note: In each case, I only take the format up to the mention of the solution. I figure you can bring the sale home from there with proper structure of proof, offers, bullets etc.

Simply State the Problem…

This lead opens with just one problem word – then immediately moves into selling the solution. You’ll see this format used extensively in small space ads.Examples:

Overweight? New doctor led discovery deep within Amazon Jungle may free you from unwanted pounds effortlessly! It began when Dr. Jackson was running from an attacking jaguar and became lost…

Weak in math? Master short cut math secrets in just weeks – only 10 minutes a day with this math wizards secret weapon…

Snoring? End snoring tonight with this new, dentist-invented device that doesn’t require painful, expensive surgery and cost just pennies a day…

Add Emotion to the Problem Statement

Depressed about your back taxes? Your just days away from relief when you discover the secrets this former IRS agent reveals that can set you free – for a small fraction of what you owe….

Frustrated by your gout? Now there’s a simple secret that will have you pain free in as little as 24 hours…

The Problem Flurry

If one problem is good – 3 or more may be better. It was very common to find ads and sales letters that led with a flurry of problems and symptoms. Often this device is used on a less targeted market – or a more complex problem that may have different symptoms for different people. Hey, and what could be more challenging than teenagers?

Are you becoming concerned with your teenager? Defiance …. Isolation… Temper-tantrums … Mood swings… They are all clues… Something is wrong and now you have to admit it. You’re losing your child to problems you are not able to deal with. The fact is your teenager may need more help than you able to give. Well, there’s hope. I say that because for 30 my practice has specialized in the unique challenges of teenagers…

Conditional Lead (Are you…Then… If…Then)

Are you tired of repainting ever couple years? Then you’ll love how our new ACME Plasti-Coat system can guarantee against fading, peeling or chipping for 30 years – the life of your mortgage. Here’s how this miracle of science works to keep your home looking beautiful year after year….

And here’s the famous Halbert lead…

If you are struggling with arthritis pain then this may be one of the most important letters you read in your life. Here’s why…

Identify the Customer Before Problem

For any copywriter who’s ever struggled with writers block…Here’s a simple system this million dollar a year, top gun, A-List copywriter uses to cheat his way to multi-million-dollar control killers.

The PAS Formula (Problem – Agitate –Solution)

Now we are going to start adding some complexity to the openings. One of the key elements master persuaders often add is to amplify and agitate the pain before getting to the solution. Here’s a few examples…

Do you have too much to read? In this age of information overload lead you’re not alone. Yet, not keeping up with the latest books and white papers could be serious and expensive mistake – often the ideas these books contain are available no where else. One idea can create a million-dollar-breakthrough. But how can you know which are worth reading–let alone find the time to read and analyze all of them?Fortunately, there’s a solution. It’s called Executive Summary. Here’s how it works…

The PCAS Formula (Problem >Cause> Amplify > Solution)

Now, let’s kick our lead up another notch by adding in the “hidden cause” behind the problem. Let’s let copy master, Eugene Schwartz show us how its done.Note: Not only does he grind the pain in, he piles problem on problem so as not to miss any possible problem related to the eyes… And he uses the same conditional opening favored by Halbert.

If you suffer from a single one of these torturous symptoms of weak eyes…bad eyes… failing eyes… Then these facts below may be the most important you have ever read in your life!

Because they reveal, for perhaps the first time in your life, how the muscles surrounding your eyes may have tricked you into following the agonizing symptoms: near sightedness…far-sightedness…a astigmatism…the inability to read without glasses…crossed eyes…

Easily fatigued eyes, and the headaches, tension, anxiety, insomnia, and bone weariness they so often cause…

And any other condition of the eye that causes you to be prisoner of glasses, where you are forced to watch your eyes weaken year after year, and go back to the doctor, year after year, for new glasses that are always thicker and thicker, stronger and stronger, uglier and uglier than the year before!

And everyone of these symptoms may actually be controlled…and then diminished…and then eliminated often by as little as this one simple insight into their hidden cause!

And that insight is this: If you suffer from any of the symptoms listed above, then you must understand at once that your eyes are not ill…they have not deteriorated…they have not lost their true power to see in any way!

What has happened to them instead is simply this: What has gone wrong with your eyes isn’t their lenses themselves, but the muscles surrounding them, that focus those eyes by lengthening or flattening them!

If these muscles are used properly, then your eyes are focused and corrected…

The Hero’s Quest

This variation pops up a lot in “story copy”. But works just as well in other forms as well. Notice how it combines many of the elements of the previous formulas… pain and amplification, the discovery the hidden cause of the problem, etc.. But then ads in another element – the “hail mary” and the “quest” – how much pain, trouble and trial it took to discover the solution.Here’s a few variations I ran across. First, one selling socks for runners…

I like everything about running – except when my feet sweat. It really bothers me. I’m embarrassed to take shoes off – my feet are sloshing around while I’m running — the smell.

I’ve tried different shoes, I’ve tried powders, I’ve tried vitamins. I’ve spent thousands of dollars on possible solutions but nothing ever made a bit of difference.

So I decided to solve the problem myself. Over the course of 3 years I conducted 500 different test and experiments. I spent thousands of hours researching, talking with doctors, with shoe designers, with research centers. All told I spent over $1 million dollars and had my home equity line maxed.

Finally, on my 501′st experiment, I discovered a secret that ended my sweating, sloshing feet forever… I put “windows” in the socks… Here’s how this amazing invention will end your sweat and embarrassment forever…

Here’s another variation…

Despite the paradise-promises of many “get rich with copy” peddlers, the truth is that only 3% of copywriters actually earn over $100,000 a year.

That’s right, just 3%!

But get this…

The very top of those 3% just don’t earn $100,000 a year – but a half million and more.

They work with dream clients that respect them – and hand them the plumb, high-probability assignments. They get the speaking requests and recognition… they have the life style of working from home while raking in multi-million dollar royalties. And they have the time (and money) to travel in style around the world with their families and friends.

Here’s the truth: There are 3 skills that set these top producers apart (and above) the rest of their peers. So, what’s the real difference between a $100,000 a year copywriter and a $1 Million a year copywriter?

1) They aren’t better copywriters…They are better negotiators.

2) They aren’t better copywriters…They are better marketers.

3) They aren’t better copywriters…They are better “cherry pickers”.

Look, these skills aren’t rocket science. You can master them.. and I’m going to introduce you to a resource that will help you…

But here’s a warning: If you don’t master these skills, you will be replaced by rising competition and be relegated to struggling to get by while watching the lucky few live the life of your dreams…

Fortunately, you can quickly and easily pick up these three critical skills from a series of exclusive, behind-closed-doors interviews I conducted with 7 Million-Dollar-A-Year copywriters.

These interviews will turn upside down everything you think you new about writing copy. For example, in the first interview you’ll hear how…

And here’s one more Hero’s quest for better eyesight…

Bob was desperate about his eyesight. For years his vision had been getting worse. He went to specialist after specialist. They were no help. Glasses didn’t help. In fact, he discovered they actually made his eyesight worse.

It got so bad his eyes were under constant strain – causing headaches, irritability with coworkers and his family.

Then a friend told him about a Chinese doctor who specialized in vision problems using an ancient healing technique. Bob scoffed at the idea. But after a few days broke down and decided to give the doctor a visit because nothing else had worked.

Amazingly, in just 3 months the strain was gone. The headaches were gone. And Bob could see a sparrow blink at 200 yards!

What was the Chinese Doctor’s secret?

There you have them…8 formulas for quickly creating a problem > solution lead that captures your readers attention and moving them into the sales copy. Next time your stuck for an opening–I invite you to use these formulas.

If you are looking for more ideas like those in this article…. May I suggest you take a look at this “Paul Revere” secret for boosting response and this Secret for taking out your competitors products and services in 30 seconds.

P.S. Doh! After a year, I’ve finally put some info in the “About” section of this blog — so, if you’ve been wondering who I am, what I’m about and how to contact me, you can view it here…

http://www.copyideas.com/about

In this post we’re going to have a little fun.

I’m pulling in help from four masters to illustrate an important lesson in copywriting: Knife-fighting expert and Indonesian Silat instructor, Art Rhemrev and the others, Master copywriters Gary Bencivenga, Peter Stone and Robert Collier.

Okay, let’s get started.

One of the keys to mastery in fighting (and copywriting) is learning the art of “set-ups”.

In a fight against an experienced opponent you’ll quickly discover they aren’t going to just let you do your fancy moves on them. If you want to take a knife away from someone who actually knows how to fight with it, you can’t just waltz in and take it with one of those joint lock moves that are so popular in the movies. You’ll be cut to ribbons.

You must “set-up” your opponent so do your disarms.

In the same way, master copywriters “set-up” their readers minds and emotions to accept their important sales appeals.

An illustration is called for… Here’s a master knife fighter and Indonesian Silat instructor, Art Rhemrev, illustrating how to set up your opponent and disarm them…

Notice how he didn’t go right for the knife and start struggling with it? Instead he feints an attack to the opponents head, and occupies his non-weapon hand. Only then does he take the knife. He now has two hands to the opponents one.Now go to http://www.peterstonecopy.com/This is Peter’s personal promotion page.If you scroll to the bottom third of the letter, you see he uses the emotional appeal, “Fear of loss”

“If Not Now … When?

Day and night, you’re losing every additional penny of pure profit you could otherwise bank.

If you want to increase your sales, just fill out the quick-form below and click the red bar at the bottom to get started right away.

You’re Paying For It Anyway

When you think about your margin of profit bleeding out, you’ll quickly realize that sooner or later, one way or another, like it or not … you’re paying, anyway.”

Now if Peter had led with this appeal at the top of his letter it wouldn’t have worked. But, placed where it is, it packs an emotional wallop.

Why?

Because in the opening of his letter his authority is established by the likes of John Carlton, Gary Bencivenga, Gary Halbert and Michael Fortin. Next you learn that 700% jumps in conversion are possible in a day. Then you read several million-dollar case studies. By this point in the letter, you are convinced that 1) Your website can be making millions of dollars. 2) Peter Stone is the man that can deliver those dollars into your bank account.

Then and only then does Peter deftly place the appeal to fear of loss. And he doesn’t overplay it.

Go, read the letter in it’s entirety. I promise you that you’re emotions will feel a tug when you reach that point in the letter.

And here is an example from master letter-writer, Robert Collier selling a correspondence course. He’s going to ask a question – but before he does, he “sets up” the emotions of the reader so that when he ask it, it packs an emotional punch…

“Your boy is a little shaver now. He thinks you are the most wonderful man in the world. You can fix his boat, med his velocipede, tell him wonderful stories.

But it will only be ten or twelve years until he goes to College. The fathers of the other boys–his chums–will got to see them. There will be a Railroad President, perhaps; a great Banker; a Governor

And you will go; and your boy will say, “This is my father, boys.”

How will he feel when he says it? Will he be proud of you?

And finally, here is an example from copywriting great, Gary Bencivenga. He’s about to tell you that he’s pretty darn good at direct response copywriting. But he just doesn’t come out and say it that way, let’s look at how he first sets up the reader to believe it…

“To some, it would seem a sadly unbalanced life—to devote some 38 years and counting to discovering the secrets of boosting advertising response.

It is regrettably true that, as a 21st century man, I know nothing about how to fix a car or miter a molding.

I have never, in my entire life, balanced a checkbook. My wonderful wife, Pauline, patiently handles all such trivia so I can focus on what really matters in life, which from my lamentably narrow perspective means studying the most effective techniques of persuasion and scheming with my clients to boost their response.

Renaissance man? You must be joking. About 98% of the questions on Jeopardy leave me clueless. For heaven sakes, I have trouble with the questions on Hollywood Squares. Ask me to name the capital of Norway or the prime minister of France, and I’ll stare at you as blankly as a dead mackerel.

But ask me to cite the most reliable ways to beat your control ad right now, and I could rattle off a dozen in my deepest REM sleep.

Like a chess master who has memorized thousands of lethally effective opening gambits, or a master salesperson with dozens of proven, remarkably effective closing strategies on the tip of his or her tongue, I can tell you about scores of masterful techniques that will tweak, goose and explode the response of your promotions by 50% to 200% or more, both online and off. “

Now, if Gary had led his copy off with that last paragraph – what would your reaction be? Yet, after he expertly set up the idea by leading with self-deprecation, we are ready to accept that paragraph without question.

There you have it, from four masters…

Set-ups are part of the master’s craft.

Here are some ways to add persuasive force to your copy…

1. Simplicity.

I read too many ads, sales letters and promotions that clog a readers mind with $10-dollar words. Elsewhere in this blog I gave the following example of this…

“Next generation strategies to employ a single customer definition for improved multi-channel marketing”

There are two prime reasons for this. First, a desire to impress the client or reader. Second, as a smoke screen for weak ideas.

There is a better way: Instead of using bigger words – use bigger ideas. Then express them with simplicity. Impress your clients with results – not big words.
2. Concreteness.

Specifics sell. Abstractions confuse.

“This car is real fast” doesn’t carry the force of “This car does zero to 60 in 3.5 seconds.”

And “10x binoculars” doesn’t carry the force of “See a sparrow blink at 200ft.”

3. Originality.

To quote David Ogilvy, “You can’t bore people into buying”. Take a look at the standard appeals, benefits and expressions common to your market and competitors – then say something else!

In one of my client’s markets a common appeal was “be seen as a trusted advisor”. Everyone started using it. We changed it to “Command Respect!”.

4. Truthfulness.

It not only has to be true, it must sound true. If the reader doubts or questions what you write, you’re words carry no force.

There is a creative tension between making promises powerful enough to drive the reader to action, and copy subtle enough to sound truthful.

How to be original, exciting, forceful…and truthful? Specifics help. Killing adjectives helps. Concrete nouns and active verbs help. Admitting small flaws help. Proof helps. Testimonials are mandatory.

Laughing at your own mistakes is admirable…

But laughing at the mistakes of others is fun!

So, here’s a serious lack of copy-craft that caused both my wife and I to start laughing during the disclaimer at the end of a drug commercial…

“If you are a woman, with or without a uterus…”

Ummm… Is there another alternative?

A key tenet of copywriting is concentration: saying what you have to say in the fewest words possible. Concentration increases the power of copy. Your ideas gain clarity and force. Perhaps this writer could have gained more of both by writing, “If you’re a woman…”

But, that would have robbed us of a moment of laughter.

Here’s a quick example of how you can add more force and credibility into your copy – by reducing the hype and exaggeration…

1. “America’s greatest hotel”

2. “One of America’s greatest hotels”

3. “One of America’s great hotels”

To be powerful, your copy has to be understood. The “Clarity Command”.

Here’s an example of how not to be understood: This is the headline description for a marketing seminar…

“Next generation strategies to employ a single customer definition for improved multi-channel marketing”

Are you excited yet?

If there is anything like this in any of your marketing communications, sales letters, or ads – kill it – because it is killing your sales!

Mark Twain once said, “When you catch an adjective, kill it.”

Copy-writing legends throughout history have taken the limited adjective approach.

To see the power of this in action read the 23rd Psalm, the Lord’s Prayer or, Lincoln’s Gettysburg address or Ogilvy’s Rolls Royce ad. All powerful. All light on adjectives.
On the other hand, copy-cubs often use adjectives in place of selling ideas in headlines. You end up with a mouth-full of New, Now, Announcing, Greatest ever of all time, etc. But, New, Now and Amazing are not ideas.

All spice and no meat does not a good meal make.

Striping the adjectives out of your copy forces you to focus on the nouns and verbs that are the power behind great copy. Often, once the adjectives are pulled back, you find a skinny noun standing there naked.

Once you have a great idea – then an adjective can give it spice.

I stand amazed at a phenomenon I see quit often…

As copy writers, ad men (persons), marketing geniuses and business owners we have 60-years and billions of dollars in scientific advertising principles at our finger tips.

Masters of advertising have written these principles down in very easy to understand books. For the most part, it’s not opinion – it’s fact based on the bedrock of testing.

So, what do the majority of ad agencies, Fortune 500 advertisers and small business people do when they sit down to craft an ad or write copy?

They throw the books away and do what “they like” …Or, what their wife likes …Or, what the CEO likes.

And thus billions in ad dollars are flushed down the toilette of insanity.

Diamonds are clear, can cut glass and are beautiful. They can also cause women to say, “Yes!” to a life-long commitment.
And just like a diamond is created from intense heat and pressure, so too are copy diamonds created from heat and pressure.

The heat and pressure experienced by the copywriter are the limits of space, time and human understanding. Here’s one diamond produced by these forces…

“Our tires stop when children don’t”

Good luck trying to say what this copywriter said just as clearly, with fewer words and more impact.