One morning, you go into your mailbox and discover a sales letter. You bring the package inside, tear open the envelope, pull out what's inside, put on your reading glasses (if any), unfold the letter and begin to read.

After completing all of these steps, you then quickly glance at it to decide if the sales letter is worth reading. If not, you throw it in the garbage.

But if the envelope looks like a form letter, with a printed address label with "dear occupant" as the name of the addressee, chances of getting the letter opened in the first place are obviously pretty slim.

However, let's say the envelope works, curiosity takes over and the letter does get opened. Once unfolded, if it looks like some kind of sales letter or pitch, not even a single word will likely be read.

So, in offline direct mail marketing, the message is not the first element. There are several extra steps one must go through in order to finally reach, react to and ultimately read the sales message.

That's why, in order to captivate people's attention, one of the important elements of copy -- the headline, albeit a crucial component -- is the last in a series of attempts to captivate the reader's attention.

But the envelope, the label, the picture and any "grabbers" (such as inserts, liftnotes, gifts, etc), even the overall appearance of the package, are all elements that often precede that all-important headline.

Online, however, it's different. The headline is often one of the first elements (if not THE first) to be read. When people click on a link, enter a URL into their browser or receive an email in their inboxes, they immediately see the sales message -- no mailboxes to go through, no envelopes to open and no unfolding to do before reading it.

The message is right there, in their faces.

Look at websites as newspapers. You don't get a newspaper for free (unless you do at work, for example). You actually seek the newspaper. You make the effort to buy it. You voluntarily acquire the "message," ready to read it. The web is the same.

Whether it's receiving opt-in email or visiting a website, you intentionally and directly visit the sale message with the anticipation of reading it.

You're in a different state of mind when reading the newspaper than when reading, say, a direct mail piece, which is often unsolicited. (Even when the piece is solicited, the steps one must go through to reach the sales message is the same. In other words, there are many.) A newspaper, on the other hand, is already open, filled with photos and headlines.

Like the newspaper's "above the fold" section, if the headline and uppermost section of a website's front page or of an email message don't pull you into the copy (or cause you to scroll further, in this case), you will click away. And you would do so faster than you would throw a direct mail piece out (unless you never opened it, of course).

And like newspapers, you don't read entire websites. Instead, you scan. You look for stories that interest you. And you do so by quickly checking the headlines, pictures and column headers (or "copy blocks" or "web pages," in this case) that the newspaper contains.

Plus, you can manipulate a print publication in order to fit your reading style, such as make it comfortable on the eyes and spread it out on a tabletop, where stories that interest you are easily accessible.

But whether you hold the printed piece (or newspaper) in your hands or lay it out on a table, you can scan an entire piece at a single glance.

On the web or in email, you can only do one thing: scroll. So, the desire to scan, jump and react to a message is greater and more immediate than a printed piece. Therefore, in order to capture the reader's attention, there are several things you can do to drastically boost readership.

1. Headline

The first part of the famous AIDA formula, or "Attention," is probably more important on the Internet. Crafting a great headline that immediately captures the prospect's attention is critical to your message's success.

Again, for the reasons expressed earlier, our attention span on the Internet is enormously short. You only have a fraction of a second to capture a reader's attention. Unlike the different steps one must follow with a direct mail piece, your web page headline is the first thing they see.

If the prospect hits your front page and does not immediately feel a need to read further, she'll leave at the single click of a mouse. If so, the rest of the AIDA formula goes straight down the tubes. Readers are click-happy. And unlike direct mail, the decision to read or leave is a split-second one.

2. Grabbers

Several elements can increase your copy's attention factor, particularly with your headline. One is to use "qualifiers," such as subheadlines (also called "preheads" and "subheads") to emphasize the core benefit expressed in the headline, its importance or its relevance.

Like the postscripts (i.e., "P.S.'s") at the end of a sales letter that often restate, emphasize or summarize benefits, using subheadlines can qualify the copy by announcing a summary or synopsis of what's to come.

In direct mail, some non-copy items help to pull a better response. For example, some copywriters have used dollar bills, pens, coins, inserts, liftnotes, pictures, lift copy on the envelope, handwritten notes, official-looking rubber-stamped messages, etc. These are called "grabbers."

But online, we're limited in terms of how we can use grabbers. Too many bells-and-whistles can annoy and deter people. As an example, some grabbers include pictures, pop-ups and dynamic HTML.

But using subheadlines, pop-ups or liftnotes judiciously (a liftnote can be an HTML table at the top of the sales message that's different in color, style and appearance than the rest of the copy) can pull attention.

For more on using headlines and subheadlines effectively, I suggest you read my previous article, "Secrets of Successful Headlines," at http://successdoctor.com/articles/article89.htm.

3. Openers

There are three groups of "three's," here. Called "goals," "desires" and "teasers," they are specific human qualities to which you can cater in order to increase the attention factor in your opening copy, be it with the headline, subheadlines, grabbers or introduction portion of the body copy.

a) The Three Greatest Human GOALS

From the headline to the opening copy of the letter, one very effective way to capture attention is to focus on three core goals almost all humans have: to either save or make 1) time, 2) money or 3) energy.

If your copy opens with something that can help your reader to make more money, save more time, spend less energy and so on, for example, your chances of having your copy read will be far greater.

b) The Three Greatest Human DESIRES

This should be the most important one of the three, but it's second since it may not appeal to everyone. However, this particular set of "three's" is very potent. And that's not an understatement at all. Here's an example.

If you buy some of the supermarket "rags," you'll notice their ads cater to any of these three. Admittedly, they're not considered respectable papers for most. But keep in mind that ad space in them is VERY pricey. If an ad appears in more than one issue, it tells you that the ad is profitable.

Ads in these types of newspapers are often long copy advertorials, which, more often than not, cater to the three human desires. They are 1) greed, 2) lust and 3) comfort. If you incorporate any of the three (or a combination thereof), you will boost your attention-factor. Here are some examples:

Greed (such as "How to make $1,678 with my system!" or "How to save thousands usually wasted on utilities!").

Lust (like "How to shed unwanted pounds!" or "How to make him/her fall in love with you all over again!").

And comfort ("How to build a web business in only 14 days!" or "How to write breathtaking copy in minutes!").

(By the way, comfort is the opposite of fear. Your goal is to instill fear in the minds of your readers in order to offer them a solution that will comfort them and allay those fears, such as the fear of loss or the fear of death.)

Of course, the above are somewhat categorical examples. But if your opening copy contains a hint or a slant of any of these three, you're much better off. Also, while I used "how to" as the angle in these examples, you can cater to any of these three in a number of different ways.

c) The Three Greatest Human TEASERS

But in addition to the six elements above, try to cater to any of the three "provokers" or "arousers," if you will. In other words, the following three elements stir. They arouse. They mesmerize. They hypnotize. Why? Because they cater to fundamental human characteristics.

They are: 1) curiosity, 2) controversy and 3) scarcity. Try to add an element of any of these three and your chances that the reader will be sucked into your copy will be almost instantly heightened.

For example, don't mention everything to your readers at the beginning -- give them ample information to pique their curiosity but not too much so that it pulls them into the copy. Leave some interesting tidbit out or keep them on the edge of their seats, eager to read and absorb more.

For instance, say, "Learn one of the most closely guarded secrets for tripling website sales!" People will then wonder, "Gosh, what are the secrets? I want to know what they are!" And they'll read to find them.

Controversy is something not often used but does work very well. If your copy addresses something that stirs people's emotions or causes "lights to go off" in their heads, you can pull them into the copy.

Howard Stern, a well-known, New York radio "shock jock," was one of the first to break many of the government rules while on the air. In his movie, "Private Parts," a semi-autobiography, the story goes that people who loved him tended to listen to his show for about an hour. But the people who hated him listened up to two to three hours, or even more.

Maybe it's because they wanted to see what he'll say next. Maybe it's because they wanted more ammunition to bring the guy down. But whatever the reason is, Stern's highly controversial approach undoubtedly made him extraordinarily rich and famous. Many have followed his lead.

While you may want to stay away from such a drastic position, you can use "lighter" controversy -- such as current events, a newsworthy issue, or an emerging or popular trend -- to build your case an create an almost instant desire to read your copy further. A shocking news item, an outrageous claim or an unbelievable statement are some examples.

Often, brilliant copywriters write copy that is somehow tied to a recent event or some controversial subject. Sometimes, the angle they choose have nothing to do with the overall topic discussed in the sales letter. But used in the opening of the copy, this approach can be very effective.

For example, not long after 9-11 many commercials have surfaced in the media that capitalized on the recent events to sell security equipment, self-defense products, home alarms and the like. Even different types of public transportation, other than air travel, benefited from the windfall.

This may seem somewhat gutless and capitalistic to you. But look at all the charities who regularly profit from dramatic events like these.

Like my sales manager told me in my early career as a struggling insurance salesperson: "You can talk good about me. And you can talk bad about me. But either way, please do TALK about me!"

Controversy can also be something significant, slight or even funny or different, such as with the use of a story, a unique angle or a new twist. For instance, I opened this week's issue with: "I have a new baby! And I love beating it from time to time!" Of course, I'm referring to my new drumset, my new "baby." But did it capture your attention?

Here's another. Think of the times you've seen a story about someone starting an online business. While that may sound trivial, it isn't if that person is a politician, suffers from a disability or is raising 10 children.

A person I knew was an amputee -- and an inventor. His product was a backpack with special straps that made carrying the pack a little more comfortable. I told him to use his lack of one leg as being the inspiration. "One-legged man lightens people's loads!" was the headline we chose.

Finally, adding an element of scarcity to your copy is to somehow limit the offer by making it time-sensitive or quantity-bound. Adding a deadline or a cap on the number of new clients, or even making the offer something that's secretive, exclusive or unavailable to the general public, can arouse stronger motives in the psyche of your readers.

But in order to give your added sense of urgency some level of credibility, never just leave it as a plain limit. Always backup your limitation with some kind of logical, commonsensical and believable justification.

For example, "We were overshipped on these cassette tapes and only have 500 left in stock," or, "my schedule this week has only two openings left to be filled, so if you need copy done before the weekend, act now."

About the Author
Michel Fortin is a master copywriter and consultant dedicated to turning businesses into powerful magnets. Get a FREE copy of his book, "The 10 Commandments of Power Positioning," and subscribe to his FREE monthly ezine, "The Profit Pill," by visiting http://SuccessDoctor.com/ now!