by : Karon Thackston

by Karon Thackston © 2005

It's the Golden Rule of copywriting. "Know your targetaudience." It is impossible to persuade someone you know nothingabout to take any type of action. But the question remains: How- exactly - do you get to know your prospective customers?

For copywriters, this task is the most time-consuming. Whenyou're faced with making a connection with someone you've nevermet, it can be frustrating. That's why I was excited when Ifound out about a series of reports entitled "Words That Sell"(see: )

How would you like it if someone else did the hard part for you?Then take heart! The people at The Brooks Group (publishers ofthese reports) interviewed hundreds of professionals in a widerange of occupations to get the specific information included inthe ebooks.

These reports target people in 38 different industries in detailincluding medical professionals, chief executives,entrepreneurs, human resources, dentists, doctors, hospitaladministrators, engineers, real estate managers and so manyothers. What do they deliver? Details. Exact details about whatwords work, what words don't and why.

What's Good About These Reports

A lot of research went into the making of these reports. It tookyears to interview countless professionals then compile and sortthe data. Then the creators of the reports developedeasy-to-read ebooks written in everyday language for eachprofession. Inside you get:

·background and personality profile ·psychological profile ·exact wording to use ·reasoning behind why some words work andsome words don't ·exact wording NOT to use ·sample letters,headlines and copy to use ·and more

You get a lot of information in each report. These are not just5- to 8-page lists of words to use. Each report is 20-25 pageslong and has insightful, specific information that will makeyour job as a copywriter go much more smoothly and quickly.

I also liked that I could buy each report individually or in"combo" packages for a discount. That way, if I need just one, Ionly have to pay a small price.

These reports are quick to read, and for busy copywriters,that's a real blessing. I find myself going back to them overand over and - because of the simple layout - I can get theinformation I need quickly without having to reread the entirereport again.

What's Not So Good About These Reports

They need more examples. Yes, you do get examples of how to usethe information, but more would be nice. (Can we ever get enoughexamples?) The examples given are definitely suitable, but couldbe more "real world." They seem rather elementary to me.

Also, it would have been my preference to include a table ofcontents with clickable navigation links. A minor point? Maybe,but when you use the reports, as much as I do, it would save agreat deal of time over the long run.

Overall, the Words That Sell reports() are a hugetimesaving tool. They are interesting, accurate and very useful.The sales copy claims you'll double, triple or even quadrupleyour profits. I can't attest to the quadruple part, but I haveseen the use of the information in these reports double andtriple sales for some of my clients.

Are they worth the $28 (each) price? Absolutely! They'll saveyou way more than $28 in research and brainstorming time, andyou'll have a powerful new tool for converting lookers intobuyers for 38 different industries.