The Anatomy of Hype

On a copywriting board I frequent, someone expressedbafflement that several respected marketers criticized thetone of a sales page he wrote. "Why did they apologize to their subscribers while linking to my pitch? This approachsells," he said.

Hype was the problem. If you use the following tactics,many educated shoppers cringe and go elsewhere:

Overblown claims. "If You Can Write Your Name, You CanWrite a Book in 30 Days - Guaranteed!"

Overexcited tone. Lots of exclamation points, phrases inbold capital letters with underlining and a drumbeat ofemphasis. "Programmers poured out their TOP-SECRETstrategies that you, too, can use to earn a GATES-LIKEFORTUNE in the software business!!" "Take out your creditcard and order RIGHT NOW!"

Unsupported and extreme superlatives. "The most importantnew product launch, ever."

Adjectives and adverbs you would not encounter from Exxonor IBM. "Mind-blowing" "Exclusive" "Huge" "Incredible""Wildly" "Literally" (necessary to distinguish truth fromhoopla).

Exaggerations. "They've made millions under the radar." (When most haven't made that sum and the "secrecy" is justnot having been asked.)

Sounds impressive but untrue. Calling someone a bestselling author who has not appeared on a recognized bestseller list.

Lack of qualifiers. Statements that should include a bitof backpedaling but don't. It's really not "all," "only,""never," "sure-fire" or "will."

Marketers who favor a style full of hype argue that thenumbers prove these techniques succeed, whatever theaudience. When they tone down the pitch, sales drop. Whenthey toss decorum to the winds and reinsert that hammeringexcitement and the fervid embellishments, sales return toprevious levels. Case closed, they say.

Assuming their numbers are valid, this argument does have apoint, but one of limited relevance to many situations. Hype may sell, but it may also undercut other businessgoals, in these ways:

Reputation. In whose eyes do you want credibility? Usethis tone and you can expect snickering rather than respectfrom established journalists, academics, Fortune 500companies, most people with postgraduate degrees andcolleagues who use any of those groups as their benchmarkof respectability.

Partnerships and opportunities. If you're aiming at jointventures with banks, universities, community organizations,trade associations and the like, hype counts very heavilyagainst you. You may also endanger your chances of gettinga contract from a major publisher if that's among yourgoals.

Trust. Are you aiming at a one-time sale or a long-termcustomer? Hype works better in the former situation,especially where a buyer believes they can obtain a refundif the purchase doesn't live up to the promises.

Staying out of legal trouble. Some of the techniqueslisted above either flirt with deception or cross the lineto lies. The other day I read through a Federal TradeCommission judgment against an Internet marketer fordeceptive marketing and believe me, this is wrath you donot want to bring down upon yourself! Make sure you have anitpicky lawyer to vet your copy if you favor a hypedstyle.

Please note that it's possible to use a hard-hitting,dramatic direct marketing style with descriptive bulletpoints, calls to action and so on in connection withentirely truthful and completely respectable copy.

Hype does sell. But that's far from settling the issue ofwhether or not you should use it.

Marcia Yudkin (marcia@yudkin.com) is the author of 6 Stepsto Free Publicity, Persuading on Paper, Web Site MarketingMakeover and other books on business communication. Shementors business owners through http://www.MarketingForMore.com and mentors organizational marketing managers through http://www.MentorForMarketing.com. Sign up for her free weekly newsletter on creative marketing at http://www.yudkin.com/marksynd.htm .