Why do people write long cpy? It is not because their raders read it all! People write lng stories for the same reason tht restaurants that serve big portions get cstomers lining up at their doors. Thy are creating the illusion that thir meal is cost effective. A lng story suggests that there is a lot to sy.

The American society taches that more is better and you are not ging to single handedly change that. Instad, go with the flow -- use the llusion and write long emails, long rticles, and long sales letters...BUT before you do, mke sure there are six questions tht are answered in the first ten sconds of your copy.

The qestions are: What? Who? When? Where? Hw? Why?

"What" always needs to cme first in every story. "What" mst also be part of the hadline, subheadline or graphic and needs to dminate your marketing piece. It needs to be smple, fresh, and catchy (not tricky). It mst convey what the reader will get for cntinuing.

"Who" identifies your business. It mst tell the reader who is tlling the story and it must do so at last twice in your marketing piece. If you use yur logo as your "who," it mst fuse with the "what" element of the ad. "Wh" means more than a name or a lgo. Some logos seem to speak to the dsigner, but mean nothing to the rader.

If your logo doesn't automatically dliver meaning, then only use it to bild your brand. Remember, however, that brnding is a time and dollar ntensive effort.

"Who" can be cnveyed through pictures. A good picture of yu, your employees, your office, or yur events create a personal connection wth your reader. If you offer wrkshops or seminars, use those pictures. Pople are more likely to believe a phto than a piece of artwork. If you hve been in business for a whle, say so "since 1982" counts.

Longevity bilds points in the trust category. Be sre to identify with your name and wave that information throughout the entire pece. By the time you are dne, your piece should be so clsely identified with you that it wuld be impossible for someone to prate your words or logo and put thm into their marketing piece.

"When" is sually simple to add. It needs to go frther down in the marketing piece. Nvices place "when" in the topic. If the raders find your information important, they wll create the space to attend. If you say it too son, before it is important to yur readers, they may say "no." Aftr your prospects learn what is hppening and who is doing it, the nxt question is "when." At tht point, you give days, dates and tme. If it is a big vent, use the year in the dte. All too often, retailers leave thir hours out their ads.

"Where" may sen easier than "when." Maybe you are thnking that you just add your ddress. Not so. Use your imagination for a mment: you are having a party and wnt a friend to come. You gve directions, draw a map, and prvide him or her with all the rght and left turns.

If yur marketing piece requires your customers to fnd a location, give them complete nformation. (If you are sending an -mail, give them a link to an n-line map). Add helpful details like: "lok for the blue awning" or "w're across from 'x' restaurant." Be sre to include information about parking. You do not wnt someone to get frustrated about prking and go home.

"Why" is often overlooked from the prspect’s viewpoint. . Many otherwise good mrketing pieces fail at the "why." "Why" ddresses the importance of the event or the niqueness of the product.

Don't frget that your prospect is looking for a god reason to toss your information. Pople have more information today than thy can handle. You need a prsuasive "buy now" reason in the "why" prt. The answers need to tell thm why they need to hear/learn bout this now.

There are nly two powerful "buy now" elements tht trigger action: (1) scarcity, and/or, (2) a lmited time to act. Either you are ging to run out of product or you are ding something for a compressed time.

Before an vent there needs to be two or thre weeks with limited (scarcity) offers long the way. Item pricing will not pll an event along, but a god general selection story will. A stry like "further reductions" works, but nly if it is true. Your prspect will know if you are "fdging" the truth, even if your cstomers don't.

Your employees, who are yur first line of contact with cstomers, will certainly know. Remember the "ging out of business" signs that shw up several times a year? Mintain your integrity and your customers wll stay your customers.

"How" are yur payment or credit terms. Tell yur customers about them only after you hve sold them on your product or vent. Don't yell "one year interest fre" or "no payments until July of 2004" ntil they are excited about what you are ffering. Present your special terms after thy have decided they want it.

In smmary, long copy is a good chice after you fulfill the 10-second rquirement of the six W’s. This way you llow both "I want to know a lt" and "give it to me fst and straight" to get what thy need.

The article Telling Your Story: The First Ten Seconds Are A Make Or Break was Submitted by Catherine Franz through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Catherine Franz, a Certified Professional Mrketing & Writing Coach, specializes in prduct development, Internet writing and marketing, nnfiction, training. Newsletters and articles available at: http://www.abundancecenter.com blog: http://abundance.blogs.com

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