"Bucket brigade" is a copywriting technique that has been around for over a century, and probably goes back to before the invention of the printing press. It's not magic or some secret skill, but instead is a simple copywriting technique that works really, really well.

What is the bucket brigade?

It is the thing that makes a 16 page sales letter be read all the way through, by reader after reader. It is an extremely simple concept that is unbelievably effective. In fact, it's so effective that it almost seems like magic. Want to get your pitch delivered? Use a bucket brigade!

So, what am I talking about?

Every copywriter worth his salt uses the bucket brigade to get his sales letters read. It has to be one of the most effective tools in a marketer's toolbox. Copywriter's ignore it to their peril. The good one's always use it in some form or another.

Here's one example...

If you've been around internet marketing for very long, you have heard, or read, about Yanik Silver's Instant Sales Letters. When Yanik released them some years ago, they were an absolute sensation.  In fact, Yanik's still selling them. The sales letter for the product is over 15 pages long, and it's quite effective.

How do I get people to read 15 pages of sales pitch?

Aren't you listening?
THE BUCKET BRIGADE!

I use it to write all of my sales letters in one form or another.  Sometimes I'm a bit more subtle about it, but it's always there. I use it to pitch my best selling products.  Shoot, I use it to sell ALL my products.

For crying out loud... exactly what is the bucket brigade?

You guessed it! It's what you've been reading all through this article. the bucket brigade is words that grab folks and force them to read the next paragraph. They are emotionally charged words that grab the reader's interest.

Where did they get this unique concept?

When a bucket brigade is used to put out a fire the bucket is passed quickly from one person to the next until the water is thrown on the fire. Then, the buckets are handed back up the line to be filled again and again.

It's a fact...

With copy writing, the reader is passed from one paragraph to another by high tension words. Words like you've seen in this article. "What is ", "So, what am I talking about", "Aren't you listening? ", "For crying out loud ", "Where did they get", "It's a fact" are all hooked into the bucket brigade. There are tons more.

So obviously, years ago copywriters adopted the term bucket brigade to describe the work of the "high tension" / "keep reading" words and their placement in their sales letters. They are used at the beginning of important paragraphs.

Here’s the scoop: These words tell the reader one thing. Don't quit reading now, or you'll miss the most important point of all. Just keep on a little bit more and the secrets of the universe will be revealed. This part is really important! Don't miss it!

See if this rings a bell...

The television industry even picked up on this in the early days, and it continues yet today.

So, what is TV's answer to the bucket brigade?

Yep, you got it, the cliffhanger. How many soap operas, or weekly serials have you watched when the story was interrupted in the most exciting part, to be continued in the next show? The networks use it everyday to keep interest at a highly charged level.

Can you believe it? TV even uses the bucket brigade with news shows. They'll give you a little taste of the piece, then switch to a commercial. When they come back, they might give you the whole thing, or you might have to wait until after the NEXT commercial. It all depends on how diabolical the writers are feeling that day.

Be sure and stick around... were going to show you Jessica Simpson's big secret... right after this commercial break.

Bottom line; good copy writers know that the instant you bore or confuse the reader, he's gone. The pitch is over and the sale is lost. You have to avoid this at all costs.

And check this out...

You don't have to memorize a whole bunch of high tension phrases. There are just two things you need to do. The first one is, keep your sales letters. When you read a bucket brigade phrase copy it to a list of phrases for future use.

And it gets even better, the second thing you need to remember is to just keep in mind an old journalism trick. "Who, why, what, where, when, and how. "Who is important in your life?, " Why do you need this?", "What is important to you" , "Where did they get this", "When will you ever learn?", "How is this done?".

One last thing...

Use the bucket brigade in your sales letters, and you WILL see you conversion rates soar. It will keep the tension high so that your reader HAS to finish it.
Friday, December 19, 2008 3:53:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)      Comments [0]