In writing in general, we are taught that brevity makes for better copy. Don’t use more wrods than you need!

Here’s the whole issue in a nutshell. If the subject requires Long Copy and the writer can hold his audience, use Long Copy. Otherwise, shorter is probably better.

Perhaps it’s analogous to consider the email as a post card rather than a sales letter. The intent of the email is to involve the recipient in the process. Ideally a successful outcome is to click through to the landing page where they can place the order with a proper level of expectation.

One big reason is that it’s more difficult to read the sales message in some email clients than on a web page with the same copy. And as mentioned above, they can’t enter their credit card in the email, so they have to get to the web page anyway. As a result, you want as many people still reading at the point where they can enter the desired outcome (credit card number, email address, etc.)

This isn’t 100% of course, but we find it is a useful concept to bear in mind, at the minimum.

1.) Your demographic will have an impact. Older folks are used to reading, as they grew up with newspapers and so forth (in time this audience will diminish naturally). If this is your demographic, don’t be afraid of longer copy, if it is solid and meaningful.

2.) People who are in a mode of buying excitement–and are enthusiastic about your offering–will read longer copy. Of course, if you throw long copy out there, it may turn off OTHERS who have yet to get to that level of buying excitement. Which leads me to…

3.) In general, start off with the readers digest version, with supporting links and callouts that address questions they might have along the way. Thus, casual readers aren’t overwhelmed, but those who are interested and need reinforcement can find what they need.

And to those who think long, cumbersome one page sale letter sites are the way to go…I can’t tell you how many of them have frustrated me by making me scroll forever to find a buy link…past tons of needless copy I never read.

If your copy is just restating…that is, if each element doesn’t introduce something new and compelling, chop it.

We are certainly becoming a low attention span society. Keep that in mind.

James Brausch has done some major testing on this, and insists that short copy outperforms long copy almost every time:
http://www.jamesbrausch.com/short-copy-a-capitalist-perspective/
http://www.jamesbrausch.com/evaluating-ad-copy-only-trust-buyers/
http://www.jamesbrausch.com/short-copy-rocks-and-other-heresies/
http://www.jamesbrausch.com/long-copy-sucks-and-other-heresies/
http://www.jamesbrausch.com/marketing-study-copy-length-vs-profitability/
http://www.jamesbrausch.com/kiss-keep-it-short-scholar/

-Sharon

If the “what’s in it for me” needs to be lengthy ok. But why on Gods green earth do so many marketers waste space and time using fillers such as…

“Amazing New Phenominal Out Of This World Product Makes Your Already Mentally Disturbed Useless Life 100% More Useless By Reading ALL Those Dam Adjectives And Pronouns” :0)

Why not just use “Product WILL Disturb Your Day”?

I don’t think it’s the long or short of it thats controversial (forgive if spelled wrong). Is the content relative to whats important? If so add it. If not trash it.

Just an opinion :0)

Maybe I’m strange, crazy, or a bit frugal but I don’t usually act right away after reading anything. I take my time and can be somewhat of an information hog. I think people appreciate having the information rather than shorter content. I don’t think it hurts to give those that skim and those that read what they need. Finding the balance can be tricky but if done well,it will pay off.

To answer your question, long copy is not dead. In fact, clients will sometimes feel cheated if you don’t make the effort.

As it is, I don’t have the time or the patience to read another one of their emails. So, anyone with a crappy subject line gets the cut. Then whoever is left I read their email. If it’s long and boring, which most of them are cause they all sound the same, I delete it. If one sounds interesting then i’ll open it up, click on the link, and get taken to what is most likely a sales letter.

I then have to decide if I want to get back to my day and doing work, check my facebook, watch videos on youtube, check the news, check my rss feeds, see what’s happening in sports, play a game, or read a 10-50 page sales letter that some Ogilvy quoting, egotistical copywriter thought would be effective on me because if some long copy is good, more MUST be better.

The odds are against your copy, unless you stop thinking that you can cut corners and just swipe everything. The fact is, is that most long copy is LAZY. Alot of copywriters do it just because it gives the client the impression that they did alot of work.

The work part comes in when you re-write the lead paragraph thirty different ways because you know if the slightest sentence bores you’re customer, they’re off to watch people fooling around with mentos and pepsi on YouTube.