How to Write Copy that Sells with Neville Medhora

Aug 6, 2019 4:14:26 AM
Author: Kieran Flanagan

Copywriting is a potential growth lever for many businesses. The reason being, so many of them under-invest in it.

We talk to Neville Medhora who is the brains behind a lot of fantastic copy on the web and is known for his incredible work over at AppSumo and the KopyWriting Kourse.

We catch up with Neville on:

- His early entrepreneurial days and how they lead to him doubling down on copywriting.

- Why great copywriting is more than text, and how Neville uses video and gifs to sell products better.

- A tonne of great tactics on how to create copy that will sell, including how to use the review section of Amazon.com.

Happy Growing!


Time Stamped Notes

[3:40] Neville talks us through his early entrepreneurial days from setting up his first business selling rave products online, to helping Noah Kagan grow AppSumo.

[9:25] One of Neville's most successful pieces of copy was for an app called Prey that helped people to locate their phone. It generated more responses than any other email Neville has written. Neville talks us through why it was one of the best performing emails he ever wrote.

[13:10] Neville got into copywriting by reading both the Gary Halbert letters and the Boron letters online for free. It helped him to understand better how to connect with the triggers in people's heads that make people buy.

The first email he every sent for 'House of Rave' where he invested in copywriting made $4000, his previous emails made less than $40.

[17:10] You can still build a giant email list today if you invest in copywriting, 'The Hustle' is a great example; they have over 1.5 million subscribers.

[17:55] Neville thinks of copywriting as more than just text - it's the transferring of information from one brain to another. That includes mediums like gifs, video, and images.

[20:55] Almost every email AppSumo does for a deal today includes a video that shows a feature of the software they're promoting. Neville will scroll through copy fast, so only the headlines, things in bold and images stand out. If he doesn't understand the value proposition from just those things, he feels the copy has failed.

[23:15] The research Neville puts into copy varies a lot. It can often take months. But the writing process is relatively quick. A lot of that time is spent creating images.

[25:05] The state of mind you're in will be the state of mind that your copy is.

[27:10] It's essential to know the community you're writing copy for; you need to understand what motivates them to buy. Neville gives a great example of how he has done this in the past.

[29:10] Neville gives a great tip on how to use Amazon.com reviews to understand better the people who are an excellent fit for your product. He also recommends listening to sales calls and ringing customers who didn't buy your product and asking why.

[31:20] When Neville consults for businesses, he insists on writing with the help of someone who has intimate knowledge of the product.

[34:05] Neville helps a lot of businesses with their copy via his Kopywriting Kourse. The course allows people to submit content to get real feedback from Neville and his team.


– Neville on Twitter / LinkedIn
– Kieran on Twitter / LinkedIn / Medium
– Scott on Twitter / Linked / Medium

Topics: Podcast, Leader, Customer Acquisition

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