If you’ve been around the block a few times in the marketing world, you’ve heard about the “bucket brigade.”
It’s like this picture from the old days, where buckets were passed, hand-to-hand, by each member of the fire brigade until the last person in line finally poured water on the fire.
A recent example of this system was used for removing debris from the condo collapse in Florida, and they used the same technique to clear rubble after 9/11.
What it means for us, of course, is that the first line of copy must hand off to the next.
Then the next line takes over and delivers the prospect to the next line, in a continuous, unbroken flow.
But if one line drops the “bucket,” everything breaks down and the whole process grinds to a halt.
Which is why I’m giving you a “cheat-sheet” of connecting segues that seamlessly knit your copy together.
So let’s get to it.
Smooth as Silk Segues
It’s great to have lists and checklists to ease the effort of copywriting and make sure you don’t miss something.
Because let’s face it… when you’re up in the wee hours meeting a deadline or trying to compose your own e-mail that HAS to go into the autoresponder before morning, your brain can use all the help it can get.
So here are some of the segues I’ve collected over the years, to smooth your transitions and connect those random thoughts.
These are all used at the beginning of a paragraph or sentence, to make a logical bridge from the previous one. First I’ll give you a batch of general “connectors,” and then we’ll look at some from our favorite marketing legends:
It’s true!
Simply because I wanted…
To make sure…
So why am I telling you this?
Let me tell you…
Anyway…
Remember…
Let’s talk about….
As you know…
Ah, that’s so much better…
Not that you should care, but…
What about…
That’s right…
Can you believe that…
By now…
Don’t even try to…
You know…
In any case…
Now you’ve got to understand…
In addition to…
Of course…
At that point…
The trouble is…
To my knowledge…
Segues from the Masters
At a Gary Halbert seminar years ago, the legendary John Carlton was there and each one of the attendees got a copy of John’s “Power Words.”
It was the first time I’d seen such a list but ever since, it’s been a godsend for giving more “pop” to my copy.
I go through the list when I’m done with a sales letter or an email and look for those weak words that carry no punch — then replace them with something that has more firepower.
For instance, if you said, “ask,” you could replace it with “beg,” which carries more clout, interest, and more ACTION!
Or if you’d originally written “attraction,” a more powerful replacement would be “lust.”
I use the same process with these lists of segues to smooth out rough spots, because if the reader stumbles on a piece of copy, you’ve lost their attention.
OK, so here are more segues from some of the marketing gurus we all emulate (or should if you don’t).
From GARY HALBERT’S Ads
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Sometimes (in fact, often)…
Bless you all…
All in all…
Now, let’s get down to business…
What would you tell that person?
Is there a single principle that…”
Listen up!
Think about it…
Now the man who…
But, of course…
How pathetic…
Now, if you are ever…
Oh yeah, I know…
What’s that you say?
Alright. Alright.
Let’s get started…
Now, what you should do…
O.K. Now assuming…
What you’re going to find…
And on and on and on.
Whoa!
But first, let’s take a breather.
Unfortunately, you see…
What I’m talking about here…
Hummm? I’ve got you thinking now, haven’t I?
Another side of the story:
I wonder?
So, what I’m saying to you…
Hey, are you still with me?
So, let’s create…
This is huge…
So anyway…
Press on. Press on.
And look that up.
Now, let’s go to…
Now listen:
From JOHN CARLTON’S Ads
Last note: I’ve included…
I don’t want to shock you…
Finally, there’s a…
Remember, most folks…
Meanwhile…
This time, however…
I tell you, it’s like magic…
And the thing is…
Here’s what’s going on…
Maybe you’ve heard…
But I’ll bet my bottom dollar…
Yeah, yeah, I know…
But not this time…
Not only that…
The other good news is that…
And then, it’s the simplest thing in the world…
You’ll understand immediately that…
And, after all is said and done…
This proves several things…
Here’s the deal:
We’re in the catbird’s seat now…
And you know what?
Anyway, here’s how your…
But enough talk already…
How’d we do that?
So that’s it.
That’s what it’s all about.
Oops—I almost forgot.
A Few More Segues from Marketing Hot Shots
As you can see, every copywriter’s segues have a different flair.
Gary Halbert’s and John Carlton’s often have a little bit more of an edge or a “slang” feel to them, as does their copy a good part of the time.
On the other hand Gary Bencivenga’s and Joe Sugarman’s ads (below) are more straightforward:
From GARY BENCIVENGA’S Ads
I am looking for…
The truth is…
Why not…
From the start…
Anyone can master this…
But the unavoidable problem is…
For example, my #1 strategy is…
You see, almost all…
And that is why…
The other reason is…
All this takes is…
This treasure trove is based on…
When I gave…
Finally it’s all done…
Given the exploding interest…
That may take some time…
One of the principles…
The reason relates to…
Why not the best?
As you can read…
From JOE SUGARMAN’S Ads:
I am about to tell you a true story…
As a result…
But what really surprised me…
In short…
The second reason is even more impressive.
But from what I’ve personally witnessed…
The main feature…
In addition…
After all…
Again, we had to…
We did keep our prices considerably less…
As I mentioned…
So we developed a new concept around value.
Let’s say that…
Because we are so proud…
So that’s our concept.
To join our small membership group…
Here comes the good part.
Take advantage of this…
One of the strong points…
If you’re looking for…
To capitalize on this…
To the startled eyes of those around you…
And then there’s the convenience…
From One Last Legend…
OK, that’s about it for today, except for a few more segues from the great Dan Kennedy.
By the way, did you know that Dan Kennedy got his start in marketing working for Gary Halbert’s, Halbert’s Inc., in Bath, Ohio?
Just a fun fact, and here are some of his segues…
Of course, this is NOT appropriate for…
That’s why I’m attaching…
I mean that.
Let me tell you why.
Anyway, I am still determined to…
The best answer to that is…
Are you frustrated with…
Now, you can get the…
You know what?
Obviously, I trust you to be fair.
You even get examples of…
If you like, you can add…
Here’s exactly what’s included…
Let me tell you about just one…
Now, for the first time…
THIS IS A FACT:
I really don’t know what else to say…
THIS IS IMPORTANT:
Don’t miss out twice.
I will be direct and to the point.
Why wouldn’t you want to…
Should you require evidence…
In this letter, I’m going to tell you…
Second, I am holding nothing back.
We will look at every detail.
Third, I really am going to…
There are several smart questions…
If you are in the business of…
OK, that gives you a great list of segues.
Use them everywhere and Happy Selling!
This is a treasure, thank you ffor this. I have also had the privilage of reading the email Alchemy. Unfortunately, I did not qualify to benefit from expertise. I thank you for the genrous content you continue to share.