#5 WORDS ON FIRE: A World Famous Ad By A World-Class Copywriter!

Gary Bencivenga, also known as the “greatest living copywriter” or the “control beater”, is truly someone special.

A man who just had an incredible ability to consistently leave other A-list copywriters in the dust by beating their controls.

And as you’ll see in just a moment, he was famous for what is known as “reason why” copy. 

He was so damn good at giving his copy that logical flow of reasons, that covers any remaining objections in the reader's mind.

And it is one of the many “reasons” he is famous in the copywriting world!

Anyway, a great introduction, but let’s analyse this world-class lead, for the very famous Olive Oil Ad.

At first glance, you might not think this headline is so incredible. But it is in fact as perfect as it can get. 

Firstly, the target market is upper class foodies who don’t mind spending on the best quality food. So making this product extremely scarce is the best possible angle he could take.

A warm invite, for a tiny group of Americans, to enjoy rare olive ALL year. I mean, that promise is definitely going to spark enough interest in these foodies. 

If you’ve noticed, this lead is extremely direct. Straight in with the USP, immediately after the headline. 

There’s an important things to notice here...

CORE UNDERSTANDING #1:

Firstly, people want what they can’t have.

Secondly, foodies willing to invest tonnes in the best… foods… definitely want what they can’t or don’t have. 

So the unproven claim… that these are the best tasting olive oils in the world and only a few Americans get the luxury of having them… is extremely intriguing to the reader. Thirdly, some expert objection handling…

Before or as the reader thinks, “could I not just get this from the supermarket”, Gary has already handled this objection. That lead is undeniably compelling to any olive oil lover.

I mean, how could you not read this?

From the very first sentence, Gary establishes the fact they need to act fast. 

There’s also a hint at the offer.

Gary makes them aware of how they will have their own private supply, again keeping with the idea that this is super personalised, only a few Americans have it. 

It is also setting the expectation very early on that this product will not be cheap.

It is very unique and high-end. In fact, it’s so unique that you have your own private supply and you don’t even need to leave your house to get it.

Now, onto what he’s famous for. The reasons why.

The reader is thinking…

“Why can’t I get this in the supermarket, why are these olive oils so rare… why why why.”

And Gary reads their mind masterfully. For the first two paragraphs he spends his time building interest and handling this objection!

That's simply why Gary Bencivenga is one of the BEST!

Gary’s first reason why: “unlike wine, olive oil gets worse with time…”

This is new information to the reader. 

Gary is engaging the reader in the conversation. Digging his hooks deep so they have to keep reading.

Next paragraph, Gary gives more information on olive oils that the reader didn’t know before. You see how the writing is extremely interesting to the reader. 

WHY? Because it’s NEW!

The reader keeps discovering new things.

And then like a true expert he keeps the reasons going...

Gary then answers why fresh pressed olive oil is superior to all other Olive oils… because it is only fresh for the first 3-6 months after it has been pressed. 

Great stuff — Now they know kind of know why you can’t get it from the supermarket.

But there’s now a new question that pops into the reader's mind. “Okay, but the olive oil I get from the store says it’s freshly pressed… OHHH really…

Not so fast. 

In America, you are being scammed. The label is lying to you. In fact, it never even tells you. And olive oil is delivered well over 6 months after being pressed. Now, the hooks are deep.

The reader not only knows that fresh pressed olive oil is rare and extremely valuable, but they know they can’t get it from their local supermarket.

The headline, lead and USP has been proven to the reader.

The hooks are so deep they have to find out more. So they will keep reading.

You might have noticed a very similar theme with these breakdowns. 

These A-list copywriters are...

MASTERS at predicting the next thought of the reader.

After setting a theme of the ad (done in the headline”), in a logical flow they tap into the reader's thoughts AHEAD of time.

This is advanced stuff. It takes great skill and great experience to do this.

That’s “why” they are the best.

There's 3 reasons for hadnling objections ahead of time:

One, you do the thinking for them which builds rapport

Two, it makes the reading enjoyable.

Most importantly however...

You gain INFLUENCE over their thoughts and their mind.

You can direct their focus onto your product in a logical flow, handling one objection after another, and slowly building more and more desire for the product.

This is why these ads are so successful (Okay, I think that's enoguh reasons why by now!)

From the moment a foodie reads the first word, they can’t stop until the very moment they put down their credit card and click buy. 

By the time the sale is made, every unanswered question in their mind is covered, and they are SO emotionally invested, they just have to buy.

Now with Gary’s ad, there’s much more nuance going on in between the words. 

Much more psychology that drives the sale. 90% of it, I probably don’t even know. 

However, understanding even just 10% of what Gary knows, the important principles, timeless principles used within these ads, is enough to make you seriously good.

So, please, read the rest of this ad. Hand write it. MEMORIZE it.

You will learn so much more about psychology and influence than any book could teach you.

For now, I hope you enjoyed it.

Talk soon!

Efe