From the book lists at Adware Report:

All information current as of 05:46:39 Pacific Time, Thursday, 17 March 2005. Persuasive Online Copywriting: How to Take Your Words to the Bank    by Bryan Eisenberg / Jeffrey Eisenberg / Lisa T. Davis   Paperback:     Wizard Academy Press     15 September, 2002    US$15.30         Usually ships in 24 hours Click the button below to . . .      (which will add the book to your Amazon U.S.A. "Shopping Cart") . . . or use your browser's Back button to return to the search-list page.

---

Editorial description(s):

Nick Usborne, Author, Net Words: Creating High Impact Online Copy
"...An excellent, practical guide to writing with conversion rates in mind"


Larry Chase, WDFM.com Publisher and Author
"...this is a must have volume."


Dan Janal, Founder of PR Leads and Author
"This is the Strunk & White of writing for the web."


Michael Drew, Entrepreneur Press
"Any business-person who wants to succeed online should read and implement the tactics and strategies found in this book"


Debbie Weil, Editor WordBiz Report
"Worth reading no matter what your role in copywriting for the Web."


From the Publisher
From the foreword by Roy H. Williams, The Wizard of Ads:

"The internet was a baby born premature. She will certainly survive and grow up to exceed all your expectations, but she must first be given some time to mature. There are some fundamental problems with Internet Marketing that cannot be overcome with simple advances in technology.

What internet marketing needs is people who truly understand the fundamentals of human persuasion and can apply them to the internet. I believe Jeffrey and Bryan Eisenberg have done that in this book."


About the Author
Bryan Eisenberg, Jeffrey Eisenberg and Lisa Davis work with Future Now, Inc.

Future Now, Inc., is based in Brooklyn, NY and was founded in 1998 with the sole purpose of helping clients increase their conversion rates. Future Now shares its unique and proprietary processes and expertise with a broad range of middle-market B2B and B2C clients nationwide by providing training, consulting, speaking, assessment services and publishing. Future Now is also a joint venture partner with the Association for Interactive Marketing (AIM) in the newly formed Interactive Marketing Academy, LLC.

Future Now publishes GrokDotCom.com, the weekly ROI Marketing column in ClickZ and has published two books: " The Marketers Common Sense Guide to e-Metrics" and " Persuasive Online Copywriting". They have been featured speaker at numerous industry events: DMDAYS, @dtech, Search Engine Strategies, Internet Marketing, Internet World, Net.Marketing, DMA Annual &ClickZ Email Strategies. They have been featured in publications such as Publish, Chicago Business Tribune, Inc Magazine, DM News, EDP the Business, MarketingSherpa, the Toronto Star, Ecommerce Guide, InternetDay & Internet Retailer.


Book Description
Writing for the web. Web word wizardry. Web writing that works. What does that mean? Your online copy must persuade - it';s integral to getting your visitors or readers to register, subscribe, qualify as leads, and yes, even buy from you. It';s writing that must earn its keep. And to effectively manage the quality of your online writing, you need to understand what works, why it works and how to make it work better for you. Whether you are the marketer responsible for the bottom line or the writer creating the copy, Persuasive Online Copywriting provides the tools you need to get results.




Reader review(s):

Helpful --- But Don't Expect Results., December 7, 2002
This is a well written book and it is one that I recommend to folks who want the basics of writing for the web. Writing Web site copy is hard work and anything that gives you any help at all is welcome.

But I noticed that some of the people mentioned in the book as being helped by the authors or being in some way associated with the authors had sites that didn't apply the rules and tips and teachings that are offered in this book. Yet they have reviews here and in the book. Or some do.

I also ran the "we we test" on their sites that is on the author's site and all scored very low. So it appears that the authors were able to get some good recommendations and reviews but not necessarily by people who adhere to their philosophy.

Having said that, I think this is well worth the read. Don't expect the conversions that the authors seem to think their suggestions will provide. Unfortunately, conversions are much more difficult to get than by applying the advice in this book.

I also found it amusing that the author adheres to the concept of using lots of hyperlinks in the main part of your site (the center) and in his book, Net Words by Nick Usborne, Nice says that's not a good idea at all; that it causes you to lose people. Why is this amusing? Nick works with Future Now as a strategic partner. (Future Now is the site associated with the author of this book.) Future Now does, at least, follow it's own rules. It has lots of hyperlinks on it's page. It has useful tools and a high ranking in the search engines.

So I'm not sure how much stock you can put in either theory or in either book.

The information in the book will, however, be very helpful to those who are writing copy for their own sites or that of others. I just don't think you should believe everything you will read in the book as it all simply doesn't work. Some of it does and for that information, the book is useful.

When copywriters, or for that matter anyone in business, writes a book, it is with the intention of building their credibility and getting more business. And that's fine. But the advice they give sometimes has to be taken with a grain of salt. And the people who recommend the book on the back cover are often folks who write books for the same reason. So you might say they're doing each other a favor.

The proof is in whether or not what you read in a book works. I tested the advice in this book and find it lacking. But I'm in need of more in-depth and realistic offerings. To someone who simply wants help writing their Web site, this is an excellent book. Just don't expect the results that the book, reviewers and those who recommend it seem to think you'll get.

Will Open (and Blow) Your Mind - A Must Read, January 30, 2003
This gem of a book offers the most comprehensive (and immediately useable) information on "how to make your website profitable" in the fewest amount of pages that I have yet seen.

As a bonus, it is priced a fraction of most of the available information on this subject. I've paid hundreds of dollars for information that was not nearly as useable as this. (OK I admit I'm a marketing information junkie)

I have purchased dozens of products (printed and ebooks) within the last year alone on this subject. Most of the others talk about search engine tricks, pop-ups, hard sell copy, and basically manipulating your site visitor into doing what you want.

Manipulation may work a little in the short run, but is self defeating in the long run.

This book is much smarter than that. It is in a whole different league.

This book teaches what is really important to long term profits. That is, engaging your visitors and making sure your site is offering them exactly what THEY want.

It shows you how to write extremely effective copy. It also tells you how to discover exactly what your customers are asking you to provide them by watching your stats and web logs.

The basic premise of this book is that without a high conversion ratio, there is no point in buying more traffic. It is much more cost effective to use the techniques contained in this book to increase your conversions than to chase traffic. That comes later. They make a valid point that most folks are doing this backwards.

This book is about way more than just copywriting, by the way. It does an excellent job of enlightening you to many useability factors that may be hurting your sales.

I can't imagine anyone who manages a website and uses even a small percentage of the wisdom contained within not getting a hundred times their investment back.

In conclusion, just buy it and read it. You can not go wrong with this book.

A Must Have!, October 22, 2002
This book is a must have for any web site manager, content coordinator, or copy writer. It contains a proven methodology with solid examples on how the most important part of any web site are its copy and content(which by the way are two seperate things...)

It also pushes you to realize that "conversion is king!" in the online world. The second half of the book features web site "conversion" principles that you will find no where else other than the author's twice monthly newsleter, The Grokdotcom.

After years of building sites with form, but no function it is great to finally see someone address this issue. I don't know anyone else who takes it to this level. Perfect for both the seasoned web professional and beginner alike - A very easy read!

Draw in your customers, May 16, 2004
Are you like me in buying every self-help or non-fiction book to bring in more business? One problem. When do we have the time to read them? This book simply won't let that happen with its short chapters, personable style, and valuable information on how to keep visitors clicking until they make the buy.

This book is the how. How to take all the theories and whys discussed by other authors and make it happen. I have trouble with theories because they don't help me visualize the application of such theories. This book stays away from whys and shows you how.

When I started reading the book, several big projects got thrown my way leading to late night reading being replaced by late night working. Every now and then, I took a break and breezed through this book reading many pages in a brief time while gaining new knowledge and a refresher in creative writing as it applies to online copy.

Non-fiction is my thing when it comes to writing. Over time, I have forgotten creative techniques for adding spice to copy. The authors jolted memories of high school English classes where we learned about the different poetic styles (iambic pentameter, alliteration, meter, etc) and to avoid using passive verbs. Not only that, but also they cover how to write for different personalities.

Already getting high traffic to your site? That means you know how to draw attention and interest. But, how are you doing in building desire so that they take action? Hmm... could that be the challenge? The authors drive toward long-term results by engaging your visitors and leading the way for them to get what they need and be satisfied with it.

I'm familiar with a few techniques discussed in the book, but many may not be. It depends on what you do with regard to the Web site. I understand making a Web site usable and getting visitors to the site. My Web site's weakness is converting visitors into customers. Marketing pros may succeed with creating a desire, but have trouble with visitors taking action. The authors cover all the areas needed to persuade via the Internet from "notice me!" to "be happy with me!"

Are you thinking, "More technology! We need more technology to make this work?" We've taken technology for granted, but all it can do is what human programmers program it to do. Technology doesn't know human nature. It doesn't know how to feel or need something. People do and can convey what they know with words. Words make the sale. Technology ensures the words get their say (by quickly loading the Web page and functioning the way it should) and to push the sale through the back-end process (taking the order, managing inventory, etc.). This is where conversion principles apply. The authors share simple processes for improving conversion rates.

A splash page is the "introduction" page to a Web site. It's flashy, colorful, and cool. But it's a waste of time. It gets in the way of the core material. Customers don't care how good your designers are, they care about what you can give them and that comes through words and good online copy. It's time for the online world to get what print mastered many years ago. The authors' witty writing style makes the book enjoyable to read without sacrificing wisdom. They practice what they preach and it's no wonder that GrokDotCom.com, the site behind Future Now, Inc. is a success.

Time has come to let go of what's in it for the company and think of what's in it for the customer. In time, you shall reap the rewards at the bank.

If You Read only one book on the Internet, make it this one., December 4, 2002
Internet Marketing is here to stay and it's getting better every day. And the authors of this book are a big part of the reason why.

1998-2000: Money fell like rain from heaven and the streets were flooded with stories of teenage millionaires. These halcyon days were fueled by a mentality that "if you build it, they will come." Investors drunkenly bought into the Internet's promise of a "new economy" and billions of dollars were pumped into spec-tech and dotcoms, never to be seen again. But when the investors saw that the `net's realities didn't quite match up to the glowing promises, investment capital dried up faster than alcohol on a summer sidewalk.

There were fundamental problems with Internet marketing that could not be overcome with mere advances in technology. What Internet marketing needed was someone who truly understood the fundamentals of human persuasion and could apply them to the Internet."

Today it is my extraordinary pleasure to announce that those people have been found.

Jeff and Bryan Eisenberg were talking `conversion' back when `eyeballs' were the thing and conversion wasn't even in the lexicon. Their work was greatly accelerated when they added Lisa Davis to the team.

Bryan, Jeffrey and Lisa graduated with honors from Wizard Academy and have since gone on to accomplish a number of internet marketing miracles. Consequently, they were chosen to become adjunct faculty at Wizard Academy, where they now teach a curriculum that has punched Internet ROI through the ceiling for every company that has sent a delegate. This book, for a [low price], contains an extremely important portion of what they teach.

Prepare to be amazed.

Roy H. Williams
NY Times bestselling author of
Secret Formulas of The Wizard of Ads

Wow!!! Wow!!! Wow!!!, January 5, 2003
This book opened doors to my imagination. My mind sprung wells so deep that I could not help but drink. This book should be recommended to any marketer who would like to persuade. It is deeper and more valuable than any other book about the Internet. It will explain how to set your web page in order and keep visitors clicking until they become repeat buyers. This book is recommended for anyone who would like to increase their conversion rate!

No Background In Copywriting? Find Another Book., July 14, 2004
I bought this book to try and gain more of an understanding on copywriting for the net. My honest opinion is that unless you have a background in professional writing or copywriting, this book won't be much of a help. The book makes references to things like Fraking, Poetic Meter, etc and then gives you a very short paragraph description on what they mean that doesn't give you an understanding of the term, but rather a definition. I was for lack of a better term, lost by the time I was 60 pages in.

Maybe if you do have a background in copywriting, this book will be quite useful in helping you understand how to adapt regular copywriting to the web. But, if not, you won't get much of an "education" but rather a "how to adapt" approach that isn't very useful to someone who hasn't had a some form of formal education on the topic. I did give this book two stars because there was a "nugget" here or there that anyone could have gleaned, but overall I was disappointed by the book.

Consultants making more $$$ from your website than you?, October 29, 2002
You want to or are being pressured to get "more" out of your website. You've got the latest technology, super smooth graphics and Flash that make the CEO giddy with glee, maybe even a CRM system to handle all the customer inquiries.

Does it seem that no matter what technology or feature is incorporated into the site it, doesn't make much difference? If you represent a small company, you may be buying lots of traffic from Overture and Google but not ringing up many sales. Technology and marketing budgets don't close sales. Words close sales.

What does this have to do with "Persuasive Online Copywriting"? Everything. Website copy provides the facts your customers are looking for (often in the form of search engine queries). It also touches their emotions, makes them feel safe, secure, and confident the right decision has been made to do business with you. That is, if you take the time and effort to do it right.

"Persuasive Online Copywriting" is your guide to improving the copy on your site. It provides expert advice on:

* Specific Web Writing Techniques
* Writing For Search Engines (Tackling that mysterious SEO thing)
* Improving Conversion Rates
* Putting Offline Ad Copy On Your Website
* The Length of Copy On Your Pages
* The Way People Will Scan and Skim Your Copy and How You Can Take Advantage of It

It takes effort, a customer centric view, and may entail some internal political battles to get it right, but with this book as your guide, you'll be able to step ahead of the competition in stealth mode. Most any competitive move you make on the web can be immediately detected and copied by your competitors. You buy something; your competitor buys the same thing. Winner: The vendor that sold you both on it.

Improving your copy may even enable you to cut your marketing expenses and customer service inquiries. When you make the shopping and buying experience safe, secure, and easy it's amazing how much more people will buy. Isn't it about time you learned how to put words to work for you?

If you are making a serious push to enhance copy and its presentation on your website you might also consider picking up a copy of Net Words by Nick Usborne and Designing CSS Web Pages by Christopher Schmitt.

The GROK knows all, October 27, 2003
This was my third of three copywriting books I read. While actually being the smallest, this book probably had the most content. The beautiful thing is that each topic is in its own small 2-3 page chapter which is very convincing, logical, and easily accesable for further usage.

One of the better internet books on the market.

Excellent book; informative and well-written, December 4, 2002
Lots of great info on what WORKS in copywriting. Very helpful in avoiding the common mistakes that so many make. The authors "we-we" calculator is brilliant!

---

{end of page}

(Page code from the SEO Tools, Toys, and Packages site)