Since times immemorial, when the art of promotion was invented, the humanity has succeeded in its development, but one question still remains unsolved: how not to go too far while praising the product? In other words, what words look authoritative and quite persuasive for prospects, and which ones just annoy them, being referred to as "spam"?

Just look around and you’ll see: spammy promotion is literally everywhere. When a salesman knocks at your door and, breathless with delight, informs you that "you’re so lucky today", because he’s come to show you the best lawnmower in the universe - what do you feel? Do you like this person? I bet, you are ready to kick the poor fellow downstairs, staying completely ignorant about his great product.

The fact is that excessive praise can ruin even a well-planned promotional campaign. It is especially obvious while looking through a sales letter. People, all those "it is time to be the best of the best?" and "start earning billions" have become a commonplace and are unlikely to call to action even a monkey, let alone today’s experienced readers. Of course, Henri Matisse said "don’t be afraid of banality", but first, he wasn’t a copywriter, and secondly, it was 200 years ago!

So, let’s look at the most common spammy techniques that copywriters use in sales copies and discover how to avoid them.

* First you have to invent a more or less tired headline. If you think that headlines like "Yes, you too can earn $100,000 a day quickly and easily" are ok, then either you are a beginner at sales letter writing, or you had worked in Herbalife for 10 years, and spammy promotion is already your second nature. To find more examples of commonplace headlines, visit Headline Generator featuring the most trite cliches.

To fight banality, try to stay deliberately accurate. Don’t write the vague and incomprehensible "Learn How the Ultimate Fitness Guide Can Fulfill All of Your Dreams". Choose something more precise and definite – "Learn How to Make Your Legs Look Like Kylie’s in 3 Months!" The concept of "life" has too many meanings and seems obscure, while "Kylie’s legs" embodies the ideal each woman aspires to.

* Having got through the headline, you proceed to the product description, writing the lead, the bullet points and the body itself. Here the balance is your best friend. Even if you are absolutely sure the product is a treasure, try at least to seem unbiased and – what is more important – don’t exaggerate its benefits, telling a lie. Writing that a vacuum cleaner "will change your life once and for all" you not only deceive prospects, but also divert them from the product, as nobody likes hype. To be listened to and to be heard via the sales letter, you should first establish your authority. Show that you really know everything about the promoted product and the area of its application by providing more specific details and answering all the possible questions.

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