Writing

18 Ways to Transform a List of Dull Bullet Points into Supercharged Bullets Using an Old-School Technique

O. Sentrec

• 7 min read

Boring and repetitive bullet points kill your copy.
Your readers quickly lose their interest and direct their attention somewhere else.
Bullet points should keep the readers’ attention and interest, build desire and stimulate curiosity and intrigue.
Fascinations are an old-school technique that can do that and more.

What is a fascination?

It’s a “teaser” bullet. It presents the facts about the product in a way that “teases” the reader into wanting the full story. It gives away enough information to build curiosity in the reader without revealing exactly what it is.

Fascinations work because the reader doesn’t want to be kept in the dark. He feels compelled to find out the answer.

The key to writing a good fascination bullet is highlighting something that arouses your reader's curiosity and suggests a compelling benefit. How to get that benefit is not revealed. To find answers, the reader has to either keep reading the rest of the sales page or buy the product.

Fascinations work best for information products, where you can easily tease information your reader will get when he buys the product.

How to write fascinations from a list of dull bullet points

Rewrite each bullet point to open the curiosity gap. A fascination should stimulate curiosity and intrigue, and build the desire to know what the bullet promises to reveal.

Try as many of the following 18 ways as you want to transform your bullet points into supercharged bullets.

The examples I use in this article are fascinations written by master copywriters including Gary Halbert, John Carlton, Mel Martin, Gary Bencivenga, Joe Sugarman, and Ben Settle.

1) Begin the bullet with words like "who", "what", "when", "where", "why", or "how"

Examples:

  • What every catalog mailer in the world does wrong, month after month... and how to create your own "gold mine" catalog from scratch -- even if you don't have a "line" of products yet!
  • What you should do to the lightbulbs in your house that can dramatically help you sell it!
  • When to use the most simple strike you'll ever learn... an unstoppable natural move so effective in ending fights it's not allowed in full-contact karate tournaments! (Instant disqualification -- it's also a move that 99% of the most brutal street fighters you'll ever encounter have never seen before... and don't know how to defend against!)
  • When to use the secret "3 Week Repeat" technique to increase the results of your direct mail sales campaign by one-third!
  • Why your "back end" may be 1,000 times more profitable than your initial sale... and what to do to take advantage of it now!
  • Why certain coffee can damage your vision. See page 554.
  • How the 3 Basic Elements found in every single successful (multi-million dollar) television infomercial can also be used to boost the profitability of your newspaper ads!
  • How to use super-cheap C.O.D. (collect on delivery) mail rates to increase response and profit!

2) Begin the bullet with "The one/The only"

Examples:

  • The one thing you can do today to make your business's ads almost instantly more responsive. (The late direct mail guru Dick Benson insisted this is one of the best things you can do to your copy to pump up your response right away. Page 144.)
  • The only productivity app you need to keep you organized every moment of the day.

3) Begin with "The actual/The exact"

Examples:

  • The exact number of syllables your words should have (according to one of the best copywriters who ever lived) if you're selling to a mass market. (Page 28)

4) Use words like "will" or "must" inside the bullet point.

Examples:

  • What colors you must never paint your house if you want to sell it fast!
  • The absolutely essential First 3 Things you must do before you attempt to sell anything to anyone!
  • The sneaky ways people will steal ideas and money from you... important "preventative" knowledge that will save you from being sunk by sabotage!
  • How to get into deep, soul-pleasing rapport with your partner... and stay there forever! (You will never feel alone again!)

5) Use words starting with un- (unexpected, unpopular, unknown) inside the bullet.

Examples:

  • How to use a super-effective, completely unexpected technique straight out of the "Three Stooges" to cause any attacker to automatically (1) back up, (2) raise his hands in defense, and (3) blink rapidly... all of which instantaneously reverses the tables and makes your attacker suddenly vulnerable to a fight-ending blow you can deliver in your own sweet time!
  • How to handle the "side-effects" of your increased sexual energy you'll get on this program! (A real unexpected bonus!)

6) Use a two-step bullet. After your initial statement, you make another statement in parentheses that makes people think about what it is you're trying to tell them.

Examples:

  • How to get a refund if you have overpaid your Social Security taxes. (Studies show that two out of three people overpay.)
  • Should you get a divorce in order to get more Social Security? (a lot of people already have.)
  • What to do when people tell you to swing your shoulders and arms in the same plane. (Do nothing except show them page 46).

7) Contradict a common assumption. Use a belief the reader has, and then tell them they are wrong.

Examples:

  • Promoting your content on other sites is spammy. Wrong! It can be, but I will teach you how to do it in a way that has readers glad you shared it.

8) Ask a question followed by the promise that the answer is in the product you are selling.

Examples:

  • Feeling anxious, restless, irritable? Having trouble sleeping? These 2 amino acids may be the culprits! Relief is just a quick read away - on page 91.
  • Do you know that one-quarter of all household burglars gain entrance without breaking in? Here’s how they do it … and how to get them to stop doing it to you. Page 157.
  • Are short subject lines really better than long ones? (The answer may surprise you)

9) Use a transactional bullet - "Give me this, and I'll give you that". This bullet works when the thing you are asking the reader to give you seems really small compared to the benefit they'll receive.

Examples:

  • Give me 10 minutes of your time, and I'll show you how to increase your sales X3

10) Find an issue where the controversy is well-known in your market and write a bullet point with the "truth about."

Examples:

  • The ugly truth about blood sugar drugs. Surprising side effects drug companies don't want you to know about!
  • The truth behind "follow through" -- and why 99% of all golfers completely blow it right after they hit the ball!
  • THE TRUTH ABOUT ALCOHOL. Will it interfere with muscle growth? Will it help your heart and circulatory system? See page 274.

11) Use the “secret to” bullet. This bullet is based on information not commonly known.

Examples:

  • The 1960's “Mad Man” era secret to writing headlines that can get people eagerly reading every word of your sales letters. (Page 48)
  • The secrets of “Single Finger” takedowns … using moves that are indefensible even by a larger and more experienced opponent!
  • The Real Reason people choose to buy anything -- the secret truth long known by master salesmen, sociologists and "con men" finally revealed!
  • The "voice tool" secret that will immediately change your attitude from calm to dominant in any surprise situation!

12) Use the “what never” bullet. This bullet alerts your reader of a possible mistake and promise information that will protect him from that mistake.

Examples:

  • What never to say in a sales letter if you're selling to women. (Page 244)
  • What never to eat on an airplane. The dirtiest, deadliest airplane in the whole wide world.
  • What never to keep in your deposit box. Never. And how to stop the state from stealing it.

Some variations you can also use: “Why you should not …” or “The absolute worst …” or “What to avoid …”

  • The absolute worst time for your body to do paperwork or read. Page 26.

13) The “Number” bullet. Use it when you can group together multiple ways of doing something.

  • 20 Guaranteed Ways to increase readership and response to your sales letters and ads... without touching your current copy!
  • 12 ways to write bullet points that “seep” right into your reader's psychology
    3 often overlooked investment vehicles that can make you up to 10 times richer when the next earnings scandal bursts into the headlines.
  • The 11 steps of "Rolling Out" a project once you have a winner!

14) The “Gimmick” bullet. To write this bullet, give a catchy name to an idea you have extracted from the information you got during the research phase.

Examples:

  • How to use the "Gun To Your Head" theory of marketing to make sure every advertising method you use is as close to 100% sales-perfection as it can get.
  • The “optical illusion” that absolutely destroys most golfers …the single most damaging “habit” nearly all amateurs suffer that GUARANTEES they will never experience a consistently great game! (Once you know the secret, however, you will OWN the course!)

15) The “sneaky” bullet. Use it sporadically and only if you have information that has some sort of conspiracy factor.

Examples:

  • The sneaky ways people will steal ideas and money from you... important "preventative" knowledge that will save you from being sunk by sabotage!
  • A sneaky way to use your competitor's products and services to sell yours! (I once saw a martial arts school do this, and their new member count went through the roof. See page 114.)
  • Sneaky little arthritis secrets that doctors never, ever tell you about …

16) Use "The easiest/The quickest". The quickest or easiest or simplest way to do something, to achieve a beneficial result.

Examples:

  • The 10 easiest markets "rookie" entrepreneurs can tap for maximum profit with minimum risk!
  • The easiest way to create major demand for what you're selling. Forget hype and the typical "marketing" you're used to (and sick of). This simple approach works like crazy - and it doesn't even take money to deploy it.(See page 13)
  • The fastest way to make someone want what you're selling. (Whatever you do, DON'T talk about your product!) Page 50.
  • The quickest, easiest ways to find a broker who won’t cheat you.

17) The “Single” bullet. Use it when you have a benefit or a piece of information that exceeds all others and you have proof.

Examples:

  • The single most important sentence you will ever read about how to create powerful marketing. It contains just nine words, and they will forever change your approach to marketing.
  • The single most important move you can make in any altercation -- it's what your body wants to do, but what most people panic about and refuse to allow themselves to do! (Yet it will save your life!)
  • The single most important element of any sales message... and how to exploit it for maximum sales!

18) If you are selling information products consider adding finders. Finders are things like chapters (if you are selling books), time frames (if you are selling a video course), the location, etc. They help your readers imagine themselves using the product or getting the benefit you're talking about.

There you have it, 18 ways to transform dull bullet points into bullets your prospect wants to read. For better results, make sure to vary your bullet points. Combine long bullets with short bullets, blind bullets (that don't give anything away) with bullets that reveal the full secret and provide real value.