We've all heard of killer copy. But what actually constitutes killer copy? To my way of thinking it should mean any copy that is succesful in its aim. But it's come to mean the sort of manipulative, emotive, NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) copy that we see on those narrow, letter-like pages.

Does it work and if so, will it work for you?

It undoubtedly does work but it really depends on your audience. When I see that sort of copy, while I might be enticed into reading it I rarely buy. Why? Because to me it seems somehow sleazy and I don't trust the company. I have a sense of being manipulated and that doesn't feel good. That may seem unfair, and if so I apologize to anyone who disagrees, but that's how I feel when I read these pages.

If you have a great product why try to trick people into buying it?

If your product or service is really good then well-written copy that is search engine friendly should do the job for you. Certainly you need to overcome objections, give guarantees and the like but I prefer to see copy that's informative; that tells me what I need to know; that shows the company understands my concerns and my needs and; that makes me feel the company is reputable. What about you?