The 10 Questions That Make Your Copy Cut Deep

You can’t sell to someone you don’t know.

That’s why most sales copy flops.

It’s vague.

It’s soft.

It’s blah.

It talks to “everyone” and hits no one.

Before you type a headline, ask this: Who are you really talking to?

And no—“small business owners” or “mums on the go” doesn’t cut it.

That’s not a person.

That’s a spreadsheet.

Dan Kennedy’s 10-question framework from The Ultimate Sales Letter fixes that.

It helps you find the real, flawed, stressed-out human behind the data.

It forces you to stop guessing and start listening.

Here’s the full list—with my blunt takes in italics.

Print it.

Keep it in your back pocket. (Or, fine—next to your overpriced second screen.)

Whisper “Thank you, Dan” before every draft.

It works.

1. What keeps them awake at night, indigestion boiling up their esophagus, eyes open, staring at the ceiling? Start here. This is their pain, not your pitch.

2. What are they afraid of? Fear fuels action. What failure are they trying to avoid?

3. What are they angry about? Who are they angry at? Every story needs a villain. Hand them one.

4. What trends are occurring and will occur in their businesses or lives? Context matters. Show them you get the chaos.

5. What do they secretly, ardently desire most? Speak to the itch they won’t scratch in public.

6. Is there a built-in bias to the way they make decisions? Do they go with the cheapest? The biggest brand? The most exclusive? Know their bias. Then match it.

7. Do they have their own language? Talk like them. Not like a brand guide.

8. Who else is selling something similar to them, and how? Know the battlefield. And find your wedge.

9. Who else has tried to sell them something similar and failed? Why? Call out the flops. Show why you’re different.

10. What is the ideal day in their life like? Sell that. The finish line. The win. The transformation.

This isn’t a quiz, it’s a map.

Follow it and your copy will cut like a blade.

You stop sounding like a brand.

You start sounding like someone who gets them.

You write stuff they feel.

Stuff that sticks.

Stuff that moves them.

You start making people feel seen.

And when they feel seen, they lean in.

They click.

They call.

They convert.

And they don’t even blink.”

PS. Do you struggle to set yourself apart from your competitors? Does your tone of voice lack a little personality? Either way, get in touch and I’ll help you become remarkable. Or get more communication advice that doesn't suck here.