Brett McFall is a copywriter, though he seems to have “retired” from that industry to go into book publishing, software sales…and he is the co-creator of the World Internet Summit.

The the B.U.R.P.I.E.S Formula, is an honest and real-world way to look at copywriting. This formula is “anti-hype.”

“A lot of people tend to assume that what I’m saying is to be “hypey”
and really “salesmansy” and “showmanship”. [sic] I’m not saying any of that. I don’t believe I’ve written a “hypey” ad ever in my life, because if it’s “hypey”, [sic] it
means it’s BS, right? I’ve lied. But if I tell you what you’re going to get from this
product and I’m going to tell you the benefit of it, that’s not hype. That’s telling
you what you need to know to make a decision.”

McFall, Brett (2005) e-book_marketing_gems p. 29 – 30
eBook Marketing Gems Transcript (PDF)

Here is a summary of the B.U.R.P.I.E.S Formula. It is really good, persuasive copywriting.

B – Big Promise – The Headline

Example: “Seven Good Reasons to Call Now!”

U – Use Imagination – The Clients’ or Customers’ imagination, that is

Create a storyline with mental pictures describing what it would be like using the advertised product or service

R – Rarity – What makes this product or service stand out. Note: Not the artificial “scarcity” tactics advocated created by copywriters of lesser talent and inferior skill

Example: Among our competitors, none offers this…

“Our competitors do such and such, but we…”

P – Points – Bullet Points

The Bullet Points relate to the headline and follow the formula…

“We offer ___ which means ____ (benefit) for you

(Note: Brett McFall would write “page after page” of Bullet Points, but match these Points to the Headline

I – Irresistible Offer –

This concept made famous by Mark Joyner and Gary Halbert

Get Mark Joyner’s Irresistible Offer book

Evidence – Proof, Guarantee

This concept was made famous by Jay Abraham, i.e., take away all risk in the offer

Answer all questions (objections) that clients might have, ahead of time

Example: “If you don’t like our product or service for any reason, period, you don’t pay.”

Best Guarantee in an Internet Marketing offer: “Use this product for 90 days. Pay at that time only if you are 100% thrilled with the product!”

Sidebar => How far the FTC should when it regulates Internet Marketing to quash inflated expectation of income claims. This would help the “cream rise to the top” and help the “bad die young.”

Add Testimonials – Add phone numbers of clients and customers who agree next to the testimonial

S – Sign Off – The “Call to Action”

Tell clients and customers exactly what to do to take action

Use Audio to reinforce what they should do

Make sure to tell them to “Do it now!”

B.U.R.P.I.E.S. Software

Brett McFall sells software that steps you through the B.U.R.P.I.E.S. development process through Clickbank.

But, try your hand at writing ads for a product using the B.U.R.P.I.E.S. Formula to be sure that the formula works.

Once you prove to yourself that the formula delivers, then purchase the software because it will save you time in writing future ads. It might also save time for you in creating ad variations that you can test against each other.

When your ad creation process is “standardized,” your job of testing is made easier.