Do you have a “swipe file”?

What's a “swipe file” I hear you ask.

Well, OK, I can't actually hear you. Email's pretty good these days, but not that good…

But if you're wondering what a swipe file is, it's simply a collection of examples and templates of proven, effective marketing you've “swiped” from other sources.

Now the idea is not to copy the marketing directly. Apart from being unethical, it might not work as the target client of the marketing piece may be different to yours, the benefit being promoted different, etc.

But swipe files are amazingly effective for inspiration.

One of the most opened emails I've ever written was entitled “5 crippling beliefs that keep consultants and coaches in the poor house”.

That was based on an article headline from Copyblogger entitled “5 Crippling Beliefs That Keep Writers Penniless and Mired in Mediocrity”.

When I'm writing emails, I'll often look to previous emails that have worked either for me or for other marketers and I'll follow the same basic structure.

It's the same with presentations, blog posts, even videos.

Not that you'll notice. I try to pour a ton of me into everything I do.

But more often than not, I like to start with something I know works.

How do you build up a swipe file?

Start with your own effective campaigns: emails, letters, whatever marketing you do.

But not just the ones YOU thought were good. Or the ones you got compliments on.

Base it on results: ideally clients or sales gained as a result. If you can't directly measure that, then use responses, clicks, whatever indicates the marketing piece is having the desired effect.

When it comes to other people's marketing, sometimes you can buy complete swipe files including their results.

For example, a few years I bought a review from veteran copywriter Bob Bly of all the emails he'd sent out, how they'd performed and what he'd learned from them.

Denny Hatch published a collection of some of the most successful direct mail pieces of all time with commentary (you can get a copy here) 

Pure gold.

You can also judge what's working by what's long-lived.

For example, Martin Conroy's “Two Young Men” advert for the Wall Street Journal ran pretty much unchanged for 28 years.

The reason: it worked. They kept testing it against other ads but it kept winning, so they kept using it.

If the same ads keep appearing in the publications your clients read, then the chances are they're working.

Or if the same ads keep appearing for your keyword phrases on google searches (you can check the history using tools like Keyword Spy) then the chances are it's because they're profitable.

So take a copy of them. Analyse them. See how you could learn from them. What benefits do they focus on? What's the offer? What wording, style or structure do they use?

Or, if you're lucky enough to be similar to your clients (you sell to CFOs and you used to be one, for example) then pay attention to the marketing that works on you.

What got you to buy? Or to take some action like subscribe to a mailing list, send an email, or even just to think “I could work with this guy”.

Take a copy of whatever it was that triggered it and store it away.

Then when you next come to do any marketing, pull out your wipe file and see what you could learn from.

It'll save you a lot of blood, sweat and tears…