My friend Jack Goldenberg, the man who created the concept and copy for the McDonald’s Happy Meal, recently posted my blog on his blog: http://10minutesofbrilliance.com/

We both belong to Seth Godin’s social network triiibes.com, and I post there quite regularly. I posted this blog there and he asked for permission to post it on his copywriting blog. I agreed and so there you go! If you came here from there, welcome! If not, please go there from here. That’s an unabashed plug for Jack. Like Bob Bly, he is a masterful copy writer and I love that he loves my stuff. I decided to post this here as well for several reasons - so people do realize that the homeless are not people to be pitied, but are actually people like me and you - except without the money and the bills or a means to fiance their lives. People without homes haven’t lost their sense of humor, not all of them anyway, and they are trying to do what we all do - connect with people in a way that is funny, friendly and non-threatening. Many of the homeless I know will laugh and use these sign ideas. Others will scream “You’re exploiting the homeless!!!” which is impossible since I’m not making any money off of this - it’s a free ebook and I urge people to donate to homeless organizations.

Part of being homeless - the worst part - is not the poverty. It’s having to deal with the perception that you’re not human, have no worth, and have nothing to offer. The fact is, if you take time and find a homeless person who you can relate to and listen to their story, chances are you can connect. This book, and the tips in it are funny because they demonstrate what Jack and I know makes humor humor - the juxtaposition of two unlikely, but related situations - the dissonance and incongruence is why we laugh.

I also wanted to explain that I write a strange blog - some helpful tips, some funny, some sad stories, some happy stories, some UFO and conspiracy questions and some stories about faith, friendship and the unlikely. I hope you find something you like here - and if you don’t, thanks for reading this far!

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Pity works sometimes, but humor goes a lot farther in separating people from their money – especially if you’re homeless and desperate. There are dozens of great signs out there, but here are some great examples and some tips I’ve prepared so you each learn the secrets of some of the best headline writers I’ve seen in a while. I have been homeless (see my TED Global 2009 talk) and I can honestly say the homeless have some of the best sense of humor I’ve seen anywhere – and the best copywriting skills too!

If you want the FREE EBOOK (more photos) click here.CopywritingTips

* Invoke family to evoke warmth, sympathy and identification with your audience
* Be specific about your problem and your need
* Use an odd or unexpected number ($4)

* Invoke a fearful image and consequence to stir strong emotions in your audience
* Be specific about what you plan to do with any donations
* Share your vision

* Invoke the name of a celebrity someone with money might recognize
* Imply you know this famous person and have influence
* Babies – even the mention of them, often works as well as a photo of one
* Use a well-defined, highly visible “Buy” button or repository for money so your donor knows exactly where to contribute their donation

* Bonus for authenticity
* Medical research appeals to the generosity in socially conscious donors
* Give your donor a chance to be a part of something larger than themselves
* Appeal to causes that benefit humanity

* Never underestimate the power of popular culture
* Dress the part
* Make it easy for your potential audience to believe your claims
* The brilliance of this poster is that he appeals to the “insider” – to those who “grok” what it means to be a Jedi. He’s not begging, but he’s obviously in character, using his connection to “the force” to attract spare change. Appeal to the magic in your audience.

* Love cracks the hardest of hearts.
* Notice how the lettering subtly mimics the kind of lettering a kidnapper might use – some large, some small, all caps
* If in doubt your audience can read, add simple clues or symbols, like the arrows in between words, to help them understand the progression of your message
* Use color to reinforce the message – such as RED for danger, kidnapping, wife and GREEN for money. Note again the use of a unique number – .98 cents versus $1
* Take advantage of colored borders

* Be believable
* Challenge your audience to act
* If suggesting violence, dress the part to show you mean it
* Make your challenges achievable
* Keep the price of admission low
* Make the potential for success high

* Appeal to the technically gifted
* When going after high dollar donations, don’t limit yourself to a number
* Dress the part
* Identify yourself so others from your tribe (time traveler) recognize you
* Notice again how this savvy gent makes it very clear where donations are to go

* Challenge your buyer
* Smile a genuine smile
* One of the things this gentlemen is doing wrong is – where do you put your money? Do you really want to extend your hand with the bodyguard sitting next to him within reach?

* Dressing as an alcoholic Gandalf will appeal to more people than dressing as an alcoholic senior. Use costumes and theatre to distract your audience from the mundane obvious.
* Make sure your font fits your message and your brand – Wizardry, magic wooden staff and Warlock hat screams serif font to me.