Headline, price, and copy test results--and how you, too, can benefit.

Have you been green with envy (as I was) while big newsletter companies got to double and triple their profits by using multivariate testing? While you and I did A/B tests of two items at a time, companies that could afford $1,800/month were able to test 30 different items--with 4 options for each--all at once. And all with reliable results.

Well, the only green I'm seeing these days is increased cash from two multivariate tests. In this issue I'll tell you what I've learned about headlines, prices, offers, and copy from tests at my www.PricingPsychology.com website. In the next issue you'll learn about tests conducted at the www.Newsletter ContentGuru.com website.

Most important, I'll also tell you how you can start bumping up your own profits with your own (very inexpensive) multivariate program.

Use a combo offer?

We tested whether a combo offer (an extra option) would hurt or help e-book sales.

Webpage offered only Pricing Psychology Report for $47.

* Webpage offered Pricing Psychology Report alone for $47 or in combo with 46 Ways to Raise Prices--Without Losing Sales for $99.

Results: The combo offer more than doubled the number of buyers. Further, 43 percent took the combo offer, which was 47 percent more cash. Net cash result was an increase of 249 percent. This shockingly high result may be partially due to a perceived increase in credibility or authority by someone who has written two books instead instead of just one on a topic.

Headline tests

Here are 3 headlines we tested for the Pricing Psychology Report e-book, control headline first:

* Intelligence you can use TODAY--to increase profits

* PRICING PSYCHOLOGY: Learn the secrets of making your prices irresistible!

* Prices Buyers Can't Resist! The psychology of profitable pricing.

Results: Our control headline stunk compared to either of the other two. The middle headline was the winner, but the confidence level (given by the software) said there's a 38 percent chance that the third headline could be the real winner. Instead of waiting for enough orders to make that number go below 5 percent, we're going with #2 and backtesting #3.

New copy block test results

We also tested whether a new paragraph would help or hurt responses. Here is the copy we added:

* New! Learn how you can test lots of items all at the same time and still have valid results! You'll get 2 LOW, ONE-TIME-COST solutions that give you the same multivariate, Taguchi-style testing that companies are currently paying $1,800 a MONTH for! With this software, you can test lots of prices--as well as headlines and anything else you think might make a difference!

Results: Adding the copy block lowered response by almost 40 percent. Monday-morning quarterbacking says maybe it made the book sound too complicated for some potential buyers.

How you can get your own program for peanuts 

There are actually two companies with multivariate software, each charging a 1-time fee of $495. (For those of you who may be thinking, "$495 isn't peanuts," consider how tiny an increase in your sales you'll need to pay for the software.)

I went with Split Test Accelerator because that program is more professional. For example:

* The program does not work by redirecting, so there's no problem using it on pages where you send Google AdWords traffic.

* The program uses a temporary cookie with visitors, so that if they return to the site they will see the same version they previously saw--essential for valid results.

* The program calculates a confidence level for you for each item tested. This is critical for website owners who may not get enough traffic for fast results. We actually ran it for 2 1/2 months before we were confident enough to stop and act on the results.

Sometimes the confidence level is high enough to discard one choice before you can be sure of the winner. That allows you to make decisions faster to get rid of a dog.

My e-book business partner, Harold Fann, got it up and running with just one snag. You can only use letters and numerals in your password; we used a different symbol and it caused problems. But Jim Stone, the software developer, checked it out for us the same day we asked and after that it was up and running.

Check it out yourself at http://repubs.taguchi.hop.clickbank.net.

How much more money could you be making from your website(s)?

Congratulations, Dr. Marlene

Marlene Jensen, publisher of NL/NL, president of The Newsletter Group, and author of three books on pricing, recently added Ph.D. to her name. She received her doctorate from Western Connecticut State University in marketing, with a special emphasis on--you guessed it--pricing.

Congratulations, Marlene!