With access to auction sites, every man and his dog can start selling online. So how do you stand out? How do you grab a readers attention? You need Killer Sales Copy!

Enter Mike Whittaker. He was looking to sell his clapped out old washing machine, and listed it with no reserve and a starting bid of $1. Here’s how he described it:

Scary washing machine. No really, its terrifying!

It’s the loudest most violent sounding washing machine I have ever encountered. It makes guests scared and children cry. I’ve lived with it like that for almost a year and it still scares me…

…If your in a fix and need a cheap washing machine and are either completely deaf or hate your neighbours this baby is for you.

So what happened as a result of this?

• The washing machine sold for $5160.
• TV and international press coverage
• 800,000 views on the auction
• 800 comments on the auction
• The video went viral on YouTube
• A new website and online business was born for Mike.

Pretty amazing. He grabbed the viewers attention, gave them some plain talking, informal, amusing copy to read through and the result took his scary washing machine global…