A masked man burst through the door. Alicia screamed at the top of her lungs and fell back onto her pillow. Johnny looked up and realized it was time…
Okay, based on the details you just read, what do you think is going on here?
Did you picture a late-night home invasion?
Or maybe it sounded like Alicia and Johnny are at the hospital, just moments away from welcoming a new baby into the world.
Maybe you imagined something totally different.
But chances are that when you read those 3 sentences, your mind assumed they were part of a single narrative rather than random, unconnected sentences.
Everyone’s brain takes sensory input, i.e. whatever you’re trying to say…
Then auto-fills any gaps until it has a story that makes sense to that individual (based on what he already knows, believes and has experienced).
All in a fraction of a second. Amazing, really.
To make sure your reader accurately understands what you’re trying to say (or at least give your message the best possible chance), you have to fill in the gaps yourself before auto-fill kicks in.
And to beat the auto-fill function, you can deliver components to the reader in the specific sequence the brain uses to process and make sense out of stories.
According to neuroscience-based testing funded by the U.S. government (DARPA to be specific), that sequence is actually highly predictable.
To keep this email from dragging on endlessly, I’ll simply list the core components in order of appearance in the ideal story structure:
1) Main characters: Who’s in on the action?
2) Key (initial) characteristics of the characters: What are these characters like? They help shape our feelings about each character.
3) Intentions: What do the characters want? This drives action. Not the same thing as…
4) Motives: Why do they want what they want? This adds flavor to the action and further shapes our feelings about the characters. A man bursting through the door to deliver a baby is vastly different than one who’s about to commit a violent crime.
5) Conflict: What’s preventing the characters from achieving their intentions?
6) Stakes: What happens if the character doesn’t overcome the conflict? If there’s no consequence, there’s no reason for the reader to care.
7) Struggle: What hoops does the character go through in his pursuit of victory?
8) Details: To tell a satisfying story, you need details to paint the scene and add realism.
I know that’s a lot… ironically without much detail.
If your intention is to create more compelling stories, I’ll let you struggle in your attempt to apply this structure.
Who am I to rob you of this all-important conflict?
Have a productive day.
P.S. If 8 components is too many, maybe you’ll like my 3-part story structure better.
P.P.S. This is unrelated, but you may be interested. Next week, I’m speaking at the virtual POP to Millions Summit, and I’d love for you to sign up now.
This summit was created to give you a never-before-seen look at how multiple 7, 8, and 9-figure business owners quickly scaled their revenue in 2022… while keeping substantial profits each step along the way.
My topic is “The 4-I Formula: How to Structure High-Converting Copy.” I’m also giving away an exclusive video training I’ve never given away free before. If you’re interested, you can snag a free ticket here.
How many times have you heard the sage advice that “facts tell, stories sell”?
Now, how many times have you heard it stated as a fact… instead of illustrated with a story?
Maybe you’re luckier than me. Maybe you’ve heard some good stories “proving” the fact that stories sell.
But here’s what makes it really interesting: “facts tell, stories sell” is both true and false.
Not that it’s bad advice. Quite the opposite. But something important is missing.
With one simple statement, a 10-year old Jeff Bezos made his grandmother burst into tears during a road trip in Texas…
He wasn’t trying to be mean. He wasn’t even trying to be persuasive.
He was trying to show off his intelligence.
The story goes something like this.
During this trip, Little Jeff heard a commercial on the radio saying that every puff of a cigarette takes 2 minutes off of your life. Nana Bezos smoked cigarettes, so Jeff thought he’d do the math to impress and inform his grandparents.
When he came up with his number, he tapped grandmother on the shoulder, and proudly proclaimed, “At two minutes per puff, you’ve taken nine years off your life!”
That’s when the waterworks started.
We don’t know if she gave up smoking on that day, but we do know this: that “fact” struck a deep nerve.
Why?
Because stories DO sell… and sometimes the right facts make a person tell himself an emotionally charged story.
Back to the Bezoses:
When Jeff said “hey Granny, you’re going to die 9 years early because of those cancer sticks,” here’s what happened…
Grandma Bezos told herself a story. Could’ve been:
This habit of mine is stealing time I should be spending with my grandson
My grandson will be so hurt when I’m gone. No more summer road trips… no more birthday cards… when we should have had so many more
My behavior is making this sweet boy imagine me dying. How could I be so selfish?
You get the picture.
Little Jeff didn’t have to tell any of those stories. Grandma did that on her own… automatically.
So here’s today’s lesson:
Keep in mind that your clients and prospects are prone to telling themselves stories based on the facts you tell them.
Choose which facts you share and how you share them wisely. Because the facts may lead your audience to draw different conclusions than you think, as illustrated in this video clip:
The good thing about telling a story (versus stats and facts) is that you have more control over the story that plays out in the other person’s mind. You can more skillfully guide him as he draws his own conclusions.
I may write about how to structure stories for maximum control over your reader/listener’s conclusions.
If you’d like to know more about that, stay tuned. My next article will dive into that.
Do you ever pause and think about how far you’ve come?
Yeah, me neither ?
Okay, I’m half-joking. Between my present work and future goals, I don’t spend a ton of time thinking about the past… unless something prompts me to do so.
I stumbled across something the other day that jolted me back to 2011, aka my scraping to survive days.
Check this out…
In case it’s not clear what you’re looking at, that’s a check stub from a client. For this particular project, I wrote 20 blogposts for $250.
DANG.
I remember accepting microscopic fees in my early days… but I forgot how many different ways I ripped myself off back then.
You’d have to write 8,000 blogposts at that rate to hit six-figures. And there are only 8,760 hours in a year.
Double DANG.
Thank God things have changed.
Today my fees are 100 times bigger (and it’s about time for them to go up again). Instead of scraping to survive, I turn down practically everyone who tries to throw money at me.
What made the difference?
Developing visibility and authority in the marketplace (which, if we’re honest, is only partially about results or ability)…
Working on the right projects for the right people…
And the confidence to ask for more (based on a proper understanding of how much value I bring to the particular project).
None of these are easy. But if I can do it, you can do it. Probably a lot faster than I did.
What would it be like finally charge what you deserve? To do the work you LOVE to do… with people you actually want to work with? To stop having to play by everyone else’s rules?
That can be your reality, and I encourage you to start today.
1. Work on building your visibility and authority. Publish authoritative content. Be seen associating with other respected authorities.
2. Get as specific as possible about who your perfect client is. Then determine what’s the most profitable result you can provide for that client.
3. Try to find out how much impact you’ve had on those you’ve already helped. Find out the value of getting the job done right… and the cost (financial, emotional, lost time) of allowing the job to remain undone or to be done poorly. Then set your fees boldly, knowing the value you bring.
Today’s a good day to get started. Make it a productive one.
P.S. Whether you’re selling a product or service, this is possibly the quickest way to multiply your income.
In my previous article, I mentioned that entertainment, experiences and escape are a priority for pretty much everybody…
And I kinda proved it’s true… but I didn’t really show you how to do it.
I’m not going to show you today, either. I just pulled an all-nighter finishing up a 68-page sales letter…
So I’m barely typing these words right now.
Here’s what I will do, though.
Let’s discuss what it means to “entertain” your readers with your copy – because it’s almost certainly different than you think…
And probably simpler than you think.
“Entertainment” in copy doesn’t necessarily mean trying to be funny, although that’s one option.
Entertainment, as I define it, is generating a desirable emotional reaction in your reader at some point in the copy.
So it can be humor, but it can also be:
Excitement – Most people are painfully bored all the time. Give them a jolt!
Connection – Reveal something you likely have in common with your reader. Growing affinity is a great thing.
Inspiration – Who doesn’t like feeling inspired?
Validation – People love finding out they’re right and/or that the right people agree with them.
Discovery – Education can go too far, but you want to help your reader feel like he’s stumbled across something valuable (especially something others haven’t discovered yet) when he reads your copy.
Nostalgia – I think everyone over 18 years old has fond memories of the “good old days.” Bring those memories to mind and your reader will associate you with those good feelings.
Curiosity – Curiosity creates its own discovery and positive emotional payoff when discover happens. Plus, once it’s sparked, curiosityis one of the hardest feelings to ignore.
Desire– Gets your heart pumping. Desire feels good, even before it’s satisfied.
Anger – Admit it, sometimes you WANT to be angry. And it feels good to be angry together.
Relief – If you can take away anxiety, pain or frustration, your reader will love you.
Story – An engaging story is an experience people gladly join along.
Hope – Help your reader believe his (immediate) future looks bright.
And the idea is to generate these desirable emotions consistently in your messaging over time that the reader WANTS to read before he even knows what your message is about.
He just knows he enjoys the experience of hearing from you, even if during those times he doesn’t buy from you.
Like Pavlov’s dog… ready for his tasty snack.
The good thing is, he’ll increasingly believe (partially unconsciously) buying from you or working with you will be even more emotionally fulfilling.
So that’s a quick overview of how I define entertainment in copy. Want more details? Check out this livestream recording:
See? There are lots of ways you can work it into your copy.
In case you hadn’t heard, Disney just had its best quarter ever. Its theme parks are making more money even though there are fewer visitors than there were pre-pandemic.
Revenue from legal gambling (which I guess is a form of entertainment and escapism) in American casinos and other legal gambling outlets “smashed all-time records.”
CEO of sports betting platform DraftKings said he sees zero impact from inflation. Revenue is up 68% year-over-year.
If you can offer the 3 Es as part of your product or service, great.
But if nothing else, add entertainment value to your marketing and make it an experience!
2) Your clients need you MORE now, not less.
You can help them make more money… save their relationship (which is strained by financial concerns)… get healthier (which is hard when you’re stress-eating)…
And you can come up with a way to give them the entertainment, experiences and escape they’re desperately looking for.
In good times, your ideal clients didn’t need help as badly. But now, even though they may be anxious about the economy, they really need to get results.
Position your business as THE solution your should-be client needs (including entertainment, experience and/or escape) – and promote your offers confidently and consistently.
People ARE spending money. They’re just being choosy about where and with whom.
3) Raise your prices – or at least add a premium version of your offer.
Once you implement Idea 2 above, it’s clear you have something people gotta have… and they’ll be willing to pay
Disney theme parks KEEP raising prices. It’s a major reason why they’re bringing in so much cash even with fewer guests. (Maybe fewer guests is a good thing.)
Keep in mind, it’s not just marketing. Disney delivers a memorable, share-worthy, braggable experience. You need to do the same.
Also, higher prices are attractive to clients who are less price-sensitive. Clients who make decisions primarily based on price (in your industry at least) are probably not the best clients for you.
Oh, and boosting your prices helps you fight off inflation, too.
Here’s to putting more dollars in your pocket!
P.S. You can’t control the economy. But you can control your response to it. It’s time to be proactive and aggressive. Let’s get it!
“I’m not greedy. I only need one million dollars and I’ll be satisfied.”
I can’t tell you how many times I heard my mother recite this exact refrain.
The underlying psychology/philosophy set a course for my life…
And based on a number of conversations I’ve had recently, I feel like it’s really important for me to talk about this today.
Because maybe you’ve experienced something similar.
I want you to be EMPOWERED. Hopefully this can give you at least a little boost.
Before I talk about the distant past, though, let me share a recent development.
This month, I gave away my car.
It’s not as generous as it sounds, and it wasn’t a marketing gimmick.
Not many people know this yet, but one of my teenaged nephews came to live with us in June. His parents kicked him out with little more than the clothes on his back.
We’ve gone to work getting him right. The boy needs a car to get to school and work.
I’m not saying this for applause. I’m trying to tell you a story.
Thank God we’ve been able to help my nephew.
And thank God my mother’s “I only need a million” mindset didn’t sabotage our ability to get to this point.
Mom had a (relatively) pure heart and the best intentions…
But take a look beneath the surface of that mentality.
It’s deceiving. It sounds humble and altruistic.
In truth, it’s packed with passivity – and it’s actually a little selfish.
Read it one more time: “All I need is one million dollars and I’ll be satisfied.”
Yes, one million dollars could have afforded us a lifestyle I could only dream of as a kid, and we could have helped a few people.
But there would have been a limit to the good we could have done in the world.
Here’s the point:
Your success isn’t just for you.
Contentment is a great thing. And you can surely be “satisfied” (in many ways) with one million dollars or less.
But what if you had ten million? Who else would you help? What other benefits could your generosity produce?
I encourage you to think bigger about your own success today. You never know who will need you.
You’ll be glad you did.
P.S. I’m obviously not saying you have to have a million dollars to be generous. I encourage you to be as giving as you can be, no matter how much money you have.
You can give a little like the poor woman in the Gospel of Luke who gave two mites. You can also give in ways that have nothing to do with money.
