Donnie Bryant is a direct response copywriter and marketing consultant. He helps small businesses and solo professionals connect with and convert their “should-be” clients with unusually effective marketing messages and systems.
I want to point out a few things about this copy device, which I call an identity preframe.
You see them at the beginning of sales pages/VSLs, webinars and occasionally on a website homepage.
Maybe you’ve even used something like this before.
Here’s the thing…
The identity preframe is set up to look like a filter.
A few seconds or centimeters of copy to make sure you’re only talking to ideal clients (and everyone else knows not to waste their time).
The example above even had a STOP hand and explicitly tells the reader to leave if he doesn’t meet the criteria.
It’s not a filter.
When done right it:
makes you identify a characteristic you possess (or think you possess) but wish was more pronounced
gives you a sense of empowerment
heightens the desire for the transformation.
Despite its construction, the copy isn’t designed to make anyone stop and leave. Rather, the idea is to make most readers stay and read more. To think “this presentation/pitch is all about the me I want to be.“
The example above goes a step further.
Bullet point #3 adds guilt into the mix. You’re going to fail your loved ones if you don’t step fully into this identity.
This kind of copy frames the rest of the copy in the perspective of “the me I want to be.”
In many ways, I believe Reading Rainbow is the greatest children’s TV program ever.
The philosophy that drove the show also applies to marketing.
The threefold purpose of Reading Rainbow was to:
encourage an interest in and love for reading
diversify the voices you’d consider listening to, and
point viewers to specific books worth reading.
The show accomplished these purposes by inviting viewers into new worlds, exploring different experiences and getting you excited about learning more.
Then it told you where you could learn more.
The show used an influential medium popular with children (TV) to direct them to another medium (books).
This, of course, was all done by our loveable, trusted guide, LeVar Burton.
(Gurus in every niche could learn a lifetime of lessons from LeVar, by the way).
Marketing does the same thing.
You should move people from social media to your email list.
You move them from email to your sales letters.
From search ads to product pages.
And you’ll do it with copy that does the same thing an episode of Reading Rainbow does:
Invite viewers into your world… show them an opportunity to experience something better than their current reality… and get you excited to learn more and ultimately to make a choice to act.
Thinking is hard work. Most people avoid it at all costs.
If you can earn someone’s trust, he’ll gladly allow you to do some of this thinking for him.
If you can display deep expertise on a topic he’s interested in, he’ll happily outsource some of his thinking to you.
If you can minimize the perceived risk or difficulty of changing perspectives/approaches, you may find you have a loyal convert… and a paying client.
[I took this picture earlier this month after speaking at the University of Illinois at Chicago, the city’s largest university.]
This may all sound kind of negative or “manipulative,” but there’s nothing wrong with outsourcing brain work. In fact, most people are craving this kind of leadership.
Nobody can know everything, and even if we could, it would take a lifetime to learn it.
Why do that when we can just plug into someone who’s already an expert?
With that in mind, you may want to:
1) Build your trustworthiness.
2) Demonstrate your expertise.
3) Think about how the person you want to persuade perceives risk as it relates to the topic you want him to think differently about. Can you minimize the risk or reframe it to make it less frightening?
Take these steps and you’ll amp up your persuasive abilities in a major way.
There’s an observation that most people don’t change until the pain of not changing is worse than the difficulty of changing.
Because change is hard.
It’s hard because of the resiliency of routines and habits, fear of the unknown and the discomfort of learning and doing something unfamiliar.
But maybe more than any other factor, change is hard because we have reasons for nearly everything we do.
The decisions we make are (almost) always our preferred choice from the options we have at the moment. We form habits and routines by repeatedly making the same kinds of decision… all for reasons that makes sense to us.
So as persuaders, you and I have a difficult task: getting folks to do something different than the norm. And pay us to do it!
You see a lot of sales copy trying to overcome the inertia against change by hyping up a “better” way.
Another approach goes back to the observation that pain may be necessary. That kind of copy shows you all the ways what you’re doing is wrong and dangerous.
Then it presents the “better” way.
Your favorite late-night infomercials use this approach to great effect.
You can strengthen that by telling your audience they’ve been lied to and/or taken advantage of by proponents of the wrong way.
Whenever possible, I prefer a third approach.
Externalize the change. There’s a new sheriff in town and the rules are different now.
For example, “the process of purchasing rental properties is completely different now that mortgage rates are above 7%.”
The external change can be either an imminent threat or an emerging opportunity. Or both.
So rather than focusing on the change you want your should-be buyer to make (because there’s a fair chance he’ll stick with “the devil he knows”)…
You focus on the size/severity/sweetness of the change happening in the world.
All 3 of these approaches work.
This message is all about making sure you have all 3 options at your disposal.
112 words and not a single detail about the product.
It describes the kind of people whose lives have been changed (so the ideal client can self-identify) and paints a picture of HOW their lives changed (to build up desire)
It doesn’t matter what the product is at this point. Buyers aren’t after the product. They want the result.
People don’t buy things just so to have them sitting on a shelf.
They’re buying a better life (in whatever way the product makes that happen).
Caveat: this is less true when you’re selling to people who are very familiar with your product or service. They know how amazing it is, so you’re free to use their positive experience as a launch pad for your new copy.
Set your fees like your life depends on them. Because it does.
Here’s how to make sure you’re not leaving money on the table when working with clients:
1. Relentlessly build your visibility and authority. Your authority and visible expertise create more leverage than you may think when setting and getting fees.
Publish authoritative content. Be seen associating with (and working with) other respected authorities. Collect and showcase great testimonials.
2. Working with the “right” clients has a bigger impact on fee acceptance than almost any other factor.
You can get paid 10X more just by working with a client for whom it makes sense to pay well.
For example:
It doesn’t make much sense for a client to pay a copywriter $500 per email if he’s selling a $7 ebook and only has 100 people on his email list.
On the other hand, a client with half a million subscribers and product funnel with higher-priced upsells, it doesn’t make much sense to pinch pennies when hiring a copywriter.
No, he knows he needs to hire the best copywriter he can find… because weak copy will cost him a FORTUNE.
Adopting a rainmaker mindset can help you negotiate with these potential clients. In this livestream recording, I explain what I mean by that and how you can install the rainmaker mindset to set you up for success:
3. Try to find out the value (financial, emotional, time) of getting the job done right — and the cost (financial, emotional, time) of allowing the job to remain undone or to be done poorly.
Then set your fees boldly, understanding the true value you bring.
How valuable is it to the client to:
get the job done well?
get it done quickly?
find a provider he can trust?
begin a relationship that can last over the long term… instead of needing to start working with a new stranger in 30 days?
be able to move forward confidently?
get outside perspective that can help create even better results?
to finally have some peace of mind?
It’s worth a LOT.
Much more than the “sticker price” of the deliverable itself.
There’s a number where the value perceived by the client overlaps with what you feel it’s worth to you to invest your time and brainpower to the project.
Your fees should land somewhere in that overlap.
That’s how you can maximize your revenue per project and feel good about it in the process.
It works whether you quote a set fee or performance-based fee.
Hope this has been helpful. Took me YEARS to learn some of these lessons!
Back in 2016, Oxford Dictionary made “post-truth” its Word of the Year.
Remember all the hullabaloo about that? In some circles, you’d’ve thought the world was about to end. What ground do we have to stand on if truth doesn’t really matter?
According to Oxford, post-truth refers to the condition in which “objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.'”
According to Donnie, this applies to the opinions and positions of individuals in addition to public opinion.
In other words, facts are less persuasive than stories.
YOUR story (your experience + perspective + wisdom) is what will attract your ideal clients and resonate with them in a way that makes you the obvious solution for their situation.
Not just “facts.”
Keep this in mind next time you ask ChatGPT to help you write something.
There are 4 triggers that instantly turn someone into a buyer:
Trigger 1: His wife says/implies “Bring home X and you’ll get… something special.”
Or on the flip side, “Bring home Y or I’m going to cry.”
Trigger 2: He sees your offer as an easy way to step into the identity he craves or amplify the part of his current identity he’s intensely passionate about.
You can make your reader connect the dots between your offer and his identity on his own…
Or you can make it more obvious.
Not enough copywriters intentionally appeal to identity. Most are too busy thinking about features and benefits.
I encourage you to be one of the elite few that leverage its power.
Trigger 3: When your copy reframes his problem in such a way that he realizes he’s been looking at it all wrong… but now that he understands, the solution (your product/service) is obvious.
Trigger 4: The Stack. There’s a lot of focus on what’s known as a value stack. I’m a fan of the lesser-known desire stack. Both work.
In the following video clip, I discuss these 4 triggers with copywriting expert Maria Lloyd.
Maria has written six-figure email campaigns for more than two dozen brands (you’d definitely recognize more than a few of them), with an average boost to ROI of more than 400 percent.
To be more specific, the deadline is Friday, March 31 at 11:59PM Central.
When you sign up (for as little as $75 down), you’ll get access to a collection of deep-dive trainings to help you sharpen your copywriting sword and leverage those sales triggers we just talked about.
The, starting April 7, you’ll get 8 weeks of live, hands-on training with Maria and her team. She’ll work with you to help you learn the skills you need to write effective email copy AND you’ll actually be working as you go.
There’s no doubt in my mind this will be a life-changing training.
I’m excited to announce that I’ve partnered with Maria to help make Crash Course to Cash even more valuable. When you become part of this first cohort, you’ll also gain access to my Inbox X-Factor course.
Inbox X-Factor gives you 365 days’ worth of email ideas and inspiration… 100+ subject lines… and 10 video training modules revealing my personal strategies for writing emails with maximum selling power.
When I do make it available for sale again, I’m planning to charge between $200 and $300 for it. That’s a value stack for you.
You can’t buy Inbox X-Factor anywhere else right now, so if you’re interested in getting access, sign up here, plus get all the details about Crash Course to Cash.
The biggest benefit I hear people talking about regarding artificial intelligence platforms like ChatGPT is speed.
You can get more done in your workday. Or you can just work less if you finish projects faster.
Pretty big benefit. But AI isn’t the only way to achieve it.
Today I want to share some thoughts on how to write faster using your built-in tech: your actual intelligence.
These tips can make a big difference in your life:
1) Shut off the filter.
Quick tangent. Generative AI tools work don’t really understand your topic. They’re highly trained at predicting what word you’re about to say next, based on all the sentences it’s seen before.
So if you’ve ever played that game where you make a post on social media using only autocomplete and suggestions… it’s basically an updated version of that.
Seriously. Same technology.
Here’s the key: it predicts words without judgement (or even knowledge)… without worrying if a reader will disagree or think it’s silly… none of the emotions that get in the way.
Which are some of the biggest obstacles to speed in our writing. It’s also what inbues our output with magical potential.
AI also doesn’t tend to use vocabulary flourishes like using “imbue” in a sentence. (It’s never the most-probable next word for the autocomplete.)
Anyway… when you turn down the volume on your emotional filter, you automatically write faster.
So that’s something you can work on. Criticize yourself less. Trust yourself to create something great. And don’t worry about getting it perfect in the first draft.
Pretend you’re a bot for 20 minutes. Let the words flow and see what happens.
2) Delete the Speed Limit.
One of the things that may be slowing you down is the belief that it’s going to take a long time, or the belief that you’re a slow writer.
If you believe that, you will experience that.
I’ve been saying “I’m not a fast writer” for YEARS. But when I stopped saying that about myself, I was shocked by how much more productive I became.
I have to give credit to Kevin Bullard for helping me get unstuck on this point.
(There’s a lot more to the advice Kevin gave me, but we won’t get into that here.)
3) Remember Law #4.
In Robert Greene’s classic book The 48 Laws of Power, the 4th axiom is
“Always say less than necessary.“
Greene wasn’t talking to writers, but there’s a kernel of truth hidden in this law specifically for us writers.
Deciding what to exclude is one of the most important parts of a writer’s job.
The point I want to make here is this: decide in advance that you don’t have to cover every aspect of the topic you’re writing about.
(Make the decision in advance to avoid questioning yourself mid-writing.)
Depending on the project, you can often make a snap judgement: “There are probably 20 aspects to this topic, but I’m just going to highlight X of them in this piece.” X= the number of angles you instantly know you can cover with confidence.
You can always change the number as you write.
You come to a point where you know you want/need to add more details. Or you feel like you’re going down a meerkat hole that you can skip entirely.
You’re the creative. Make the choice that makes the most sense.
Speed isn’t everything (which is why human copywriters can’t be totally replaced by AI in most instances). But it’s definitely a bonus if you can get it.
4) Talk It Out
I usually give this advice to people who tell me they don’t like to write or don’t think they’re good writers. But it can work well for anyone.
It can be a good way to shut off the filter that automatically switches on when we sit down to write.
If you’ve ever known exactly what you wanted to say… then spent hours figuring out how to get the words onto your computer screen, you’ve felt the filter at work.
Do yourself a favor. Talk it out. Google Docs or Microsoft Word have built in voice typing functionality.
Here’s a weird trick if you’re still stuck.
Call up a friend and explain your idea to him. That can trick your mind into thinking you’re having a regular ol’ conversation. The filter will relax.
Edit the text and you’re good to go.
5) Never Start from Scratch
Templates, writing prompts and swipe-worthy examples are speed-boosting tools just like AI.
Good ones can put rocket fuel in your tank.
Whether you’re just getting started as a copywriter or you’ve been cruising along for years — or if you’re an entrepreneur who wants to write better copy faster…
