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.
Instead of being clever and coming up with 23 predictions for 2023, I’ll just give you 3 for the coming year.
I don’t know that any of these will be shocking, but I think you’ll find them useful. (And correct.)
Let’s get to it.
Prediction #1: The population general will shift even more toward fear about the economy.
Yes, we’ve already heard plenty of complaining about inflation (and I think we’re a ways off from seeing that fixed), possible recession, etc.
Still, 2022 holiday spending has been record-breaking.
If your neighborhood is anything like mine, people bought everything they could get their hands on for Christmas.
I predict people will adopt a more defensive attitude in 2023. Spending will be tempered (not decimated), and in most industries, you’ll have to work harder to get people to open their wallets.
Prediction #2: AI will help creatives more than it hurts. Consumers won’t be so lucky.
Based on my last few emails, you already know I don’t see ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence tools as a threat to copywriters… designers… children’s book authors.
I just uploaded a video highlighting 10 copywriting skills AI doesn’t have (yet) that guarantee humans will still be running the show for the foreseeable future.
Besides, no one wants to do our jobs!
Entrepreneurs are already full-time busy with their jobs. The reason they don’t study copywriting or graphic design is the same reason most won’t invest the time to learning to leverage AI.
And even if they do bring AI into the mix, they still need skilled copywriters, designers, etc., to run the program!
That said, marketers will create far more content in 2023 than ever before. Much of it will likely come from AI.
More and more content… with less and less originality… which means more and more noise for everyone to sift through.
Several experts are even advocating for and teaching “authors” to use AI to ghost write their books!
In many ways, I believe 2023 is going to be a year of content quantity over quality as people prioritize speed.
It’s like giving a teenager the keys to a gassed-up Bugatti. Could be painful to watch.
Prediction #3: The value of real expertise will increase… but it’ll be harder than ever for most to get their expertise noticed.
True, original-thinking experts will seem increasingly rare and refreshing amidst an onslaught of mediocre AI content.
Your ideal clients will sing “Oh happy day” when they find you. They’ll likely be more tired than ever from wading through the sea of cyber-sameness.
In 2023, you may need to crank out more copy/content than you’ve had to produce in the past — without decreasing its quality.
Showcase your expertise, your unique and relevant experience, your empathy and your HUMANNESS… even if you use AI like crazy.
(For the record, my plans for the new year include a TON more content. So I’m not just talking to hear my fingers hit the keys.)
AI will get better over time, and people (hopefully) will get better at using it.
I’m guessing you’ve had at least a couple conversations about AI over the past couple weeks.
I’ve had a couple dozen. And each time, an image pops in my mind of the steel-driving man John Henry staring down that ol’ steam drill.
According to the folk story John Henry worked himself to death trying to beat the machine in a high-stakes competition.
But the true story behind the legend ends differently. Henry dies from a lung condition caused by inhaling rock dust. In other words, it wasn’t a machine that killed him. It was the work itself.
I see a John Henry situation with artificial intelligence today.
Creatives are worried about the future. One of the most influential copywriters in the game predicted that AI will put 80% of copywriters out of work within 12 months.
Like that ol’ steam drill. Only John Henry could compete. Everyone else was obsolete.
Claiming 80% of copywriters will be out of a job by next New Year’s Eve is a bit drastic, if you ask me. But it’s impossible to deny that AI presents a challenge.
So, how do you AI-proof your business?
Respect the Tech and Protect Your Neck
This advice is for copywriters, but I encourage any entrepreneur to pay attention, too.
1) Flip the fear. There’s a TON of things AI can’t do yet. And even more that it can’t do well. For example:
It’s not great at persuasion or authentic personality
It can’t really dig into breaking news and trending topics
The longer the output you’re looking for, the more problems will creep in.
Don’t let fear paralyze or discourage you. This is an opportunity. Respect the tech by using it to enhance your own productivity and creativity. Bring your special expertise to bear on the AI output and make real magic.
This is how you prevent the work from killing you like it did the real John Henry.
2) Get your weight up. There’s a lot AI can’t do, but it is more than capable of doing a TON of basic, low-level copy tasks.
In order to AI-proof your business, you can’t be mediocre. You can’t rely on basic, low-level copy tasks. Protect your neck by developing an expertise. I think it’ll be a while before AI can churn out effective (and accurate) copy for certain specialized niches like financial and alternative health. Especially long-form copy.
Continually get better at direct response techniques. Add something special a robot can’t do: humor… unique, bold perspective… original research.
3) Promote yourself more and better. This may be the most important advice, although it’s far from new.
Until AI starts making the hiring decisions, you’re still dealing with human prospects. They need to see you. They need to get a glimpse into your particular genius. They want to feel a connection with you.
It’s up to you to make that happen through confident self-promotion.
AI is getting all the good press these days. And your potential clients are thinking seriously about using it to make their lives easier. (So that can’t be your only argument now!) Their friends are telling them how cool it is. What do they need a copywriter for?
Well, for the reasons I mentioned above. If you have persuasion skills, the ability to communicate with authentic personality, and proven profit-pulling penmanship, you can do what AI can’t.
But you have to make sure people know that about you!
Whether you consider yourself an extrovert or not, you’re likely going to have to put yourself out there more.
I believe video will be especially important in the coming weeks. Because AI can’t recreate your personality, your charm, your empathy.
The only downside is that the more videos you make, the better Donnie deepfakes AI will be able to make!
Respect the tech. Use it to your advantage.
Protect your neck. Show yourself superior in all the ways that matter.
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.
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.
