The Architecture of Persuasion
October 7, 2005
Here I sit at Tires Plus on Delray Beach's Atlantic Avenue.
Last night, when I went to collect my car in the underground parking at the Marriot (to go back to my own, slightly more modest hotel), lo and behold - I had a flat. Seems I drove over a nail at some point. So I'm taking advantage of a break to get the tire fixed so I can drive back to Gainesville on Saturday.
But enough of my complaining. The conference is turning out to be fabulous. Below you can find my summary of a few main points from Michael Masterson's presentation, The Architecture of Persuasion.
Michael Masterson is one of the masterminds behind the whole AWAI organization and an accomplished copywriter. His presentation Thursday morning contained a lot of great information on how to romance a prospect and structure the content of a sales letter that will win the hearts - and pocketbooks - of end customers. You can see how a lot of this applies to sales letters online, too, although he's speaking from traditional direct mail perspectives.
- Learn everything you can about the end client in the early stages. Ask the marketing manager to give you everything they possibly can: product samples, literature, past promotions (which failed and succeeded - analyze and figure out WHY).
- Get the marketing manager to tell you the main list they are mailing to and get samples of direct mail packages that are currently selling those products from competitors. (For online promotions, you should ask for the keyword study that forms the basis of their targeting campaign.)
- Gather information from the marketing manager about the prospect, including demographics age, gender and psychographics how they think, what they desire, and what they feel (these are most important).
* For example: in the natural health market prospects are afraid of surgery, and older people worried about all the medicines they have to take. They want to avoid operations and chemical treatments.
Figure out what's keeping customers awake at night. Key issues can change, so keep up to date.
- Prepare a proposal for your client, although you dont need to. This helps prevent you from writing everything and then having them reject your entire approach. Indicate up front what you want to do. Discuss the terms, payment, royalties, research requirements (what you expect them to provide you), personal interview requirements, protocols and procedures, length, format (4 color, etc.), who the letter is from, major promise for letter (so they can give a little feedback). Send the marketing manager the lead or start, so they can see where youre starting to go.
The Letter
- Create an impression right at the start, whether through the envelope or headline the first impression. You only have one chance to hook the reader.
Headlines and Teasers Must:
Grab attention
Stir curiosity (unlike what they already know or have seen, since the mind is eager to categorize and dismiss)
Evoke a useful emotional response make them feel how you want them to. Build on key insight into prospects psyche.
Set up the reader for a specific desire.
* A direct headline often creates a problem because the prospect recognizes they are being sold. The moment they know they're being sold to, a barrier is created. The wall goes higher the bigger the promise. The key is to get the wall lower.
How do you make teasers, headlines and leads stronger?
Make a promise
Draw a picture (imagine that youre...)
State a fact thats interesting or provocative
Ask a provocative question (but only if you know the answer)
Share a historical perspective
Debunk a common belief
Formulate a prediction
Tell a revealing story
State an attractive offer
* Focus on the core complex - desire, feeling, thoughts about this product for example, do they feel the product is useful, suspicious, necessary, has tried other products without complete success ideas that some products work and others dont, combination of hope and frustration. Desire to find something that will work better than what hes tried before...
Find out what the prospect has been reading lately to help figure out what specifically he wants and thinks and feels.
Study past examples.
Write many headlines and teasers.
Say them out loud.
* Subject headlines and teasers to the 4 Us: useful (beneficial), ultra-specific, unique, urgent.
Blank Envelope vs. Teasers.
Depends on promotion. Consider the colors that can be used and the type of paper. If you're not sure what to do, use an envelope that's blank, impact printed, with a live stamp, personal looking (neutral, but you won't produce breakthroughs if always take neutral approach).
The Lead
This encompasses your letter from headline or teaser to promise. In this area, second impressions are more important than first impressions. Everything must be perfect. The lead can be long or short (half page to one and a half pages), but keeps them there after the initial hook.
Normally sales letters are 16-32 pages. The first page and a half are usually read, and then the prospect may read here and there or page through it a bit, or read it from the end. Be sure you can recognize the reading pattern when you choose a format (e.g., magalogs are not read linearly).
The lead must:
Make a promise.
Convey that promise in the most compelling way.
Give consideration to prism of beliefs, feelings, desires (including secondary, unobvious feelings buying this stock will show my friends how smart I am) address emotions, not rationality at this point. Get them emotionally ready for the sale. Reinforce what they already want to believe.
The lead is 80% of the work but only 20% of the copy.
The Sales Presentation (80% of copy but only 20% contribution to successful sale)
The sales presentation encompasses the part of the letter from the lead to the false close.
Your main goal is to not mess up the impressions youve planted in the lead. Everything they expect must be in place, so keep making and supporting the same promises you already introduced. This is where we address the rationality.
Make specific claims (difference between claim and promise)
Prove the claims (where many copywriters fall short - every claim thats made but not proven is a signal that youre not trustworthy). Take each claim youve made and then find where youve proven each one systematically.
Restate the core promise (can use different words but same promise)
Show benefits
Present the USP work with your marketing manager to find it verify that your product actually delivers it.
Suggest the offer
Introduce a compelling idea.
Provide convincing testimonials
Introduce the product
Create desire by showing benefits
Be balanced on 4 legs: idea, credibility, benefit, and track record. Check that each of these is well represented in a package once youve written it then you cant fail.
False Close (especially important for long packages)
Your readers are expecting the pitch, but tell them something else they need to know before you take it further. This takes the form of something (an extra promise) that overcomes the little last-moment fear a prospect has. Make another promise or extra benefit the prospect doesnt expect. Approach and withdraw
Close
Summarize what you've said already
Restate the fundamental promise
Equate the product with the desired benefits
Restate the USP
State or restate the offer
Ask for the sale
Guarantee
Present the guarantee after the close. Keep track of every possible objection your customer could have. Address them in the guarantee. Make it as long as you want. Deal with every objection. Address concerns.
The PS
This is the most read part of a letter, but you don't have to use it. It is an opportunity, but if you don't do it well, it can be negative. The more expensive the product, the less you need a PS. This is a good place to give a reason to act now and provide extra credibility.
Order Device
Don't annoy people with hard-to-use forms, make sure it fits in the envelope.
Have you heard us at SEO Advantage say to simplify your online response methods? It will totally increase the responses you receive. See how we've done this for Southern Concessions Supply with a price inquiry system where we were able to cut out 2 of 5 pages requiring extra clicks from respondents - they saw more leads immediately!
Last night, when I went to collect my car in the underground parking at the Marriot (to go back to my own, slightly more modest hotel), lo and behold - I had a flat. Seems I drove over a nail at some point. So I'm taking advantage of a break to get the tire fixed so I can drive back to Gainesville on Saturday.
But enough of my complaining. The conference is turning out to be fabulous. Below you can find my summary of a few main points from Michael Masterson's presentation, The Architecture of Persuasion.
Michael Masterson is one of the masterminds behind the whole AWAI organization and an accomplished copywriter. His presentation Thursday morning contained a lot of great information on how to romance a prospect and structure the content of a sales letter that will win the hearts - and pocketbooks - of end customers. You can see how a lot of this applies to sales letters online, too, although he's speaking from traditional direct mail perspectives.
- Learn everything you can about the end client in the early stages. Ask the marketing manager to give you everything they possibly can: product samples, literature, past promotions (which failed and succeeded - analyze and figure out WHY).
- Get the marketing manager to tell you the main list they are mailing to and get samples of direct mail packages that are currently selling those products from competitors. (For online promotions, you should ask for the keyword study that forms the basis of their targeting campaign.)
- Gather information from the marketing manager about the prospect, including demographics age, gender and psychographics how they think, what they desire, and what they feel (these are most important).
* For example: in the natural health market prospects are afraid of surgery, and older people worried about all the medicines they have to take. They want to avoid operations and chemical treatments.
Figure out what's keeping customers awake at night. Key issues can change, so keep up to date.
- Prepare a proposal for your client, although you dont need to. This helps prevent you from writing everything and then having them reject your entire approach. Indicate up front what you want to do. Discuss the terms, payment, royalties, research requirements (what you expect them to provide you), personal interview requirements, protocols and procedures, length, format (4 color, etc.), who the letter is from, major promise for letter (so they can give a little feedback). Send the marketing manager the lead or start, so they can see where youre starting to go.
The Letter
- Create an impression right at the start, whether through the envelope or headline the first impression. You only have one chance to hook the reader.
Headlines and Teasers Must:
* A direct headline often creates a problem because the prospect recognizes they are being sold. The moment they know they're being sold to, a barrier is created. The wall goes higher the bigger the promise. The key is to get the wall lower.
How do you make teasers, headlines and leads stronger?
* Focus on the core complex - desire, feeling, thoughts about this product for example, do they feel the product is useful, suspicious, necessary, has tried other products without complete success ideas that some products work and others dont, combination of hope and frustration. Desire to find something that will work better than what hes tried before...
Find out what the prospect has been reading lately to help figure out what specifically he wants and thinks and feels.
Blank Envelope vs. Teasers.
Depends on promotion. Consider the colors that can be used and the type of paper. If you're not sure what to do, use an envelope that's blank, impact printed, with a live stamp, personal looking (neutral, but you won't produce breakthroughs if always take neutral approach).
The Lead
This encompasses your letter from headline or teaser to promise. In this area, second impressions are more important than first impressions. Everything must be perfect. The lead can be long or short (half page to one and a half pages), but keeps them there after the initial hook.
Normally sales letters are 16-32 pages. The first page and a half are usually read, and then the prospect may read here and there or page through it a bit, or read it from the end. Be sure you can recognize the reading pattern when you choose a format (e.g., magalogs are not read linearly).
The lead must:
The lead is 80% of the work but only 20% of the copy.
The Sales Presentation (80% of copy but only 20% contribution to successful sale)
The sales presentation encompasses the part of the letter from the lead to the false close.
Your main goal is to not mess up the impressions youve planted in the lead. Everything they expect must be in place, so keep making and supporting the same promises you already introduced. This is where we address the rationality.
False Close (especially important for long packages)
Your readers are expecting the pitch, but tell them something else they need to know before you take it further. This takes the form of something (an extra promise) that overcomes the little last-moment fear a prospect has. Make another promise or extra benefit the prospect doesnt expect. Approach and withdraw
Close
Guarantee
Present the guarantee after the close. Keep track of every possible objection your customer could have. Address them in the guarantee. Make it as long as you want. Deal with every objection. Address concerns.
The PS
This is the most read part of a letter, but you don't have to use it. It is an opportunity, but if you don't do it well, it can be negative. The more expensive the product, the less you need a PS. This is a good place to give a reason to act now and provide extra credibility.
Order Device
Don't annoy people with hard-to-use forms, make sure it fits in the envelope.
Have you heard us at SEO Advantage say to simplify your online response methods? It will totally increase the responses you receive. See how we've done this for Southern Concessions Supply with a price inquiry system where we were able to cut out 2 of 5 pages requiring extra clicks from respondents - they saw more leads immediately!
Blink
Del.icio.us
Digg
Furl
Google
Simpy
Spurl
Y! MyWeb
