Words To Profit
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Contents
Introduction 3
How to Write Words That Sell 4
- Who Are You Talking To? 4
- Learning a New Language 6
- Write First, Edit Later 7
Psychological Triggers 8
How to Make Your Words Sparkle 14
Using Power Words to Grab Attention & Keep It! 18
Selling With Stories 19
How to Absorb Powerful Writing 22
How to Use This Knowledge Properly 23
How to Make Sure Your Words Are Hitting Home 27
Conclusion 28
Martin Luther King Jr's 'I have a dream' speech 29
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Introduction
Words, they’re all around us, they assault us every day in every way possible,
from talking with your friends to sitting down and having a quiet few minutes
with a book, words are firmly entwined with every aspect of our lives.
But do you realize the true power of words?
They hold a huge sway over our actions and our emotions, they can make us
happy, sad, angry, they can make us buy, make us jump for joy, sometimes
even without us realizing they are doing it.
Think of some of the most powerful speeches ever made, they were all
motivating, moving, packed full of imagery and inspiration, they all had the
power to engage the listener and to move from where they were mentally, to
where the speaker wanted them to be. That is just what your best sales
messages should do! (You can find the complete transcription of Martin Luther
King Jr’s famous ‘I have a dream’ speech at the end of this report and we'll be
analyzing parts of it as we go along).
So one of the most powerful tools in your sales arsenal is the skillful use of
words to reach out and touch the person reading. Words have the ability to
entice a prospect, hold the attention of the potential buyer, and ultimately build
a rapport with them that should not only result in the sale but also secure future
sales.
At the same time, words have the power to turn away potential buyers, to
infuriate and insult people and cause irreparable damage to your reputation!
So the key to exploiting the power of words for easy cash is to write the best
message you can to your ideal customer, then edit it ruthlessly to make sure it
sparkles.
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Section One: How to Write Words that Sell
Words are the most important part of any sales message, whether that is in a
video, the sales copy for a website, an online press release, an article, even the
wording on a banner ad will determine how effective it will be. There are several
important points to keep in mind when writing the text for your advertising copy.
Here are some of the most important things to keep in mind.
Who are you talking to?
Let's face it, as you go through your day then you talk differently to every person
you meet. You do it consciously and unconsciously but you DO talk differently. If
you know someone is a loud and lively, you might talk to them completely
differently to how you talk to a quiet and reserved friend, different topics,
different styles etc.
Staff members talk differently to their boss than they do each other, it is just
human nature as you want to connect with them.
Sales is all about that connection, if you connect with someone they let their
guard down and trust what you say more.
So who are you talking to?
You have to think of that question every time you write something, anything you
write has to be aimed at a specific person to give it the biggest impact and make
sure you create that connection. So here's an exercise you need to do for every
market you go into, every site you write for, each product you create etc:
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Core Customer Connection
Let's find out who you're talking to!
Identify the market you are targeting - weight loss, health, beauty etc
Identify the niche you are targeting in that market - acne treatment, baldness,
losing weight for a wedding etc
Now go and visit the area your target market hangs out, make a note of the kind
of people you can find, ages, locations etc. Forums are the best place for this
research, if you can't find anything then go to 3a
3a. If you struggle with 3 then you need to get creative, brainstorm
who you think your target audience will be, you can revise it later based
on any new evidence that pops up
Now write out 4 imaginary people that you think you could be talking to
including:
Age
Gender
Household income
Any children
Marital Status
Frame of mind (how they are generally)
Now you need to cut it down, look at the 4 you created and pick just two that
best describe the core audience you either think the majority of your target
market are made up of OR the core audience you particularly want to target
Revise as necessary when you find out new information
Done - now make sure you always talk to those two people when you write!
Now that is a pretty indepth look at the target audience you are writing for, but
if you are just writing one article in a new market and don't want to go to that
kind of effort then you can still produce much better work if you take 30 seconds
out to frame in your mind who you are talking to.
Learning a New Language
I wasn't going to mention this as this report is not so much about copywriting
but about using words in general to influence people. However I think it is such a
powerful factor in successful communication that it needs to be mentioned.
The language that you use to talk in your writing is not just about being enticing,
about conveying emotion and gripping the reader, it is also about proving you
are one of them.
We all want to be with people who are like us, who like the same things and hold
the same opinions, we connect with those kind of people.
So if you are talking to someone about a topic and you mention a word or
phrase they are used to hearing they will pick up on that and connect with you,
if you use words and phrases they are not used to hearing that will create a
barrier between you.
For instance in the Forex market then a downwards trend is a 'bear market' and
an upwards trend is a 'bull market', if you didn't know anything about the Forex
language you would not use those terms and it may go unnoticed. But if you are
speaking to someone who knows about the Forex market then they'll pick up if
you use those terms straight away!
So again this is down to research, hang out at the popular forums and read the
largest sites in the industry and try to notice any terms that they use you would
not normally see, write them down then sprinkle them into your writing to create
credibility and a bond with the reader.
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Write first, edit later
When we write we constantly second guess ourselves, constantly edit things, not
only does this make us incredibly unproductive, but it can really destroy your
writing style.
If you write in one long stint without stopping or editing, then only go back and
edit afterwards, you won't believe the positive effect this will have on your
writing!
Your writing will flow so much better, your ideas will be fresher, your
unconscious mind will guide you to write much better work.
Then go back and edit like crazy, once you have the framework down you can
start to polish it, go back to put in power words as mentioned later, compare
things using a simile, make things more 'punchy', it is so much easier when you
have a frame to build upon.
Some people believe in this so much they even turn their monitor off as they
type to reduce the urge to edit!
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Section Two: Using Psychological Triggers
We've briefly discussed now how words can have a significant influence on how
we react to things, let's take that a little deeper and look at some 'hot buttons'
that you can press to guide people where you want them.
They are known as 'psychological triggers' because they trigger certain actions or
thoughts in us consciously or unconsciously, they can be words, images or
sounds. People use them all the time - not just in sales, but also in day to day
life, we'll speak about both uses as we go through.
Association
This is an easy one to spot as it has sprung up everywhere. Association is a
trigger where the person using it wants you to associate a certain emotion, a
certain thought to the use of their product.
The best example is using good looking successful people driving cars, you
unconsciously associate the beautiful person with the car so you think that by
driving that car you will either appear better looking and more successful, or that
you will be able to attract those kinds of people after you buy the car. That is
why attractive female models are used shamelessly to advertise cars to men,
sure the model grabs the guy’s attention that's true, but he also mentally thinks
that if he gets that car he could attract that kind of woman.
TV adverts do it all the time. They build up a certain emotion in you with a funny
or a moving story etc, then they show their product when you are at the peak of
that emotion. If they do that enough then you will unconsciously associate those
happy feelings with that product.
So how can you use it in your messages? Well you could tell a story about how
someone who used your product suddenly became more successful/had a better
marriage etc The person will then unconsciously associate that effect with your
product, so they'll think they can get the same result if they use your product!
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Reciprocity
If someone gives you something then asks for your help later wouldn't you feel
awful if you refused?
That is what people who use reciprocity count on, it doesn't work on everyone as
some people are happy to take without giving back, but then none of these
triggers work on 100% of the population.
The idea behind it is that we have an unconscious need to fulfill a 'debt', so if
someone gives us something then we feel the need to reciprocate and give back.
This was used by the Hare Krishnas with extraordinary success in the 70's, they
would give a small gift, a flower, one of their books (or when they did it to me in
the 90's it was a set of incense sticks). After you have taken the gift (whether
you want it or not - they just refuse to accept it back) they then ask for a
donation. In the interest of reciprocity people often give much more money than
the value of the gift they received! I know I did!
Has anyone ever used this on you in your life? Maybe an old boss who wanted
something from you, they approved your holiday just before they asked you to
work late that night? You'll see it everywhere once you look for it.
So what can you give your prospect? Maybe a free book? Even free information,
again this is something that worked on me - someone gave me some really great
information on how to calculate my 'lifestyle expenses', really great technique,
the result? I purchased his book a few days later when he offered it to me even
though I haven't even used anything in it yet!
Make sure you don't go overboard with what you offer for free or just like if your
price is too low then they will start to think, 'What's the catch?' and the effect
will be lessened, getting round that is the job of the next trigger.
Giving reasons
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We are all looking for the 'catch', we are all suspicious, and rightly so, we don't
want to be scammed so it is a defense mechanism that we distrust things that
seem too good to be true.
Therefore it is crucially important that you give reasons for anything your
prospect may distrust, and the reasons don't have to be in their favor, as long as
you give a reason that will be enough to dispel any distrust as they do not 'fill in
the blanks' themselves with their suspected reasons.
To demonstrate the power of this then in 1978 a Harvard Social Psychologist,
Ellen Langer, and two of her colleagues (Blank & Chanowitz) did an experiment
at the university library to see how people would react to someone asking to
push in and use a photocopier first. When they asked with just a simple request,
'Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the copy machine?' then only around
60% complied.
They found that just by adding a reason, 'because I am in a rush' then they
could get 94% of people to comply. But the strange thing is they then tested
with just the words, 'because I have to make copies' which is obvious and
doesn't change anything, but they managed to get 93% of people to comply with
that request!
So it seems clear that a reason, even an obvious and really bad one, can have a
huge effect on how people comply with your requests.
However it should be pointed out that the 'weak' reason above didn't work all the
time, they did the test again but asked to copy 20 pages instead of 5, this
reduced the amount complying without a reason to 24%. Then with the weak
reason it was still 24% that complied! But with the reason that they were in a
rush then it almost doubled to a 42% compliance.
So that shows that reason are powerful forces and you should use them at every
chance you get, you're having a 50% off day - why? You're giving me a free trial
for $1 - why?
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Some of the best uses of reasons have been the most honest, or seemingly
honest ones. I heard of one company who was about to go bust and needed to
pay their creditors, who put out an ad saying they had reduced prices for just
that reason, but only for the next day or so as otherwise they'd go bust and the
reader would lose the chance to grab a bargain.
The result? I believe they made enough money to pay their creditors and stay
open!
So if you have a reason, even a transparent one, then tell the prospect, that $1
trial is because you hope they will be so impressed with it then they'll either
continue with the subscription and pay you the full price for future products, or
that they'll be so impressed they will buy other products off you. If you don't tell
them what to think then they'll think up their own reasons which may not be
favorable!
Curiosity
Curiosity killed the cat, a common saying but one that highlights the power of
curiosity as even cats fall prey to its effects!
If you can make someone curious either about your sales message or about your
product then you can grab their attention for long enough to try and sell them.
We are constantly bombarded throughout the day by marketing messages and
products, but if you are curious about something then you want to explore it
more.
Testing is required here as just making your product or marketing messages
unique and 'mysterious' is not enough to make a sale. But the idea should be to
incorporate curiosity into your normal messages. Where can you leave things on
a cliffhanger so they are compelled to click on to the next page etc?
Where can you put something in your salescopy that will drive them crazy with
curiosity, give them an itch they have to scratch by buying your product?
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I remember one example was a product I saw on how to drive traffic to your
website, I am used to all the normal methods so I dismiss most other products
out of hand, but this one had a curiosity builder… At one point in their copy they
mentioned their product focused on one powerful method and proceeded to list
everything that the product was NOT about.
The reason this was so great is because they listed all the major traffic sources,
so this left me scratching my head about what it could be, it also dispelled any
ideas I had in my head about it being something I had read before, I had already
clicked off the page in my mind before I read that section. I ended up buying it!
Fear of loss
We all fear losing things, losing our pets, our loved ones, or even our favorite
items, but we also fear losing a good deal or offer.
That is why people give time limits on special offers, so that out of a sense of
loss then if you want to go to that store sometime anyway then you should go
during the offer period.
This works extremely well as long as you combine it with a reason like discussed
before, and as long as you haven't destroyed your credibility by doing it too
often before and not finishing when you say you will!
For instance there is a particular sofa company on TV who have a 'weekend only'
special offer on about once a month. Great - that destroys the effect, I now don't
fear losing that deal as I know I just have to wait another month and they'll
probably have a better deal on anyway!
So inject some genuine fear into a reader with either the loss of certain bonuses,
make it a quantity limit not a time limit as time limits are so much harder to
justify, but if you say you want to reward the first 100 customers that is a
legitimate reason. You could also say you only have 100 copies of the product to
give away, just make sure you actually do so you are not lying in your messages!
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Section Three: How to Make Your Words Sparkle
To make your words… 'sparkle' - can words sparkle? Well that is what we'll be
discussing here, the confusing world of metaphors and similes.
Metaphors
I looked online for a concrete definition of a metaphor that does not confuse the
heck out of people but the best I could find is on Wikipedia, ‘Metaphor is
language that directly compares seemingly unrelated subjects. In the simplest
case, this takes the form: "The [first subject] is a [second subject]."'
There is a lot of confusion about whether something is a metaphor or not, and I
am certainly not going to add to that confusion as I don’t have a degree in
English, so I’ll just use my definition which is that a metaphor is a comparison or
description that enhances a word or phrase but is not a real comparison.
Here are two examples to make that clearer:
‘To grasp a concept’ (you can’t actually ‘grasp’ something that has no substance)
‘To shed some light on a subject’ (you can’t actually put ‘light’ on a subject)
So let’s have a look at some metaphors from the ‘I have a dream’ speech:
“flames of withering injustice”
“lonely island of poverty”
“bank of justice is bankrupt”
“whirlwinds of revolt”
You can see how each of the comparisons adds to the power of the words.
Flames are hot and angry which add to the injustice, a ‘lonely island’ of poverty
makes it seem even more isolated and lonely. We all know what a bank is and
the effects of bankruptcy, so it helps to emphasize the point of the lack of justice
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that is being spoken about. A revolt is an aggressive and violent act, so adding in
the violent power of a whirlwind as a comparison also enhances that.
Can you see now how using metaphors helps your words to have maximum
impact? It is a lot more interesting and gripping to hear about that the bank of
justice is bankrupt, rather than just saying that, ‘there has been a lack of justice’.
Of course you can influence the impact those words have either way, positively
or negatively, if you referred to it as the 'brotherhood of poverty' then you would
invoke images of poverty bringing people closer. Like if you referred to the 'game
of internet marketing' then it would be fun, a challenge, something with winners
and losers, if it was the 'war of internet marketing' then it is hard, brutal, serious
with people 'dying' and others 'killing' their competitors. Which would you rather
be part of, the 'game' or the 'war' of internet marketing?
So how do you use them?
The best way to incorporate powerful metaphors into your writing is to use the
‘write first, edit after’ strategy I mentioned earlier. You may think of some good
metaphors as you write and add them if you do, but the real power comes after
you have laid down the foundations and you know what you are trying to say.
Then you can go back with confidence and edit your work to make sure it
sparkles! Look at what the paragraph or section is trying to say, is it negative or
positive, then enhance that position with appropriate metaphors.
Similes
Similes are an easier concept to grasp (notice the metaphor there?), the
Wikipedia definition is, ‘A ''simile" is a technique that uses words such as "like" or
"as" to compare two ideas'
We see them all the time, two examples could be:
“He ran as fast as a speeding bullet”
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“The mother protected her child with ferocious intensity like a lioness protecting
her cubs”
You can see that both are direct comparisons of an act with another one, usually
out of proportion (i.e. he didn’t really run as fast as a bullet) so that it enhances
the image you have in your head
Let’s have a look for some in the ‘I have a dream’ speech:
"justice rolls down like waters"
"righteousness like a mighty stream"
Just the two, so Martin Luther King Jr preferred metaphors to similes, but those
are two powerful ones that invoke the imagery of powerful water spreading
justice and righteousness out into the land.
Use similes any time you think it will either enhance the understanding of the
reader of the power of the image/concept you are trying to convey. So you could
say that someone, 'emerged from jail a free man', or you could try, 'he emerged
from jail to the realization he was as free as a bird'. The simile highlights his
freedom much better as you imagine a bird swooping around the heavens being
free, rather than him just standing there being 'free' which doesn't have much
impact.
As an example of using a simile to explain something better, then for the phrase,
'He moved stealthily through the long grass trying not to alert them he was
coming'. That doesn't really give you an impression of how he was moving, you
have to guess. If you change it to, 'He moved stealthily through the long grass
like a cheetah stalking its prey, trying not to alert them he was coming'. Now
that has more impact, if you've seen any nature programs you know, or can
guess, how a cheetah moves, low down, slowly, constantly checking its position,
that gives a much clearer idea of what the man was up to.
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Again the best way to add in similes is when editing, if you think you can make a
comparison that strengthens the point you are trying to make then use one, you
don't want to use similes too often though as they tend to distract the reader.
Good metaphors blend effortlessly in and enhance what you read as they tend to
be short and snappy, similes can distract the reader which is good when you
want them to think about something, but may seem to extend the writing
unnecessarily if they appear too often.
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Section Four: Using Power Words to Grab Attention &
Keep It!
Power words! These are strong words designed to give passion and emotion to
your writing, there are very specific words you can sprinkle over your work to
take it from mundane to explosive!
Again this comes in the editing phase, as you get more used to using them then
you will start to incorporate them into your writing as you go, but most of the
time you come up with your best power words when you are editing. Here is a
list of 100 words you can try to add in to 'pep' your work up:
Absolutely Challenge Exclusive Looted Revolutionary
Affordable Colossal Exploit Mind-Blowing Rip-Off
Amazing Confidential Explosive Miracle Scam
Announcing Controversial Famous Misleading Scarce
Approved Corrupt Fascinating Mouth-Watering Secret
Astonishing Crammed Feeble Mutilated Sensational
Attractive Critical Forbidden Nourishing Shatter
Authentic Cutting-Edge Formidable Obliterate Shocking
Avenge Daring Frantically Outlawed Skyrocket
Banish Dazzling Fraud Overwhelming Slammed
Banned Delighted Gigantic Payback Slaughter
Bargain Despair Glowing Plummet Staggering
Beautiful Destroy Greatest Precious Startling
Beware Devastating Guaranteed Propaganda Substantially
Blindsided Dramatic Ingenious Provocative Surge
Bloodcurdling Electrifying Insane Punishing Teetering
Bonanza Empower Juggernaut Quivering Transform
Breakthrough Endangered Killer Reap Tremendous
Callous Enormous Leaped Refreshing Undiscovered
Catastrophe Exciting Lifetime Remarkable Whopping
You can use these power words wherever you have to really grab attention for
great effect! Try them in email subject lines and article titles.
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Section Five: Selling with stories
We all love a good story, they have been used for thousands of years to convey
information, to entertain us and to remember parts of history (stories used in
tribes to convey how they came to settle in a place etc).
When someone starts to tell a story then we go into 'story-mode' and we settle
down and get ready to enjoy it, you can use that in your marketing to
devastating effect! It also allows you to fly under-the-radar, so that the person
reading it accepts and absorbs everything you say without the normal barriers
they have up when they read anything where you are trying to sell to them.
Did you notice the start of Martin Luther King Jr's speech? The words, "Five
score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand
today…". That’s the start of a story if ever I heard one!
Try to use them whenever you can and open with them so that by the time the
reader finishes the story then they are already committed to reading what you
have to say afterwards!
There should only be two goals with your stories though, to sell yourself or your
product, nothing else. Making serious money online is about building
relationships with your prospects/customers. That is how you sell them product
after product, there is no better way to do that than with stories.
Try to make them personal, include details about your life or how people have
used your product or could use your product - this will help to build an image of
you in their mind, then you won't be 'some random person who emails me' you'll
be a real person to them.
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So if you are not directly selling your product then everything you mention
should be about selling yourself and building a relationship, think about what you
want to convey to the reader before you start to put a story down on paper, this
will influence how you write and what you write about.
If you are directly trying to sell a product then people also identify with stories
more, rather than saying that if the person reading is having trouble sleeping
then they should buy your product, lead in with a story about someone having
trouble sleeping and how they'd tried everything and were so frustrated. Then
hit them up with how they could have just tried your product to end their
insomnia rather than wasting so much money on other things.
Or even better, get a testimonial from someone who has bought and used your
product, and some background about them, and use that as a story!
So what should a good story be like?
A good story should be told as if you were telling your very best friend, it should
be easy to read, interesting right from the outset, and should have a great end
to it either with something interesting or funny happening, or maybe just your
comments on what the experience taught you or how the reader can use what
you did to help them out in some way.
Here are 4 different story types you can use to entice your prospects to buy:
This is me
This is best in an email, or a shortened version on a salespage, it is just an
introduction to you. Sell yourself and how normal you are and how you are the
best qualified person to talk to the reader about the subject they came to your
site about/signed up to your newsletter for. Make them feel at ease with you.
Testimonial
This is like I mentioned earlier, get a testimonial off someone but then ask them
if you can get some more information, get enough for a story. Then write one
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about how the person first began to have the trouble you solved, about how it
affected them, try to resonate with the readers problems, then talk about how
your product solved their problem and about how their life is now.
The Salt Story
This one is a bit cruel, but if you have a good product that works then it is
actually helping the customer. The basic idea of this story is to identify with the
prospect in some way and then to 'rub salt in the wound' by talking about how
bad the problem is, what effect it had on you or one of your customers. Then
offer a solution with your product and talk about how great the prospect will feel
afterwards.
The Objection Crusher
Everyone has something that they worry about, that is why an online FAQ can be
so good because it helps to eliminate a lot of people's worries without them
having to contact you (which most wouldn't bother doing). But if you can find
out your prospects most burning objections to buying (bribe them for the answer
with a free copy of the product to get it etc) then you are in a powerful position
as others will have the same objections. You can then create emails that tell a
story relating to that objection, maybe about someone who had the same
objection, and then blow it out of the water in the story somehow - thereby
taking away one of their main objections and building a relationship with them at
the same time!
So the next time you sit down to write some marketing material, think about how
you can make it into a story and see your sales soar!
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Section Six: How to Absorb Powerful Writing
Most things are skills that can be learnt, writing persuasively and using powerful
writing is a skill that I believe can be mastered by anyone, some people have to
put in more work than others, but anyone can master it.
So reading about it is the first step, you need to read everything you can on the
subject of copywriting and the power of words as it is not a subject you can just
learn in a few days.
The next step is practice, practice, practice. Practice is the mother of skill, and
that will certainly help you to hone your skills.
But what if there was something that could help you learn faster? Something
where you could literally soak up the work of someone who has already
mastered this skill, like a sponge.
This is a copywriting trick that I have seen spoken about by the masters but that
most people are just too lazy to do, so if you do it then you will be ahead of 99%
of the game!
The trick is to write down the work that you want to model. Reading only
absorbs a certain amount of the work, but to actually write it down in your own
handwriting, that helps you to really internalize everything that is being said. You
are feeding your unconscious mind with the powerful writing which it can then
churn out when you sit down to write.
Try to write out 1 piece of powerful writing every single day, at least one full a4
side of paper, for 30 days - you won't believe the difference it will make to your
copy! (Seriously - do not underestimate the power of this!).
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Section Seven: How to Use This Knowledge Properly
Sometimes less is more…
Now you've learnt about stories, power words, metaphors etc then usually
people will then go out and start to plaster their work with as many of these
things as possible - not good!
These methods should just be used to polish work, think of someone who tries
too hard to decorate a room, they put too many extras in it, they have too much
color all over the place, they keep adding and adding to try and get it 'perfect',
the end result is that the room looks awful!
That is what your writing looks like if you use too many of these methods to jazz
it up, let's look at how to use them properly.
Psychological triggers - use these in your marketing messages, anything from
salescopy to solo ads etc. Using reasons is something you should weave into
everything you do, that one you can always use as it doesn't sound hypey, but
for the rest, then if you are writing short messages, like emails, solo ads, articles
etc, aim just to use one of the other triggers, and use it really well.
You don't want to confuse the reader or lose the power of the trigger you are
aiming for, so choose one before you begin, then weave it into the writing with
the end of the message giving a strong 'call to action' based on that trigger (Like
'Don't lose this amazing chance, click here to get more information now' - for the
fear of loss trigger).
Now for salescopy then it is different, salescopy can run to 20 - 30 pages in
length for long copy, so there is enough time to weave in as many as you want,
you could lead into it with the curiosity factor, have some association between
you and important people in your market in the middle, activate reciprocity by
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giving them some great information as they get down towards the end, then hit
them with the fear of loss at the end to force them to take action!
Metaphors & similes - Metaphors are easier to read as we spoke about earlier,
so they are ok to use in your writing whenever you need to enhance a point or
word, similes should be used more sparingly. There is no golden formula for this,
but remember you are using words to sell, not words to impress.
A good novel will wrap the reader in a warm blanket of words and images as
they slowly drift off into the world that the author created in their mind. We
don't want that, we want them to be engaged, interested, and we want them
moving down the page towards the area they take action!
So leave these until the editing stage, then as you read through look for words,
phrases, even paragraphs that you want to emphasize, and see how you can use
metaphors or similes to do that. Use metaphors to give words more weight,
more power, use similes wherever you think the image you are trying to convey
needs more explaining, like a car with nimble handling is hard to imagine, but
compare it to a go-kart and people are more likely to understand what you
mean.
To have a look at a good piece of persuasive writing (not strictly sales writing I
know) then look at the 'I have a dream' speech at the end of this report. If you
look at the paragraphs I extracted below you'll see I highlighted all the
metaphors and similes in red, look at how only one was used in the first
example, but a whole barrage were used in the second example:
"We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and
discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical
violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting
physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed
the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many
of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to
24
realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. They have come to realize
that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone."
But then if you look at this one there is the equivalent of one per sentence:
"It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This
sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there
is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an
end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam
and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to
business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the
Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to
shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges."
The best way to see if you have too many in your writing is to get a second
opinion, find someone you trust who is not part of your business and get them to
read your work! Or read it out loud to yourself, does it flow quickly along, or
does it feel like you are reading a complicated book?
Power words - These words are perfect for spicing up your work, again use
them sparingly in your writing or it will seem totally unbelievable, try to identify
areas that need emphasizing and use them there.
But the best place to use them is in areas you need to grab attention, salesletter
headlines, article title, blog post titles etc, somewhere that you can make your
writing sound really interesting and draw the reader into. Bullet points are
another great place to use them, if you only have a small space to make an
impression then a few select power words added to the mix are like adding some
high quality herbs and spices to a bland meal!
Stories - Stories are very powerful but like the psychological triggers then I'd
avoid using more than one in a marketing piece unless they are very short ones.
I like take my time to get a reader into the story so they embrace it more, rather
than pepper them with stories so they forget my message from the first one.
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Give them one story, then refer back to that story later or add to it as you go
along, but stick to the same angle, the same lead character etc so they build
their impression of you or that lead character as they go along.
Make sure at the end there is a good ‘call to action’ or a definite point, you
should never use a story without some purpose in mind, do you want to look like
a good person in their eyes, then make sure you finish with something that
shows that! Do you want to show people how great your product is? Then make
sure you get that across in the story and then finish by asking for the sale!
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Section Eight: How to Make Sure Your Words Are
Hitting Home
There is only one way to make sure you are using the right magic formula of
words to reach your reader, and that is to test!
I know something's you can't test, if you send out an email broadcast for
something then you can't really test it as it is a one-off, but autoresponder
messages you can test, salescopy, banner ads, solo ads etc you can definitely
test!
Only the reader knows if you are doing it right, and the only way they can tell
you is by taking action on what you told them. So set up split tests, test different
openings, test triggers, test how you emphasize points with metaphors etc (do
that later on after testing the big hitters like the headline first, unless you are
doing taguchi testing…) to see which pulls best.
Over time you will take your messages and polish them until they sparkle like
diamonds! (they'll be worth as much to you as diamonds in the end too!).
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Conclusion
Mastering the art of using words to persuade and sell is something that can take
a lifetime, nobody really knows all the 'hot buttons' you can hit with everyone,
you just have to try your best and then test things out.
Over time you will learn a surprising amount of things that you can then take
forward and use in future emails etc about what does and doesn't work. But
after reading this report you are now much better prepared to write interesting
and engaging messages that will make you a firm favorite with your prospects
and hopefully put a lot more money in your bank account!
Take some time to practice what is in this report, start today to write out some
messages and then improve them with some of the powerful techniques
mentioned here. Also make sure you take some time to start writing out
powerful messages in your own handwriting, once you see the benefits you'll be
hooked I guarantee it!
To your success
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'I have a dream' by Martin Luther King Jr
"I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest
demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today,
signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon
light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering
injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life
of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of
discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in
the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is
still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own
land. So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.
In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of
our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of
Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall
heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would
be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her
citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has
given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient
funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to
believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation.
So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches
of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to
remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of
cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real
the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of
segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the
quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make
justice a reality for all of God's children.
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It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering
summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating
autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning.
Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will
have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither
rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The
whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright
day of justice emerges.
But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold
which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we
must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by
drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.
We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We
must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and
again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The
marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to
a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their
presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny.
They have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We
cannot walk alone.
As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot
turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you
be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the
unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied, as long as our bodies,
heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and
the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is
from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children
are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating "For Whites
Only". We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro
in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and
we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a
mighty stream.
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I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations.
Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas
where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and
staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative
suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.
Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to
Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities,
knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the
valley of despair.
I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and
tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its
creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and
the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of
brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the
heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an
oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will
not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor
having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right
there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little
white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today.
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I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall
be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made
straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will
be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be
able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of
brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to
struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that
we will be free one day.
This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning,
"My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers
died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."
And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from
the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains
of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!
Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!
But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let
freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every
village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up
that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles,
Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old
Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
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