I was recently reading a book by John Caples, "How to Make Your Advertising Pay." In it was a list of 26 age-old appeals that continue to work today because people continue to want the same things, year in and year out. So as you write headlines for ads, sales letters, e-mail letters, etc., think about these things Caples identified as what people want and see if your appeal addresses them.
Product health
Be a leader
Reduce fat
Have a happy marriage
Improve appearance
Care of children
Get ahead in business
Improve education
Make money
Be creative
Save money
Avoid worry
Win money
Avoid drudgery
Cash in on bargains
Avoid embarrassment
Gain social advancement
Avoid discomfort
Win friends
Avoid boredom
Influence people
Enjoy comfort
Win praise from others
Enjoy leisure
Gain prestige
Attain security in old age
See my headline above ... which appeal did I use to catch your attention????? (Clue, it was not about reducing fat.)
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Want Your Friends to Think You're Brilliant??
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
8 comments:
The best way for your friends (and clients) to think you're brilliant is to do brilliant stuff, such as writing your articles.
Good job Vickie. Keep it up.
Stanley Bronstein
http://stanleybronstein.com
MrAchievement
So Vickie - In other words, if I want to make a huge splash in the media, I would need to write a story like this? (big grin)
I got healthier and reduced my fat intake by caring for children in an improved educational setting. The great news was we became leaders in teaching people how to have happy marriages while getting ahead in business, making more money and using their creativity. We didn’t even have to win money to avoid being worried. Once we showed them how to cash in on bargains and avoid the embarrassment and discomfort of running out of money, the new they could win friends and influence people while avoiding boredom. Now they can enjoy their leisure time, gain prestige and have security in their old age. What a boon!
Love that LIST!
Think I'll take one of each!
Hi Vickie. This is such fun. Each of these is something people believe will bring them happiness, and perhaps they will for a time. Ultimately, it is the love we feel inside that will manifest in happiness, so as the Beatles sang, all we need is love!
Thanks for this great article.
Andrea
I love Beth's feedback! I think I will keep this list handy and I'll know just what to say the next time someone says, "What do you want!"
To all of those wants, simply add "NOW!" and you'll really push their hot buttons!
Kidding aside, as one who takes a common-sense rather than sensational approach to weight management, it's sometimes hard to compete with all the promises of 30 pounds in 30 days. People want that so badly that they forget about all the time and money they've wasted on quick fixes that don't work.
Although I want to capture their attention, the "lose weight fast" hype lacks integrity so I struggle with how to market what I do. As I looked at your list, I realized that I help people "avoid the drudgery" of counting calories, weighing and measuring food, and obsessing about their weight all the time.
Thanks for the insight Vickie! I'm going to take a look at my website with a fresh perspective.
Great list of appeals from Mr. Caples. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Love your list and feedback.
Suzy
Post a Comment