Tag Archive for copywriter

Copywriting Training – Emotions

December 24, 2023 Robert Schwarztrauber Uncategorized No comments

Copywriting Training -The Power of Emotional Appeals in Marketing and Advertising

In marketing, advertising, and sales, one cannot overstate the importance of making an emotional connection with potential customers.

More than any facts or features, what truly motivates people to buy is how we make them feel.

The most effective advertisements and sales presentations create a compelling narrative and immerse viewers in an emotional experience.

They tap into universal human desires like love, freedom, security, independence, freedom, or achievement. A good emotional appeal should feel aspirational yet attainable with the advertised product.

A good advertisement shows the consumer how their life could improve in a meaningful way.

The best appearls offer the promise of TRANSFORMATION!

Connecting with emotions builds trust and rapport with customers. It shows that our brand understands them intimately and cares deeply about their well-being.

Ads that fails to establish this emotional bond will likely be ignored no matter how impressive the product itself may be.

Copywriting Examples from Entertainment

Consider the entertainment industry as a powerful marketing example.

Why do we love music?

Because of the sounds that vibrate our eardrums?

NO!

Because of how it makes us FEEL inside!

It makes us laugh, cry, miss our ex, love our current, long for the next.

Billions of downloads of music because it makes us FEEL something.

How about movies?

It’s the same. Billions in sales and downloads. Not because the movie is cinematically perfect or the characters even real, but because of how that movie makes us FEEL inside.

We cry for loves lost. Or happiness gained against all odds. We rant against injustice exposed. We long for the adventures they show. We feel empowered ourself when the little guy wins out against the giant.

We are feeling creatures.

Isn’t that why we seek love? Even why we buy pets?

We crave, lust, are driven by, my God...

Something that makes us FEEL something!

Else we feel dead. Bored. Depressed. Disgusted. Unmotivated.

But, oh boy, give us a roller coaster ride. A bungie jump. Scare us from behind. Give us a big hug…

And we’re exilerated! We feel alive again!

The greatest sin in advertising, is forgetting to take your prospect on an emotional ride.

Let your prospect viscerally experience the horrid lows of his current condition.

Let him feel just how much it might get worse if he does nothing.

Take him to the bottom. The very bottom.

Then lift him up to the top where he can feel the breeze, feel the freedom.

Let him feel what it’s like to be on top of the world having now solved his most daunting problem with the help of your solution. Show him what’s possible. Share stories of how others just like him found success – quickly and easily, and he can too!

Then, gently take him back down to the crossroads.

Heaven with the purchase of your solution. Just a click away.

Or Hell.

Do nothing. Stay right where you are. Live in that hell of your own creation, knowing full well you had the opportunity for transformation, but did not take it.

If you can make him feel that future regret now, you may have done him the greatest service of all.

As copywriters, marketers, sellers of things, we are not in the business of selling those things directly, but of offering TRANSFORMATION – a better life.

Make them FEEL that better life is within their grasp right now.

Famous Quotes on Emotion

Here are some relevant quotes on the power of emotional appeals in marketing and advertising:

1. “We don’t buy goods and services. We buy relations, stories and magic.” – Seth Godin

2. “Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but about the stories you tell.” – Seth Godin

3. “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” – Simon Sinek

4. “Features tell, benefits sell.” – Dan Lok

5. “Emotions drive people. People act emotionally, and justify logically.” – Zig Ziglar

6. “Never forget that the most powerful element in advertising is the ad itself.” – Leo Burnett

7. “What really decides consumers to buy or not to buy is the content of your advertising, not its form.” – David Ogilvy

8. “Advertising justifies its existence when used in the public interest. It is much too powerful a tool to use solely for commercial purposes.” – Leo Burnett

9. “The best advertising doesn’t just circulate information. It penetrates the public mind with desires and belief.” – Leo Burnett

10. “A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn reputation by trying to do hard things well.” – Jeff Bezos

11. “Advertising is the art of arresting the human intelligence just long enough to get money from it.” – Chuck Blore

12. “The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.” – Socrates

13. “There are no facts, only interpretations.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

14. “We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” – Anaïs Nin

15. “Emotion is the driving force behind most, if not all, of our behaviors.” – Jenefer Palmer

16. “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” – Jeff Bezos

17. “The feeling of being valuable is essential for passion and motivation.” – Anonymous

18. “We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we feel.” – Anaïs Nin

19. “Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” – Oprah Winfrey

20. “Marketing is about values. It’s a complicated world, increasingly difficult to navigate. People are hungry for guides to make choices.” – Seth Godin

21. “Behind every buying decision, there is emotion.” – Ayesha Khanna

22. “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

23. “The strongest emotional appeal in advertising focuses on the deepest wants and needs of the consumer.” – Claude Hopkins

24. “The best way to persuade people is with your ears, by listening to them.” – Dean Rusk

25. “The aim of marketing is to make selling superfluous. The aim is to know and understand the customer so well that the product fits him and sells itself.” – Peter Drucker

One of the best tools around for understanding the customer, his needs, his true desires, and the emotional hot buttons you should press which cause him to buy is The Copywriter’s Persuasion Toolkit.

It includes easy to follow graphics, plus fill-in-the-blank templates which show you pricely which emotions and which appeals get your prospect to buy.

Included are bonus reports every aspiring copywriter needs to get started earning money for paid copywriting gigs in less than 10 days – even with no prior experience!

In today’s crowded marketplace, an emotional appeal is clearly the best way to stand out.

Our feelings are what stick with us and compel us to take action.

As marketers, we must move beyond touting features and benefits. We must understand what truly matters to consumers on a deeper, emotional level.

When we touch their hearts, their wallets open.

Magical!

Care to try?

Craft your first emotional appeal today using The Copywriter’s Persuasion Toolkit.

To your Success!

– Robert Schwarztrauber

P.S. Here’s a copy and paste link to the toolkit copywriters love: https://writeforwealthclub.com/copywriterstoolkit/

Claude Hopkins 10 Commandments

December 11, 2023 Robert Schwarztrauber Uncategorized No comments

The 10 Commandments of Attention-Grabbing Marketing from Claude Hopkins

Claude Hopkins is considered the pioneer of direct response marketing and advertising. Living in the early 20th century, his principles and approach forever changed how brands connect with consumers.

Many smart, modern marketers look to Hopkins’ teachings even today (as they should) for guidance on crafting compelling campaigns. Specifically on the critical task of capturing audience attention in the current Tsunami of advertising noise.

Here are 10 key attention-grabbing marketing lessons from Hopkins that every copywriter or marketer can profit from:

1. Understand Your Customer Through Research

Hopkins emphasized truly knowing your customer. He conducted in-depth interviews and surveys long before market research became an industry standard. Hopkins said,

“To advertise blindly, without knowing your prospects’ minds, likes and dislikes, is like firing into a fog at sparrows.”

The Copywriter’s Persuasion Toolkit lets you research every detail about your prospect in less than 30 minutes while organizing that research into templates proven to speed and improve your copywriting.

2. Feature Benefits Over Features

Hopkins spoke to customer benefits and avoided generic features. As he put it: “People do not buy from business concerns, they buy from other people.” Focus on how your product improves their life. Even deeper, focus on how your prospect will FEEL once you’ve solved their problem or satisfied their desire. Paint a word picture of their new life.

The Copywriter’s Persuasion Toolkit quickly shows you the right words to use which grab their attention and ignite their buying hot buttons. Use the toolkit to quickly and effectively gain your prospect attention by penetrating their Bubble of Preoccupation.

3. Be Concrete and Specific

Hopkins avoided superlatives and encouraged specificity in copy. Don’t claim “the best salsa.” State “made with ripe California tomatoes” so readers can envision and relate to your message. About shaving cream, “He said, “Multiplies itself in lather 250 times.” “Softens the beard in one minute.” “Maintains its creamy fullness for ten minutes on the face.” Specific claims sway decisions. Specifically define the final result acheived.

4. Appeal to Self-Interest

Hopkins said people think of themselves first when making purchase decisions. Frame your copy around how you satisfy the customer, not how great your product is. Talk to individual self-interest.

Claude cautions,

“Remember, the people you address are selfish, as we all are. They care nothing about your interests or profit. They seek service for themselves. Ignoring this fact is a common mistake and a costly mistake in advertising”

5. Share Testimonials from Satisfied Customers

Hopkins relied heavily on testimony from happy customers in his copy. Humans find endorsements from other people far more persuasive than company claims about their own greatness.

One of my favorite testimonials received was:

“Bob, your way of explaining things does more for me than all the videos!” – Bill T., Ontario, CA.

6. Use Reason-Why Copy and Tell a Story

Logical appeals work for Hopkins, but only as part of a compelling story. He led readers through narratives aligned to his reasoned arguments. Stories allow readers to feel personally invested. We are trained from childhood to be attentive to stories, just like the bedtime stories our folks used to read us. All Disney movies are crafted from stories, because they get our attention, hold it, and secretly deliver a message designed to influence behavior.

7. Use Simple, Direct Language

Fancy words didn’t impress Hopkins, but clarity did. He wrote conversational copy focused on being simple, brief and transparent so readers could easily grasp key messages. Famed copywriter, John Carlton advises to imagine you’re sitting at a bar or a coffee shop with someone having a chat. How would you say it? Then write it that way too.

8. Offer a Strong Guarantee

Hopkins reduced risk by backing claims with a guarantee. He didn’t view guarantees as costs or liabilities, but as advertising to gain more sales through increased consumer confidence. Many recent studies have shown that the longer the guarantee, the LESS likely folks are to take advantage of them and return things.

9. Lead with a Striking Headline and Strong Hook

Hopkins put enormous importance on eye-catching headlines and introductions filled with drama. His opening lines grabbed attention in clever ways before drawing readers into the full story.

5 of Claude Hopkins’ Most Famous Headlines

“They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano… But When I Started to Play!” (Headlines for pianos course ads)
“Stop That Awful Pounding!” (For a headache remedy product called Acetylsalicylic Acid, later branded as Aspirin)
“Whiter Teeth or Money Back” (Introducing Pepsodent toothpaste)
“Skin Like a Baby’s” (For a face cream named Ponds)
“Largest Sale of Women’s Fine Shoes Ever Known” (Run for John Wanamaker department store)

10. Test and Measure Results

Unlike the Mad Men days of advertising, Hopkins measured what worked based on sales results. He changed copy and offers quickly to maximize outcomes from all marketing investments. Only results (sales, leads, etc.) matter. Not open rates, views, likes, followers, etc.

In conclusion...

Claude Hopkins wrote his principles many decades ago, but human psychology has not changed much since then.

His rules for attention-grabbing marketing copy serve as an excellent model for today’s copywriters, online content marketers, and digital advertisers.

Test his methods for yourself and watch as engagement and response soar. Just remember, there is no “set it and forget it.” Continually research customers, evaluate performance and evolve campaigns.

As top copywriter Drayton Bird advised in the last post, “One word changed, in one ad, could be the difference between wild success or utter failure.”

Test. Test. Test.

To read the full text of Claude Hopkins famous book, “Scientific Advertising” written in 1923 (as every aspiring copywriter and pro should) you can search for the pdf file online. Alternatively, here is a recent link that has worked for me:

https://www.scientificadvertising.com/ScientificAdvertising.pdf

Sell. Sell. Sell.

Hope that helps.

How else can I help you?