Whether you are writing a simple article, a cornerstone blog post, or a landing page designed to breathe life into your budding dreams, there might be nothing more important than the care you give to crafting your argument.
Even the smallest child's mind hums with hundreds of constant questions. By the time we're adults, our minds tumble with queries and theories. Some of us are more doubtful than others, our eyes scanning long copy, always searching for flaws like hunters on safari.
Keep this in mind… you will never sell to everyone. There are a fraction of folks who are as likely to open their wallets as I am to take my 7 year old daughter with me to the next Tarantino flick. Don't even try selling to these people. It's a waste of your time and is likely damaging to your sanity. Make certain however, that you're hitting 100% of anyone who will lend your offer honest consideration.
If there's a chance they'll buy, make sure they do. Do this by ensuring your argument can stand up to the eager arsenal of the critical mind.
Here are 5 methods I use to craft bulletproof copy:
- I write to my mother. My mom will buy anything, so long as it provides her even the slightest whiff of nostalgia. It doesn't matter if she needs it or whether she can afford it. My mom is a collector, and even with piles atop heaps amid mountains of stuff, anything that tickles her longing for yesteryear or justifies her decades of previous behavior will justify the purchase in her mind.
- I write to my father. My dad is the classic, "advertising doesn't work on me," kinda guy. Yes, Pop, advertising does work on you, you just don't realize it. My father must be smacked in the face on an emotional level, but he will respond. My dad gets misty-eyed at movies. When the score hits a crescendo, his shoulders often start to shake. My father purchases products that stand for strength of character and tradition, no matter how traditionally manipulative that message might be delivered.
- I write to my sister. My sister is a cynic with a smiley face, bleeding snarkiness from every pore. She's a tough sell and loves to shoot flaming verbal arrows right into the bulls-eye of every opportunity. My sister is also whip smart. Reminding her of this, in the most subtle way possible, will always beat a faster path to her wallet.
- I write to my wife. My wife is a romantic. She longs to be touched on an emotional level and wishes only for happy endings. Most copy is a far cry from poetic, but by inserting a single simple sentence that reaches for that most tender and exposed piece of her, I am adding an exponent to the odds that she (or the million just like her) will set aside her laptop in order to reach for her purse.
- I write to my friend Marco. Marco could punch a hole in concrete. He is suspect of everything and believer in little. Whenever I'm writing a landing page, I think of the five problems he would have with the product, then sprinkle solutions carefully throughout the copy. Marco isn't the type to never buy, but he is the type who knows what he wants and must always be sold to. If I'm finished with the page, confident Marco would buy, subscribe, or opt-in, I know the odds are good that you would too.
You will never sell to everyone. Wringing your hands over this fundamental truth is like wishing Seattle was a little more sunny. Concentrate on those who might buy and you can increase both your confidence and the clicks that follow.
These are the five people to whom I write my best arguments. Are there five people you could write to, and how would you write to them?
About the Author: Sean Platt is a ghostwriter and creative blogger who also tweets.
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