Social Psychology and Copywriting

[amo992]

I'm planning on writing a series of eBooks on social psychology and I wanted to your gauge interest about the topic.

For those of you who do not know, Social Psychology is the scientific study of how people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. (Wikipedia)

There will be around 12 eBooks, each approximately 2000-5000 words long on topics like the self, choices and actions, social cognition, social influence and persuasion, attraction and exclusion, attitude change, etc.

Any comments, thoughts, and ideas will be greatly appreciated.

[Ross James]

I think pysch stuff is cool, up until the point where I have to use any of it, that's when I'm done with it; not because I would rather be doing something else, you just really can't apply any of it - it's all theory.

When Richard B. was living with Gregory Bateson, he said he read through all of his psychology books and not a single on of them showed you how or if you could actually use any of it; except one book, a quick-reference guide on pharmaceuticals. Interesting.

Now I'm not to privy on what you mean by social psychology but from the sounds of it, it appears a little different on the surface than what I'm thinking it is, which if that's the case, you'll be fine. As long as it's information people can actually use and get results with.

Now what was your question with it pertaining to Copywriting?

-Ross

[Alex Cohen]

If your goal is to sell to direct response copywriters, be sure each topic relates to persuasion in some way. I also suggest that you have a "how to" component for each topic.

Before you write a word, think through how you're going to position this product in the marketplace. You'll need good positioning to break through the clutter.

Alex

[TheTroglodyte]

Would be cool if you included videos along with it I think

[amo992]

Originally Posted by Ross James

I think pysch stuff is cool, up until the point where I have to use any of it, that's when I'm done with it; not because I would rather be doing something else, you just really can't apply any of it - it's all theory.

When Richard B. was living with Gregory Bateson, he said he read through all of his psychology books and not a single on of them showed you how or if you could actually use any of it; except one book, a quick-reference guide on pharmaceuticals. Interesting.

Now I'm not to privy on what you mean by social psychology but from the sounds of it, it appears a little different on the surface than what I'm thinking it is, which if that's the case, you'll be fine. As long as it's information people can actually use and get results with.

Now what was your question with it pertaining to Copywriting?

-Ross

Well, it pertains specifically to your response--the information in your response is exactly the kind of stuff I am looking for. You copywriters are the most eloquent of the bunch. Thanks!

Originally Posted by Alex Cohen

If your goal is to sell to direct response copywriters, be sure each topic relates to persuasion in some way. I also suggest that you have a "how to" component for each topic.

Before you write a word, think through how you're going to position this product in the marketplace. You'll need good positioning to break through the clutter.

Alex

I'm considering releasing one a time so that I can take advantage of branding and learn from my mistakes. I was planning to include a 'how to' for every single idea. Considering the positioning, you've given me a few things to think about.

Thank you!

Originally Posted by RobertClarkMTFS

Would be cool if you included videos along with it I think

What kind of videos? The ones that just speak the information written on the page? or something more?!

[Daniel Scott]

Originally Posted by Ross James

I think pysch stuff is cool, up until the point where I have to use any of it, that's when I'm done with it; not because I would rather be doing something else, you just really can't apply any of it - it's all theory.

I strongly disagree. Knowing why people do the things they do is the first step to successfully being able to influence their actions.

Unless social psychology means something different in the states than it does here?

-Daniel

[Ross James]

Daniel I see your point and I cant disagree with you. I'm at the practitioner level with NLP, I will admit, I'm still not close to where I want to be. One of the NLP presupp is that there is life below the neck - meaning what we learn is really only facts / data until we get it through the muscle. That's what I mean by my statement. But your right. Analyzing the data is important to other behavioral sciences, like psychiatry and copywriting where we need to try to create new data from what is known.

Best,

Ross

[travlinguy]

Your topic (question for the forum) is WAY too broad.

Social Psychology is the scientific study of how people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. (Wikipedia)


Okay, so what. That's a clinical definition that's likely to only resonate with very few individuals. If you write some sterile crap that fits that definition you won't sell a single copy.


I could throw up the definition of NLP and no one would care. But if I were to say that NLP can help you overcome bad habits, enjoy better health, improve your relationships and help you to earn more, and... that you can acheive these results EXTREMELY FAST... people would then have something they can relate to.

Before you start such a time-consuming project it would be smart to brainstorm for several days and come up with 100 or more BENEFITS that people will derive if they were to learn this stuff. Good luck.