Let's Play The 6 Copywriting Elements Game

[JasonParker]

Let's play a game.

Which of these 6 copywriting element do you think is most powerful and what makes you think so? ==>

*Curiosity
*Specifics
*Stories
*Scarcity
*Exclusivity
*News

...I'll tell you what I think after you've answered.

[Tinkerbell]

Curiosity would be my guess.

[Ricter]

I would say the most important element varies by the unique combination produced by: the reader, the product/service, and the niche.

[Kyle Tully]

Originally Posted by JasonParker

Which of these 6 copywriting element do you think is most powerful and what makes you think so? ==>

*Curiosity
*Specifics
*Stories
*Scarcity
*Exclusivity
*News

1. Curiosity. Because people are curios.

2. Stories. Because we've been passing information on via stories since time began. They bypass critical filters and entertain.

3. Scarcity. Because we all want what we can't have. Rare = worth. And if you get something that's scarce you are in an exclusive club (2 birds with 1 stone.)

[Jag82]

I think it depends on what you set out to achieve.

If you want to capture their attention at the very start and draw them in - curiosity. More of curiosity + benefit elements in the headline.

For them to stay involved and read on - it's story. Works better than news.

I don't think there is any hard and fast rule about this.

If I have choose, it will be probably scarcity. Cos you want them to act now..and buy now!

[ripsnorta2]

You missed one.

Fear.

After that, I reckon Curiosity is the most powerful driver.

[zapseo]

Originally Posted by ripsnorta2

You missed one.

Fear.

After that, I reckon Curiosity is the most powerful driver.

*Curiosity
*Specifics
*Stories
*Scarcity
*Exclusivity
*News

news -- only because it typically will invoke curiosity, it will have a story, which will include specifics. Since it's news, it means I'll prolly know it and others won't -- so I can feel "smart" by sharing it with my friends ("being the first to know.") Now, can I fit scarcity in there?

Hmmm....I dunno.

That's enough for this hour of the night...er, morning...

[dorothydot]

It depends on the product and what the prospect needs.

Someone wanting to lose weight will respond more to a powerful story than to curiosity or exclusivity.

Someone looking for the best software program will respond more to details/news.

Someone in physical pain will respond differently than someone looking to make a killing on the stock market.

Dot

[Melkor]

Yeah, but those are all variations of the same theme - what is the dominant emotion in the prospect that would be satisfied by taking you up on your offer?

That changes from prospect to prospect and market to market, so you can't say that the order of importance is the same when writing sales copy for the new Tom Clancy game, your local funeral home, or the latest exercise widget from Gaiam.

AIDAS still holds true of course, but the dominant emotional connection that evokes that initial Attention - well, that's a beast of many colours.

[JasonParker]

All of these elements are powerful, but the element that's worked best for me is News.

I find my headlines pull way better when I use the news element. And Judy's right, news includes curiosity. You also get "story." So you kill three birds with one stone.

[MaskedMarketer]

Originally Posted by Kyle Tully

1. Curiosity. Because people are curios.

2. Stories. Because we've been passing information on via stories since time began. They bypass critical filters and entertain.

3. Scarcity. Because we all want what we can't have. Rare = worth. And if you get something that's scarce you are in an exclusive club (2 birds with 1 stone.)

I agree with this to be true.

Also, as far as providing a motive to buy, self preservation ranks #1. Pain and fear are included with this. This is part of our instinct. Thats why Home Land Security is such a big business- people want to remain safe and most importantly, alive.

[David Raybould]

Hey guys,

I pretty much agree with what Kyle said.

I would say curiosity is most powerful, as it's the one thing from the list that I see being successfully used the most-you see it everywhere from people trying to get their posts noticed in the main forum, to the yahoo homepage displaying choice snippets of news headlines to get you to click and read the rest.

I guess you could make the same argument about newspaper headlines, as they often use curiosity to great effect, and have done for years...

David

[MaskedMarketer]

Originally Posted by the_writer

Hey guys,

I guess you could make the same argument about newspaper headlines, as they often use curiosity to great effect, and have done for years...

David

What about news stations.. Right before the commercial they give you a "teaser" to keep you glued to the station, right?

"4 deadly viruses spreading across the country. Find out how you can stay safe- When we get back"

[Melkor]

Well, the greatest headline writers in the world work for Cosmo and/or National Inquirer. Take Gary Halberts' advice sometime and spend some time just reading the headlines at the news stand and you'll see that the dominant emotion they're pushing to get you to open/look is curiosity.

However, curiosity does nothing to prequalify your prospects or get the attention of the actual desicion makers you're after, so it's not neccesarily your best lead-in.

[AndrewCavanagh]

Which element will be more effective really depends on who your prospect is and where he's at.

If you have a prospect arrive at your website ready to buy you don't need to use curiosity...just show him where the buy now button is.

If your prospect has been burnt half a dozen times before by marketers claiming the scarcity of their product (when it isn't scarce at all) then scarcity tactics are unlikely to work.

The simple answer to your question is that the 2 best ways to find out what elements in your copy will get the best conversion are:

1. Gain an intimate knowledge of your prospects so you know what approach is most likely to appeal to them.

2. Split test different approaches.

There are no rules in copywriting.

Thinking you know what works best without testing will, sooner or later, lead to a very humbling experience in reality.

Kindest regards,
Andrew Cavanagh

[Joseph Ratliff]

Originally Posted by AndrewCavanagh

Which element will be more effective really depends on who your prospect is and where he's at.

If you have a prospect arrive at your website ready to buy you don't need to use curiosity...just show him where the buy now button is.

If your prospect has been burnt half a dozen times before by marketers claiming the scarcity of their product (when it isn't scarce at all) then scarcity tactics are unlikely to work.

The simple answer to your question is that the 2 best ways to find out what elements in your copy will get the best conversion are:

1. Gain an intimate knowledge of your prospects so you know what approach is most likely to appeal to them.

2. Split test different approaches.

There are no rules in copywriting.

Thinking you know what works best without testing will, sooner or later, lead to a very humbling experience in reality.

Kindest regards,
Andrew Cavanagh

Andrew is right on here.

It really depends...and testing is critical.

And, I learned that lesson the hard way 6 years ago. []

[zapseo]

Andrew, I respect you and all...

but sometimes it's just fun to stretch the brain cells, see how others stretch theirs (how they think) -- come up with some interesting and unique viewpoints, add to one's knowledge of how one's fellow copywriters (and humans) think.

I mean...that's one of the GREAT joys in copywriting...is getting inside other people's heads (at least it is for me.)

And threads like this get started and it gets interesting ... and then someone comes along and says "there are no absolutes" -- only testing.

And it KILLS the conversation.

Every single reason that we come up with about cause-effect relationships is THEORY. Some theories have more predictive power than others. But I'm sure you operate on some theories that come about from both your training and your experience...not just testing results.

I remember sitting in a seminar taught by the late Ken Giddens (his last, as it turns out) and I went to quote Michel Fortin on something. Ken interrupted me and said he didn't care what someone said, only what testing results show. However, I was planning on quoting Michel about results he'd gotten from testing. Sigh.

Bencivena, in his Bencivenga 100 retirement seminar, showed a number of different ads and had the attendees guess which one was the winner. Everyone had a theory that informed their guess -- even though people tended to get only about 1/2 of them right (I think I got 9 or 10 out of 12). And, I suspect, most people revised their "theories" after discovering that they picked the loser. Helped, incidentally, with some of the suggestions of the following discussions.

It's nice to come up with "testing tells all" mantra -- but, in fact, how to do testing well and properly has its own sets of theories (and pitfalls.) If copywriters really were accurate about conversion rates, they'd report them with their statistical confidence levels.

The guys who are the closest to having a bead on this thing -- on the reasons why people buy -- are those neuro-economists, I think they are called -- who hook people up to functional MRIs. They're the folks who discovered there's actually a place in the brain that lights up when someone has decided to buy.

But hearing people's reasonings is like having some additional arrows in the quiver to come up with an initial take on what will make a particular market buy. Ya have to start somewhere, and not everything makes ideal or even suitable testing situations. So those additional arrows can come in handy.

If you ever get a chance, check out Gregory Bateson's "Toward an Ecology of Mind". I think it's the first essay, which is written as a conversation with his daughter -- the topic being "why do Frenchmen talk with their hands."

If anyone thinks there is a completely "right" answer in copywriting (among other places) then they've lost the battle already. There's only profitable and unprofitable (and even that could be disputed). But addiing in a little mental flexibility about what we think might be the right answer is always fun.

Live JoyFully!

Judy

[cfloyd]

This is good stuff...I would have guessed curosity based on history and all the teaching on the internet.

But I'm not looking for the curious I want someone who's really interested...a good prospect.

So I like stories. If I can tell a story that blends all the above and solves a problem then I think I have a good chance to make a sale????/

[JasonParker]

No kidding Judy. LOL...

It's always: "Well, it depends."

Depend deshmend.

Gary Halbert claimed curiosity is even more powerful than self interest.

The same old non-polarizing talk gets old. I'm like you. I want to hear some real insights and real opinions.

Not just, "Test and find out." I'd rather see something like, "I've tested _____ and found out ______."

Originally Posted by zapseo

Andrew, I respect you and all...

but sometimes it's just fun to stretch the brain cells, see how others stretch theirs (how they think) -- come up with some interesting and unique viewpoints, add to one's knowledge of how one's fellow copywriters (and humans) think.

I mean...that's one of the GREAT joys in copywriting...is getting inside other people's heads (at least it is for me.)

And threads like this get started and it gets interesting ... and then someone comes along and says "there are no absolutes" -- only testing.

And it KILLS the conversation.

Every single reason that we come up with about cause-effect relationships is THEORY. Some theories have more predictive power than others. But I'm sure you operate on some theories that come about from both your training and your experience...not just testing results.

I remember sitting in a seminar taught by the late Ken Giddens (his last, as it turns out) and I went to quote Michel Fortin on something. Ken interrupted me and said he didn't care what someone said, only what testing results show. However, I was planning on quoting Michel about results he'd gotten from testing. Sigh.

Bencivena, in his Bencivenga 100 retirement seminar, showed a number of different ads and had the attendees guess which one was the winner. Everyone had a theory that informed their guess -- even though people tended to get only about 1/2 of them right (I think I got 9 or 10 out of 12). And, I suspect, most people revised their "theories" after discovering that they picked the loser. Helped, incidentally, with some of the suggestions of the following discussions.

It's nice to come up with "testing tells all" mantra -- but, in fact, how to do testing well and properly has its own sets of theories (and pitfalls.) If copywriters really were accurate about conversion rates, they'd report them with their statistical confidence levels.

The guys who are the closest to having a bead on this thing -- on the reasons why people buy -- are those neuro-economists, I think they are called -- who hook people up to functional MRIs. They're the folks who discovered there's actually a place in the brain that lights up when someone has decided to buy.

But hearing people's reasonings is like having some additional arrows in the quiver to come up with an initial take on what will make a particular market buy. Ya have to start somewhere, and not everything makes ideal or even suitable testing situations. So those additional arrows can come in handy.

If you ever get a chance, check out Gregory Bateson's "Toward an Ecology of Mind". I think it's the first essay, which is written as a conversation with his daughter -- the topic being "why do Frenchmen talk with their hands."

If anyone thinks there is a completely "right" answer in copywriting (among other places) then they've lost the battle already. There's only profitable and unprofitable (and even that could be disputed). But addiing in a little mental flexibility about what we think might be the right answer is always fun.

Live JoyFully!

Judy

[Ronwag]

I've got to go with the story, after all doesn't a good story have all these ingredients?

[Justin Harrison]

I have said this a thousand times before, and I will say it again. Every market, and every target audience is unique, that’s why I always recommend that everything be tested because it’s far easier to give an audience what THEY want as apposed to what WE think they want.

In my humble opinion this is why copywriting and split testing is and should always be an integrated process.

[coby02]

Exclusivity