Just What Is HYPE... And How Much Do You Use?

Paul,

I use two measuring sticks to determine hype in a sales letter -

1. Does the copy have too many adverbs?
2. Are the claims believable?

The first is simply mechanical. It's easy enough to read through copy and pick out the adverbs.

The second isn't as straightforward. As you point out, believability is in the eye of the beholder. So it depends on the niche.

Alex

I think it was David Garfinkle (don't quote me on that) who said "hype is claims without proof to back them up"... I'm paraphrasing but I think that's a pretty good definition.

Now, as to when (or if) you should use it, it depends on the market. Ya know, "Push Button System Creates $500 A Day On 100% Autopilot", biz op buyers will believe that, even if there's no real proof backing it up (or the entire letter is blind copy) because, yeah, they want to believe.

I have my own moral qualms with that but it does work in the right markets.

And really, it depends on a lot of things.

If you're selling to your customer base, or people who know you well, and especially if you want to build a long-term customer base, you don't want to be too over the top...

On the flip side, a lot of great copywriters use unbelievable claims with great success. Schwartz comes to mind...

"How To Stay Young Until 90".

You have to be tactful, but making unbelievable claims the right way can really get those curiosity glands going and suck people into an ad.

It's a really good question Paul.

You really have me thinking about it. And it's really one of the deeper psychological aspects of writing copy.

I could go on all day about it, but I think I'll just leave it at this...

Hype (outrageous claims) used the right way can be extremely effective. It can also set off BS detectors and turn customers off, you really have to be smart about how you approach it.

Final verdict, it depends

-Scott

When more than 50% of the content is below par versus free content that people are offering on line .. that is hype to me, and I would feel short-change! Just my opinion.

I have been doing very well on the Internet since 1998, using the truth to sell my products.

A little hype may cause me to purchase a product but the product had better be close to the copy or I collect the refund, with no apologies.

I think over-hyping is the reason that some of the guru launches have such high rates of refund.

And over-hyping goes against my raising. I was taught that omission of damaging facts were in the class of lies along with exaggeration...

So my copy will try hard to persuade, but it will be based on the quality of the product.

If you have a good product, you don't need to set off the customer's BS meter.

M E

This is the part that gets me.

I have to roll my eyes when copywriters come on and say, "Is such and such headline out of fashion..." (kind of).

The fact is, in the big scheme of things, the WF is a tiny drop in the ocean.

I see things people rubbish on here as 'old hat' still working everywhere else.

Not only are we not the market, we see it all the time so it just seems like it's used too often.

It's not.

Everything still works for someone else.

As far as hype is concerned, as long as it's accompanied by legitimate and believable proof, then rock on, Tommy.

Very interesting question.

In my opinion advertisers & creators of products should do a very good job of condensing the threshold of believability for consumers AND projecting it outward for them in order for the consumer to get the greatest benefit out of what they are purchasing. After that it's all in the eye of the consumer.

Most people are so out of tune with their emotions that they don't know the difference between raw enthusiasm and hyped up emotion & therefore fall for the latter believing it was the first.
Same with drug, sex & alcohol - people wanna have that 'high' but don't know what REALLY produces it (happiness that comes from within) and some people abuse their vulnerability.

If you want to 'solve the problems' of other people then there is a certain responsibility involved & the more you take this responsibility serious the more your costumers will love you & tell their friends about it - raw enthusiasm

I don't think HYPE should be claims persé but promises really. You need to deliver on those promises though.
I think that's where I would draw the line between claims and promises. A claim, to me, is a simple statement that may or may not have been stretched to create hype.
A promise, to me, is something that would benefit your prospect regardless and if not there is a money back guarantee.
Example:
Claim; Lose 40Lbs in 7 Days Walking To The Store (no parameter just a claim to lose weight)
Promise; If You Follow These 5 Simple Steps, You Will Lose 40Lbs (follow the steps and lose weight)

I am not sure if I explained this right, but I hope that you see what I am getting at

Scott's got it. If you can't prove it... it's hype.

Nothing else matters.

I don't care if it's written in ALL adverbs. If you can prove it. It's not hype.

methomas expressed my sentiments better than I would.

Business is a process. Hype may be used to sell, but what happens afterwards? What happens when buyers experience remorse. The goal of a true entrepreneur is to satisfy and exceed expectations. The use of hype might be a case of setting oneself up for failure.

It's also funny and insulting in some cases...''so easy a monkey/my six year old niece could do it''. Yeah, sure.

If we want high sales and high refunds, fine. But, if we're in this for the long haul, to build relationships,we should be careful of making promises we cannot support with proof.

can be found in my signature.

First part, factual. You can learn to teach people hidden persuasion techniques...

the HYPE?

"programmed robot obeying your every command"...

Really?!?

The truth is, it just seems that way when people whom you've never met before instantly respond the way you want them to (great news for salesman and "seduction" markets).

gjabiz

PS. Hype is sometimes hard to tell...it may be what people have brought with them to the table.

To clear up and be clear of the meaning of hype!

–verb (used with object)to intensify (advertising, promotion, or publicity) by ingenious or questionable claims, methods, etc., to trick; gull.

–noun exaggerated publicity; hoopla.
an ingenious or questionable claim, method, etc., used in advertising, promotion, or publicity to intensify the effect. a swindle, deception, or trick.

Origin: 1925–30, Americanism ; in sense “to trick, swindle
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If the product will do what you say it will do, no matter how outrageous your claim, that's not hype. That's fact!

Hype is when you lie big about the product and you know it's a big lie.

If you have a good product, then do everything that is honest to sell it. That's the reason to study NLP, hypnotic selling and other persuasive methods, but only if you are telling the truth about the product.

I have been selling successfully on the Internet since 1998 without hyping up my products.

Let your conscious be your guide. I've lived a lot longer than most of you and I find it more important to keep my conscious clear than use lies to sell.

M E

Quite simply, hype is a word used in a sales copy to hype up the product by saying "No hype, only results". LOL.

You can put whatever spin you want on your meaning of hype.
It still remains that our opinion does not over rule the dictionary.

–verb -- to trick;

–noun -- a swindle, deception, or trick.
The word originated between 1925 and 1930, and meant “to trick or swindle.

The word came into existence in a very negative way in regard to dishonest salesmen.

I will use the dictionary as to the meaning of hype and never, ever swindle, use deception, or trick anyone into anything...

Just the way this country boy was raised.

Let me see... I tell someone they're going to love something. I of course can't prove they will love it, so that's hype. On the other hand if I say they will earn a certain amount and they can't, it's a lie. Sure... but that lie is also hype.

Actually both are sales tools. Not entirely on the same level of ethical (or not ethical).

I think you're making the same incorrect distinction our friend Mr. Duris took. No one is talking about suing... no one was even talking about right and wrong. And sure... hype doesn't have to be proven... in fact it can't be proven. That's why it's hype.

Assuming both can not be proven... both are hype. The second one of course also enters into the world of fraud (if) there is no proof of it.

I’ve been watching this thread develop and I find it quite interesting and revealing. What’s it’s revealing, I’m not so sure. There’s a similar thread raging on the main board right now about gurus. Both ‘guru’ and ‘hype’ are subject to a massive amount of subjective interpretation or license, if you will. I also find it interesting that the discussion here continued up to the 20th post with no one even offering a definition of the word.

I’ve always believed the word was derived from hyperbole, which, according to an actual physical copy of Webster’s 9th New Collegiate Dictionary means, extravagant exaggeration. Webster’s then gives the example: Mile High Ice Cream Cones.

But the word ‘hype’ has had such common usage as a stand-alone expression since early in the last century, it now has its own unique definition in Webster’s. And guess what? It doesn’t even reference the origin, hyperbole. In short, Webster’s says hyperbole means, to put on or deceive, stimulate, enliven, to promote or publicize extravagantly.

Okay, clear as mud, right. There’s something for almost everyone depending on your point of reference. But I think just about everyone here would agree that the majority of definitions are pretty unsavory.

Vin Montello says that if you can prove it, it’s not hype. I think that with so many ‘legitimate’ dictionary definitions, that works for me and it's always been so. Why? Because it has a built-in ethics component.

Rick Duris’ take is this: “It's hype, ONLY IF the product fails to deliver in the hands of the buyer.” I’m cool with that as well. In fact, I can’t see that it really differs much from Montello’s definition.

When I first saw this thread I did a quick search online and Wiki’s, you gotta love ‘em, don’t you, essentially says, hype is exaggeration.

Let’s face it, every writer here is going to have to have some clear working meaning or it will drive him or her mad, or maybe it won’t. And for me it comes down to ethics. What are ethics? Maybe it's easier to define what isn't ethical. To me, something unethical is something you wouldn't want done to you.

I remember back to when I was a kid and I saw a movie where some kids found a treasure chest with a witche's spell inside. The spell could turn a regular person into a bona fide caveman. Wow, what a movie. I was blown away.

So I went back and told all of my friends about it. I know I was exaggerating a lot but I was really excited and thought it was okay because, the movie was just so freakin’ cool. But when some of my friends returned from seeing it they were disappointed and were mad that I exaggerated, or stretched the truth so much. I learned a big lesson that day because I don’t want to hurt or deceive anyone by misleading them.

In the world of Internet Marketing people pushing the products say all kinds of things about all kinds of products. And again, my working definition of the word hype is if you can prove it, it’s not hype.

Look at almost any IM product out there. Big claims. Can they be proven? Yep, most often they can. Someone has actually done it. Is it easy? Nope. It’s simple though, just do this and this and this… any you’re rich. Technically okay, but not practical for most people in the marketplace. Still, legal, and even ethical.

As I was figuring things out years ago I attended a seminar and got friendly with one of the guys taking orders in the back of the room. I asked him if he had any stats on how many people actually became successful with the material. He did.

He said that after 20 years in the business the numbers showed that 3% of the people who bought courses, any courses, actually went out and had success with them. He went on to say that only 10% even bothered to look at the material once they got it home.

I was fascinated. I asked the guy that if only 3% actually were successful how could he bring himself to sell such stuff (I actually blush as I write this). He smiled and said with pride, because you never know who will fall into that 3%. He also said he believed in his products and knew they worked. What someone does with them after they leave the class is up to them. Powerful stuff, and a big lesson for me.

So, does this post clear anything up? Of course not. I think it comes down to doing the right thing. What does that mean? It varies from individual to individual, but if you wouldn't want it done to you... So here’s to doing the right thing. Peace.

So, those Clickbank screenshots of what you're pulling in must be all you need. Sorry, but not all proof is credible.

Hyperbole is extravagant exaggeration, which you can infer is a form of lie. This is not helpful for the purposes of most here.

From a mercenary, pragmatic, money grubbing perpective hype and lie are harmful for one important reason. It takes your focus off what your target thinks, acts on, and believes.

Exaggeration can be part of the product or service. People pay to be lied to. Constantly.

J. Peterman is practically a synonym for extravagant exaggeration.

Do you get Billy Mays worked up over bonding putty? ...Detergent? Extravagant Exaggeration

I used to bother with this. Then I got a particular bit of hate mail ...with a money order for full price. My realization was, it's not what I think. It's not even what the target says. It's their decision making process and what they act on.

People can "do the right thing," and make a product nobody wants. They can develop what they've convinced themselves is the "right" product in the confines of their own mind.

They can pass a lie detector test. It's still a lie. They just believe the lie they tell to themselves.

The problem here is taking your eye off the user, the prospect, the customer.

Your insight for today: Belief structure is all about knowing the lies customers tell themselves. The Question You Have To Ask Yourself: Are you helping them lie, or are you getting in their way? Are you telling their lies or your own? Only one produces a sale.

Belief stucture is about coherence, completeness, consistency which are only meaningful within the context of a customer world view. Proof is not whatever you decide to provide, it's what the person you're trying to convince will accept.


Related: All Marketers Are Liars.

Keep in mind there have been a couple documentaries about the reasonable, logical, probably true reasons for the World Trade Center to collapse the way it did -- put forth by highly trained experts in the various fields involved.

Proof. Very rigorous scientifically verifiable, evidence-based proof. But a good few conspiracy theorists don't agree.

Everything contradicting their world view is an official explanation, a whitewash.

What isn't one of the theories: That crooked contractors bought off crooked politicos to construct a faulty building which could also collapse just about the way it did. Doesn't fit the story. Anything that might hint that non-outsiders did this is just not in the running.

Washington can be a kind of outsider. Some foreign group or individual can of course be an outsider. Other New Yorkers can't. Incompetence isn't in the running.

The mechnics of this holds the key to a vast array of problems in cognitive engineering and social engineering ...and marketing.

I would agree, but that's the preamble to the inventor's manifesto of solutions to problems nobody actually has.

Inventors are practically hard wired to confuse what they think the user needs with some observed, user tested, market verified actual need. Why muddy the water with all this testing, data gathering and verifying when I can simply make up from whole cloth a mirage.

The day I meet an inventor who spent all his money on customer research instead of his precious product, I'll convert. And not until. (And "precious" should be pronounced in the Tolkienesque way, like presshouuussss....)

That gets me writing copy for shaving mugs. That gets me marketing challenges. I don't like that.

Ethics I'm fine with. Screwed up self-righteous delusions ...not so much.

That's tossed off like someone who gets a lot of clients who do well structured market research.

I've talked with Bridgestone marketing executives where I had to explain terms like direct marketing and research methodology. And I mean "what's direct marketing?" remedial education. Albeit people exiled to a spin-off, but still.

I just talked with someone trying to hire a UX designer, in charge of their UX process, actually doing UX design for clients like hospitals, who didn't have any concept of UX other than "we just do what we think is right."

...Um, where do you get your clients from, pray tell?

I am too busy educating clients to have any kind of world view (at all) to embark on an education campaign to change one. They hear words. They speak them in front of me. That is not a world view.

All these guys and gals want is not to be fired ....tomorrow. That is the alpha and omega of their ethical dilemma.

Well, I mean, "drink 'til you puke" might have gotten them through college. I wouldn't exactly point to it as a world view or paradigm or ethos. I'll study their mores and folkways, but there is no ethical dilemma when you do proper research.

The dilemmas come in trying to subtitute gimmicks for research and base trickery for understanding. All the 'ethics' problems come in trying to find a shortcut around what I've outlined.

Only one problem: What I outlined IS the shortcut.


Related:

Folkways and Mores? Here's the consumer psychology. Part and parcel of the world view is ethical frames of reference.

Doesn't much hurt the front end, either.

There isn't one alive who'll admit they don't know their customers or couldn't produce a pat answer. That's not what I'm talking about here.