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The Sneaky Tricks & Gimmicks Copywriters Use To Hook Prospects

by Jeremey
5 replies
Hey all!

Got a headline question here...

In your esteemed opinions...When does it make sense to use some of the phrases that appeal to a prospect's darker sense of curiosity in your headlines?

In other words...Words like "Shady," "Sneaky," "Trick," "Gimmick" can be effective at hooking a prospect's interest...But only when they are flipped around to be used as a positive. For example,

"Discover the Sneaky Tricks Savvy Marketers Use To..."

Or

"How Restaurant Owners Use This Bizarre Loophole To..."

No need to point out the doo-doo level of those headlines, but they should get my point across...

Is there a rule of thumb as to when such an approach can backfire? Sure, we don't want to sell an accountant's services by using "These Shady Tricks" approach, but in other industries, are there cases where this could be a real winner?

Jeremey
#copywriters #copywriting sneaky tricks #gimmicks #hook #prospects #sneaky #tricks
  • Profile picture of the author sethczerepak
    I think it depends on what their primary needs are, which is of course a matter of what you're selling and who you're selling to. Some customers are more security focused and won't respond as well to these kinds of headlines.

    But the excitement focused customers love them, especially if you appeal to their irrational suspicions AND attach a suggested benefit. For example if your target market hates the IRS:

    "5 Sneaky Tax Loopholes the IRS Doesn't Want You to Know About"

    If you're marketing to people who are naturally untrusting of doctors, get them curious about what doctors are hiding from them about their health.

    "5 Natural Depression Remedies Your Doctor Won't Tell You About"

    Or...

    "The One Thing You Should NEVER Do, Even if Your Doctor Tells You Too."
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  • Profile picture of the author DavidG
    If it has to do with warrior forum then all you need is a powerful mechanism... not some adjective...

    And just work around the themes of making a shit ton of money, fast and without hard work...

    If it has something to do outside of the WF then first look at how your prospects are feeling when they're looking for your product (if it's something completely new then just present what it is because it's likely a mechanism)...

    For example, at one point all the health newsletters and products were abusing everybody in the market... so Arthur Johnson (i think) made a nice headline for a Health and Healing newsletter, "Is there anyone left we can trust?"
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  • Profile picture of the author Edwin Torres
    Cool! I've been using words like 'Banned' and 'Confidential' and they've worked wonders for me .

    I started a new campaign and am using the word 'Leaked' so hopefully that'll give me great results aswell
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  • Profile picture of the author AndrewCavanagh
    Like any other sales letter or marketing piece it really comes down to
    getting to know your prospects as intimately as you can.

    If you know that getting some kind of unfair or underhand advantage
    is what really turns your prospects on then those kinds of headlines
    are probably a great idea.

    When you do your homework really taking the time to get to know
    your prospects (talking to them, studying them, reading what they
    read etc etc) then the strategies that are most likely to work become
    a whole lot more obvious to you.

    Kindest regards,
    Andrew Cavanagh
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    Old School Copy Like This Is BACK & Converting Like Crazy!
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