Problem, emotionalize, solve...?

I'm not sure exactly who phrases it in the way you're describing but...
many of the formulas you find tend to run fairly parallel.

Just off the top of my head, you've got the big bad daddy of all formulas...

A(ttention) I(nterest) D(esire) A(ction)

Then there's Michel Fortin's QUEST formula:

http://www.michelfortin.com/want-bet...go-on-a-quest/

Which begat my acronym, HELLYEAH:

H - Holler at 'em - Gain the reader's attention
E - Empathize with 'em - give 'em some back story
L - Lambast the *******s who created the problem they're having
L - Legwork - show 'em that you walk the walk with proof
Y - Yes, there IS a solution... and you have it.
E - Educate 'em on why your solution is the best fit for them
A - Action - demand that they take it, right now
H - Handle any lingering doubt or objections with risk reversal

And finally John Carlton's stunningly concise framework:

Here's who I am
Here's what I've got
Here's what it'll do for ya
Here's what I want you to do next

Maybe one of these will give you some extra juju.

Some folks here have an Akashic Record of copywriting books and materials.
Maybe they'll know which one you're referring to and can be more specific.

Best,

Brian

Ah! That was an awesome post. I'd heard of AIDA before. And probably QUEST, I'm a semi-fan of Michel Fortin.

I like your HELLYEAH, and John Carlton's. This formula I was referring to in my OP, I thought would be best as it seemed it could be rather short, and the copy I'm writing tonight doesn't have much space - it's only to introduce the site, anyhow (I'm not selling a service/product, or focusing on building a list for a later product/service - although I am building a list).

"Confused" is a word I've come to know quite well lately. I think I'm going to try out a few of those methods and see what works best for this situation, and most likely invent some variation of my own to split-test.

Thanks!

Problem- agitate - solve is a real old formula, it's well illustrated
by a favorite billboard of mine:

Got Bees?

Killer Bees

Call 800-kill-bees



While I'm appalled by the kneejerk fear this ad is meant
to provoke (I like bees) I admire the directness of it.

When you get into products that don't offer an immediate
relief from direct pain or fear however you probably will
need to use a variety of persuasive methods to deepen
the reader's perception of the problem. If you don't your
prospects will likely buy from somebody else - so poking
your customer until he hollers is just sort of a competitve
thing you need to do.


The old saying is "when they're crying they're buying"...
and it's pretty true in my experience. In sales the process
of making the pain more intensely felt is sometimes
called "gap analysis", which sounds clinical but it's really
a simple process of finding out where the prospect is,
where he wants to be, and creating agitation by dredging
up all the present consequences and pain he is feeling
by not bridging that gap as soon as possible. For this
reason solutions which promise SPEED of results are
often winners because people want instant gratification
and solutions.

proceed with technique.

Here is a link to my PictoGrigm of Persusaion which gives you several "formulas" to keep in mind as you write your copy.

Pictogrigm Of Persuasion

Keep in mind, your COPY is the INTERSECTION of their Pre-Occupations and Your KNOWLEDGE.

If you have any questions, I'll answer them here.

gjabiz