“The purpose of headline is to get people reading the sub-head; the purpose of a sub-head is to get people to read the first sentence… and so on all the way through to the P.S. at the end of the letter.”
Finding the Hook that Engages Your Ideal Prospects’ Attention… then Fulfilling Expectations
You’re busy. I’m busy. Our prospects are busy, too. So, it’s vital to attract their attention immediately otherwise they will click away… and in the blink of an eyelid, you’ve lost a valuable prospect and they’ve lost an effective solution.
Value-based sales is a two-way street based on mutual respect and mutual benefits. As the seller, your role is first to engage your prospect’s attention and then provide the substance and credibility to back it up. If you fail to engage their interest at the outset, then you won’t have the opportunity to go any further. If you make a promise, then be sure to fulfil it.
This is just as true with videos as it it with text. How many times have you been attracted by a title, but jumped off a video quickly because the presenter took too long to get to the point? Or perhaps you started reading an article, but decided that it didn’t address the topic that you were hoping for and set it aside (or clicked away, never to return).
What Does Your Prospect Really Care About?
The problem you solve may be part of a bigger scenario and therefore the real question in your prospect’s mind has nothing to do with your product in the first instance. For example, one of my clients recently tested headlines and video titles that moved one step out from their product to focus on the customer’s preoccupation with landing and fulfilling contracts. By asking the question, “What if you could close a contract today, and have all the equipment you needed to start ready in two weeks?” rather than focusing on any of the other attributes of their equipment, they trebled their enquiries and more than doubled sales almost overnight.
In an industry where the delivery time ranges from 6 weeks to 8 months this offer had instant appeal.
There are similar possibilities in all businesses. Find the thing that your ideal prospect really cares about… and watch responses soar. But that appeal not always what it might seem to be if you just skim the surface…
The Answer Might Not Be Obvious Immediately
The famous headline: “They laughed when I sat down at the piano, but when I began to play…” appealed to a deep-rooted desire for admiration and appreciation, rather than dismissiveness which wasn’t the first ‘hook’ you might expect to find, but it sold millions of dollars worth of piano courses.
The example above doesn’t even tell you what specific equipment they’re talking about, but posted in the right places it attracts the attention of hungry buyers in a way that more obvious calls did not.
Research is King!
Can you do too much research?
Probably not. But you can certainly do too little!
Research isn’t necessarily about finding arcane facts, often it’s about confirming the obvious… or discovering the reality that is staring you in the face and the psychology that will make it stand out. I talk about this in my book Dynamic Direct Response Copywriting and it’s also the reason why business owners can often write the best copy for their own business with some training and effort: you know your business better than any cheap copywriter will ever do.
The most powerful lead generation and conversion campaigns are backed by substantial research focusing on several different angles so that you can touch the inner recesses of your prospects’ hearts and minds, relieve their fears, and help them see how they can achieve their dreams. Research is the key to discovering that hook because it usually likes hidden under many layers of possibilities that are good, but don’t quite go deep enough.
A Powerful Tool…
Dynamic Direct Response Copywriting provides an insight into how to research and write powerful advertising copy that irresistibly attracts your ideal prospect and pre-disposes them to work with you.
Purchase your copy today at https://hiltoncopywriting.mykajabi.com/offers/vLy6oYgm
