A is for Advertising

Want to know a secret I’ve rarely revealed?

You likely know about using a hook in salescopy… that’s one of the ways we GET prospects to read.

And since you know the more people read, the more they buy, you’ll want to sprinkle “micro-hooks” in your advertising to jack up your readership, your conversion rates and your bottom line.

People are by and large curious. And I like to use that fact to my advantage when writing salescopy.

In fact, when things are left incomplete, people feel downright uncomfortable at least until the loop is completed and closure is brought about.

It’s psychology 101… but it’s something you can use to keep the odds in your favor.

My pal Mark Joyner is a master of this. He calls it the Zeigarnik Effect.

When I wrote his copy for the 7 Day Business Turnaround… I used this technique a lot.

Here’s a few examples of these “micro hooks’ from that letter:

In a section of the copy, I was explaining the exact steps involved in a business turnaround. I explained the 4 step process that made any turnaround work.

then…

“That’s it. Pretty simple… at least on the outside. With that strategy alone, you could engineer a turnaround. If you know the tactics to accomplish each step, my work is done here. Go forth and execute. If you don’t… keep reading to uncover your answer. Okay, seems pretty simple doesn’t it?”

But here’s the brilliance of this tiny little hook. Most people don’t have a clue of the tactics they need to implement to excecute the strategy.

I told them if they didn’t know the strategies… they would be revealed in the letter.

Do you think that made people uncomfortable?

No doubt many were intensely curious… and searched for the answer.

How about another sample…

A little ways down in the copy, I explained the mechanism behind turnarounds.

So I wrote:

“That’s the process for your 7 Day Turnaround. It’s the same thing a Fortune 500 would do, just made so bloody simple a 2nd grade teacher could do it (more about that in a minute)”

Heh heh heh…

Now I know teachers are not stupid… but it still sounds irrisistibly easy!

And the words “more on that in a minute” literally hooked them into reading until they found out!

That leter is a clinic on “micro-hooks”.

It’s a great lesson in sucking in your readers continued attention.

Now, one more thing you need to know.

If you’re utilizing this tactic, you need to make certain you CLOSE THE LOOP.

If you don’t give them what you said you would… they won’t trust you. And that kills your sales.

If the loop remains open, not only will they view you as a liar… you’ve ruined the buying climate.

But don’t give readers ALL the answers in your copy… or they won’t buy your product.