[StomperNet] Use Emotion AND Logic to sell MORE
Today, I want to talk to you a little bit about copywriting – an often
overlooked and undervalued part of your internet marketing arsenal.
Primarily, I want to give you a quick and easy set of guidelines that
should help you construct your messages so they CONNECT with
the reader on a deeper level, and MOTIVATE them to take the
action you want.
The reason I think this is a GREAT time for you to learn a little
about this is because our industry is going launch-crazy right now.
Everyone who's anyone is trying to push one product or another
and that's a great opportunity for anyone who wants to learn
marketing.
Why?
Because you have a TON of messaging coming from the best
and the brightest marketers out there. This is a GREAT chance
to get a crash course in what works and what doesn't – and WHY.
What I want you to get out of this article is a new way to look at
all that messaging and analyze it and learn from those
uber-successful marketers.
I want to give you a simple way to break any promotional
message down so you can see WHY and HOW it works, so you
can better apply the same powerful tactics in your own messages.
So if that's something you're interested in, read on. 
NOTE: Even if you think you're a swell copywriter already,
you should still give this a look – consider it a refresher
course – so you can make sure you already know this
stuff inside and out.
Emotion: the "Old" Brain
Starting at the beginning, any time we message a prospect, our
goal is to get them to DO SOMETHING for us. Whether it's
clicking a link, or watching a video, or filling out a form – it doesn't
matter. We want an ACTION. However, in order for us to get
them to take that desired action, we need to CONVINCE them
that they WANT to.
In order to MAXIMIZE your message's ability to get people to
WANT to do something for you, then to actually DO it – you
need to address two aspects of the reader's brain.
You need to appeal to EMOTION in order to create a desire for
some kind of change – and you need to appeal to LOGIC to help
them justify that desire and take action.
It's VITALLY important that you structure your messages in that
order, too. Appeal to emotion first, THEN appeal to logic.
Here's why:
Our emotions come from a deeper, older part of our brain in
terms of evolution. When you use storytelling to relate to people,
when you talk to them about their struggles and pains, when you
sympathize with them – those are all appeals to the Emotional part
of the brain. It's a pretty simple system that controls those
emotions – you could even say it's primitive.
But it's SO POWERFUL. People can practically be ENSLAVED
by their own emotions. They often get the better of us, and they're
incredibly reactionary and almost impossible for most people to
control. People frequently throw logic and reason right out the
window if they are emotionally charged enough.
And THAT'S why you want to appeal to emotion EARLY in your
messaging. Emotion is a shortcut "inside" your prospect – if you
get them to relate to you, if you show them that you know how they
FEEL deep down, it triggers a powerful CONNECTION. You have
their attention, and you have a rapport with them.
Love, envy, frustration – are all examples of powerful emotional
responses. Appeal to those feelings – connect with those inner
states in your prospect, and it will be very easy to create in them
a DESIRE.
Most of the time, it doesn't even have to be a REASONABLE desire.
As long as you can effectively connect with the RIGHT emotions
in your target audience – if you can NAIL the way they REALLY feel
and speak to that, you can make them WANT almost ANYTHING.
It's like a magical spell.
But here's the hard part.
Once you have the prospect under your emotional spell, you
need to break it. It simply can't be helped. You see, if you keep
them in that wanting stage, where they're emotionally engaged,
they won't ever do anything. You want them to take an ACTION
now that you're tugging on their emotional strings.
Any time you do that, you're going to snap them out of their
excited emotional state and you're going to wake up another
part of their mind.
This part of the brain is the VILLAIN of our story here, and you're
going to have to learn to deal with him if you ever want to have
successful messaging.
The Lazy Skeptic
That's what I like to call this part of the brain – it acts like a
"gatekeeper" to protect us from acting purely on emotion all the time
(which is generally pretty bad for you). We all have this mechanism,
and it does serve a useful purpose by keeping us out of trouble.
However, as marketers, he's a BIG problem for us.
The reason why is because he will use his powers of
LAZINESS and SKEPTICISM in order to keep that emotional
part of the brain from acting on the desire we created earlier.
"Why should I bother?"
"This can't possibly be true."
That's the voice of the Lazy Skeptic – and I KNOW you've
heard him whispering in your ear many times. I sure have.
But even though he's an obstacle, it's okay, because I'm going
to tell you the perfect weapon to defeat him.
See, the Lazy Skeptic evolved much later than the emotional
part of the brain. He functions logically and using reason, and
that's the way he can sort of talk you out of impulsive decisions.
People say they "came to their senses" or "thought better of it"
when they listen to that Lazy Skeptic voice.
And that's the key to defeating him.
You need LOGIC to silence him, and you can use his own traits
of laziness and skepticism against him.
Here's what I mean.
When you break the emotional spell you've cast on your prospects
by asking them to take an action, use LOGIC and FACTS and
FIGURES to justify that action.
Help them to validate that snap emotional decision by backing
it up with common sense. Make them understand that what
they want to do is perfectly reasonable, and that EVERYONE
in their situation would take that same action.
When copywriting teachers tell you to write tons of bullets of
features and benefits when you're selling a product – that's what
those bullets are really for: ammunition to help gun down the
Lazy Skeptic.
You want to also turn his own powers against him. Appeal to
the inherent laziness in everyone by talking about how easy
it is for the prospect to take the desired action. Appeal to their
sense of skepticism by agreeing that it SOUNDS too good to
be true, but it isn't.
Guarantees and Testimonials are both tools in the same arsenal
here, helping you overcome the prospect's inner doubts.
Deep down, they WANT to act on the desire you planted, you just
need to help them realize it's SAFE to do it. That it's OKAY to do
it. It even helps if you can prove OTHER PEOPLE have done it
with success.
Logic for Dummies
Now, some of you may be worried about having to use logic, and
I know that can sound all academic and intimidating, but it's
really not.
You're not trying to win a debate – you're just trying to help your
prospect see that the desire you created in them makes sense.
A lot of times, if you were very effective with your emotional
appeal, you barely have to try.
Sometimes all it takes is "because". "Do this because it's cool."
"You know you want to."
However, be aware that the more complex and risky your
requested action is, the MORE justification you're going to
need to help your prospect act on their desire.
- High Prices
- High Risk
- High Investment
Those are all factors that the Lazy Skeptic is going to have a
problem with, but face them head-on, give reasons WHY those
steps need to be taken, and you'll do fine.
- "Our prices are high because of our incredible quality."
- "We have a no-risk guarantee."
- "It takes only minutes a day."
See, generally speaking, even though the Lazy Skeptic is more
complex and "smarter" than the old emotional brain – he's still
kind of a dummy. It really doesn't have to be a world-class PHD
Thesis to convince him to stand aside – it just has to pass for
common sense.
As an added bonus, I'll give you a "secret shortcut" when
coming up with logical appeals.
Use as many comparisons and analogies as you can when
justifying your prospects desires and validating the action
you want them to take.
The reason is, they act like short-hand that the not-so-smart Lazy
Skeptic can quickly absorb and understand.
For example, if you're selling something and you have the lowest
price, don't say:
"We have the lowest price."
Say, "Our price is 10% lower than the nearest competitor."
Don't say "Our course is easy to read and learn with."
Say "Our course is so easy to learn, it's like downloading the
information directly into your brain."
These kinds of comparisons and analogies aren't just cute talk,
and copywriters don't just include them to be clever.
They work by providing SUPERIOR justification.
Your prospect will be saying in his inner voice – "I really want this
product because it will make me feel good. And it's okay to get
it, because it's the cheapest one out there, and lots of other
people are buying it too!"
The job of your messaging is to help your prospect complete
that inner conversation between the different parts of his brain,
so that from his point of view, he's just acting on his own
deep desires.
In actuality, through careful appeals to Emotion (Old Brain)
and Logic (New Brain) – you've gotten him to act the way
YOU wanted him to.
Now, once your prospect TAKES that action, you need to
make sure you DELIVER on the expectations you've set up.
You NEVER want to let a prospect's Lazy Skeptic get to say
"I told you so."
But that's a WHOLE other article for another day.
I hope this somewhat weird and metaphysical ramble helps
give you some insight into the inner workings of good
copywriting, and I hope it helps you get more people to do what
you need them to do. And I hope that means MORE
BUSINESS for you!
Until next time,
Keep Stomping.
~Andy Jenkins
P.S. Please note that I'm NOT a psychologist or brain expert or
anything – the stuff above is DRASTICALLY simplified for the sake
of making this easy to grasp and use. Even if you KNOW
something I said above is over-simplified or just plain inaccurate
from a scientific standpoint – just know that it's based on REAL
experience writing and testing THOUSANDS of pieces of copy.
As far as a rule-of-thumb goes, I use it, and it works for me
every time.
P.P.S. Did you like this article? Do you want to see more? Do
you want to know about something different? Let us know by
leaving a comment.
Very often it happens that you do not have time to compose the dissertation reference close to this topic. A lot of different people make a problem from it, just because some of them do not know about thesis writing services, but I can show you knowledge about how to detect the professional dissertation and how to buy thesis theme low-priced.
Hmm.. I believe it's true.
We cannot just see others as objects. We must see others as humans who also have feelings. But we also have to limit ourselves not to dive too deep into the feeling-zone.
Good article!
This is a great article. Sometimes things are worth coming back and re-reading several times. This is one of them.
Possibly the most concise thing I've read all week. Two comments: 1) The emotional brain is only responsible for what % of decision? 2) The "Spock" brain has THE control, ultimate yea or nay. Feeling good about the decision is as important as making it if not more, as "buyers remorse" will turn anyone into a skeptic.
Great article Andy! I agree if you can touch an emotion string than you have hit a heart sting which is connected to the purse string. At that point your job is half done. If you have a good product or service coming up with the logic bullets shouldn't be to hard as long as they are aimed at the right target market.
Lord knows I've been hit quite a number of times and also dodged some when logic couldn't over the price tag. Which only means I wasn't exactly their target market.
Hey,
Dr. Jill here from Quantum-Self. Your analysis of how the brain works while a prospect is reading our sales copy is right on the buck! I AM a psychologist and brain expert, and your insight is GREAT!
I really loved this article. Man that was great. I'm going to start with this advice asap.
Grasping the way to appeal both to the "old brain" and to the "new brain" is a very interesting theory we should learn to dominate to become real success stories online.
It would be nice to compare this with the creative brain and the practical brain.
I think emotion and logic are the two sides of the way we think and act. Appealing to what people wants and desires are, is a very important knowledge we should grasp to dominate the market and achieve our dreams.
I have noticed that there is always the same method used with add copy which is understandable but there also seems to be a trend of using exactly the same font, font size and colours. The format is almost always identical.
Is there some researched reason for this or is it because people just tend to copy from existing websites and change the words to suit their product?
Thanks,
Andrew Campion
Loved this one. Keep up the great work! The info you give, for free, is extremely useful and I hope to one day be a client of Stompernet!
Joe Almeida
http://www.dcglobaltech.com/blog
I am glad that I was told about you and the good thing that you have here. Thank you for the insight you have just given here. If you do not mind I would like write in my blog about this article. I will send tham here to read it. I do like the information that you give and more people need to know about it.
Thank you very much.
haha, I watched the Joe Sugarman video after Stompernet had sent the email about using emotion and then justifying it with logic and noticed he said the exact same thing, and then Stompernet emailed me that they noticed it too!
good articles. Thanks. How do you make a link such as: article writing which is underlined and goes to the page that has been generated by HTML?
Andy, thanks for summarising a very important subject many don`t understand.
This is a great reminder even for those who are used to copywriting.
Andrew (Australia)
Thanks Andy, great content and easy to grasp analogy's. There is talk out there in regards to long and short sales copy, is one better than another or do they both have a place? If so when would you choose one or the other?
what are the steps
1/ headline
2/ a statement
3/ why, whats in it for them?
what are the steps in the letter?
Thank you
Sincerely
Scott
PS. I look forward to going through stomper 2.0 when it arrives.
Just wanted to say thanks. All of my DVDs arrived and I am more than pleased with the amount of content I received for the money. I also love "The Net Effect" and really look forward to each and every issue.
The article was good. More of those will make some of us better marketing people. I am more of a logical person rather than a total skeptic but become a skeptic after researching an offer that looked suspicious from the start. My logic prevents me from making purchases based on finances and need.
I believe many of us write with our personal feelings which can be reflected in our wording. So we need lessons in leaving ourselves out of the picture.
One more quick one:
I teach my Speed Seduction(R) students that, when it comes to romance, if you can put what you are talking about on a chart, graph, prospectus, resume, stock holders report, etc, then it probably is the WRONG thing to talk about if you want to capture and lead the imagination and emotions.
The rule here is that "data"-anything that goes on a chart or a graph-is going to activate the critical faculties.
And here is the real kicker-even if the person WANTS to believe you, "data" is still going to kick start the critical mind.
Why?
Because the same part of the brain that processes facts, figures and numbers is the also the part that is responsible for critical thinking.
(This does NOT mean that people know how to intelligently parse statistics and numbers; in fact such stuff usually just confuses people, which can be another useful response)
So only use data,facts, figures once you've got the imaginative aspect of the mind locked into wanting what you are offering.
And, if possible, represent the data/facts/figures GRAPHICALLY, in a VISUAL image. That reactivates the less critical part of the mind so the numbers slide right in past the critical faculty.
I've got volumes to teach on this if anyone wants more.
Hey Andy…..how about a faculty Persuasion Mastery position for me?
RJ
93/93
Andy,
Tasty article. Here is another take:
One of the major skill sets I teach in the art of persuasion is knowing when to be vague and when to be specific.
Generally speaking, vague language has a much more "hypnotic effect", bypassing the the critical mind and activating the aspect of consciousness that fantasizes, imagines, etc.
Here is how it works:
If I say to you, "When you think about what it is you really want in a car, and picture really having that, I'm not sure what comes to mind, but whatever comes up most strongly I want to let you know you can always ask whatever you want."
Now, I have NO idea what you might picture or what you really want. But by being vague, YOU must imagine it in order to make sense of the sentence.
Too often, when we seek to persuade, we get TOO specific. As in, "When you imagine using your new wealth for that vacation in Hawaii, enjoying the clear, blue water, and the feeling of pride in being able to take your family anywhere"…
Very descriptive and potentially appealing, but what if your prospect would rather use his money to buy hookers and hash?
On the other side of the cover, you DO need to be specific when describing the features(as opposed to benefits), and the actual offer: how much and when.
Knowing how to alternate and when to alternate back and forth between being vague, being specific, AND when to use both at the same time, is a key skill set.
Hope this helps: persuasion technology is my passion and purpose. Anyone want to hear more about this specific/vague thing?
RJ
http://www.seduction.com
Andy, I was captured from the very first paragraph and read the whole thing. You were using the same concepts you were writing about.
This is a keeper, you make it look so easy!
Thanks and keep em coming,
Cheryl
Thanks. Very useful information. I think
very true also.
It's about the art of selling. No matter what kind of 'stuff' including ideas you try to make other people 'buy' – if you don't talk to their feelings at one level or the other, you'll never convince anybody.
Viggo.
Hey Andy!
Your article on ol' brain and 'new brain' reasons-why copy writing was downright superlative! I'll be raving about it until my bones finally rot away underground. Thing is.. I did psychology as a major and you have a wonderful understanding of wotz what with motivation. Hats off to ya. Your package should arrive here in the Western Australian bush soon, I imagine. Hope..
Geoff Dodd, Perth Australia
Very good. You can use this same technique in any type of selling. People will most likely buy with the emotional part of their brain and then later justify it with the facts you gave.
I am ready for more Andy.
Andy, what a great framework for creating promo emails and sales letters. Thanks a lot.
My "old brain" says gimme, gimme. My new brain says "That makes copywriting easier!".
Andy,
Your email on copywriting was simply AWESOME! I printed it off, and ended up high lighting the entire copy to be used in the future as a blueprint to follow. Please do more of these un-scientific examples, that work in the REAL world.
Thanks, Rick
Brilliant article Andy and perfect timing for me. I am gearing up to rewrite a whole load of autoresponder content and I have been studying copyrighting like mad after years of burying my head in the sand thinking I could never write good copy.
Turns out it is a lot easier than I thought. I have been reading a lot of Clayton Makepeace's stuff and all of his contributing authors on the blog. That is some great stuff too. In fact anybody looking to build a swipe file should definitely checkout Claytons blog.
Anyway thanks again. You broke the process down nicely there.
Thank you for the post about using emotion in copywriting to sell. I was just grappling about responding to an important prospect. I am right out of comfort zone – a 71 year old psychotherapist, without any marketing experience – but I have a really good product which needs to be in the marketplace. You have given very useful information that I am about to use.
Great article!
Marketing is all about psychology, so reading such articles, even if they are refreshers, is always worth our time.
I'm always happy to see stompernet emails in my inbox
Keep up the good, and most of all helpful work!
Tom
Very nice and interesting article.
To make internet income you need to apply valuable tips and content.
http://www.theinternetincome.com
Very interesting article, well researched and good refresher. Please keep the quality high and people will flock to do business with you if not now then later for sure. I rather want you to write few articles but keep the quality high.
Many thanks
good short and to the point article. more of them is better. thanks, Ron
Andy, it's late, I'm tired and just came in to shut down the laptop when I saw your email and read it. Really good stuff. A lot of the times we read all the how to's and forget that it's all about making them take action.
Traffic Emotion and Logic = Conversion.
Andy, great job on explaining how to work two parts of the prospect's/customer's brain. I'm in a class now with Eben, and he talks about the three parts, the third one being the physical. Thanks, I'll throw this in my clip file as a reminder for my writings. Keep up the great work.
Jack
Hey Andy
I Liked that article.
Can You send these to me in a video format?
I'm trying to shorten my learning curve,
by as much as possible thru video, &
Audio.
I've so much to learn, I want to assymilate needed knowledge as quickly.
I don't recall at this moment the words Tony Robbins used to describe how people use preferencial senses for learning.(Kenistetic etc…)
I'm Ear first,Eye Second.
Lazy First & Foremost.
It shows Mastery the way you're
Explaining these concepts as they relate to Marketing & Doing Business.
I Want All I Can Get.
Mixing Your Break Down With Metaphors,
Works Very Well For Me Homie.
I'm Immersing myself in every bit of Stomper
Info I have access too.
I like getting my Business Learning, Implementation Techniques,Tools & MOTIVATION from someone,I Know, Like, & Trust.
I might not spell right, but I know what
I'm talkin' bout
Where all life time students.
Hey Bro, Keep 'em Coming.
John Milwaukee Wi.
Great article Andy and very simplified which made it easy to grasp the concept of effective copy writing. You stirred up a fire in me to pursue this even further. I look forward to seeing more tips like this in the future.
The balance between emotion and logic in writing can be tricky I am sure. The basic principal rings true when I recall buying decisions. Your message gives a good framework to consider when crafting sales massages.
Thanks guys,
This e-mail on copywriting was very informative..I saved it for future use.
Copywriting is definitely an area I have difficulty in. I know what I want to say…but when I put it to paper it just doesn't come out right. I find myself writing, rewriting, rewriting, and rewriting until I can't even remember what it was I really wanted to say at all!!
Your examples really hit it on the head. Just a few simple words can make all the difference in emotionally hitting home with your visitors and subscribers.
It's now in my swipe file!
Jane
Internet Marketing "The Way I See It"
Great article Andy! I agree if you can touch an emotion string than you have hit a heart sting which is connected to the purse string. At that point your job is half done. If you have a good product or service coming up with the logic bullets shouldn't be to hard as long as they are aimed at the right target market.
Lord knows I've been hit quite a number of times and also dodged some when logic couldn't over the price tag. Which only means I wasn't exactly their target market.
Kick ass article, I am so thankful Stomper keeps pushing the free line so far down, and delivering great content, so much so that I have opted out of many others list.
As a sometimes "semi-swell" copywriter Mr. Jenkins explanation of "Use Emotion AND Logic to sell MORE" was absolutely one of the best and penetrating observations of the selling process.
Print it out and before you write any copy just read it and soon it will be ingrained in your mental pattern for turning out "They Will Just Buy This From Me, No Problemo" copy, pretty much all of the time.
Stay Tuned In & Tuned Up & The World Just Might Be Yours! Mitch Dominguez
I had to read the email again
and I'm still sitting in front
of my computer drooling like the
Pavlovian dog, and disappointed at
the fact that there was no Buy Now
button.
I can tell from the copywriting work
that went into the email that you
have something in the pipeline so I
want to get my two cent in now.
What I have wanted is an Og Mandino
type manuscript similar to his The
Greatest Secret In The World.
Perhaps something like the Secret Copy
Writing Scrolls where you can read one
segment everyday for thirty day so that it
becomes a part of your daily thinking.
This manuscript can of course be a precursor
to a product that goes much more in depth
and shows the reader how to implement the
very techniques within the scrolls.
Think about it…and if you do lay it down,
please remember me in the JV rollout.
Simplified yet so true. Thanks Andy loved the way you give examples of what to do not just say what not to do!
Rich
Hello Andy,
I absolutely love this stuff. This gets into the art and nuance of marketing and I beleive it is that one ingredient that can really be the diff between us and our competition. 'Cause I think almost no one is doing this stuff.
I want more of it, and in greater detail.
Thanks, Tom Malcolm
Excellent emotion/logic article!
Only two points to remember and they were decribed really well. I'll remember this in future and will apply it because it just makes good sense.
Billy
Right on target!
Way to lay it down!
I received this post by email
and it was hands down the most
compelling and revealing email
I have seen this year from any
source.
I was trying to skim the copy
but the technique of talking to my
pain as a copywriter as you
detailed how to talk to the pain
of the prospect created a
hypnotic effect that drew me
in like a moth to a flame.
Wow Andy, you´re not more no less than a really eye opener!! Thank you very much for the bunch of knowledge deployed here, it is not easy to find such amount of value nowadays. I really mean THANKS A BUNCH!!!
Best Regards,
Daniel Cajiga
Your article on Emotion and Logic came just as I was finalizing a brochure. I made a change in it and hopefully I will catch them and drive them to sign up for our VOIP phone service.
Thanks
Stomper…
You always seem to amaze me. While a lot of this is taught in high level B2B sales courses, this the same content taught by high priced faciliators by most of the fortune 5s, except in plain English. Thanks.
Loved the article Andy. this actually helps a ton. I will keep this general "template" in mind when creating review pages or sales letters, emails etc..
-Shaun
I love your lessons. I love your way of wording things such as:
"Don't say "Our course is easy to read and learn with."
Say "Our course is so easy to learn, it's like downloading the information directly into your brain."
At times it is difficult for me to wrap my mind around this as I like to think that I am pretty honest and I don't want to BS people, and yet it seems more and more that sheeple, oops, I mean people don't really want to hear the truth. It seems that they want to be convinced, even if it is stretching the truth.
Sigh! I have a lot to learn.
You have taken a complex part o behavioral science and neuroscience and simplified it which is fantastic for those who need to get a better purchase on how the brain works.
The main objective of advertising and marketing is to influence the prefontal coretex,the seat of emotion,planning and judgement, located just across the motor association cortex, right behind yourn forehead.
Wow! That copywriting article was pure GOLD! I've heard most of it here and there and everywhere, but putting it all together like that really clarifies how we should approach all of our copywriting! Thanks, Andy.
Hi – loved your article on copywriting! Keep doing more. I'm just getting started w/an internet business and need lots of help
I have seen this approach written somewhere else but not nearly as well. Thanks. I know it much better now. Please keep em comin.
John
Hey Guys! love the package that arrived. Actually did a YouTube video when it did arrive just to tell folks about it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_zeO1qJh_Q
My question is did you fix the Scrutinizer yet? Wanted to get my mitts on that. Am trying to get my ducks in a row so that eventually I can turn my SEO site into an informational membership site that people can sign up at, pay a fee and get great info every month.
Thanks for being in the biz.
Mike Murdock
This is somewhat similar to what I've learnt in Eben Pagan's Wake Up Productive.
Regarding the 3 different parts of the brain.
Anyway. for great copywriting advice, I'd suggest Gary Halbert's (RIP) newsletter archive and Clayton Makepeace's blog.
Diana
A BIG thank you, your efforts are appreciated very much. That is maybe why you have enjoyed so much in return.
among those 'every morning' emails inside my inbox, somewhat, it's kinda ritual for me to check news for stompernet.
and as always.. so powerful
Thank you so much for Use Emotion AND Logic to sell MORE..
Keep it coming!
Cha (SongWriter)