If you want to master advertising, the book Ca$hvertising is a great place to start.
It references many other books, studies and resources, so while it won’t quite replace reading Cialdini, Hopkins or Ogilvy, it will give you taste of what you need to know.
I came across a great analogy in his book that quite frankly summarizes everything you need to know about writing killer ad copy in about two paragraphs. Enjoy…
If I were to offer the chance to buy this sealed envelope I am holding in my hand for $20. You can ask whatever you want before buying it, but once you buy it, there are no refunds. Whats the one question every single person will ask?
What is in the envelope.
Now, if I help up a clear plastic bag with a $20 bill in it and I offered you to buy it for $1, would you think twice about buying it? Of course not, almost everybody would jump at the chance to buy $20 for $1.
What’s the only difference between the first scenario and the second? In the second, you know “EXACTLY WHAT YOU GET!” You know… “Whats In It For YOU!!!” In the first though, you have no idea what you get, so you are immediately afraid of losing money, looking like a fool, or simply making a mistake.
Fear eats up your prospects when they don’t know exactly what they get if they buy from you!
Let’s pretend for a minute that you would only be in business if you created some sort of value for your prospects. Let’s assume that if your ideal prospect truly understand the benefits of your offering that they would perceive it exactly like you are offering them a $20 bill for a $1.
Let’s flip that around for a moment.
If your prospective customers don’t view your offering immediately as if you are offering them $2o in exchange for a measly dollar… You are not communicating clearly to them what they get out of the deal.
This is the secret to all advertising copy.
Show your prospects how your offering is as much of a no-brainer as buying a clean crisp $20 bill for a measly crumpled up dollar bill.
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