Have you ever been tempted to take something that wasn’t yours? Tell the police officer where he can stick that speeding ticket? Grab a drink with that person that’s NOT your spouse? Put hands and feet on the asshole that’s driving like a maniac?
So what stopped you?
Oh… never crossed your mind? You asked yourself what would Jesus do?
Ok well, while your priesthood application is being reviewed, consider the rest of us – born sinners who have considered doing all of the above but don’t – simply out of fear of the repercussions.
Mainly, “jail” or “prison.”
Which makes sense, considering 1 out of 5 prisoners in the world is incarcerated in the U.S. Nearly one out of every 100 people wakes up behind bars. Even Pablo Escobar famously stated he’d rather be in a grave in Columbia, than a cell in America.
That’s not to say our prison system is perfect there’s a plethora of people the paddy wagon forgets to pick up when they make their rounds (presidents, ex-presidents, congress, senate, federal reserve members, most bureaucrats, time-share salesman, all parking authority employees, etc..) and of course some of you.
And to varying degrees each of us has toned down our behavior – or even refused to do something the other person deserved – because we fear ending up in the slammer.
However fear not only keeps us in line, it also inspires us to do things we would never volunteer to do.
In 2020, tax payers filed 157.5 million tax returns and handed over $1.7 trillion dollars in individual income tax to politicians and bureaucrats. That’s just federal and state tax. We haven’t even mentioned the property tax, sales tax, or automobile licensing tax.
Because what’s the alternative?
Loose everything and go to jail?
In other words fear.
The insurance industry collects over $300 billion annually for events that might happen.
Fear.
Millions of people vote Republican because they fear “woke culture” and Marxism.
Millions of other people vote Democrat because they fear global warming, as well as loosing their abortion or voting rights.
Fear.
What do your prospects fear?
Most copywriting courses focus on promoting the benefits of your product or service as a way to address your prospects’ desires.
Desires including freedom, greater wealth, love, better health, respect from peers and more.
What most people don’t realize however, is that desire and fear are two sides of the same coin.
Prospects don’t only desire health, love, prosperity and respect, many times, fear of their opposites is even stronger.
The fear of illness, loneliness, poverty and insignificance.
So by emphasizing how you will fulfill a desire while simultaneously alleviating a fear the effectiveness of your copy can double.
But it takes real skill to pull this off the right way.
Here’s a quick checklist to get you started.
- Address existing fears:
At the end of a draining, exhausting, day the last thing your prospects want to do is watch a video sales letter, read a newsletter or reach a landing page that’s talking about a new thing for them to worry about.
Doing that is a sure-fire way to have your message ignored – and in a worst case scenario: turn them off completely to your sales or marketing promotions.
In other words: enter the conversation already going on in their head. Address the things that worry them currently.
- Be an Aspirin
We all know old age is barreling its way towards us like a mac truck – but very few of us take our eating and exercise habits serious until it’s too late.
We all know we’ll get tired of working – at some point in the future – and yet most people have no saving and investing plan in place.
And of course, we are all aware that the day may come where we have to defend ourselves or loved ones from a drunk pedestrian or home intruder – and yet relative to the population size, very few people train in martial arts or tactical weapons usage.
So why doesn’t bad health, having to work forever, or being unprepared to defend ourselves from an attacker motivate us to change our behavior?
Simple: People don’t typically pay for prevention. No one takes an Aspirin to get rid of pain they’ll experience in the future. Procrastination to humans, is like flying to birds. It’s rare to find one who doesn’t do it.
Location also plays a major part in driving home the urgency of a situation using fear. Wars between rival tribes and nations have raged for decades in Africa. But when Russia attacked the Ukraine many neighboring European countries began evaluating their military preparedness like never before.
Granted..
Russia does possess one of the largest nuclear arsenals in the world.
But still, If I wrote copy for a military contractor focused in Europe and emphasized the fact that their next door neighbor had been attacked, I would be much more likely to get the sale, than if I mentioned the fighting in a distant land like Africa.
Moral of the story is to make sure the danger is imminent not something to take place in the distant future.
Email Me: [email protected]
For A Free Marketing Evaluation
Give me 30 minutes and I’ll help you attract more
of your ideal clients, customers and patients.
No purchase required.
