Can you write sales copy to sell something to someone who doesn’t even know they need it?
It’s hard enough to write compelling sales copy or a product description but to write something for someone who doesn’t even know they need it? That’s like a whole new level of copywriting.
I was quite surprised to see this post on Seth Godin’s blog talking about his new venture where he is trying to do just that. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical at first.
See Seth has a reputation for his marketing wizardry. His insightful and paradigm shifting books, presentations and profound blog posts are all things that come to mind when I think of Seth. Product reviews and sales copy are not things that come to my mind when I think of him.
HugDug (site has now been taken offline) is his new venture and I have been following it for a while. As Seth says it is a site based on reviews of Amazon products for people to discover things they didn’t know they were looking for. A place to tell the world what products you care about.
Seth has put up quite a few product reviews, sharing his passion for them. I have been going through them and to be honest while I have been eating a lot of humble pie as far as my initial skepticism goes, it has been quite a treat.
Seth has written reviews which quite literally is sales copy for a number of products including a pressure cooker, a dog treat, Ziploc bags, books, headsets and objects like jump ropes and duct tape. Yes that’s right duct tape and that’s what first got my attention.
Having caught my attention completely with duct tape I studied the copywriting tactics used in his reviews.
I am sharing what I picked up here as I figure we’ll all learn something in the process. (While the site has been taken offline, the lessons/tactics in copywriting are still relevant today.)
1. He leverages the power of imagination
If you are anything like me, you would not look twice at something like duct tape. I mean how often do you use it, unless perhaps if you are a technician or mechanic?
But look at how Seth leverages a person’s imagination
Example 1: Just a little bit of miracle
Stretch this tape out to about twice its length. Wrap it around something, overlapping as you go.
Within seconds, the tape fuses to itself. There’s no adhesive involved (in fact, it ships with a layer of paper under each round of tape, to keep it from activating in the box.)
The tape doesn’t stick to itself as much as it melds.
So?
So you know have a tube of perfect silicon wrapped around whatever you hope to wrap it around. A simple example: if you have a tool (a hammer, say), you could wrap the handle with this and get a slip-free grip that will last as long as the hammer will.
I don’t know about you but with a 3 year old in the house that’s constantly testing the physical limits of everything from kites to paint brushes – guess what my new fix it all solution is when she comes crying to me with the latest thing she has managed to break? Don’t ask me how she does it.
By the way my 3 year old loves the great slip-free grip.
Notice that the description reads like a story, it’s easy to imagine.
Example 2: The Tesla of jump rope
Here’s how I would describe the perfect piece of exercise equipment:
• Fits in a briefcase
• Never breaks
• Works in a hotel stairway
• Is exciting enough that you look forward to using it
• Involves speed and skill
• Is the best that there can be, not just the best on the market, but the Platonic ideal of what is possibleThis might be that piece of equipment. As a bonus, it costs less than twenty-five dollars.
I was intrigued at Tesla and heck, who wouldn’t want that kind of exercise equipment. Its like a workout to go.
Even if you don’t travel you should get one for those days when going to the gym is just too difficult.
2. He brings a conversational tone
What’s easier to read a page full of sales talk and technical details or a simple description?
Example 1: What do cartoonists know?
What do cartoonists know?
They know how to start with nothing but a pen and a little piece of paper
They know how to touch us, deeply
They know how to create something memorable
They know how to show up, every single day
And, in Hugh’s case, they know the thing that’s been holding us back, that we fear, that cripples us.
Thank you, Hugh, for making a dent in the universe.
Seth understands the power of starting a conversation with readers by asking a question. I notice he uses it quite a lot starting with headlines.
Asking a question and presenting an answer is more persuasive than just stating this is a great book that you can draw personal lessons from. Seth doesn’t worry about writing whole sentences or about repeatedly starting sentences with “They”. He enjoys using casual, conversational language.
Example 2: Would you read this?
Here’s the simple reason that focus groups and beta tests rarely work. Here’s the reason most people are bad at being venture capitalists, and why entrepreneurs and artists should almost never ask for advice:
There’s a huge difference between asking:
“Would you use this?”
and
“Why do you use that?”
With a headline – “Would you read this?” Seth has already created intrigue.
Who wouldn’t click to read more with a title like that?
In the review, he gets right to the reasons in a conversational tone. He doesn’t point out ways or methods in which usability issues can be uncovered and addressed, but points out that the value of the book lies in understanding psychology and peoples thinking processes in terms of getting results we can use.
Example 3: This is what dogs dream about
I think that almost all dog toys and products are for dog owners, not dogs. Let’s be frank, okay: Your dog has no idea how much you paid for that cute little outfit you got him for his birthday, and your dog alternates between eating the organic dog food you buy him and god-knows-what off the street when you’re not looking.
How true is that?
Reading this I can’t help but think Seth is talking directly to me. And he has already got me thinking I have a problem.
3. Increases credibility with specifics
Example 1: The executive’s shaving secret
In his review of the executive’s shaving secret Seth provides specifics about the value of the product.
The product looks good and if Seth had stopped there I would have looked at the product but thought twice about spending $11 for a 16 oz (473 ml) bottle. But Seth doesn’t stop there, instead look at how he provides great detail on the value you get from just one bottle.
But I do know this: One $11 bottle of castor oil lasts six months, way more than 100 days. So, for about ten cents a day, you get to shave like an executive. Not like Donald Trump, like a real executive. Give it a try.
Now me thinks – How can you pass up on a bargain like this?
Example 2: The secret of packing
Do I have standing as an expert on packing clothes?
Well, if the question is, “are you the world’s best-dressed marketing guy,” the answer is certainly no. Not even close.
But if the question is, “how is it that you go all these places without wrinkled shirts?” then I’m happy to chime in.
These are the secret.
You buy a ten-pack of these super-big ziploc bags, bigger than they sell in most grocery stores. And then, fold your shirts and your ties (and your suitpants, and even your suit) and, one per bag, put them into Ziplocs.
Extract as much air as you can and seal.
This could have easily been written as a general packing tip, but Seth increases the credibility of this tip by saying that he himself has tested, with success, this very process. He then goes on to provide the details of how to ensure you get wrinkle free clothes as you pack for your next trip.
I have just learnt how to address a long standing problem I have had and to not take action to address it would be silly. The specifics of this post just make adding Ziplock bags to my shopping cart a no brainer.
4. Steals from poets
Example 1: What do cartoonists know?
Poetic iteration is the repetition of certain words to create a heightened impact on your readers.
Seth steals this copywriting technique from poets. It creates an enticing rhythm that captivates readers and helps magically bond related segments of text.
Here is an example from Seth’s review of a book by Hugh Macleod on creativity.
What do cartoonists know?
They know how to start with nothing but a pen and a little piece of paper
They know how to touch us, deeply
They know how to create something memorable
They know how to show up, every single day
Example 2: This is what dogs dream about
Another trick Seth uses is the delayed tranistion.
Transitions are words or phrases that smoothly connect two ideas, sentences or sentence fragments. A delayed transition however puts the transitional word or phrase at the start of the next sentence.
So, we think a sentence is complete. But, in fact there is more to come.
And we can’t help but be hooked and keep on reading.
Delayed transitions make for shorter sentences which are easier to read, give the reader the illusion of reading faster, pull readers in further into your copy and are unexpected stimulating their curiosity to keep them reading.
Rhythm and rhyme is also added to the mix and used to great effect in his storytelling that captures the imagination. Check it out.
But this? This is what dogs want.
Not only that, but it lasts for months or even years.
Years!
If you have a dog that likes to chew, likes to chew the way that a hall of famer likes to chew tobacco, the way a radio talk show host likes to chew your ear off, likes to chew the way Chewbacca (okay, I’ll stop now, sorry)…
My dog ate our rug, our floor (yes, he figured out how to eat the floor) and just about any dog-proof item we were able to bring into the house.
Then we got him one of these.
5. Uses mini stories to stimulate
Example 1: A little-known classic is 20
I vividly remember the day I read this book, running home from the bookstore the day it came out, swallowing it whole and then rereading it three times. It pushed me to dramatically rethink what business as usual meant.
If you enjoyed the unbridled energy and deep optimism of the original Fast Company magazine, I promise this book will move you. If you work with people who need some intravenous caring injected straight into their veins, perhaps you should buy a few copies.
In a few lines he not only shares the personal and profound impact the book had on him, but also shares the kind of impact it can have on people.
Example 2: Do you remember Sam?
Perhaps you grew up with Dr.Seuss. Or may be are introducing or have introduced Dr.Suess to your little ones. So this example can take you down memory lane.
My mom read me this book in 1964.
I still remember whole pages of it.
Now, this is extraordinary, because I have no idea what I ate for lunch, or where I went or who my friends were. I have no recollection of the weather or the politics of the day. In fact, I remember almost nothing about the 5,000 books I’ve read since then.
So, is it merely because I heard it when I was four? Or that it was repeated over and over?
Or, is it possible that this book is an act of genius, a subversive and brilliant twist of what a book can be?
Can you still remember whole pages of your favorite Dr.Seuss book or any other book?
I have to say that Dr.Seuss is among the very best visual storytelling books I have ever encountered.
I think I need to go get the whole series for my little one.
Example 3: Wireless that works
Seth recognizes the power of a good story however short it might be.
It’s sort of surprising that no one thought of this form factor before.
Long battery life, light in the ears, it’s not an audiophile product, but it might be just what you’re looking for. It’s Fred Wilson‘s favorite…
The words surprising, not an audiophile product and Fred Wilson’s favorite, create enough contradiction and curiosity so that you can’t help but click on the link to find out why.
Which takes us to the mini story.
A month or so ago, my friend Jeff Epstein walked into a board meeting with these around his neck.
He stopped next to me, took them off his neck, and said to me “these are life changing”.
I pulled out my phone, went to Amazon, and ordered a pair. I’ve been using them ever since. They are life changing.It’s not like I haven’t used a Bluetooth headset before. I’ve had many. I’ve just never stuck with any before. I would keep going back to wired headphones.
But these LG stereo headphones just do it right. I like the feeling of buds in my ear. These replicate that feeling, but deliver it wirelessly.The controls are placed perfectly on the device. When you slide the on switch, they tell you that the headset is on, the battery is high, and you are connected to your phone. You get similar information when you turn them off.
They are comfortable, the battery time is long, and the sound quality is great.
How often have you called a product “life changing”?
The headset has made its way on to my wish list for my next Amazon order.
6. Addresses objections
Example 1: The best reason to get a pressure cooker
… is so you can make more of my perfect hummus.
The other reason is that so you will eat more beans, the food that can save the world. The problem with beans is that they take a long time to cook, and people are afraid to make them.
At the fish store, you see one person after another asking for shimp or salmon. This is because of fear. Fear of doing it wrong, cooking it wrong, not knowing when it’s done, that it might be a disaster. Same reason we like to grill steak. It’s elemental.
Beans are not elemental to cook. I mean, they are if you have a slow cooker and can plan far ahead. That’s okay too (the irony of slow cooker and fast cooker both being good ideas is not lost on me).
This pressure cooker, though, eliminates both problems. You put in the stuff, you press the button and in no time at all (I mean less than half the time than it takes to watch an episode of Gilligan’s Island), it’s done.
Ever been guilty of playing it safe when it comes to cooking?
I certainly have.
Seth deals with our fear of cooking head on. Let’s face it there is nothing glorious about beans and the fact is that they are hard to cook unless they come out of a tin. I think it would be safe to say that beans doesn’t feature much on most peoples menus.
But hang on, they are good for you and with this device I can literally chuck the beans in and press a button to have it cooked in little time?
If you don’t feel that you and your family have been missing out on great tasting and healthy food by not investing in a pressure cooker after reading that, I don’t know what to tell you.
No, actually I do. If that doesn’t make you feel bad about not eating a better and healthier range of food, you just don’t like cooking all that much.
Example 2: The dorkiest headset
Companies like Apple and Samsung have only fueled our desire for the latest, cool looking gadgets. In the pursuit of cool looking gadgets for at least some of us, our need for optimal function has kind of got lost in the process. Which brings us to the dorkiest headset.
You would certainly look cooler in some hipster Jabra thing, no doubt. Getting all Yves Behar on us, too cool to hang out with us regular kids, what with that superfly thing dangling from your ear.
You know what?
I can hear better than you can. And the people I’m talking to can hear me.
Now, this might be because I’m old. It might be because the middle-aged, nearly-dead members of my generation, the ones that know how to use hyphens and stuff, it might be that we care about being heard and even more, about hearing, but…
Seth knows that in all probability you have one or more of those cool bluetooth gadgets and you aren’t necessarily dissatisfied with them.
So what does he do? He attacks objections with a personal perspective while poking a bit of fun at his age and generation. He reminds us what we really want such products to do for us.
Does your current device really help you hear better and be heard better?
And who doesn’t want to walk a little a taller, talk a little smarter and attract the right sorts of attention?
7. Adds a call to action
No matter what product is being reviewed there is absolutely no call to action other than the amazon Buy Now button below a photo of the product that the review is focused on.
No encouragement to buy the product now, no high pressure sales tactics or scarcity tactics. Just a simple icon next to the buy button that serves as a reminder that 50% of the profit goes to charity, should you buy from amazon through the link provided.
Each review utilizes a minimal design that provides focus on the one object that is being reviewed.
Putting your sales copy together
As you begin to write a product review or description think about your buyer. Consider how you can make his or her life easier, pleasurable or richer. Put an end to talking about features and specifications and instead turn them into enticing benefits that will seduce your reader to buy.
As marketers, bloggers and copywriters, we’re always looking for ways to differentiate our products, brands and copy. Putting copy together would be so much easier if there were some winning formula we could follow.
Now sure there is some science and psychology that can be employed to make your copy more effective and sure you could employ the tips above but at the end of the day it takes practice to make your copy better. Apply what you know has been proven to work over time, then test and experiment along the way.
It’s like learning to become a professional photographer. You are going to take a lot of photos that are duds, but over time the application of techniques, continuous improvement and experimenting will become second nature to you and show in the photos you take.
Applying yourself in much the same way, you’ll learn a lot about copywriting and visual storytelling in the process.
While Seth Godin can produce sales copy that entices buyers for something as mundane as duct tape, it doesn’t mean you can pull off something similar in your first attempt. Knowledge, science and tips alone will not allow you to produce what Seth has in the one go. It will take time, consistent effort and the desire to learn new skills to gain the experience that practice can provide.
Question: How are you going to use Seth’s tactics for your own sales copy? Leave a comment below and let me know.
