Lesson 25: How to frame your micro-course in a way that bypasses Sam’s skeptical reflex
All about the 3 As
Or, put another way, how to short-circuit the process of helping Sam believe you’re on his side — by presenting yourself as one of three specific kinds of people he is hardwired to want in his life.
You may have noticed that in the previous lesson you planned out basically what you’ll be teaching Sam in your micro-course...but you didn’t end up giving it a name.
The reason is, now that you’re on pretty firm ground when it comes to the basics of copywriting, we’re going to use this as an opportunity to learn some more advanced psychological concepts, which may well influence how you go about framing your micro-course.
We’re going to look at these today, and then you’ll have everything you need to give your micro-course a title.
Until now, we’ve focused fairly exclusively on framing your offer; on presenting it in a way Sam will find desirable. Even though in many respects it is you that Sam is buying, we have only talked about how to “sell” yourself (to use a somewhat unfortunate expression) in fairly implicit ways via candor.
Today, we’re going to talk about explicit ways to sell yourself.
The reason I’ve left this until now is because it is somewhat more advanced. You need a good foundation in the more elementary principles of copywriting before you can learn this. So settle in and get comfy, because this is a fairly long lesson.
The psychology of interpersonal desires
Just as Sam wants certain things from your offering, he wants certain things from you. Today you will learn how to position yourself in three ways which resonate with Sam’s natural psychology.
In effect, you become almost an extension of his psyche — a little lizard on his shoulder — amplifying and justifying his needs and desires in a way that’s quite hard for him to notice, but very powerful and persuasive.
Let’s get practical for a moment. A great illustration of this principle in action can be seen in financial copywriting. Finance is an industry I resolutely avoid since my left brain doesn’t really work properly, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn from it. In financial copy you will often — very often — see headlines like this:
Lies, Lies, Lies!
A Special Report from Mark Skousen, Editor of FORECASTS & STRATEGIES
Why we investors are fed up with everyone lying to us!
But getting rich is the best revenge...
Smartest ways to do it in 2007
Best & worst investments now
Or this:
CoQ10 Conspiracy!
The shameless swindle that robs you of your right to a happier, healthier, more energetic life...
I remember another that was basically as brazen as “Wall Street Fat Cats Want To Steal Your Money.” Those weren’t the exact words, but you get the idea.
I don’t like these examples; they are tacky and manipulative and aim at a lowest common denominator. I’ll talk more about that in a second. But I use them here, because their lack of subtlety makes it easy to understand the psychology they aiming at: people who are deeply distrustful of “the establishment,” and who suspect that there are all kinds of conspiracies and plans going on behind the scenes between the elite and powerful to gyp the “little guy” who just wants to make some money investing. So these ads basically say, “Yes, you’re right — these conspiracies are real, and here’s how to avoid them, or better yet, get your own back by profiting from them.”
In other words, the copywriter puts himself into the position of someone who can confirm Sam’s worst fears — and also offer a way to allay those fears through the product being sold.
There are three forms this can take when you’re writing to Sam. These represent the most basic psychological needs Sam has, and how they cash out in interpersonal relationships. Each has a positive and a negative component, and together I call them the 3 As. Here they are:
The 3 As
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