Now that you’ve established the groundwork for solid copywriting, you’ve got to look into human behavior to really understand your audience.
There are three immutable laws of human behavior when it comes to reading copy:
First, people never read, they skim, scan and scroll. It’s your responsibility to stop them from scanning, and show them something of worth in a split-second. And what’s the first thing they’re scanning for? Price. So you’d better either have an amazing price for your product, or better yet, avoid listing prices altogether to eliminate looky-loos.
The second law is that people never believe. A major problem occurs when people don’t provide sufficient proof in their copy. Keep in mind when you write out your copy, people can’t see the product or ask you questions directly. You have to answer their potential questions and make them believe through your copy.
The third law is that people never do. The natural state of procrastination holds people back from taking action right away. So you’ve got to motivate them to do something – tell them to pick up the phone, get them to register for a newsletter on your Web site, or fire them up enough to come visit you for a consultation.
Next in this series: Solutions to difficult behavior.
This post is the fourth in a series of excerpts from OneCoach CEO John Assaraf’s interview with direct response copywriter Michael Fortin. See his Web site here: http://www.michelfortin.com/. Members of the OneCoach Business Growth Network have unlimited access to this and hundreds of other interviews with world-class thought leaders.
