The Hero’s Journey – How To Write Compelling Copy That Excites And Engages Your Readers

I want to share with you some top tips on writing good copy. It’s a skill I still work on daily, whether it’s in the form of e-mails or in the writing of a sales letter.

I can’t claim to be an incredible copywriter, but I know I’m good. The only reason I know I’m good is that I’ve learned it from people who can do it well, made their guidance into a system and then I’ve followed it. Simple. I’ve then applied that knowledge and tested the results.

In this post, I’m going to look at creating an emotional connection with your prospects…

One of the very best ways to create an emotional connection with your readers is through storytelling.  I want to explore it here and give you some ways to use it effectively, or rather affectively.

What’s your story? What’s the story of your product?

These two questions should really be the starting point for you when writing sales copy or putting together a sales video.

Most of all, considering what we’ve spoken about already, what does that journey make you feel? For example, every good film or piece of news on the TV has one thing in common. It’s the thing that will increase your sales and make people connect with you far more deeply than with other marketers.

Conflict.

Think about it. Any drama series that’s hooked you in on TV, or any sales letter that’s made you buy, contains conflict. The conflict is a simple one.

It usually tells the story of how the main character (the product owner or face of the product) started with nothing and made it to the top despite various bad stuff happening to them. Naturally, the best stories are a little more subtle than that…

In screenwriting for TV and movies, there’s a technique known as ‘The Hero’s Journey’. Use this and you’ll find your copy is suddenly very compelling.

Simply illustrated, below you’ll see a diagram of the Hero’s Journey (also known as the Monomyth):

The hero sets out on an adventure. Along the way they leave their comfort zone (passing through the threshold) where they often meet a helper and/or a mentor to guide them. They begin to transform as they learn and journey into an abyss from which very few return. They find the solution, have a revelation and return to teach others their wisdom. That’s it.

Put simply: Guy goes out on a journey, loses everything, recovers, gets everything back (and more) and thus becomes a hero. Think of ‘The American Dream’. That’s the ultimate monomyth or ‘hero’s journey’.

Any internet marketer worth his salt has used this at some point or another, whether consciously or not, because people identify with it and know the structure from films and television.

Think of internet marketer Mark Anastasi’s story:

Our hero set out to go to university in the UK from his native Cyprus [start of the adventure into the unknown]. Got his degree but also got some debt. Became a security guard. Lost his job. Ended up squatting a house in the Earl’s Court area of London [Abyss]. Went to a seminar, met a mentor. Transformed and made $10,000 by the end of his first 30 days [Atonement and return].

Think of how you can frame your journey in these terms. The basic beginning, middle and end should be there. If you have experienced the other sides, then add those too. If not, no worries.

Here are some writing tips to apply to this strategy:

• Write in first person. ‘I did this’ rather than ‘[Name] did this’.
• Write in an active voice, so that it feels current to the reader, even if it happened a long time ago. For example ‘I’m doing this’ rather than ‘this was happening to me’. This sounds empowering, and empowerment is something people want.
• Assume they’re interested in what you’re talking about.
• Write how you would talk when you’re excited or passionate about something.
• Be ‘to the point’ – short, punchy sentences.
• No big words. Make it as easy as possible to read.
• Grammar is not as important as flow. Write as you talk and focus on flow, not grammar. Your copy should draw people through to the order buttons.
• Be specific – If you earned $1,372.28 in 8 days using your strategy, then say so. Don’t just say $1,300 in a week as it doesn’t sound as authentic. Also, make sure you can prove any claims like this, ideally with video of you logging into your account. This won’t work for Paypal as they have a system to block filming the ‘inside’ of accounts, but you can do it with Clickbank and other online merchants.
• Don’t underestimate how much people want to be a part of success, even vicariously.

Weave a story to keep them reading. This is one of the most effective ways to draw them through the text. We all love a good story and want to be a part of it. So give us what we want!’

I really hope you’ve enjoyed these tips.

The crucial thing is to actually go and apply them and you’ll reap the benefits from them.

If you’ve enjoyed this post and think your friends, colleagues or subscribers might enjoy it too, please feel free to share it via the buttons below and leave me a comment in the section below the share buttons.

No related posts.