How to make people feel it’s a privilege to buy from you
Easy Read
Copywriters, rightfully, lead with the benefits and positives of the
product // service.
It’s a wrinkle of advice that’s bordering on Buzzword but one you oughta heed and action.
Yet, while leading with benefits is neat for painting the transformation a customer gets when they take you up on your offer, they alone can oftentimes fall like a half-blown balloon.
Find the Easy Reads helpful? LEAVE A REVIEW
Reason because you’re not being more negative.
Yes my doe eye’d reader, NEGATIVE.
It’s the key difference between people buying from you, and people feeling like it's a PRIVILEGE to buy from you.
Ever heard tell of the ‘negative sell’?
Here’s an example from Australia’s best copywriter …
“NOTE: To join my list, you must use your real first & last name … a real number that can receive a validation text for the app … and a personal email (not a 'copywriting' or burner email). Read the FAQs below if you want to find out why. You are free to NOT opt in if you don't like this, but if you opt in and violate these rules, you will be banned.
“Q: What are your emails about?
A: The underlying theme of my email list is COPYWRITING. But you won’t always recognise it at first glance. I’m very well known for my crazy email storytelling style with stories about my life. Sometimes I’ll give you outright copywriting tips; other times you’ll need to “read between the lines”. But all the well-known copywriters agree, I’m one of the email lists you cannot afford to miss.
“Q: Who should sign up?
A: The ONLY people who should subscribe are copywriters and business owners who write copy. If you're NOT a copywriter, I don't care if someone told you to subscribe to me — you WILL get bored and unsubscribe, so don't bother. I’m serious on this.
“Q: How many emails will you send me?
A: The technical term is “a metric crapton”. Most days there will be AT LEAST one per day. During promotional windows my record is EIGHT emails per day (I’m getting excited just thinking about it 🤤). And in the first 24 hours depending on the choices you make, you could theoretically … wait for it … get up to FIFTEEN emails from me 😱
“Q: I don’t want a lot of emails, can I get less?
A: Sure! Your options are “a metric crapton” or “zero”. To choose the “zero emails” option, press the red ‘X’ button in the top corner of your screen, and … um … just wait for your confirmation email 😏”
This is an excerpt from the FAQ section of Australia’s Best Copywriter, Daniel Throssell.
You really gotta read them in full to get the picture but these particular few, I think, highlight the negative sell very well.
You see what he’s doing, right?
He’s not saying “please oh please please please sign-up for my emails”, he’s telling you it’ll be a privilege to opt-in and you’ll have to play by his rules to do so. He’s making the reader come to him.
And he uses negatives to do it.
If you can’t handle up to 15 emails from him in one day, don’t opt-in.
If you don’t want to give valid personal details, don’t opt-in. I
f you’re not a copywriter, don’t opt-in. Of course, if you don’t, you’ll miss out on emails that well known writers say you can’t afford to miss.
He brings up objections to weed out people he doesn't want buying from him in order to make room for those who would rage through brick walls to be involved. He makes the experience exclusive this way. And exclusivity sells like mince pies at Christmas.
So the lesson is, if your copy is leading with all the benefits and positives of the day yet still coming up short, maybe sprinkle in some negatives? Lay your cards on the table, address objections, and I bet it’ll make more people confident to buy from you.
Maybe even feel privileged to do so.
Anyway.
By Ryan Heaney
