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Persuasive writing doesn’t come naturally to many people. Especially if they are trying to sell something.
“Ugh, I don’t want to sound too pushy. I want to give value, but I also need to promote my business. Where is the balance?”
And the struggle is amplified if you are an entrepreneur, because you need to be persuasive in practically everything that you create.
If you don’t know how to be compelling through the written word, you will struggle in creating your blogs, landing pages, email funnels, sales pages, webinars, and offers.
Cracking the code on persuasive writing is vital to scaling your business. The more influential your writing is, the more people will read it and share it. If your writing falls flat, then your written word is now the proverbial tree falling in a forest. Did it even make a sound?
Look, writing isn’t easy and, many (many!) times, it’s not even fun. So why would you put yourself through the self-inflicted torture of writing if it’s not going to get the job done? There are many more fun ways to damage your ego. Like singing karaoke. 
But here’s the deal…
Writing to sell doesn’t have to be painful and pointless.
You don’t have to cringe every time you hit the “send” button. Clicking on “post” shouldn’t be a reason to pour yourself a glass of scotch.
Here are 3 Stages to keep your writing compelling and persuasive… and lead to customer action.
To get someone interested in your solution, the reader needs to feel like you fully understand their problem.
Here’s the mental mis-step that most people make when they want to sell something: they start by focusing on what they want to sell.
Don’t do that!
I get it. It makes sense. You want to sell your product or service, so your mind fixates on what makes your product or service good…awesome…better than all the rest. And so you go right to your selling “happy place” and think about all those snazzy features and benefits.
FEATURE: Look at what this widget does.
BENEFIT: You’ll love this widget because it makes your life easier and saves you time.
Focusing on the features and benefits skips your most sales-attracting step
And without this missing link, your writing fades into the background.
What every email, every website copy, and every marketing piece needs is a clear description of the PAIN that your customer is currently experiencing.
- What struggles are they dealing with?
- What challenges are they trying to overcome?
- And (perhaps most importantly) what emotions are associated with that struggle? …Are they feeling frustrated? Afraid? Overwhelmed? Ashamed?
Make sure that the beginning of your email clearly describes and digs deep into the pain point and the emotional turmoil caused by that pain.
NOTE: Avoid attributing confusion as an emotional pain point. It is not. Confusion in an intellectual reaction, not emotional. People spend money to cure their emotional turmoil much quicker (and at greater investments) than they do their intellectual ones.
So, now that you’ve tackled their PAIN, it’s time to delve into those beloved Features and Benefits, right?! … Hold your horses. Not yet.
After your customer believes you know what it’s like to be in their shoes, (you know their inner monologue, and you know the emotional struggle associated with it), it’s now time to paint a picture of what they would PREFER.
- What do they wish life would be like?
- What outcome do they want?
- What image do they hold in their mind for the way things should be…could be?
- What feelings do they associate with that image?
Fully describe what they will experience once they go down the Yellow Brick Road with you (i.e. purchasing your product or service).
Once you’ve successfully tapped into what they want to avoid – what pain they are moving away from – it’s now your job to give them a clear destination – what they want to move toward.
The two main motivating factors for any human is to move away from pain and move toward pleasure.
If your writing is missing these two elements, you won’t see results in your business.
Once again, get into their minds and hearts.
What emotional sensation will they experience when they choose you?
Freedom? Relaxation? Wonder? Exhilaration? Vitality? Excitement? Love? Acceptance?
The clearer you can be about what they will experience when they decide on you, the faster they will choose you.
Is it now time for those Features and Benefits? …. Yep! Well, sort of. I call it the PRESCRIPTION.
You’ve taken them on a journey what what they currently experience – in all of it’s logistical, intellectual, and emotional levels – to what they wish they could have and feel instead. So, now they are waiting in anticipation to know how they can get out of where they are and get closer to “Oz.”
This is when you share the solution that you can provide. Yes, you can share those wonderful features and benefits. If you want to make your prescription more compelling, make sure each feature/benefit is coupled with those pain points you mentioned before.
For example, I have many clients in the health and fitness space (nutritionists, dietitians, and personal trainers). So, here is how they might frame one of their package features.
We included a client-only private forum online because we know that some of your weakest moments are not between 9 and 5. It’s usually at midnight when you’re standing in front of the refrigerator trying to find the willpower not to grab a tub of ice-cream. In those moments, you can share your experience, ask questions, and get advice from fellow clients and our team members in the forum. So, you know you’re not alone and that you have a resource, anytime.
You see? Feature: online forum. That’s not too sexy. But when you couple it with the PAIN and the PREFERENCE, your PRESCRIPTION becomes much more compelling.
Follow this simple and powerful formula – PAIN, PREFERENCE, PRESCRIPTION – and you’ll see more people drawn to what you have to offer.
Are you interested in improving your writing skills? I’d love to help you out! I’m working on a new project and would love your input. Please take this survey (3 minutes, tops!) to let me know how you’d like to improve your writing to get more business. Thanks!
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