2 Steps to Writing Gut-Wrenching Copy

Here is a guest post from copywriter David Tendrich. You can learn more about David by reading the author bio included at the end of his article. Enjoy! -Ryan

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What is gut-wrenching copy? It’s controversial. It pushes reality. It inspires.

It’s the kind of copy that, while you read it, your mind thinks, “What? Is that really possible?” but in your stomach you feel this tiny tickle as you imagine your life how you want it to be.

This copy lets you believe for just a second that your ideal way of life can really happen. If you just take a leap of faith, and buy the product, things will just come together. They really will this time. You see the testimonials of other people who were in your shoes, and how their lives were changed. You read the promises of the sales page… “If you just take action and put this product to use… I GUARANTEE it…” and you feel motivated to make it work, at all costs.

It’s copy that doesn’t cater to the mind. The mind is satisfied too easily. It’s copy that caters to the burning desires deep inside a person. Tap into what someone wants on a mental level, and you get sales. Tap into what someone wants deep down in their heart of hearts, and you might run into the wonderful problem of selling out.

Luckily, writing gut-wrenching copy is not guesswork. It’s not magic either. You can do it in these two steps.

Step 1: Talk to your clients

The first step is to ask your clients some questions. They are the real “magic” behind gut-wrenching copy. You’re going to pretty much take their answers and put them straight into the copy, with a little touching up of course.

You’ll want to hand-select a group of clients who you feel completely represent your “ideal” client, or your target market. Here’s an example…

1. I’m putting out a product that will teach you 100 free or low-budget ways to instantly get more clients, what doubts/skepticisms cross your mind? (These are your objections you’re going to counter in your copy)

2. If you could finally get tons of clients for free, how would that benefit your business? (This is where you get your fuel for connecting to people’s minds)

3. How would those benefits carry into other parts of your life? Like your family life? Your home life? Your love life? Your happiness? (And this is where the magic happens.)

Ask them to go into great detail on their answers to question three. Find out their goals in life, their dreams, their ambitions — what they really want. You may get some heavy answers — but that’s good. The heavier they are, the more honest and real they are.

Step 2: Connect the dots

Now, when you write your copy, you’re going to connect using your product to these dreams that your clients described for you.

That way, you’re not just selling a course on copywriting… you’re selling a guide on how to spend more time with your little girls so you never miss out on a single second of them growing up… How to take your family on a dream vacation to Hawaii where you stay in the nicest hotel, in the nicest room, and enjoy life in a way you never have before… How to work two weeks out of every month so you can spend the other two weeks doing whatever you feel like…

And when you gather testimonials, ask people to tell you how the product carried into their life! Ask them to tell you what they’ve accomplished. That way your testimonials build on your copy, and together both inspire your reader to take action.

The cool thing is, from the moment someone reads your sales page they’re thinking about what they really want. Then, when they buy the product, they’re way more likely to put it to good use because every time they see it they start thinking about these burning desires. So by writing this kind of copy you’re actually doing people a service!

See, these dreams transcend money. Well, they use money as a stepping stone, but if your readers could accomplish all of their dreams while having $0 in their bank accounts, they’d be just as happy. I know I would. So keep prying until you find the real reasons someone wants your product, because once you tap into that you’re set.

About the author: David Tendrich is a copywriter in Atlanta, GA where he and his life partner, Louisa Levit, run a copywriting, marketing, and graphic design company. You can learn more about David by visiting his blog on copywriting.