Touching the Prospect?s Emotions in Your Sales Letter

Your prospect has emotions? and you MUST touch these emotions in your sales letter. Your copy has to excite. Stir curiosity. Generate fear. Create deep desire.

If it doesn't your copy will fail.

The reason is simple. By and large... it's emotions that move us. Your prospect might be a man who seems completely unmoved by anything other than cold logic.

Not true.

Even this kind of person won't act until he's motivated to do so by his feelings. You must inject emotions in your sales letter for him to want to become a buyer.

You Can Do This By Studying 3 Things:

1) Your Prospect. Determine what kind of a person they are. What is it they REALLY want out of what your product?

2) All the benefits your product will provide to them.

3) The match up. The most important "want" (whether it's a desire to have something or a problem to be corrected) within your prospect determines the primary emotions your sales letter will target. You're goal is to link product benefits to these emotions.

Sound confusing? It does take a lot of effort. You have to train yourself to think through this process. But you MUST do it. The success of your letter depends on it.

Take your time. Go slowly. Write everything down on paper.

Ask...

"What is the most important thing my reader wants that will draw them to my copy?"

"What is the primary emotion I must target?"

Give her what she wants. Offer him what he desires.

Does your product fulfill a desire for wealth? Appeal to vanity? Promise protection against a certain fear? Propose to make life easier?

Write the answers down.

Now? how can you use these emotions in your sales letter? What secondary emotions can your copy appeal to? The more emotional buttons your benefits hit upon the better.

You must ask these questions. It takes effort but it's soooooo worth it.

As you do this you'll start thinking like a marketer... a seller. You'll never look at commercials the same way again.

When you learn how to pack emotions in your sales letter those "junk"... er... direct mail packages you receive will become works of art to you.

You'll recognize the time - - the effort - - the thinking - - that went into crafting some of them.

Ask, ask, and ask again...

1) Does your prospect want relief from something? (freedom from anxiety)

2) Are they afraid of something? (fear)

3) Do they want to feel sexier? (vanity)

4) Appear to be stronger? (pride)

5) Have an unfulfilled hope of some kind? (longing for fulfillment)

6) Are they insecure? About what?

Greed and fear are probably the most targeted emotions in direct mail. Read some ads and see if you can identify the emotions they target.

Is it fear? Fear of what? Loss? Of losing health? Fear of death? Fear of failure? Of just being average... of never amounting to anything? Fear of physical harm? (In order to target fear in your copy the fear has to be realistic... genuine... and specific.)

How about combining benevolence and guilt as emotions in your sales letter? "Who would do that," you ask? Charity letters and fundraisers do it all the time.

Readers of fundraising letters often feel guilty about not doing enough to help those less fortunate than themselves.

How about insecurity? This emotion often lies underneath other emotions. People are often greedy because they're insecure about themselves. (The things they buy and show off are really used to cover up an insecurity of some sort.)

The American Express sample sales letter (I use as an example on my website) targets vanity (exclusivity). The emotions in YOUR sales letter are generated by the benefits your product or service offers.

There are many emotions. Sometimes it's hard to know where one emotion stops and another begins.

The following are all potential emotions to stir in your sales letter ...

Achieve comfort

Altruism

Anger

Annoyance

Avoid embarrassment

Be among the leaders

Be recognized as an authority

Benevolence

Boredom

Complacence

Confidence

Confusion

C uriosity / satisfy curiosity

Desperation

Disgust

Enjoy health

Envy

Exhaustion

Fear

Gain knowledge

Greed / make money

Guilt

Happiness

Hope/optimism

Indifference

Insecurity / achieve security / protect future of your family

Laziness / avoid effort

Loneliness

Love

Lust

Optimism

Passion / attract the opposite sex

Patriotism

Pessimism

Pride / gain self-respect

Resist domination of others

Revenge

Sadness

Save money / frugality

Save time

Self-reliance / independence

Shyness

Stupidity

Surprise

Sympathy

Take advantage of opportunities

Vanity / be popular / social acceptance

Whimsy

Win acclaim

Wit

You obviously can't put all these emotions in your sales letter. Most sales letters target one or two primary emotions and then appeal to 1 or 2 others. The more emotions you can blend into your copy though the more powerful your letter will be.

Joe Farinaccio is a direct-response copywriter. Joe specializes in writing sales letters and direct mail packages for small and medium sized businesses. You find our how Joe can help you with your advertising or to learn more about writing sales letters and direct mail packages visit his website at http://www.sales-letters-and-marketing.com

---

Traffics Nice... But Whos Driving?

In the competitive marketplace of the new millennium, the demand... Read More

How To Find Freelance Jobs - Writing About Food

Did you know that jobs writing about food are available?... Read More

Some Copy Tips From An Old Hand

I have been in the ad game for a long,... Read More

Copywriting for the Web: Do You Have What It Takes?

In the world of web copywriters, many will try, but... Read More

Copywriting: Secrets of a Freelancer

Lately, I've been getting emails from other copywriters who ask... Read More

7 Powerful Sales Copy Writing Techniques!

Your sales letter is the most important component in your... Read More

3 Keys to Better Online Copywriting

Doing the copywriting for your own website without the proper... Read More

Cleaning Up Your Copy

When you are beginning to write, you gather as much... Read More

What Is Persuasive Copywriting And How Can It Help Your Business?

Persuasive copywriting is what draws the attention of prospective customers.... Read More

Copywriting Tricks: Nailing the Voice

Professional copywriters are well-familiar with what's commonly referred to as... Read More

Increase Freelance Sales With an Online Resume!

Freelancing is a competitive business, especially in today's fast-paced, e-focused... Read More

How To Write An Effective Ad

A letter or postcard allows you to "talk" one-on-one to... Read More

How to Develop a Killer News Hook

When you are going to write a press release probably... Read More

Is Your Web Copy Plain Talk?

It's true, we were all taught in school to express... Read More

Beyond Once Upon a Time: Fairy Tales arent the Only Thing Needing Catchy Openings

Once a upon a recent time in a galaxy not... Read More

Buy My Book for $27 and Ill Give You Bonuses Worth a Gazillion Dollars!

Subhead..How to bundle for valuable results without devaluing your productI... Read More

Write Hard-Hitting Headlines With Magic Words That Sell

Writing a killer headline for your copy is simple! You... Read More

Four Things Every Web Site Headline Must Do

As you know, I'm constantly making the point that the... Read More

Ghostwriting: Your Questions Answered

Many people feel they have a story to tell or... Read More

Copywriting Makeover: Search Engine-Friendly Can Also Mean Visitor-Friendly

When it comes to search engine optimization, copywriting plays a... Read More

Subtle Emotion - The Key To Copy That Works

Say the word "emotion" to a man, and he'll immediately... Read More

5 Ways to Instantly Improve Your Copy

1. Isolation technique It doesn't matter how good your... Read More

Copyright, Copyrighting, and Online Copyright Abuse - Save Yourself the Headache by Reading This!

Lets start with copyright infringement.It is easily explained as copying... Read More

Quotations as Expressions in Life

Quotations are expressions, usually in the spoken form or in... Read More

Revealed: The $12,500 Copywriting Formula

Have you heard of Brian Keith Voiles? Probably not, but... Read More

Are You Asking the Right Questions in Your Copy?

It's a common approach to writing copy. You begin by... Read More

How To Find Freelance Copywriting Jobs

Your goal is to land a few nice, secure freelance... Read More

How To Write Headlines That Get Attention

No doubt, the headline is the most important part of... Read More

Six Reasons You Don?t Need a Technical Writer (and Why They?re Dead Wrong!)

I know, I know. Times are tough. You have to... Read More

Website Promotion: 10 Secret Motivational Triggers That Make People Buy

Unless you know the secret motivational secrets that make people... Read More

Top 10 Ways For Copywriters To Overcome Writers Block

We all know that words have the power to persuade,... Read More

Freelancers Can Jump-Start Your Publicity Initiative

If you find that your progress is blocked by a... Read More

Stop Chasing Away Customers! Bad Copy is Your Worst Enemy

Every day, more and more of us begin new online... Read More