If you write ads for products and services in overcrowded and “over-hyped” markets… and stick out head and shoulders from your competition… then listen to this.
The whole secret of sticking out in a saturated market is to use good, old fashioned persuasion.
What do I mean by that?
Well, pretend you’re writing an ad to people who want to eliminate stubborn belly fat and have “rock-hard abs.” (A very hot and crowded market right now.)
There are basically two ways you can approach this.
You can do what everyone else in that market is doing and use “ballistics” — where you crash right out the gate with huge promises and claims about giving people “washboard” abs in 30 days or whatever.
Or…
You can go around all that noise, and “seduce” the reader into your ad.
For example:
I recently saw a post on an Internet marketing forum where someone was selling a product on building rock-hard abs and was looking for feedback on his ad, which was basically identical — as far as the claims, promises and structure — to most of the other ads selling similar products.
Except for one thing.
In the “P.S.” of his letter, he mentions how you can use his secret while sitting in your chair.
I remember thinking how much more powerful his ad might be if — instead of leading with outrageous claims that sound like everyone else — he said something like:
And instead of starting off with the usual claims of “blow torching off fat” and “chiseling your abs into a washboard” (and basically saying, “this is an ad!”)…he could start with something more seductive and “non-advertising” sounding like:
“If you want to know a secret way to flatten your stomach and build six-pack abs while driving to work every day, then here’s how I did it. And why you can do the same thing with the information I’ll give you in this letter.”
Then from there string the reader along into a compelling story someone who wants rock-hard abs would not be able to resist reading.
For instance, he could tell the story of how he was sitting in traffic on the way to work and some health guru came on the radio saying how simply breathing a certain way can eliminate belly fat. So he decided to try it, and immediately noticed a change in his energy levels and a tightness in his abs. Then he did it again the next day, and the next day…and in a week he saw a difference in the mirror. Within a month he lost more belly fat driving to work than he did at the gym. And he was so excited he started studying other books and tactics on getting rock-hard abs — and decided to combine all the best methods that worked into a simple system anyone can use…
And so on and so forth.
Anyway, the idea is not to be afraid to do the opposite of everyone else. To seduce readers into your ad one step at a time with an interesting story…instead of trying to overpower them with claims and promises right out the gate.
Try it yourself and see.
I think you’ll find using seduction like this goes a long way towards increasing readership and sales. Especially if you’re in an overcrowded and over-hyped market, and especially if your sales are lagging and you’re not sure why.
