Welcome To My Personal Swipe File of Emotional Needs PDF Print E-mail Every product has features, and it has benefits. But the products that really sell well have something more. They appeal to something deeper. Something primal, something deep down. The best selling products satisfy not just a physical or functional need, they satisfy a deep-seated emotional need in the buyer. There's an old marketing saying that "People buy on emotion, and justify with logic." That means that facts and features alone will not convince anyone to buy from you. You need to appeal to their deepest emotions. Do you think window companies sell glass in a wood frame? No, they are selling warmth and protection for your family. Think Absolut sells vodka? No, they are selling a creative lifestyle. Think Wal-Mart sells bargains? No, they sell smart living. And what about you? What are you selling? What basic emotional does your product appeal to? If you are having trouble figuring it out, I've put together a swipe file to help you. (By the way, the brilliant John Caples goes over a lot of this in his books. You should check out his "Tested Advertising Methods" or "How to Make Your Advertising Make Money") How do you make this list work for you? Find a basic emotional need that appeals to your audience, one that can be met by your product. Then tell your audience that your product will help them satisfy that basic need. For example, I had a web page that sold ring tones for phones. I told my readers to imagine being out with friends... You're at a party, everyone's having a good time. Then someone's phone rings, and it's the latest Rihanna hit. Everyone's head turns. Who's phone has that ringtone? They look at you as you pull out your phone. Yeah. That's right. It's you, and everyone knows it. That is an appeal to one of major emotional benefits: gaining respect and prestige. OK, lets get to the Swipe file... Here's my list of the 11 major categories of emotional benefits 1. Make or Save Money 2. Improve One's Appearance 3. Improve One's Health 4. Find Love (or Sex) 5. Deliver on Basic Human Needs (like Food, Sleep, Shelter) 6. Gain Respect or Prestige 7. Avoid Pain 8. Lead a More Fulfilling/Enjoyable Life 9. Beat Others 10. Avoid Pain/Embarrassment 11. Feed/Beat an Addiction
Here are a few angles you can take for each of these emotions. Make or Save Money * Save money * Find bargains * Earn Money * Get Rich! * Attain security in old age * Freebies and bonuses * Move ahead in your career * Get job security Improve Your Appearance * Reduce Fat Grow hair/lose hair * Improve your skin/Eliminate acne * Improve your posture * Get attractive feet Find Love or Sex * Find a partner * Have a happy marriage * Be understood by your partner * Keep someone they love in their lives * Have more fulfulling sex Deliver on Basic Human Needs * Find food, sleep, clothing, shelter * (I admit, you probably won't have much use for this in your sales letters. After all, if your prospects don't even have a place to live or food to eat, they probably won't have money to buy whatever you are selling. But I am putting it in here for completeness.) Gain Respect or Prestige * Win friends Influence or gain control over others * Win praise from others * Be a leader * Be recognized Avoid Pain/Embarrassment * End physical pain (back pain, headaches, etc) * Avoid discomfort * Avoid drudgery * Avoid embarrassment * Avoid worry
* Avoid boredom * Get a good night's sleep * Get energy Lead More Fulfilling/Enjoyable Life * Make a difference in the world * Attain spiritual fulfillment * Express your feelings through art or creativity * Have more leisure time * Enjoy your leisure time * Improve your education * Laziness (Do something without working at it) * Speed (See effects fast) Beat Others * Take revenge * Be better than others * Have power over others * Improve Your Health * Become Healthy * Stay Healthy Addictions * Feed the addiction * Beat the addiction * Cigarettes * Alcohol * Drugs * Gambling * Eating * Shopping
Often, the sweet spot in sales letters is tying multiple basic emotional benefits together. For example, a lot of network marketing businesses that sell cosmetics promise an effortless way to improve your appearance and earn money. Energy drinks promote themselves as a way to get more energy fast in order to stay out all night impress the people you party with. See how many you can realistically combine to make the point in your own sales letters. Here's a final word of advice: Most copywriters will tell you that the negative emotions are the most powerful ones. In other words, feed on your audience's fears, uncertainties and doubts about themselves and the world around them.
Tie those fears to to one of the 11 basic emotional benefit categories I've outlined. For example, you might demonstrate how their skin problems will only increase if they do nothing, but your product can protect them. Any kind of fear can be utilized in a sales letter. Fear of being alone, of being poor, you name it. Even the time-tested sales technique of creating a sense of urgency is a way of exploiting fear - the fear of losing out. Will the "fear factor" approach work for you? I don't know. As with everything in writing great sales letters, give it a try. Then test it. If it works, it works.
