I love fiction.
I love it as art, books, movies – whatever. I consider it the pinnacle creation of the human mind. Our ability to create worlds in our heads, emotions, situations, characters and then to communicate those ideas to others insomuch that they receive that communication and have an emotional reaction – that is just amazing.
Aside from the fact that fiction is incredibly enjoyable to digest, it also serves as a powerful toolset to the master copywriter. Embracing the world of fiction and extracting from it certain tools will put you in the top category of copywriter quickly.
Here is a list of 5 ways that reading more fiction and watching more movies will make you a better copywriter:
#1 – The Fictive Dream
Have you ever been reading a book, or watching a movie and become so absorbed that hours have past before you ever realized it? If so, then you know what the fictive dream is.
Good writers of fiction know how to grab your attention and keep you hooked for hours and hours. They know how to convince your mind that these made up worlds really exist. They know how to get you to feel real emotions for characters that don’t even exist.
One of my favorite modern day examples of this power comes from the writers of Breaking Bad.
I came to the show late (mostly because I don’t really watch TV much) and so I watched the first episode on Netflix. Needless to say I blasted through all 5 seasons in a week. Everything that I had previously thought was important (work, exercise etc.) went flying out the window once I was hooked into this fictive dream.
Copywriters can do the same.
Good copywriters can make you feel. Good copywriters can create worlds (in the form of expectations, hopes, dreams etc.) and convince their readers that they actually exist. Good copywriters can grab your attention and keep you hooked for thousands of words or pages and pages worth of writing.
The next time you find yourself reading or watching a film or TV and notice that you are slipping into this Fictive Dream, pull out your notepad and take notes. Why is this happening? How did the writer get you here? What are you feeling?
It is a very easy translation process to copywriting once you know the basic mechanics of creating the Fictive Dream.
#2 – Specifics
One way that fiction writers create this Fictive Dream is by relying on specifics in their writing. One of my favorite scenes in all 5 seasons of Breaking Bad is when Walter White orders a pizza with breadsticks and brings it over to his estranged wife’s house. The writers took full advantage of specifics in this situation to create a powerful scene.
They didn’t just have Walter White bringing over some generic food in a bag. No, he brought over a pizza, from a specific shop, and had breadsticks (something his wife supposedly loved). The show creators made up a logo to put on the box, they actually had a pizza in the box and even the breadsticks bag had that familiar puddle of grease collecting at the bottom.
All of these specifics combined to accomplish one very important aspect of writing – it made you believe it was real.
More copywriters need to keep this in mind when crafting their own copy. This last month I reviewed 47 sales pages from people wanting a second opinion. Do you want to know the #1 most common advice I gave?
Get more specific.
Which is more powerful?
“When you buy this you are going to be happy!”
OR
“When you log into the members areas and see the 15 modules of training that are waiting for you, you are going to feel a sudden rush of excitement as you realize that your dream of living in that million dollar mansion is just months away. etc.”
The only thing that changed here was specifics.
In later posts I am going to be really harping on this topic as I see it as the #1 hurdle to the success of many projects being written by DIY copywriters.
#3 – Story
Human beings love story. We love it in our news. We love it in our relationships. We love it in our fiction. And we especially love it in business.
Consider this:
How many times have you sat through an entire 90 minute movie that you didn’t really like that much? Maybe you thought it was boring. Maybe you didn’t like the characters. Whatever it was, you still sat through it. Why?
Because your brain is hardwired to follow through till the very end of a story.
I will talk more about the subjects of open loops and creating unquenchable suspense in a later blog post, but for now we can just focus on basic story in copywriting.
If you want to dramatically increase your conversion rates, start implementing story elements from fiction into your writing.
I am talking about moving beyond the simplified AIDA sales letters and moving into sales letters that turn the prospects into heroes of their own stories. Moving them through the heroes journey until they reach the Excalibur (your product) and allowing them to have their moments of victory.
The power that keeps you stuck your chair through a 90 minute movie you don’t really want to be watching CAN and SHOULD be utilized in your copywriting. That power is story.
Regardless Of What You Think Of The Books Or Movies, JK Rowling Is A Billionaire Because She Figured Out How To Do Exactly What We Are Talking About Here
The End
I highly recommend that if you are wanting to step up your copywriting game that you spend this next week reading and watching as much fiction as you possibly can. Try to step out of your own skin while you do this and take note of “why” you are spellbound. What is it about this particular bit of fiction that is keeping you going, keeping you interested.
Is it the comedy?
Is it the connection with the storyteller?
Is it the suspense?
Is it the dream world that the writer created?
All of these points can be translated and used in good copywriting.
And when they are, conversions soar.