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The Reluctant Hero
The most persuasive storytelling tactic to use in your copywriting.
Joe Portsmouth
May 17, 2023
Welcome to the 17th issue of Write On!
The newsletter that’s a better neighbor than State Farm.
Estimated read time: 2 minutes 52 seconds
Unleash the storyteller within you:
If you’ve been reading this newsletter, you understand the importance of storytelling in your copywriting.
Your prospective customers are bombarded with thousands of messages, emails, ads, commercials, etc. daily.
Stories are what make you stand out and cut through the noise.
Stories create deeper connections with your readers.
Stories build trust and customer loyalty.
Unfortunately, so many businesses have no clue where to start when it comes to telling a good story.
They get tripped up because:
They don’t understand story structure.
They don’t think their products are story-worthy.
They don’t know what resonates with their customers.
But it’s not as hard as it sounds with the right knowledge and practice.
So that’s why I’m working on my newest course: The Storywriting Playbook
A self-paced crash course that teaches you how to grab attention and generate sales by effectively using stories in your copywriting.
Get sneak previews and an early bird discount for the course by clicking the button below:
Top Finds This Week:
📖 Storytelling: 7 storytelling resources you'll wish you knew sooner (link)
🧠 Psychology: 10 cognitive biases you can use to create high-converting copy — from a $100M marketer (link)
🖼 Framework: Steal these 22 proven headline formulas (link)
^ Side note: I should’ve shared this last week when I gave him a shoutout, but if you’re into paid growth marketing, you NEED to be signed up for Aazar’s newsletter. Join for free below:
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📜 Principles: I’m 1000% doing this when I have a child someday — great copywriting practice (link)
⚙️ Resource: Discover what people are asking about… Get instant, raw search insights, direct from the minds of your customer (link)
🤖 AI: Why you should be nice to your AI writing tools… literally (link)
The Reluctant Hero
Imagine it’s the night before an event that you’re absolutely dreading.
Maybe you’re giving a presentation
Or you have a dentist appointment
Or a grueling workout planned at 6am
You go into that day with little-to-no hope...
But then the complete opposite happens.
You crush your presentation
Your cavity-free and out of there quickly
You feel like a million bucks after your workout
That’s the vibe of the reluctant hero.
I think it’s the most persuasive storytelling technique you have at your disposal as a copywriter.
Here’s the textbook definition:
It’s a heroic archetype typically found in fiction:
“A reluctant hero is a tarnished or ordinary man with several faults or a troubled past, and he is pulled reluctantly into the story, or into heroic acts. During the story, he rises to the occasion, sometimes even vanquishing a mighty foe, sometimes avenging a wrong. But he questions whether he's cut out for the hero business. His doubts, misgivings, and mistakes add a satisfying layer of tension to a story.”
How and why does it work?
Your copywriting will be way less intense than that textbook definition above, so how can you use this in your copy?
Hint: your reluctant customers are your reluctant heroes.
Every business has them.
Just check out your reviews and testimonials. There’s bound to be at least one.
(If you don’t have a lot of reviews and testimonials, you should be working on implementing strategies to collect them. It’s the ultimate source of trust and credibility.)
The testimonial of a reluctant customer is so powerful because turning your toughest critic into a happy customer is one of the hardest things you can do as a marketer.
People don’t like to change their minds.
If a prospect is on the fence and sees that type of story, there is not much else they can object to.
Here’s a dead-simple way to use it:
Find these hidden gem testimonials and use them at key prospect touchpoints:
Ads
Emails
Landing pages
The screenshot below is an example from our prospect welcome email series at Beard Club.
Can you think of a better testimonial than that? I can’t.
💡 Bottom line: Your reluctant customers are the heroes of your copywriting efforts. Their testimonials are worth their weight in gold.
That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading.
See you next Wednesday!
P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are two ways I can help you:
Want to get your business in front of 10,500+ other Write On readers? (👉View open sponsor slots)
Keep your writing sharp all year round and enjoy free lifetime access to my collection of Write On copywriting guides (👉View all guides)
P.P.S. If you've got a moment, I'd love to get your feedback:
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