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- The Novelty Effect
Welcome to the 44th issue of Write On!
The newsletter that pours its cereal before the milk because doing the opposite is insanity.
In today’s issue I’ll be covering:
New newsletter coming 👀
Let’s talk about building newsletter businesses?
Keep your copy feeling fresh with The Novelty Effect
Top finds this week, including a quick humor trick to improve your writing
Be on the lookout for a Black Friday deal coming your way…
Estimated read time: 3 minutes 17 seconds
New News!
I’m testing out a new newsletter idea (don’t worry, Write On isn’t going anywhere).
It will be focused on the topic of dynasty football.
If you’re interested, you can sign up for the waitlist below. I’m aiming to launch the 1st issue the week of 11/27.
Wanna build a newsletter biz?
If you’re not interested in dynasty football but are interested in starting/running newsletter businesses, I’d love to know.
If enough people express interest, I can start sharing details about how I’m approaching that process. It wouldn’t be in this newsletter, but maybe in a private telegram or slack channel. Can cross that bridge if and when we come to it :)
So click below if you’d like to learn more about running a newsletter business:
Keep your copy feeling fresh with The Novelty Effect:
Does this feeling sound familiar to you? 👇
You’ve been working at the same company for over a year.
You feel like you’ve tried every copywriting angle under the sun for your product or service. It feels like it’s getting old.
You start to worry that your customers might get tired of the same copywriting, too.
That’s where The Novelty Effect comes in:
The Novelty Effect is a psycholigical phenomenon where new, unfamiliar, or novel items or experiences are more attractive to individuals than those that are familiar.
We can do this with our copy by taking the old and making it feel new.
Here are 3 ways you can use this psychological effect in your copy (with examples for each):
(1) Limited Edition Releases:
Regularly updating your product line or content can keep your audience engaged. Even small changes or improvements can be marketed as novel and exciting.
Example:
Starbucks is well-known for its seasonal and limited edition offerings.
Their most famous example is the "Pumpkin Spice Latte."
It generates significant buzz every year. The limited availability of this product creates a sense of urgency and novelty among consumers, driving sales and engagement each year.
It also gives them a new copywriting angle to play around with each Fall.
💥 How you can take action: Create a limited-edition version of your product or service.
(2) Weekly Features or Updates:
When a consumer comes to expect weekly changes, it adds an element of scarcity to the current state and creates excitement for the next week.
Example:
I use this tactic every week in a few places for this newsletter.
In the intro:
In the review section:
Nobody is reading this newsletter every week for these two sections, but it adds a small piece of entertainment value that is more engaging than most newsletters.
💥 How to take action: Create a weekly marketing campaign that engages readers.
(3) Leverage Storytelling:
Even if you can’t launch new products or make weekly changes, presenting it through a fresh narrative can make it feel novel to the audience.
Example:
Apple's "Shot on iPhone" campaign is a perfect example of using storytelling to present a familiar product in a new light.
Everybody knows Apple has the best smartphone on the market (sorry Android fans).
So Apple shifted their focus to marketing its camera capabilities. Through this campaign, they showcased stunning photographs and videos taken by real iPhone users from around the world.
This approach achieved several things:
Reframed the product: It positioned the iPhone not just as a phone, but as a high-quality camera accessible to everyone.
Emotional connection: By featuring real-life moments captured by users, Apple created an emotional narrative around the product.
Community involvement: Encouraging users to share their own "Shot on iPhone" moments, Apple fostered a sense of community and engagement.
💥 How to take action: Identify a new narrative that your customers can rally behind and get them involved with the campaign.
💡 Bottom line: Even though the core value props for your product or service may rarely change, you should still try to keep things fresh and take advantage of The Novelty Effect.
Top Finds This Week:
📖 Storytelling: How to tell a great story with Disney’s 7-sentence Story Structure: (link)
💪 Writing Exercise: Quick humor trick to improve your writing — use the sneaky 3 method: (link)
🖼 Frameworks: Use these 8 viral hook frameworks from YouTube to write headlines for your content: (link)
📜 Principles: Write headlines not headings: (link)
✍️ Write On: Never use two words when one will do: (link)
Last, but not least…
I wouldn’t be able to call myself an email marketing professional if I didn’t launch my own Black Friday deal this weekend.
So be on the lookout for a special deal on my course, The Storywriting Playbook.
More details to come…
Cheers,
P.S. Meme for your thoughts?
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