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Welcome to the 70th issue of Write On!
The newsletter that CAN believe it’s not butter.
In today’s issue I’ll be covering:
Finally, newsletter advertising at scale
Make your readers nod along - not nod off
Plus, even more copywriting tactics
Estimated read time: 1 minute 49 seconds
Scalable newsletter advertising, with the beehiiv Ad Network.
The beehiiv Ad Network delivers over a billion impressions a month across thousands of the world's top newsletters, all paid on performance.
Our managed service enables you to unlock newsletters as a growth channel without the added time.
Make your readers nod along - not nod off:
There’s an old sales tactic called the “foot-in-the-door technique,” where a salesperson secures a few small yeses before they make their final pitch.
These small yeses prime the prospect to say “yes” to that final pitch (it’s been scientifically proven to work).
Even if you’ve never heard of that sales technique, you’ve probably played this prank on a friend that uses a similar concept…
The prank: You ask your friend a series of rapid-fire questions and then trick them on the last question before they even have a chance to think:
“Is your name, Joe?”
“Yes”
“Do you live in NY?”
“Yes”
“Do you have any siblings?”
“Yes”
“Do you enjoy playing golf?”
“Yes”
“Do you know your ABCs?”
“Yes”
“Do you have $20 I could borrow?”
“Yes… oh wait… ughh…”
The “foot-in-the-door” tactic also works in your copywriting.
And it doesn’t need to be as obvious as asking “yes or no” questions.
You just need to get your reader nodding along as they read your copy.
Here’s an example:
Let’s say I wanted to sell you a new pair of sneakers. If I was using “the-foot-in-the-door” tactic, my copy might include sentences like this:
“There’s nothing worse than getting sore feet from a pair of rundown, old shoes.”
The reader thinks: “Yes, that is the worst.”
“It’s sad to see one of your favorite pairs of sneakers reach the end of their life.”
The reader thinks: “Yes, that is sad.”
“Everybody loves that feeling of walking around in a pair of fresh, new sneakers with no scuff marks, stains, or dirt on them.”
The reader thinks: “Yes, that is a good feeling.”
These thoughts go in and out of your reader’s head in a fraction of a second, but they add up and build a positive association with your product.
That’s one reason why landing pages and email marketing can effectively convert prospects into customers — they allow you to rack up yeses before asking for the sale.
💥 How to take action: The next time you’re writing copy, picture your reader nodding along as they read. If you get more yeses before your big ask, you’ll have a better shot of getting the conversion.
That’s all for this week! See you next Wednesday.
Cheers,
Joe
Want more copywriting tactics?
I’ve got you covered.
Sell with stories: Write your first story email that sells when you take my FREE 3-day email course: (Click here to start)
Never stare at a blank page again: Download my FREE ebook with my top 15 copywriting frameworks: (Download for free)
Become a copywriting jedi: Learn how to master buyer psychology with these 52 copywriting psychology tips: (Click here to view)