You always want your reader to think you’re just like them. Someone who worries about the same things… Faces the same daily struggles… And heck, even watches the same TV shows and shares the same worldview. Because the more you can mirror your reader… The more relatable your emails and sales pages will be. So […]
How to Make Science Interesting
In science class at school… All I ever wanted was to see things explode. But mixing sulphuric acid with baking soda only ever happened once in chemistry class. Then it was back to studying the periodic table… And calculating the speed of waves nobody could see. BORING! Well, guess what… Readers feel the same way […]
Give Your Hero a Flaw
He wasn’t always the world’s most powerful superhero… There was a time when his popularity took a dip. Fans had lost interest. He was too perfect. Too boring. Too stale. Nobody thought he’d ever lose. And so, people stopped wanting to hear about his tales. So you know what the writers did? They created Kryptonite. […]
Give Your Stories a Ticking Clock to Raise the Stakes and Build Momentum
It would be “like killing Tony Soprano.” Series suicide, in other words. No, I’m not talking about the ending of the Sopranos… I’m talking about the show “24”. Because when it was suggested to one of “24’s” writers that they remove the pounding timer… His verdict was they may as well put a bullet through […]
Conflict Makes Heroes More Human
Seeing his parents shot dead in front of him wasn’t enough. He still had to endure years of nightmares and wracking guilt… He had to train himself to a near superhuman level… And prowl the mean city streets looking for trouble… Before he could become one of the world’s most popular superheroes… BATMAN. Because here’s […]
To Write Great Leads Combine the Drama of a Soap Opera with Emotional Loss
“Dr. Lee, how bad is it this time?” “It’s not good, his heart just can’t support his weight.” Near death story leads like this are all the rage in supplements world. And for good reason. “People are bored shitless” (to quote John Carlton)… And opening your sales letter with a dramatic moment can reel in […]
HIPS – A Simple Storytelling Formula
You hear all the time that the best way to sell is with stories. They’re instantly engaging and people think they’re being entertained, rather than sold to, and their cloak of cynicism is temporarily lowered. But how do you write them? That’s the tricky part. A good place to look for inspiration is forums and […]