Nicolas Cole presents a short YouTube monologue arguing that most copy uses vague, intangible promises (e.g., “make more money”) which cause readers to tune out. He advises converting broad intangibles into concrete, specific claims to capture attention — e.g., replacing “make more money” with “make $100,000 per year, your second year out of college.”
I have read every single book on copywriting that exists, and none of them talk about this secret copywriting technique. If you look closely, everyone talks in what I like to call intangibles. So I will help you make more money, or I will help you live a healthier life, or I will help you retire early. And if you notice, even if you're interested in making more money or living a healthier life, when you hear broad statements like these, you sort of tune them out. Your eyes glaze over. You've heard these things a million times. So how do we engage the target reader or the listener or customer when they're tired of hearing the same old thing? We have to make these broad intangible statements tangible. So let's use I will help you make more money. For example, can you hold more money? Of course not. More is intangible. You can't measure it. You can't touch it. So how do we make it tangible? Well, we have to get more specific. I will help you make $100,000 per year. Your second year out of college. Whoa. All of a sudden, we are listening. We care. And the reason is because you can't hold. Hold more money, but you can hold $100,000. This copywriting secret is something that never gets talked about, but once you see it, you can't unsee it. The world speaks in intangibles, which means if you want your messaging to stand out, all you have to do is take a big, broad statement that causes people's eyes to glaze over and make it tangible.
What Every Writer Gets Wrong About Their Audience #writing #creator #writingtips
