At the recent Natural Health Expo, a client and I were talking about successful marketing, and the topic came up about how important is it to “have a story.”
You can have the greatest product or service, but if you don’t have a “story” about it—a story that’s unique, quirky, controversial or attention-getting—nobody will care or buy.
Take the Amish people. You may have seen the full page ads in newspapers offering a “FREE Miracle Heater” if you buy a handmade Amish mantle made from real wood.
You can have the greatest product or service, but if you don’t have a “story” about it—a story that’s unique, quirky, controversial or attention-getting—nobody will care or buy.
Take the Amish people. You may have seen the full page ads in newspapers offering a “FREE Miracle Heater” if you buy a handmade Amish mantle made from real wood.
Miracle heater ads with handmade Amish mantles have been hugely successful.
The ad even shows a barn where these handmade mantles are made.
Hmmm… a “FREE” heater inside a beautiful Amish fireplace—sounds good right?
Well, I’ve heard from a very reliable source that these have sold like hotcakes—only these sell for about $300 a pop!
This company had a product and created a story to sell it—and people have responded like crazy.
But imagine if the fireplace mantles were built by craftsmen who lived…outside to Topeka, Kansas…or Carson, California…or Atlanta, Georgia. Not much of a story there.
Yet the idea of a handcrafted mantled created by Amish woodworkers …wow…that sounds so authentic, so solid, so beautiful, so long lasting.
Of course you need a great story to sell tons of a product.
Take for example a launch package I wrote for a new breakthrough CoEnzyme Q10 supplement.
The “story” that made this a blockbuster was two fold: One, most typical CoQ10 formulas were hard to digest and therefore worthless and two, a new, scientifically proven form of CoQ10 was three times more bioavailable and therefore three times more powerful.
It was a story based in science and technology, combined with the appeal of a safe, all-natural supplement for strengthening the heart, for keeping blood pressure and cholesterol healthy, for supporting a sound immune system and for flooding the body with natural energy.
Hmmm… a “FREE” heater inside a beautiful Amish fireplace—sounds good right?
Well, I’ve heard from a very reliable source that these have sold like hotcakes—only these sell for about $300 a pop!
This company had a product and created a story to sell it—and people have responded like crazy.
But imagine if the fireplace mantles were built by craftsmen who lived…outside to Topeka, Kansas…or Carson, California…or Atlanta, Georgia. Not much of a story there.
Yet the idea of a handcrafted mantled created by Amish woodworkers …wow…that sounds so authentic, so solid, so beautiful, so long lasting.
Of course you need a great story to sell tons of a product.
Take for example a launch package I wrote for a new breakthrough CoEnzyme Q10 supplement.
The “story” that made this a blockbuster was two fold: One, most typical CoQ10 formulas were hard to digest and therefore worthless and two, a new, scientifically proven form of CoQ10 was three times more bioavailable and therefore three times more powerful.
It was a story based in science and technology, combined with the appeal of a safe, all-natural supplement for strengthening the heart, for keeping blood pressure and cholesterol healthy, for supporting a sound immune system and for flooding the body with natural energy.
The cover drew prospects in with “the truth” angle—like something was being covered-up.
The piece was a runaway success!
One of the greatest challenges as a copywriter and creative director is seeing if I have a “story” that grabs readers. If I do, it can shape the whole piece and make it a big, big winner.
The piece was a runaway success!
One of the greatest challenges as a copywriter and creative director is seeing if I have a “story” that grabs readers. If I do, it can shape the whole piece and make it a big, big winner.
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