La Vie Ben Rose: B2B SaaS Messaging

1.

Review mining is one of the best ways to capture the voice of the customer. Learn the voice of the customer, learn how they talk and feel.

And watch conversions soar.

2.

You don’t need cookie-cutter copywriting. The first line is just a people-pleaser.

The second line gives you a specific idea. It paints a picture in the reader’s mind.

3.

The Rule of One in copywriting is essential because it keeps you focused.

You have one promise, one reader, one offer, and one call to action.

4.

Don’t talk about schools.

Talk about the emotional outcome - helping kids be kids.

5.

Call out who you’re helping, especially if your audience isn’t aware of your brand.

It’s a simple tactic that’s often overlooked.

6.

Bullets or fascinations are something that makes it about the reader. It makes them curious to learn more.

And adding “you” words makes it about them.

7.

People don’t care about your technology.

They care about what problem you’re solving for them.

8.

Adding parenthesis or a little note to your message can make it feel more conversational.

It’s conversational copywriting while not getting too conversational. Talk to the reader, not at them.

9.

I really don’t like the line “you deserve” in headlines or copywriting. It’s overdone.

Honest copywriting is the best kind of copywriting.

10.

Don’t tell people what product they get.

Tell them what outcome they get.

11.

Empathetic copywriting makes the reader feel understood. Yes, talking about the benefits helps.

But you should also meet the reader where they are at.

12.

This example clearly illustrates how to make your copywriting clear and create a structure that creates flow.

You don’t need to be complex. You just need to be clear.

13.

This is another example of review mining. Whenever I do research, I look at hundreds of reviews and put them in AI, and it tells me what themes and sentences are most commonly used.

This is a practical example of how to think like your customer.

14.

The first headline sounds promising and all fluffy duffy. But it’s exactly that - fluff.

Tell the reader exactly what you offer. Make that promise clear.

15.

This is an example of talking to the right audience with the right emotion. Not every hospital or healthcare system is the same. Not all patients are the same.

Think about how they feel. Think about what transformation they want.

If you enjoyed this newsletter, share it with a friend, a neighbor, or a random stranger.

P.S. Refer a friend and become the ultimate leader of referrals!

2025 Year In Review for Ben Watkins

Benjamin Watkins — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 21:30:50 GMT

Hi, I’m Ben Watkins 👋 Thanks for joining another edition of La Vie Ben Rose. Every week, I unravel messaging and positioning systems around B2B healthcare SaaS.

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2025 was about having the confidence to get rejected as much as it was to test new offers.

It was about putting myself out there regardless of the outcome.

The biggest highlights in 2025 were:

- Doing so much more positioning work for B2B healthcare
- Getting better at outbound, especially on LinkedIn
- Having the confidence to launch a new positioning offer
- Actually buckling down and implementing systems (and sticking with them)

I also worked with the awesome Darren McKee and Ken Yarmosh on all things sales, LinkedIn, and actually building a solo business with the right systems and processes.

I’ve also doubled down on connecting with healthcare folks in Slack groups like Health Tech Nerds.

While I adopted a lot of things into my business, I actually decided to delete email from my phone, and it’s been a game-changer. I was checking it every 5 minutes.

I have to remind myself that the business I’m building means to give myself grace whenever I’m stuck or not going as fast as possible.

I get a lot of opportunities that I actually need to take more advantage of, even if it means slowing down. The world won’t end. It means random 2 pm bike rides with the kids, rewatching Stranger Things at lunch break, or just pausing to slow down for a minute.

I get to work with awesome clients. I get to build a business that affords me so many opportunities.

2026 is about building that confidence, doing more positioning workshops with emails and landing pages that showcase it, going to an in-person conference, and meeting more awesome people (while drinking more coffee and eating more toffee).

If you want to work together on your brand’s positioning (especially around decks, emails, and landing pages), shoot me a message!

That’s it for today, folks!

Ben Watkins

5 Random Experiments I Tried as an Entrepreneur In 2025

Benjamin Watkins — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 13:03:27 GMT

Hi, I’m Ben Watkins 👋 Thanks for joining another edition of La Vie Ben Rose. Every week, I unravel copywriting, messaging, and positioning systems for B2B healthcare, SaaS, and AI companies.

Gumroad resources

“It’s never too late to become who you want to be. I hope you live a life that you’re proud of, and if you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start over.”

— F. Scott Fitzgerald

2025 has only a few more months, and I’m already thinking of what 2026 holds like an overly ambitious entrepreneur who’s thinking way too far ahead.

Part of that ambitious plan is looking at this past year and thinking about all the experiments I’ve tried, like relaunching a new Star Wars trilogy, hoping it’s good, but it’s actually overly ambitious (granted, it’s still ambitious and decent).

So, let’s take a walk down memory lane and see what experiments I’ve tried in 2025.

1. Doubling Down As a Positioning Consultant

Copywriting is where I’ve built my name. And I love everything about copywriting, from emails to landing pages to websites.

But the more I’ve worked with clients, the more I’ve helped with positioning.

Because you can have the greatest copywriting in the world, but it won’t save bad positioning. You have to know your place in the market, how you’re different from your competition, and how to align your team to get sales cycles sped up.

Now, I’m doing positioning workshops for B2B healthcare and SaaS teams that want to know how they can stand out.

And it’s amazing.

2. Testing Out Gumroad

Gumroad is a course-creating platform that I switched to this year because I was losing lots of $$$ from Circle, which is mostly focused on building a community.

I can’t say yet if Gumroad is a success. But I’m testing it out with paid resources and materials I’ve created.

Granted, it’s a much lower price because there’s no video, but it’s a great way to see if anyone wants my forbidden knowledge around copywriting or freelancing.

I’ll continue to test on Gumroad because there’s hardly any risk, if any, because they don’t charge a huge monthly premium fee like Circle.

Throw up your knowledge and see if anyone wants to pay for it.

3. Testing a Lot of Offers

One of the hardest things about building a business is staying disciplined to know what you offer and who you offer it to.

The hard part is looking at all the shiny pennies that come your way and distract you from the main thing.

That’s one of the reasons I created unique offers for my audience, whether it’s consulting, copywriting, or positioning. I’m giving my B2B audience choices that make sense to them.

I’ve always hated the idea of closing the door on an opportunity because I didn’t know how to frame my offers.

I’m getting much better at that.

4. Shooting Your Shot to Whoever and Following Up Later With Another Shot

I’m a firm believer in shooting your shot.

You get rejected? Who cares. There are millions of companies and even more people who would like to work with you.

This year, I doubled down on figuring out how to shoot my shot. That meant avoiding distractions from the “maybes.” It meant not sulking in the “almost yeses.”

I need to focus my energy on people who actually want to work with me. Focus my energy on companies that actually want to work with me.

5. Embracing How Bad I am at Video

I’m happy to say I’ve grown to 19k followers on LinkedIn without using many videos.

I’m also happy to report that I have 52 YouTube subscribers and 32 TikTok followers. Simply because I keep trying to tell nonsense jokes and lean into humor or switch to talking head about copywriting and positioning.

Whatever I choose, I need to be consistent about what I want to talk about, regardless of how boring it is. I mean, Star Wars Episode IV was kinda boring, but there’s an audience that still loves it.

Just because my material around positioning and copywriting is kinda boring, it doesn’t mean I shouldn’t do it.

I just gotta find the right way to do it.

Keep Building and Creating Systems

One thing I haven’t talked much about is AI and systems I’m building with it.

And that’s just it, I haven’t created much system with it besides helping me create projects, do awesome research, and spit out yucky copywriting drafts that I have to transform into art.

I love AI, but I’m often finding that I have to double back to do the work twice as much to get where I’m going. Although… I do love ClaudeCode and Perplexity Pro.

This year has been full of growth and building. And I have to remind myself that growth is still growth, even if you’re not where you want to be, because everything takes time.

Building a business takes time. Doing great work takes time. Iteration takes time.

That’s the journey I’m going to be on for a long time.

Check Out My Gumroad Copywriting Resources

Lost In Translation: From Positioning to Messaging

Benjamin Watkins — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 13:09:23 GMT

Hi, I’m Ben Watkins 👋 Thanks for joining another edition of La Vie Ben Rose. Every week, I unravel messaging and positioning systems around B2B, so you can grow faster and smarter (and earn more green).

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I’ve seen it happen a lot.

A company goes through a positioning exercise (yay!). The team finally nails it. Crystal clear differentiated value. Sharp competitive alternatives. Obvious target market.

Everyone leaves the workshop with the energy of the Resistance after being knocked down in Star Wars.

Months later, I visit their website and check on the team.

The positioning is… poof. Gone.

It’s actually been softened and generalized. The sales deck tells a different story from the website. The demand gen emails sound like they’re selling a different product. The content team is writing blog posts about topics that have nothing to do with the positioning.

What happened?

The company discovered what I call the Translation Gap. It’s the space between having clear positioning and actually turning it into consistent messaging that lives and breathes across every customer touchpoint.

And it’s where most B2B positioning goes to die.

The Telephone Game Nobody Wants to Admit They’re Playing (But We Know You Are)

Here’s how positioning typically gets watered down:

The executive team and product marketing nail the positioning in a strategy document. That document gets summarized for the content team. The content team interprets it and creates some messaging guidelines. The demand gen team takes those guidelines and writes campaigns.

The sales team reads the campaigns and adapts them for their own conversations. The customer success team hears what sales is saying and creates their own version for onboarding.

At each step, the positioning shifts slightly.

Not intentionally. Everyone thinks they’re staying true to it. But without a translation framework, you end up with five different versions of “who you are” in the market.

I told you it’s a telephone.

For example, I worked with a company that positioned itself as “the only solution built specifically for healthcare services compliance teams managing multiple regulatory frameworks.”

Tight positioning. Clear differentiated value.

Six months later:

Their website said they were “the modern compliance solution”
Sales was pitching them as “easier than the legacy vendors”
Content was writing about “digital transformation in healthcare services”
Demand gen emails talked about “streamlining compliance workflows”

None of these were wrong, exactly. But it’s not what the positioning was designed to help them with.

They weren’t the same thing. And more importantly, none of them communicated the specific, differentiated value that made them unique to their buyers.

Why Smart People Water Down Good Positioning

The watering down isn’t random. I see the same patterns repeat over and over again:

1. The Fear of Being Too Narrow

Maybe someone on the team gets nervous.

“But we can also help insurance companies. And we’re not ONLY for teams managing multiple frameworks. We can help with single frameworks too. Shouldn’t we say that?”

So the positioning gets a bit changed.

“For compliance teams” becomes “for compliance and risk management.” “Multiple regulatory frameworks” become “regulatory challenges.”

Before you know it, you’re back to generic wonkyness.

Here’s what teams forget: positioning isn’t about who CAN use your product. It’s about who you’re BEST for.

The narrower and more specific you are, the more those ideal customers feel like you built the product specifically for them.

2. The Approval Gauntlet

Every stakeholder wants their fingerprints on the messaging.

The CEO wants to sound visionary. The CFO wants to emphasize ROI. Product wants to list features. Sales wants to handle every possible objection upfront. Legal wants to add disclaimers.

By the time everyone’s had their say, your sharp positioning has been sanded down to something inoffensive enough that nobody objects to it.

And nobody gets excited about it either.

3. The Adaptation Excuse

“Well, that positioning works for the website, but LinkedIn is different. We need to be more casual there.”

“That’s fine for enterprise buyers, but SMB customers need simpler language.”

“Sales needs more flexibility to adapt to each situation.”

Sure, you adapt tone and format for different channels. But your core differentiated value shouldn’t change.

If it does, you don’t have positioning. You have a vague direction that everyone interprets differently.

4. The Gradual Drift

This one’s insidious (worse than the movie) because nobody decides to water down the positioning. It just happens over time.

New team members join who weren’t in the original positioning workshops. They read the messaging docs but don’t deeply understand the strategic choices behind them. They create new content that sounds “close enough” but gradually drifts from the core.

That’s why everyone needs to be on board.

A year later, you’re back where you started.

Generic. Forgettable. Sounding like everyone else.

Positioning, Messaging, Copy: Know the Difference

Part of the problem is that teams conflate three different things:

Positioning is a strategic superpower. It’s your answer to: What do we do, who do we do it for, what alternatives exist, what makes us different, and what value do we deliver that nobody else can?

Positioning lives in a strategy document. Most customers never see it directly.

Messaging is how you communicate your positioning. It’s the translation layer between strategy and words on a page. Messaging includes your value propositions, your proof points, and your key messages for different audiences.

It’s still strategic, but it’s starting to look like language customers will actually encounter.

Copy is the actual words in your ads, on your website, in your emails. It’s messaging adapted for a specific channel, audience, and context, with the right tone and format.

Most teams skip the messaging layer entirely.

They jump straight from positioning to copy. That’s why positioning gets watered down. There’s no rigorous translation framework in the middle.

The Message Architecture You Actually Need

If positioning is your foundation and copy is your house, messaging is the architectural blueprint.

Here’s how I think about building it:

Level 1: Core Positioning Pillars (Strategic)

These come directly from your positioning work:

Who you’re for (target market)
What you replace (competitive alternatives)
What makes you different (unique capabilities)
What value does that difference deliver (differentiated value)

This is your North Star. It doesn’t change unless your fundamental positioning changes.

Level 2: Value Themes

These are the 3-5 big value themes that emerge from your differentiated value. They’re still strategic, but they’re starting to sound like things you might actually say to a customer.

For example, that healthcare services compliance company might have value themes like:

“Built for the complexity of multiple frameworks, not retrofitted for it”
“Stop wasting resources on manual cross-framework coordination”
“Regulatory changes don’t slow you down”

Notice these aren’t taglines or ad copy. They’re strategic themes that will inform dozens of pieces of actual messaging.

Level 3: Proof Points (Tactical)

For each value theme, you need proof. This is where you get specific:

Customer evidence (”3 of the top 5 global healthcare systems use us”)
Product capabilities (”Real-time regulatory change monitoring across 47 frameworks”)
Metrics (”Teams spend 70% less time on compliance coordination”)

Level 4: Messaging for Different Contexts (Tactical)

Now you can create specific messages for different uses:

Homepage hero message
Sales pitch opening
Email campaigns
Demo opening statement

All of these should ladder up to your value themes, which ladder up to your positioning. But they’re adapted for their specific context.

The key is that when someone on your team needs to write something new, they don’t go back to the positioning document and interpret it fresh.

They work from the messaging architecture, which has already done the hard work of translating positioning into usable messages.

And that is so KEY.

The Consistency System That Actually Works

Having a message architecture isn’t enough if nobody uses it.

Here’s what I’ve seen work:

1. Create a Messaging Source of Truth

One document (or Notion page, or Confluence space) that contains:

Your core positioning (one page max)
Your value themes with proof points
Approved messages for common contexts
Examples of good/bad applications

Critically: this document is maintained by ONE person or team.

2. Make It Usable, Not Just Correct

I’ve seen beautiful 40-page messaging guides that nobody uses because they’re too complicated (and wayyyy too long).

Your messaging architecture should be something someone can skim in five minutes and immediately know:

What to say
What not to say
Where to find examples

If your sales team can’t quickly find the right message for their pitch, they’ll make up their own. If your content writer can’t easily see which topics align with positioning, they’ll write about whatever seems interesting.

3. Review, Don’t Guard It With Your LIfe

Some companies try to run every piece of copy through an approval process to ensure consistency.

This doesn’t scale, and it kills creativity.

Instead, do regular reviews. Once a month, the positioning owner reviews a sample of what went out. Website updates. Email campaigns. Sales decks. Blog posts.

When something drifts from the positioning, they don’t punish the person who created it. They use it as a teaching moment and update the messaging guide if needed.

4. Onboard Everyone on the “Why”

New team members need more than the messaging guide.

They need to understand the strategic choices behind the positioning:

Why this target market and not others?
Why these competitors and not others?
Why these capabilities matter?
Why this differentiated value resonates?

When people understand the “why,” they make better decisions about messaging, even in contexts you haven’t explicitly covered in your guide.

The Drift Test

Here’s how you know if your positioning is staying consistent or drifting:

Take five random pieces of customer-facing content from the last month. Could be a sales email, a LinkedIn post, a website page update, a blog post, and a demo recording.

Show them to someone who knows your positioning well but wasn’t involved in creating these pieces.

Ask them: “Do all of these communicate the same core positioning?”

If the answer is no, you have drift.

Then ask: “Could you tell what we’re differentiated on from each of these?”

If the answer is no, you’re not just drifting. You’ve lost the plot entirely.

Do this exercise quarterly. It’s uncomfortable like it should be, but it’s the only way to catch drift before it becomes the death of you.

The Real Reason This Matters

I sometimes hear: “Does this really matter? Customers don’t analyze our messaging across channels. They just see one piece at a time.”

Two responses to this:

First, customers see more of your messaging than you think. They hit your website, read your emails, talk to sales, see your LinkedIn posts, read your case studies.

If each of these communicates something different, the customer never develops a clear understanding of who you are and why you’re different.

Confusion doesn’t convert.

Second (and this is the one teams underestimate) this isn’t just about customers. It’s about your team.

When your team doesn’t have consistent messaging:

Sales doesn’t know what to emphasize, so they emphasize everything (which is nothing)
Product doesn’t know what to build next because there’s no clear strategy of what customers love the most
Marketing doesn’t know what campaigns to run to create demand
Customer success doesn’t know what value to reinforce

Your positioning, translated into consistent messaging, is how your entire company understands what you’re trying to be in market.

Lose that consistency, and you lose strategic alignment.

Start With One Thing

If your positioning has been watered down and you want to fix it, don’t try to overhaul everything at once.

Start with one high-leverage touchpoint.

For most B2B companies, that’s either:

Your homepage (because everyone sees it)
Your sales deck (because it’s the backbone of revenue)

Get that one thing right. Make sure it clearly communicates your positioning. Who you’re for, what makes you different, what value that delivers.

Then use that as your reference point.

When someone creates something new, the question is: “Does this sound like we’re the same company as the homepage/sales deck?”

Gradually, you expand from that anchoring piece to other touchpoints.

You Know Your Positioning is Working When...

You’ll know your positioning-to-messaging translation is working when:

New team members can articulate your differentiation after a week. They don’t need to have been there for the original positioning work. The messaging is clear enough that they get it quickly.

Your sales team pitches the same core story. Not word-for-word (that would be weird), but the structure is the same. Same target customer. Same competitors. Same differentiators. Same value.

Customer calls feel like continuations, not contradictions. When a prospect talks to sales after reading your website, they’re saying “tell me more about X” not “wait, I thought you did Y.”

You can predict what to say in new situations. When a new channel emerges or a new campaign needs messaging, the team doesn’t have to start from scratch or make it up. The positioning → messaging architecture makes it obvious what to say.

Competitors can’t ignore you. When your positioning is consistent and differentiated, competitors have to respond to it. They start positioning against you.

That’s when you know it’s working.

The Real Battle of Positioning and Messaging

Having great positioning is only half the battle.

Maybe less than half.

The real work is building the translation layer. The messaging architecture. The thing that keeps your positioning alive and consistent as it scales across your team and channels.

Without that translation layer, even the sharpest positioning gets watered down, genericized, and eventually forgotten.

With it, your positioning becomes durable. It shapes everything your company says and does. It becomes the throughline that makes you recognizable, differentiated, and valuable in the market.

The companies that win don’t just have good positioning.

They have positioning that empowers your messaging and your copywriting.

Thanks for reading!

Ben Watkins

Emotional Power: How to Get Your B2B Audience to Feel Your Messaging and Positioning

Benjamin Watkins — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 12:58:30 GMT

Sell with emotion and justify with logic. The legendary copywriter, Joseph Sugarman, said something along those lines.

And it’s truer than ever, especially when it comes to B2B healthcare and SaaS. Just because you’re selling to C-Suite leaders doesn’t mean they are heartless souls that are only sold through features.

Everyone is an emotional buyer.

It’s your job as the marketer, sales rep, or even product marketer to learn about those emotional triggers.

There’s a desire behind every buyer. It’s your job to find it.

Most Healthcare Messaging Is Emotionally Emotionless

I get it. You get it. We all get it.

You’ve suppressed your emotions because you don’t like to show people your feelings. The real you. But you need to get past this emotional trauma to write emotionally riveting good messaging and copywriting.

You need to get inside the mind of your buyer (inception style - not actually).

How do you do that?

Glad you asked.

Identify the voice of your customer (the “OH YA I WOULD LOVE THAT” moment)

If you want to stop guessing and stop writing stuff your CEO wants you to write and sell more stuff, you need to listen to your customers.

Listen to the sales calls. Pull out the surveys you’ve been sending. And listen to your audience. Find out what stage of awareness they are. Figure out how aware they are of the problem they have.

Listen to what competitors they mention and why they CHOSE YOU.

Now mirror that language

Good messaging is the foundation of good copywriting. It tells copywriting what to write and what to stay away from. That brand messaging is like a fairy godmother that sits on your shoulder and tells you where to go.

And all of that is built on knowing your audience. Brand messaging is built on knowing how your audience feeeeeels about your product.

You listen over and over and over again.

And you mirror that language in your messaging and your copywriting to your landing pages and emails and ads.

When your audience sees that language returned asunder, they feel heard and seen.

Take that emotional pain and show how you can escape it

“…burnout leads to higher turnover, slower throughput, and lower patient satisfaction. All of which reduces revenue per clinician.”

Now you’re talking the lingo of CFOs, COOs, and CMOs. What they care about in B2B healthcare.

And then you get even more specific:

“Our platform reduces documentation time by 40%, increasing throughput and clinician retention, saving $1.2M annually per facility.”

You’re creating the bridge to terahealthia or B2B healthcare. Think of it like this: a human problem you learn by listening → an operational metric that your audience cares about → show the economic revenue impact

It starts with emotion, then bridges to value, and eventually ends on credibility.

That’s when you win over and over again.

Cheers!

Ben Watkins

Why James Clear's Writing Has Attracted Over 10 Million Readers

Benjamin Watkins — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 14:24:21 GMT

Hi, I’m Ben Watkins 👋 Thanks for joining another edition of La Vie Ben Rose. Every week, I unravel copywriting and positioning examples from the most recognized brands.

Here’s an example of how he does it in this article.

If I said James Clear, you’d probably think of one word - Habits.

It’s because he’s written the most popular book on planet Earth in the last ten years - Atomic Habits. Even animals are trying to read this book to improve their habits.

But I don’t want to talk about habits. I want to discuss James Clear's writing style in all his articles. I mean, over 10 million website visitors come to his site!

Sure, his book helps. But he already had a massive audience before that.

Breaking Down the Writing Style of James Clear

Mr. Clear has written over 200 articles on productivity, habits, thinking, and habits (did I mention he’s the habits guy?).

But what was his writing style that made it so effective? He has 10 million website visitors and 3 million newsletter subscribers.

Let’s put on our thinking caps and find out.

How to Write Headlines That Get People to Read

James Clear’s articles avoid a few things that modern internet articles always do:

You have no idea how long the article will be (no word count or how long to read time count).
There is no social proof, comments, or indication that the article is popular. You have to choose based on your interest.

His secret to getting readers to click is through powerful promises.

Make a Promise. Add Strong Adjectives to Make It Stronger

Clear’s articles nearly all have a promise to the reader. He tells the reader what they are going to glean from it.

The key to making it more compelling is adding adjectives. It’s not just the path. It’s the proven path.

Made by Benjamin Watkins in Figma

Here are a few examples. He describes what kind of productivity hacks and ideas, making the title more compelling.

It’s no BuzzFeed headline, but it’s compelling to the reader. You don’t need clickbait titles.

You need to make a promise and describe that promise with clarity.

Made by Benjamin Watkins in Figma

How to Write Compelling Headlines

If you want to write compelling headlines, you should follow a similar framework that James Clear employs:

The [Strategy] to Achieving [Strong Adjective] [Outcome] The Proven Path to Doing Unique and Meaningful Work
How [Strong Adjective] [Outcome] [Process] - How Innovative Ideas Arise,
How [Authority] Achieve [Outcome] How Experts Figure What to Focus On
The Surprising Benefits of [Simple Process] The Surprising Benefits of Journaling One Sentence Every Day

Every James Clear Article Begins With a Compelling Hook

After the headline, we have the introduction of an article, where James Clear does nearly the same thing in every article.

He hooks the reader with either:

An anecdote (story)
A surprising fact
A thought-provoking question or opinion on a problem

These are a great way to hook the reader’s attention because people are naturally and psychologically drawn to stories, surprising facts, and strong opinions.

In this example, we see how he hooks the reader with an anecdote or story that leads to the topic he’s writing about.

He begins with a story of a character and where they are at.

“Bronnie Ware is a nurse in Australia.”

Made by Benjamin Watkins in Figma

Here’s another example. In this instance, he leads with a problem and then a story.

Problem 👉 Solution 👉 Story to Reinforce Solution.

Made by Benjamin Watkins in Figma

Here’s another example of an article where he leads with a problem and then transitions into the solution with a story.

Again the same pattern - Problem 👉 Solution 👉 Story to Reinforce Solution

Made by Benjamin Watkins in Figma

Here’s one last example of how he dives into the story.

All the reader needs to know is the scene and how it relates to his explanation of the Helsinki Bus Station Theory.

Made by Benjamin Watkins in Figma

How to Write a Powerful Introduction In Your Essays

Essay introductions are your chance to hook the reader. If you want to follow James Clear’s approach, do this:

Introduce the problem in the first sentence.
Lead with a date and a character in your stories
Make sure the reader understands the point of your story early on

How to Structure Your Articles

How you structure your articles is everything to your readers. It’s not random. There’s a method to every madness.

For James Clear, he structures his articles differently. But in many of his articles and my personal favorite approach, is to do it this way.

Hook (story, opinion, question or fact) that focuses on a problem
State the old way
State the new way
Reinforce the position of the new way

Made by Benjamin Watkins in Figma

The Structure of His Sentences

I get tired of the same old writing advice, “Your writing should be simple. Your writing should be clear.” That age-old wisdom is like telling someone that they cook better.

Telling is not showing.

James Clear’s writing follows an approach that makes reading his work feel effortless. He not only has short sentences, but very rarely is there multiple commas. It always follows this pattern:

Subject-verb-object
Subject-verb -complement

There are no passive sentences. There are no wordy sentences. It’s clean as a whistle in a sentency kind of way.

Here’s one more example of this paragraph and how it’s broken down. It’s conversational. It’s easy to understand.

Made by Benjamin Watkins in Figma

The Goal Is to Write So the Reader Understands Your Ideas

Writing with style and clarity takes practice and effort. You have to know what you’re trying to say and how you will say it.

James Clear is known as the habit guy, but he’s also a writer who makes everything digestible without making you feel like you’re reading another boring productivity article.

Also, it’s worth noting that you don’t need to study grammar to be a better writer - Hint: it actually makes you a worse writer.

You only need to read and write a lot.

More importantly, find a subject you care about. Go to war with that subject because you want your readers to see how victorious you are with it. When you do that, your writing is so much easier. Everything is easier.

James Clear knows a lot about habits. But he also knows a lot about writing because he’s done a lot of it.

When you're ready, here are a few ways I can help you 👇

If you enjoyed this newsletter, share it with a friend, a neighbor, or a stranger.

Thanks for reading!

Ben Watkins

Why Humor Is One of the Best Copywriting Techniques

Benjamin Watkins — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 14:25:17 GMT

Hi, I’m Ben Watkins 👋 Thanks for joining another edition of La Vie Ben Rose. Every week, I unravel copywriting examples from the most recognized brands.

Copywriting is about persuading your audience to take action.

There are different means to achieving that goal. But what it boils down to is having a message that stands out.

Be insightful. Tell stories. Make it attractive. Be convincing. Make it practical.

And make it funny.

Audiences remember things that stand out

“The best ideas come as jokes. Make your thinking as funny as possible.”

— David Ogilvy

I’m constantly amazed at how many boring emails I get from every kind of company and creator.

Nobody says you have to be Steve Martin, but a few clever jokes can rocket ship your message. It can help you stand out to your audience. More importantly, those are the kind of things that audiences remember.

Yes, there’s the psychology of emotion and desire etc etc. You don’t have to get rid of it. Instead, you’re leveraging every part of it with funny messaging.

You want humor to make people click, take action, and buy your product again and again.

Here are a few ways to make your copywriting funny so you can bring in the money.

Unexpected Twists

Start with something normal and expected, then pivot to absurdly strange and unexpected (subvert expectations or try misdirection.

Relatability

Poke fun at the things you’re frustrated with in life. Audiences will likely be frustrated with the same thing.

Exaggeration

Take normal situations and take them over the top with a bit of hyperbole

Self-Deprecation

Make fun of your quirks or stereotypes with your job or industry. Call out the flaws. Those in your industry will find it relatable

Wordplay

Use puns sparingly or double meanings to stop the scroll.

How I added humor to Monday’s email

I rewrote the email below for fun.

I’d classify this humor as observational and relatable. And I wanted to surprise the reader instead of saying the same boring thing.

This technique involves twisting a common line that every company sends to re-engage audiences.

By twisting it and saying, “Is it because it’s Tuesday?” you’re humanizing your brand. You’re giving your audience a reason to read your emails.

If you enjoyed this newsletter, share it with your friends, parents, neighbors, or strangers.

Thanks for reading!

Ben Watkins

How to Transform Complex Messaging Into Self-Aware Humor

Benjamin Watkins — Sat, 17 May 2025 12:46:16 GMT

I’m taking a break from Saturday examples to dive deeper into a specific copywriting example.

You’ll see my process. And how I create copywriting ads, emails, and landing pages for clients.

Pour coffee. Enjoy.

The Self-Aware Copywriting Technique

I don’t know if anyone else has coined the “Self-Aware Copywriting Technique,” but if not, I’m taking it.

It’s also the perfect technique for meeting your readers where they are in their brains. You’re figuring out how your audience thinks of your message.

Let’s see it in action.

First, we figure out what the email’s goal.

It’s not just educating users on nano-hydroxypatite (took forever to type that word). It’s about showing the features of Boka’s toothpaste.

The problem is it’s beyond boring.

Now let’s rewrite it with a single strategy in mind:

Showcase the features of the email without lulling readers to sleep. And still drives home the point.

The first thing we do is start with the truth. I like what Leo Burnett says about truth:

"Truth is the foundation on which brands are built and on which consumer relationships flourish."

Next, we look for the brand’s promise that comes from the truth.

Then we look for the belief gap (why doesn’t the audience believe in the brand’s promise? What doubt arises in their minds?).

Nano-hydroxyapatite isn’t everyday language. It’s sciencey. It’s complex. It’s confusing.

And it’s a dry feature that needs its soul awakened

To do that, we introduce it to self-awareness.

How can we turn these features into self-awareness messaging?

Here are a few exercises we can do:

How would a brutally honest friend say it to you if you mentioned these features to them?
How would a sarcastic customer say it?
What’s a hidden truth that nobody says about the product?

Let’s also rework the social proof line at the bottom of the email.

Then we put it together.

Now we have an email worth reading.

17 Healthcare Copywriting Examples

Benjamin Watkins — Sat, 26 Oct 2024 13:37:25 GMT

Hi, I’m Ben Watkins 👋 Thanks for joining another edition of La Vie Ben Rose. Every week, I unravel copywriting examples from the most recognized healthcare brands.

When you're ready, here are a few ways I can help you 👇

If you enjoyed this newsletter, share it with a friend, a neighbor, or a stranger.

Thanks for reading!

Ben Watkins

Leo Burnett's 8 Pieces of Copywriting Advice

Benjamin Watkins — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 11:17:24 GMT

Hi, I’m Ben Watkins 👋 Thanks for joining another edition of La Vie Ben Rose. Every week, I unravel copywriting examples from the most recognized brands.

Work together (schedule a 15-minute fit consultation)
1:1 Consulting - 1 hour
1:1 Consulting - 2 hours
Landing Page Workshop or Email Workshop PDF Guide

Happy Wednesday!

I love learning from those who came before me in advertising and copywriting, so I thought I’d do a series on some of the best copywriters and advertisers.

Learning their process can give you insight into their methods and how they approached copywriting.

Enjoy!

1. ‘Inherent Drama’ Principle

Leo Burnett believed in the "Inherent Drama." It was a way of finding a uniquely human dramatic situation. Calling out a character and that situation that an audience could identify with.

Example: Marlboro wasn't seen as cigarettes but as a symbol of rugged independence.

2. ‘Tell the People’ Principle

Leo Burnett said, "Don’t tell people how good you make the goods; tell the people how good your goods make them."

Example: Don't sell vegetables. Sell the idea of becoming the Jolly Green Giant.

3. ‘Turn Yourself Into a Customer’ Principle

Leo Burnett believed you had to turn yourself into a customer to write convincing copy.

Example: Maytag wrote copy that painted a picture for customers.

4. ‘Sell the Product, Not the Ad’ Principle

Leo Burnett said, "We want consumers to say, ‘That’s a hell of a product,’ instead of, ‘That’s a hell of an ad.' "

Example: "It tastes great" highlighted a key value proposition. This ad is clear, not clever.

5. ‘Tap Into Desires and Beliefs’ Principle

Leo Burnett believed, "Good advertising does not just circulate information. It penetrates the public mind with desires and belief."

Example: Pillsbury Doughboy tells stories that reach people's desires and beliefs (and it’s relatable).

6. ‘Make It Simple’ Principle

Leo Burnett famously said, "Make it simple. Make it memorable. Make it inviting to look at. Make it fun to read."

Example: Dial plants the idea of simplicity. Plus, we like to feel congratulated after we've made a decision.

7. ‘Authenticity is Non-Negotiable’ Principle

Leo Burnett believed authenticity is non-negotiable in every advertisement.

Example: Getting a hallmark card isn't about the card. It's about caring for someone. So choose a card that shows it best.

8. ‘Test, Learn, & Evolve’ Principle

Lastly, Leo Burnett believed in testing, learning, and evolving from every ad concept.

Example: Leo Burnett and Kellogg tested several animal characters before arriving at Tony the Tiger.

It took several years of testing, learning, and evolving to determine what audiences wanted.

When you're ready, here are a few ways I can help you 👇

If you enjoyed this newsletter, share it with a friend, a neighbor, or a stranger.

Thanks for reading!

Ben Watkins

The Framing Effect Will Change How People Think of Your Product

Benjamin Watkins — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 13:59:16 GMT

Hi, I’m Ben Watkins 👋 Thanks for joining another edition of La Vie Ben Rose. Every week, I unravel copywriting examples from the most recognized brands. I also look at how to transform your writing with style, clarity, and stories so you can build an audience, transform your writing, and create endless opportunities.

Special announcement!

My 35th birthday is near, so to celebrate a bit early, I’m creating a new offer. I’m bundling my landing page, social ads, email, and write angle workshops for $100 - $100k Profits for $100 Bundle.

You get information to boost your business by $100k with the systems, tools, templates, and frameworks to write higher-converting landing pages, social ads, email sequences, AND you learn how to write on LinkedIn.

It’s essentially $25 a guide, whereas I charge $100 to $200 to attend workshops (closer to $200 beginning in 2025).

You also get access to:

Landing Page Course (taken by 208 folks)
Email Subject Cheat Sheet
Landing Page Optimization Checklist

Get the $100k Profits for $100 Bundle here (open to the first 25 signups - closing on Monday.)

P.S. I guarantee if you don’t love it, I promise to undo everything.

What Is the Framing Effect

Everything has a positive or negative framing.

This is especially important as a parent of five kids and putting a positive spin to get my kids excited about something.

Negative framing (let’s go on a long walk until we get tired)
Positive framing (let’s go on an adventure and see Halloween decorations!)

There’s also more than negative and positive framing. We are going to look at some examples of how to frame your brand to give it more appeal.

Exclusivity Framing

Porsche could have easily framed around something different. They could have said:

“Go Anywhere”
“The Ride of a Lifetime”
“Everyone Loves It”

But those don’t show the true value of Porsche. It’s a declarative statement that defines and compares to other vehicles.

It positions itself as the best by saying nothing matches Porsche.

Contrast Framing

If people have objections to your product, you should consider contrast framing.

Tylenol is a great example of this. In healthcare, people naturally have objections around safety concerns: “Will Tylenol give me a stomachache?”

Contrast Framing shows the effectiveness of your product while addressing your customer’s concerns. Win-win.

Certainty Framing

As a brand, you have to figure out what makes you different than your competitors.

FedEx does a great job of positioning itself as reliable. They have a tagline that shows the power of Certainty Framing.

Provocative Framing

Oatly is brilliant at making provocative statements. It’s also a part of their brand voice.

They are challenging assumptions of how milk is made. They are making you think twice about what kind of milk you drink.

Freedom Framing

Everybody hates braces (I mean, I hated them). Invisalign addresses it with a unique freedom framing.

They know that people don’t want to stop smiling because they have braces. They also know that people don’t want pain from having braces.

Invisalign puts emphasis on the freedom to have braces without discomfort.

Comparison Framing

This is my all-time favorite because it frames reliability and simplicity.

Apple knew that people typically carried around CD players to listen to like twenty songs. But this reframing changed how people carried music.

Framing your product the right way changes how people think of your product.

When you’re ready, here are two ways I can help you:

If you enjoyed this newsletter, share it with a friend, a neighbor, or a random stranger.

P.S. Refer a friend and become the ultimate leader of referrals!

The Pratfall Effect Is the Real Reason You Love These Brands

Benjamin Watkins — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 18:58:18 GMT

Season greetings!

It’s almost September, so we can say September greetings. Anyway, enough talk about the weather. I’m ready to show you some psychology around messaging.

Today, we are covering the Praftfall Effect. One of my personal favorites. Because while 99% of brands tell people, “Look at how perfect we are,” the Pratfall Effect argues otherwise.

The Pratfall Effect: You’re seen as more likable when you make a mistake.

Real quick! I’m doing another landing page masterclass workshop next week! I’ll be hosting it at 2:30 pm EST, next week Wednesday, September 4th.

Book it here.

You’ll see my copywriting process, how I write landing pages, B2B and B2C examples, my adjustments to high-performing landing pages so they perform even better, and how you can optimize your landing page.

Plus, there will be Q/A throughout the workshop, especially if you have questions around your landing page.

You’ll also get access to my landing page course as a bonus.

Book your spot here.

Onward and forward!

Domino’s Pizza Admits the Obvious

What a shocker. As a pizza lover, I know Domino's pizza is the worst unless you’re hosting an after-school kid’s soccer party. Then it’s the best.

The thing is, Domino’s Pizza knew they had terrible pizza. So they proudly admitted it. They created a campaign that addressed their mistakes.

After that, sales went up.

Address the Elephant In the Room

Oatly knows its audience. And they know that Oatly doesn’t taste good. It’s their brand voice. They also know that it’s part of the appeal.

This email calls out how long and terrible it is for them to send it. It plays on the imperfections and the frustrations consumers have with product emails.

Always Be Honest

The Hans Brinker Budget Hotel in Amsterdam is known for being bad. It’s so famous for being bad that guests actually book to stay there to see for themselves.

And that’s why it’s successful.

It’s leveraging why people see them and capitalizing on it. Making it funny gives it even more appeal.

Make Your Weakness a Strength

If your brand has an obvious weakness, then address it. Make it your strength. Don’t try to hide it.

This popular ad by Avis does a brilliant job of showing what they lack. When they did that, they showed they worked harder than anyone else.

If you enjoyed this newsletter, share it with a friend, a neighbor, or a random stranger.

P.S. Refer a friend and become the ultimate leader of referrals!

Copywriting Examples That Unravel The Psychology of Behavior Bias

Benjamin Watkins — Fri, 23 Aug 2024 17:24:03 GMT

Happy fall season! (according to pumpkin spice lattes).

I put together a list of ads I created (or found) that show you the psychology of behavior bias. You’ll see how they drive you and your customers toward decisions.

Also, my next workshop is around the corner! You can book your email masterclass workshop spot. It’s Tuesday, August 27th, at 1:30 pm EST.

Book your spot here.

Onward and forward!

Scarcity, Affinity, and Nostalgia Bias In Pumpkin Spice Lattes

Pumpkin spice latte season is upon us, so I created some fun ads around them that show different biases.

“Stop reading this and get in line” - Scarcity bias: show the urgency.

“How was your summer?” - Nostalgia bias: A reflection of the past and looking forward to fall.

“What life looks like after you drop your kids off at school” - Affinity bias: you’re being relatable to an audience

“Ya know these are limited, right?” - Scarcity bias

Nostalgia Bias Taps Into Your Emotions

This ad below is another example of the Nostalgia bias. It looks what it was like to be a child.

Better yet, it does a great of telling stories to capture that nostalgia instead of just “telling” you something.

Consistency Bias Shows Why You’re Different

Your marketing and copywriting needs an enemy. It needs conflict.

Your audience is always looking for a reason to leave because there are a million things distracting them.

This ad leverages consistency bias. It shows what they’ve changed and why they are the best.

Confirmation Bias Reinforces Somone’s Belief

Confirmation bias is when you see something new that confirms your belief.

If people hate health insurance, reading a sign like the one below only reinforces that belief.

More importantly, it appeals to them because they agree with it. James Clear once said that the best way to change someone’s mind is to become friends with them. Make them a part of your tribe.

I couldn’t agree more with that.

If you enjoyed this newsletter, share it with a friend, a neighbor, or a random stranger.

P.S. Refer a friend and become the ultimate leader of referrals!

The Butterfly Effect & Fun Theory Will Make You Rethink Your Buying Decisions

Benjamin Watkins — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 19:05:45 GMT

Hi, I’m Ben Watkins 👋 Thanks for joining another edition of La Vie Ben Rose. Every week, I unravel copywriting examples from the most recognized brands. I also look at how to transform your writing with style, clarity, and persuasion so you can build an audience, transform your writing, and create endless opportunities.

Happy Friday!

Tomorrow is the last day to sign up for my landing page workshop for the early bird price of $100 before it goes up to $150.

In that workshop on Tuesday at 3:15 EST, I’ll go over examples, copywriting techniques, tools I use.

Bonuses include access to my landing page course and my optimization checklist.

If you can’t make it, I’ll send you the recording.

Book your spot here.

The psychology of advertising, copywriting, and marketing is fascinating.

There’s a reason for every literal rhyme. There are reasons you buy from brands even if you don’t realize it yourself.

Every brand creates the illusion of power and fun. And that’s why I love the Butterfly Effect and Fun Theory. They subconscious and consciously influence your behavior through phrases and fun activities.

Also, hap tip to Richard Shotton and his brilliant examples. He also has an amazing book, The Choice Factory.

Let’s put our brains to work, drink some coffee, and get our noggins uh joggin.

The Fun Theory

This theory is exactly what it sounds like - it’s fun. Of course, all the fun is in Sweden. That’s no fun if you’re anywhere else. Because that’s where this example takes place.

This is one of my favorite examples that Richard Shotton points out on Twitter.

“Lovely nudge - a speed camera lottery in Sweden. Cars driving under the limit are entered into a lottery and someone wins the fines from speeders. In the test it reduced speeds by 22%.”

Here’s some context around Fun Theory: The idea that you’re are more likely to do something if it's fun and that fun can be a strong motivator for action.

h/t to Richard Shotton via Twitter

Practical Application

While that’s a wickedly cool example, you also need to know how to use it in a practical application.

Here are fun ways to use the fun theory:

Fitness apps are always gamifying. My Apple Watch gives me challenges that I fail all the time, but it sure does motivate me (sometimes).
Loyalty programs from places like Chipotle are the reason I overspend on takeout. But at least I think I’m saving.
Social media challenges that do hashtags or “tag a friend” are making it more fun for users.

The goal is to make it shareable. Is it worth sharing with a friend? Is it actually rewarding to the customer?

You can’t make something fun if it’s not fun for the target market.

The Butterfly Effect

The Butterfly Effect is not going back in time and changing history because you touched a butterfly.

No. It’s actually making a small tweak in your campaign or copy and seeing way different results. So, kinda like the same thing- marketing style.

Here’s an example from Richard Shotton on how it was used as a survey. Slight change in wording, way different results.

h/t to Richard Shotton

Practical Application

Here are practical ways to apply this method.

Changing a single word in an ad headline from "Save money" to "Stop wasting money." You’re changing the framing of how someone thinks of money.
Call-to-action placement: You relocate a call-to-action button from the bottom of an email to just below the first paragraph. Boom. Way more conversions.
Switching from "we" to "you" in landing page copy leads to an uptick in conversions because it’s more about the reader.

Don’t Throw Out the Kitchen Sink

You don’t need to throw out every campaign or idea you’ve ever had.

Fun Theory and The Butterfly Effect are about little tweaks. You make little changes in the copywriting. And you challenge the reader. Make it rewarding.

When you do that, you get your customers involved. You change their mindset and how they think about your brand.

They feel a part of the brand.

When you're ready, here are a few ways I can help you 👇

If you enjoyed this newsletter, share it with a friend, a neighbor, or a stranger.

Thanks for reading!

Ben Watkins

Get my Coopywriting Conversion Magic Bundle and bonuses here

7 Powerful (and Underused) Copywriting Techniques

Benjamin Watkins — Fri, 19 Jul 2024 01:13:07 GMT

Hi, I’m Ben Watkins 👋 Thanks for joining another edition of La Vie Ben Rose. Every week, I unravel copywriting examples from the most recognized brands. I also look at how to transform your writing with style, clarity, and persuasion so you can build an audience, transform your writing, and create endless opportunities.

Happy Thursday!

First off, thanks to everyone who’s purchased my Copywriting Magic bundle! 18 people have participated in my workshops. And it’s awesome helping people with copywriting.

It’s perfect for those who want extra help on email strategy and landing page.

Ray bought my sales email workshop and LOVED it.

“Just took Ben's email copywriting workshop and I was blown away by the level of detail he went into when explaining these concepts. He also provided several excellent resources to help drive higher open rates. I look forward to diving into more of his classes to sharpen my copywriting skills.”

I share a lot of copywriting examples, but today, I want to share 7 copywriting techniques. Fasten your seat belt. This is a humdinger.

1. The Bucket Brigade Technique

This is a copywriting method used to get ideas, sentences, and paragraphs. It gets the reader to keep reading. They are perfect for emails, landing pages, and sales pages.

These are popular Bucket Brigade phrases:

Here’s another example of it in action:

Source: Peppercontent.io

2. The But You Are Free Technique

This is a psychology fun one - (kinda like reverse psychology) - when you’re reminding people that they have the freedom to say no, you paradoxically increase the likelihood that they'll say yes.

Wild. But effective.

Courtesty of Henry Cheng

3. The Zeigarnik Effect

Does your brain always have to close a list? Then you might love or hate the Zeigarnik Effect.

The Zeigarnik Effect relies on our tendency to remember uncompleted tasks better than complete ones. It’s like missing a piece of a puzzle you’ve almost completed - You HAVE to complete it.

Examples:

Here are 7 ways to boost your sales. The first 3 are…
Our new SaaS AI software overcomes these 5 common healthcare problems. You’d be surprised at the other 3.
Step 3 is where most people go wrong in this guide. To avoid this common mistake...

However, you shouldn’t confuse Zeigarnik with open loops. Seem the same, but are quite different.

Zeigarnik Effect: Based on our tendency to remember uncompleted tasks better than completed ones.

Open Loop: Relies more on curiosity and the desire for closure.

4. The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon

I like what Hubspot said about this phenomenon:

“The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon, or the frequency illusion or recency bias, is a situation where something you recently learned about suddenly seems to appear everywhere.

There are two reasons for this phenomenon -- first, selective attention, which means your brain is subconsciously seeking out more information on the subject. Second, confirmation bias, which means every time you see something related to the subject, your brain tells you that it's proof the subject has gained popularity overnight.”

Here are some examples:

Starbucks - With fall here, you'll be seeing pumpkin spice everything (literally)'
Apple - When you have an iPhone, you'll notice how many people you use an actual Apple product (similar to a car you drive)
Amazon Prime - You'll see Prime logo pops up once you start looking for fast, free shipping.

5. Bizaree Effect

This is when people remember strange information than before because it’s weird. Makes sense to me!

Here are some examples:

Headline - This Coffee is So Wildly Delicious, You'll Think It's Made by Elves
Headline - Having Kids Is Like Having a 5:45 Automated Alarm Clock That You Never Asked for
CTA - Join Crazy Pie and Copywriter Club

6. Von Restorff Effect

Remember when your friends told you you were weird - well, that’s a good thing. Because if you want to stand out, you need to be weird.

That’s the entire basis of the Von Restorff Effect - “A scientist conducted an experiment that when constructing lists of words, the one that’s different will usually be recalled more easily.”

Courtesty of https://thebehavioursagency.com/latest/the-von-restorff-effect

7. The Pygmalion Effect

The Pygmalion Effect is making people believe in something.

It’s making them believe they are part of a tribe or have some quality that makes them different, regardless if it’s true or not. You’re basically their cheerleader and telling them what their identity is.

Selling Apple watches: "You're the type of person who appreciates quality, exercise, and a good watch. That's why we know you'll love our Apple watches."
Fitness or Crossfit programs: "This super advanced workout is designed for only the most committed athletes like you. Get ready to push your limits and get the beach bod you deserve."

When you're ready, here are a few ways I can help you 👇

Collaboration
1:1 Consulting
YouTube Channel
Coopywriting Conversion Magic Bundle

If you enjoyed this newsletter, share it with a friend, a neighbor, or a stranger.

Thanks for reading!

Ben Watkins

25 Psychological Triggers That Get People to Buy

Benjamin Watkins — Sun, 07 Jul 2024 18:03:10 GMT

Hi, I’m Ben Watkins 👋 Thanks for joining another edition of La Vie Ben Rose. Every week, I unravel copywriting examples from the most recognized brands. I also look at how to transform your writing with style, clarity, and persuasion so you can build an audience, transform your writing, and create endless opportunities.

Joe Sugarman is one of the most legendary copywriters.

He once sold a $240,000 airplane in a single mail-order ad. In his most popular book, The Adweek Copywriting Handbook, he shares 25 “psychological triggers” that get people to buy.

This book helped shape my copywriting career more than any other book.

Here’s a breakdown of each psychological trigger and a quote from The Adweek Copywriting Handbook.

1. The Feeling of Involvement or Ownership

“Make readers feel that they already own the product and you’re letting them use their imagination as you take them through the steps of what it be like if they already owned it.”

Make the customer use the product before they purchase it.

Make them imagine it’s theirs by using it.

2. Honesty

“Consumers can tell whether people are truthful in what they are trying to communicate.”

Sugarman was so honest he once wrote an ad for a digital thermostat that said:

“It had no digital readout, an ugly case, and a stupid name. It almost made us sick.”

3. Integrity

“Show integrity and your advertisement will be well-received.”

Sugarman believed integrity came down to 3 things:

The look of your ad
The image that you convey
The typeface that you use

4. Credibility

“Credibility means truthfulness.”

Honesty and integrity make credibility. Sugarman believed you needed to avoid these 3 things if you want to build credibility:

Rash statements
Cliches
Exaggeration

5. Value and Proof of Value

“Copywriters want to convey value through comparison.”

Sugarman knew that consumers were smart enough to know that there are other competitors out there.

It’s your job to bring that up and show them YOUR product is the best value

6. Justify the Purchase

“The higher the price point, the more need there is to justify the purchase.”

Sugarman says if you want to resolve the objection, you need to justify every purchase in your copywriting, even if it’s just “you deserve it.”

7. Greed

“Greed is really not a very positive human trait. But it exists, and it is a force to consider when communicating with your prospects.”

This means that people will buy things JUST because they are on sale.

8. Establish Authority

“Consumers can tell whether people are truthful in what they are trying to communicate.”

Give assurance with popular products that make people more comfortable buying from you.

9. Satisfaction conviction

“I’m so convinced that you will like this product that I’m going to do something for your benefit to prove how incredible my offer is.”

Satisfaction conviction should raise an objection and resolve it.

10. Nature of Product

“You have to realize that every product has its own unique personality, its own unique nature, and it’s up to you to figure it out.”

For example, a fun toy should convey excitement and joy. A burglar alarm should be easy to install and offer peace of mind.

11. Current fads

“Be aware of the current fads so you can determine the hottest product categories.”

Fads tend to come quickly and go quickly. So it’s smart to exploit a fad when you see it starting, especially if your timing is right.

12. Timing

“You want to be involved at the beginning of a fad and not enter in the middle or the end. That’s smart timing.”

Sugarman recommends you first test every product you sell before placing a big bet. Consumers tell you if you’re too early, too late, or on target.

13. Harmonize

“It is important that your product harmonize with or fill the needs of your prospect.”

Sugarman says not to only harmonize with the market. But also harmonize with your customers.

14. Desire to Belong

“People buy a specific product because they subconsciously want to belong to the group that already owns or uses that product.”

This is a powerful motivational factor because prospects want to identify with a particular group.

15. Desire to Collect

“There is a very large segment of the population that has an emotional need to collect a series of similar products.”

People collect cars, sunglasses, dolls, and whatever else because they have the urge to collect.

16. Curiosity

“Curiosity is one of the leading motivating factors in all direct response marketing.”

Sugarman says the key to curiosity is holding back part of a story in order to make people curious and create demand.

17. Sense of urgency

“The sense-of-urgency statements always go at the end of your advertising.”

You can convey a sense of urgency with limited editions. For example, you could list the wrong price and say it will go back up in a few days.

18. Instant gratification

“Find a way to ship your merchandise out quicker, deliver it faster, and provide better service than any retailer could ever offer.”

The closer you can get a person to get instant gratification, the better they feel about the product.

19. Exclusivity, Rarity, or Uniqueness

“The emotional appeal of this approach is quite strong. Everybody likes to feel special.”

If there’s a special significance behind a product (and a limited amount), it drives its value up massively.

20. Simplicity

“You must keep your advertising simple. The positioning of your product must be simple.”

Focus on what you’re trying to accomplish and eliminate everything else that complicates it.

Use simple words
Keep layouts simple
Simple typefaces

21. Human Relationships

“Show how the product feels, how it fits, and how it will look.”

Buying is always an emotional experience. Tell stories because they resonate more with people. Sugarman also says to use as many positive human elements as you can.

22. Guilt

“I give the reader compelling information — so much so that they sense an obligation to respond.”

For instance, charities would send people free things like stickers or other small gifts in order to kind of “guilt” people into sending in a donation.

23. Specificity

“Being specific in your explanations is very critical and can establish your credibility.”

Here’s an example Sugarman shows:

Bad: “New dentists everywhere use and recommend CapSnap Toothpaste.”

Good: “92% of new dentists use and recommend CapSnap Toothpaste.”

24. Familiarity

“Be aware of the powerful force of familiarity to make a person comfortable with your product or service.”

Sugarman gives these examples:

Familiar brand logos
Familiar phrases. (not cliches)
Familiar copywriting layout

25. Hope

“One aspect to focus on when you create an ad using the power of hope is credibility.”

Food supplements, lowering your golf score, preventing wrinkles, and other good opportunities are the psychological triggers of hope at work.

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Ben Watkins