Jim Edwards and Stew Smith discuss a question from the Facebook Group: The Salescopy and Content Marketing Hacks Closed Group – concerning making headlines for an advertisement / content that get your attention better. Remember it is not what it IS, it is what it DOES. Here is the question we answer and walk through two wizards to get more ideas for working headlines.
Hey guys, looking for some help. I’m doing a competition, and have this headline,
“Do You Need Electrical Work Performed On Your Home Or Business?
We are giving way up to $300 worth! “
From what I’ve learned here about headlines it just doesn’t feel sexy enough… any ideas?
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Stew Smith: Hey everybody, Jim Edwards here and welcome back to the Sales Copywriting And Content Marketing Hacks Podcast today we have Episode 75…
75 episodes we have used to assault your senses, to tantalize your taste buds, and to convince you that our copywriting and content is totally delicious.
I’m your host Jim Edwards along with my trusty co-host and Podcast Producer, Mr. Stew Smith.
Stew Smith: Hello, everybody.
Jim Edwards: Stew is the adult in the room, and we are ready to talk about something that is important to all of you…
And that would be headlines and hooks and all those things that get people to stop in their tracks, and pay attention to what you’re wanting to talk to them about while pre-framing them for the sales message that’s going to come next.
Stew, what have you got for us to discuss today?
Stew Smith: Well, we had a question from a group, or was it email?
I can’t remember, but anyway, this guy is looking for some help.
He’s doing a competition.
I’m not sure what kind of competition maybe we have some buddies within a business marketing firm, not sure.
And he has this headline…
Do you need it…
Jim Edwards: Does it suck?
Stew Smith: Well, here it is.
Quote…
“Do you need electrical work performed on your home or business?”
We are giving away up to $300 worth.
Jim Edwards: Of what?
Stew Smith: That his headline.
Jim Edwards: $300 worth of electrical work?
Stew Smith: Looks like it from what I’ve learned here about headlines…
It just doesn’t feel sexy enough.
And he is
Jim Edwards: Yeah, it sucks. My first idea is don’t waste any money running that.
Stew Smith: well $300 that’s like just getting an electrician in the door and that’s Jim Edwards: Pretty much it for him to flip the white light switch…
Yep, just broke.
Stew Smith: 300 bucks.
Jim Edwards: Be $300 that’s called a service call.
Stew Smith: All right, let’s play with this one. Okay okay…
Jim Edwards: So, the first thing you got to think about who is your it all starts with the target audience…
So, who is our target audience?
Somebody that has an electrical problem.
It’s a homeowner or a business owner.
They have an electrical problem of some kind, what could be the consequences or the worries of those electrical problems?
Are you worried that your house is going to burn down because that light socket keeps on arching every time you turn it on and off?
Does Little Timmy come out of his bedroom smoking because he’s been, sticking paper clips in the wall socket?
Stew Smith: Losing power while at work?
Jim Edwards: Losing power in the middle of an important presentation?
Do you have brownouts?
Do you have blackouts?
Are you constantly going to the fuse box to reset fuses?
Do you smell ozone throughout the day?
I mean, it really…
You’re gonna have to get more specific about a type of problem. It’s like a doctor wouldn’t run an ad “Do you feel crappy? Come see me.”
It’s…
“Do you have a cough? Do you have chest congestion? Could be a cold or it could be COVID-19 better get in here quick! And wear a mask!”
And I’m so it’s almost like you got to get more specific.
And we are actually doing this podcast episode live in front of a studio audience.
Hey, everybody, sound off and let everybody know you’re here.
See, we got live people here that are with us.
So, my question would be, what would be reasons why you would need an electrician?
And in the comments, if you want to tell us, what are some reasons why you would need an electrician?
And you definitely don’t want just any old electrician showing up…
Because you could definitely end up with some issues going on.
So, I just, it’s hard…
This one’s tough, because what do you don’t know the specific, that’s a specific reason.
Stew Smith: Something that I had some success with last week was your Express Idea Wizard.
Jim Edward: Okay.
Stew Smith: Maybe if we go into that, that’s a really simple one.
Maybe get some ideas and then we’ll come up with a better roundabout way of getting to the title.
Jim Edward: Okay, so this will give us some ideas of different problems that we could look at and okay. I like it.
Well, it’s not a title we’re looking for is a headline…
Stew Smith: Right, Right…
Jim Edward: Okay, so home or business owner, and the topic is electrical problems.
Right?
Stew Smith: Yep. Okay. okay…
Jim Edwards: Does your kid play with matches?
Does he like to stick metal objects into the outlets in your home?
Do you smell ozone when you turn on the lights in your bedroom?
These are signs that you may need a professional electrician.
11 great electrical problem tips for homeowners and home or business owners.
Oh, dude!!!!
Seven signs that your home’s about to burn down because of an electrical problem.
You don’t like that?
Stew Smith: No, that’s great.
Jim Edwards: I mean, that’s right.
Stew Smith: That’s scares the hell out of me.
Jim Edwards: Exactly.
Stew Smith: And that will get me to read like what is going on here?
Jim Edwards: Yeah.
Stew Smith: And then you can make those real quick bullets.
Boom, boom, boom.
Jim Edwards: Yeah, yeah, your kid shakes a lot after they turn off the lights in their bedroom.
You get you to smell ozone when you turn on the stove, and it smells like your barbecue outside.
Stew Smith: Turn off the lights, and you see fire.
Jim Edwards: And you see sparks behind the striker plate.
I’m electrical one of the most…
Oh, what are the most common electrical problems home or business owners face?
I mean that dude, that’s either common…
Five common electrical problems and how to overcome them.
Three things to never do when you’re when three things to never do when it comes to electricity in your home or business.
I like that one too.
I just pulled that out of thin air.
Stew Smith: Tell you what I use that number one danger sign for a recent article title.
And it was really good.
In fact, it was…
I used two danger signs and wrote a great article on it.
Jim Edwards: Did you sell anything?
Stew Smith: We talked about don’t not…
I wrote I sold the article.
Jim Edward: Okay.
Stew Smith: Yeah, but it was a good one on.
I think we talked I posted it last week, actually…
But yeah, this is a great wizard.
It gives you some really good ideas!
Jim Edwards: Oh!! Five common electrical problems that can cause a fire in your home or business!!! Holy crap!
Stew Smith: That’s it right there!
Jim Edwards: Read that.
Yep.
Everybody would read that.
Stew Smith: That’s a good one.
Yeah, let’s take let’s take that and go into the headline wizard and see what pops out.
Jim Edwards: Come on, dude.
I want to stop while I’m ahead.
Um, so we want to do the timeless classic proven headlines, or we want to do what do we want to do?
Stew Smith: There are so many
Jim Edwards: killer headlines, so either killer headline or
Stew Smith: I go with the killer headline Wizard
Jim Edwards: Okay.
Stew Smith: And what was the thing that you just said five?
Jim Edwards: Yeah, but that’s I mean, yeah, that okay…
Here we go or business owner MAIN KEYWORD topic is electrical problems that cause fires…
I mean, that was a headline was
Stew Smith: that was awesome…
The likes that’s a grabber…
Jim Edwards: That’s right there…
That’s boom…
I mean you could build your whole business around that as an article or a theme or a book or a report or a webinar. So, I don’t know how well this is gonna work…
I should have stopped while I was ahead…
We find electrical problems that can cause a fire…
What’s another What’s another keyword?
Stew Smith: Loss of power at work
Jim Edwards: All right…
What do we want them to buy?
Jim Edwards: Homers…Electrical…
Stew Smith: homers?!
Jim Edwards: Oh! Dope! Dope! Dope!
Stew Smith: Name: Dope!
Jim Edwards: Yeah.
Um, what’s the thing?
It’s um, electrician service!
Stew Smith: Yep…
Jim Edwards: How would we describe it safe and professional?
Unlike us.
Big result they want to know your home and business is safe.
Your kids and customers are safe.
Fast, one service call…
Pain they want to avoid, burning the house down!!
Stew Smith: Yeah, burning the house down…
And yeah, that’s good enough.
Even if you think an electrician is super expensive, remember you save $300 whenever you throw that in there.
Jim Edwards: Save $300?
I wouldn’t put that in a headline though…
I wouldn’t put three. I wouldn’t put that…
Well, maybe
it depends…
Who knows?
Let’s see what this comes up with.
Know your home and businesses safe in as little as one service call with a single service call!
That’s not bad.
Yeah…
How to know your customer know your customers, your kids, and customers are saved or how to feel confident…
Your kids and customers are safe…
Let’s see how to feel confident kids are safe…
From well, kids in cars are safe from our safe from electrical from getting electrocuted.
Stew Smith: Yeah!
And that saved 300 is on any work we needed…
Jim EdwardOkaykay, I hope I spelled electrocuted, right…
Close enough on anywhere…
I laugh because when I was five, my parents for Christmas gave me these little hand puzzles that were metal, and you had to try and get the things apart…
You remember those?
They were like, wire and squiggly, and you had to figure out how to get them to pull them apart and stuff like that…
But they were perfect for jamming into the electrical socket of an old Victorian house that had that ancient fuse box…
Stew Smith: Mm-hmm.
Jim Edwards: So I would hold them with a T-shirt and RAM them into the thing to see the sparks, and then they never could figure out why
the fuses were always burning out at the house, but I was a man who didn’t have a video game.
Stew Smith: Play with matches.
Jim Edwards: I did I shouldn’t have, but I really I was a major firebug until fourth grade How’s this for just airing our dirty laundry?
Stew Smith: Yeah…
How any home or business owner can know your home business is safe from getting electrocuted is one service call every home and feel confident your kids and customers are safe!!
That’s not bad from like from how every home or business owner can feel confident your kids and customers are safe from electrical emergencies or even fire mishaps, electrical mishaps I like that.
So aside from getting a look from electrocution or fire or safe from where did I have the electrocution or getting electrocuted
Your business is safe from electrocution, fire, or other electrical mishaps and this is I mean this is how we use the wizards in scripts man you just keep massaging it
Stew Smith: Yep.
Jim Edwards: However, humor business owner can know your home or business your kids. Oh, can know your kids and customers are safe…
Play with that…
No, your kids and customers are safe. I think that I think we’re getting really close…
How every home or business owner can know your kids and customers are safe from electrician electrocution fire, or other electrical mishaps Stew doesn’t like it…
Stew Smith: I don’t dislike it.
Just it’s not doing it’s better than what it was.
Jim EdwardOkaykay, well, I can only get better incrementally, Stew!
I know your kids listen.
Oh, how to know your kids and customers are saved from electrocution fire other electrical mishaps even if you think an electrician is super expensive!!!
Stew Smith: I like that one.
Cool, I will add that to the clip in with every hundred, without burning the house down or without draining your wallet!
Ooh, I like that better without draining your wallet…
So is the electrocution fire or maybe electrocutions yeah
Stew Smith: just say fire or electrical mishaps. Something.
Or power outages. Those are big.
Jim Edwards: From fire, power outages, or other electrical…
And we’ll change that to kids, and we’re going to do this because I think you probably would want to choose one or the other homeboy business owner…
Oh, how to not know it’s not how to know it’s how to keep your kids in customer see how to keep your kids or customers saved from firepower outages or other electrical mishaps with one with a single service call save $300 on any work needed that doesn’t suck dude!
Stew Smith: Gets everything in there you wanted.
Jim Edwards: How every home or business owner can keep your kids and customers safe from fire, power outages, or other electrical mishaps.
This is not bad!
This is doable!
Yeah, we will save this now. Okay.
Keep your kids…
Oh, how to keep your kids and customers safe from fire, power outages, or other electrical mishaps without draining your wallet!
I like that too.
Yeah, that don’t suck. Okay, but it’s not just up to us.
I mean, that’s like the highest, the highest compliment that I can give myself is that don’t suck!
But it’s not just about me Stew.
It’s about the people.
Stew Smith: Let’s ask that studio audience what they think…
Did you guys like getting better than Did you see everybody was actually making some good comments and stuff…
Jose was writing several different electrical needs electric electrical mistakes to avoid if you’re a homeowner peace of mind for your home…
What about no power meaning that little sewer grandma’s left in the extreme cold or hot?
Stew Smith: Whoo!!
Jim Edwards: yeah, that would be a seasonal thing…
Don’t ya like that?
So again, what’s the season?
What’s the time you could, Summer Special.
Make sure your kids and elderly are what while quarantining at home…
Don’t let the AC go out so that they’re baking and melting onto the floor.
I like it.
And now I’m thinking about all kinds of stuff that you can show with like a little Barbie doll melting in a pan
Does grandma feel like this?
It’s all your fault because you didn’t call homers electrical and they can’t come out and check your AC…
And now grandma’s melted in the middle of the floor and it’s all your fault…
No more Christmas cookies for you,
No more sandwiches,
No more hugs from grandma,
Good job, scooter!
Wait, and then the guy wakes up…
It’s not too late to call homers electrical.
Let’s have him come out and check.
Okay.
Grandma says, you better do it now…
I just did a whole commercial in my mind, and it was amazing…
That’s hilarious.
Stew Smith: See, Ray says sounds good to him, and he used to be an electrician see right used to see Ray used to be everything…
The guy is like a renaissance man…
He’s a he’s a jujitsu MacGyver…
You should see what this dude does in his garden.
All right, cool.
Well, that’s all I got to do…
That’s all I’m feeling a little spent.
Stew Smith: Are you wizard out?
Jim Edwards: I’m wizard-ed out unless you had something else we needed to talk about…
But, I’d say just In conclusion, some of the things we’ve talked about if you go back now, your assignment from this podcast episode is before you do this again, as you need to make sure you go back and listen to all previous 74 episodes in the next 48 hours…
That’s your number one assignment.
Number two is read me that guy’s headline originally because this is a theme we keep coming back to again and again and again and again…
Stew Smith: Do you need electrical work performed on your home or business?
Jim Edwards: Right?
Stew Smith: We’re giving away $300 worth, right…
Jim Edwards: So, here’s the thing…
When we’re talking about headlines when we’re talking about sales copy, you need to talk about what it does not what it is.
Electrical work is not something sweaty electrician showing up at your house with a plumber’s crack when he bends over to check your outlet…
Its safety, its peace of mind, its convenience…
Its coolness in the summer warmth in the winter security for your family, safety for your kids.
It’s all the feeling of home.
The difference between sitting there shivering and a storm as it rages outside and wolves are walking through your door and zombies are sniffing at the window versus everybody calm, cool and collected and weathering the storm with bright lights that hold the evil zombies that bay at while daddy’s in there cleaning his rifle.
And the kids are playing video games and moms whipping up a wonder well, no, I don’t want to be gender-specific…
While one of the significant parental knows came and do that while a person who has chosen to go in the kitchen and prepare food for others through their own consent actually is doing that through their own choice, not through any sort of gender-specific role that was foisted upon them through no fault or choice of their own.
I just ruined it!
Now that the commercial
Stew Smith: First of all, your imagination is…
Jim Edwards: In overdrive, I think this is caffeinated and not to be
Stew Smith: A little bit up there out there.
And then you just went off the deep end and then you Yeah, you just fell off the cliff.
Jim Edwards: and everybody left.
I just fell off a cliff.
Actually, no, no, but these are the hardcore people sticking around for the show…
Show.
Sorry, my bad.
I’m doing better, though.
Man only cuss on video like once a month now instead of like every other one…
That’s pretty good.
Stew Smith: That’s good. Hey people are asking how do they contact homers electrical?
Jim Edwards: Well, one 800-555-1212 Call them up there you go…
All right, well, that’s all I got.
If you’re not a member of the Jim Edwards method premium, you need to be because then you can get amazing access to those tools that we demonstrated along with a whole bunch of other ones.
Some other things you might want to consider make sure that you have a copy of Copywriting Secrets from Jim Edwards.
I will give you a copy when you go to CopywritingSecrets.com, you can get a free copy just pay a small shipping and handling.
If you would like a whole bunch of other scripts to help you to write sales copy, you can always check out Funnel Scripts at Funnel Scripts.com, so we have many different things to help you and of course as always, if you want to get into AMAZING shape and get guns like this, go to StewSmithFitness.com Stew will sell you everything from a book to something to help you.
He’ll coach you if you want if you pay him enough money he’ll call you in the morning and actually wake you up out of bed.
This is I mean, for enough money still will call you and wake you up out of bed Stew Smith: Comes with a price.
Jim Edwards: That’s right…
So, there you go…
I’m blinking like a like the bike the sign out front…
I’m just gonna stop Yeah, it’s gonna say yeah, we’ll just we’ll just go with that…
So the biggest thing I don’t know why it’s doing that, but I’ll make it stop…
There we go now it should stop now.
It should just be amazing things like the donut head.
And there you go.
So seriously, in all seriousness, no to go to StewSmithFitness.com Get yourself some books!
Get yourself some t-shirts!
Do you have sweatshirts again yet?
Stew Smith: Nope.
Jim Edwards: Are you gonna
Stew Smith: I don’t know.
Jim Edwards: Why not?!
Stew Smith: Might as well I’ll try.
Jim Edwards: Maybe find out what the minimum run is.
And I’ll buy three or four.
And that way, I mean, how many t-shirts that I buy that one time, and you’re like, what are you doing?
They’re like the most comfortable t-shirts ever…
Um, I don’t have like six or eight of them at one time.
Stew Smith: It was a nice package…
Jim Edwards: Yeah…
So anyway, get yourself some help with your physical body…
Consult your attorney, your veterinarian, or your doctor before beginning any exercise or sustained drinking regimen.
And that’s…
Stew Smith: what you learned today…
Jim, what did you learn today?
Let’s finish each one of these what would you learn today?
Jim Edwards: Um, I learned that the principles never change, that no matter what you’re selling, no matter how much you think it’s just the same old thing that everybody else is selling…
It’s not you still need to drill down to the emotional benefits of buying What you’re selling and the emotional penalties of not buying what you’re selling and then communicate those directly to people using the words that they use in order to effectively sell them.
And people buy on emotion, whether it’s whether it’s electrical services or printing services or what whatever it is.
It’s come, it always comes back to the same old thing.
It’s like when you’re working out, and you’ve got five basic things that you can do push, pull, core, legs, cardio, that’s it, that’s all you can do, but you can use them so many different ways.
And, with him without weight, lots of reps, lots of, just the same thing with writing, copying, creating content.
We’re trying to massage people…
Yeah, we’re trying to persuade people and seduce them over to our way of thinking to get them to take action.
Stew Smith: I would say what I learned today was I liked the idea of having an understanding of why people don’t buy because I think it’s something good for any entrepreneur to consider.
Especially if, if you can find out some of those reasons, you can fix your sales copy to address, if it takes too much time, right?
If it takes too much effort, I would see most people looking at some of my programs and say, not too much money, I don’t really charge that much, but it’s too much time and too much effort.
Those are the big hurdles that you have to overcome, especially in my world of tactical fitness.
Jim Edwards: Right, but on the flip side, all you got to do is compare to two quick thoughts.
One to finish what you said, when you say, those are the two big things, you got too much time and too much effort. Okay, well, you’re dead for a long time there, Chucky boo!
And so, if you get in really crap shape, you’re going to be dead sooner…
And number two, if you want to be a high speed, low drag individual who can look back on their life and say I did something super significant, like being in Spec Ops or being on a SWAT team or being a fireman or somebody like that, then you there’s a price you got to pay because if it was easy, everybody would do it.
So, do you want to be a stud?
Do you want to be cool?
Or do you just want to be one of those couch potatoes?
Who says, I could have done that?
And then one day you’re 30 then you’re 40 then you’re 50 then you’re 60 then you’re dead!
So, now’s the time for you to make a choice.
And I’m being 100% serious.
Now’s the time to make a choice!
Are you a couch potato?
Are you a go-rilla or a grrr-illa Steve Smith?
Stew Smith: That’s a really good one!
It does require some Tough Love reverse psychology sometimes, especially in that world…
Jim Edwards: So, the second thing about what we did because I don’t think we did that on the podcast we did it in the Jim and Stew show was the reasons why people don’t buy…
Dude, I think I could write a book about that.
That can be my next book..
Stew Smith: I was really good you need to get that transcribed why people don’t buy and what to do about it.
Each one of those is a chapter easy.
Jim Edwards: Why people don’t buy and what to do about it, how to increase conversion in your sales funnel may be kind of a specialized thing, but I mean, that’s that what do you guys think?
So, in all seriousness, everybody who’s here live all 12 of you right now…
What do you think about that as an idea for a book like the follow on to copywriting secrets, what I just said, I guess we got to get this one transcribed to you.
I hate reading my own transcriptions.
What do you guys think of that as an idea for a book idea, why people don’t buy and what do about it.
Stew Smith: Well, send me the transcriptions.
I’ll let it on for you and get it all set up for you.
Jim Edwards: There you go. I still have to read them and go back through my notes.
But I appreciate that…
Stew Smith: Thank you.
Now, I’ll take out all the uhs and ums and…
Jim Edwards: He says that’s a good book.
I want you to read that one to me.
Jim.
Read it…
Read Me another book Jim.
It was very profitable to read.
Alright cool.
So, people are saying they think it’d be kind of cool…
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