How to ‘Live a Wild Life’ When You’re an Introvert

Hemingway knew all about the value of living a wild life (Image provided by skeeze from Pixabay)

Where should I go to live in January?

Split? Tenerife? Or somewhere new?

If you didn’t already know, I’ve been working remotely for 10 years (before ‘digital nomading’ was a thing).

Am I telling you this to brag?

Not intentionally.

My main goal is to shine a spotlight on something John Carlon said on David Garfunkel’s Copywriter Podcast.

As per usual, Mr Carlton was dropping so many knowledge bombs I was struggling to move my pen fast enough to guide them into my notepad.

Yet there was one particular salvo that ate up the biggest dollop of ink…

And that’s John’s advice on how to look inside the reader’s mind and make sense of the thoughts zooming around like traffic (or Wacky Races, in many cases):

Here’s what he said (more or less):

“Live a wild life. Put the book down and put yourself outside your comfort zone every day. Take a dog for a walk and talk to other dog owners. Go to a bar and drink virgin mary’s and talk and listen to people. Go to bowling alleys. Go to stores. Interact with people. Get into relationships and explore those relationships [to understand what makes people tick].”

So there you go.

Living a wild life is what drew Hemingway to reporting on the Spanish Civil War. 

Sure, impressing a lady was part of the equation.

But he knew seeing people in extreme situations would make him a more intuitive writer.

It’s why I also shuffled my meagre possessions into a suitcase a decade ago.

Not to live in war zones (I’ve only been in one semi-active theatre of war, thankfully)…

But to meet people I’d never encounter if I settled for a home office and two weeks vacation a year. 

This includes: 

• Debating the merits of marketing with Tony Robbins’ former NLP teacher (and somehow walking out agreeing to rewrite her website at half my normal rate)

• A multi-millionaire who runs free self development workshops from 5 star hotels after getting so disgustingly rich from Shopify stores his life became a struggle for meaning 

• Getting a valuable life lesson from one of the four founders of Booking.com on why he always travels coach 

• Discussing the nature of reality with someone who abandoned the modern world to live in a cave with his family (and says he’s never been happier, and looks much younger than his 50+ years) 

• Recommending to a Vietnam vet that he looks into infusion therapy and DMT for his PTSD rather than choking down fistfuls of anti-depressants

…and a long colorful list of dreamers, sociopaths, monks, hooligans, fellow laptop wanderers, and people on all sorts on madcap adventures through life.

Now, you may be thinking, “That all sounds whoop-de-doo for you Matt. But what if I can’t drop everything and live from a suitcase to ‘live a wild life’?” 

I hear you.

You may even find the idea horrifying.

Yet like John said, there are lots of ways you can step outside your comfort zone and get into situations that help you better understand how people think:

• Work from a coffee shop in a different part of town
• Take up salsa dancing, public speaking, or do a standup comedy workshop
• Attend a coffee meetup (or even better, set one up)
• Throw a free BBQ and invite people who match your target audience (hat tip Carlos Redlich) 
• Hang around the same supermarket aisles as your prospect and ask them questions (one well known copywriter, Marcella Allison, actually did this. And in the adult nappies section, of all places)

However you do it, you want to find ways of joining your customer’s REAL conversations and finding out what they REALLY think.

It’s why you’ll see me making a beeline for boomers at networking events… and why the topic swiftly changes from the weather to big pharma’s dastardly tricks.

The bottom line is this…

There’s only so much insight you can dig out from Reddit, Amazon reviews, and YouTube comments. 

More often, it’s in everyday conversation that people provide the ‘needle moving’ line you can drop to open up your VSL like a hand grenade.

And like I said in last week’s post, you can’t get people to trust you unless you build empathy first…

And the best way to build empathy is to reflect your reader’s worldview…

And the best way to do that is to ask them what it is eyeball-to-eyeball, in the flesh.

P.S. In this post I’ve shared a glimpse of what’s inside John Carlton’s armoury of conversion rocketing insights on writing high impact copy. If you’d like to get the full motherload, I recommend checking out his online course – The Simple Writing System. 

I’ll warn you though, it’s not for people looking for surface level tricks and templates instead of getting deep inside the reader’s brain.

But if you think you can handle it, a quick glance of his sales page reveals a roll call of today’s heavy hitters who’ve raised their copy game, results, and fees thanks to Mr. Carlton’s phenom knowledge of sales psychology and salesmanship in print.

Disclaimer – Links to John Carlton’s Simple Writing System are affiliate links. Yet, if you check out the testimonials on his sales page, you’ll see his course is legit.

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What the World’s Highest Paid TV Star Can Teach Copywriters About Persuasion

Can you guess who’s the world’s highest paid TV star of all time?

No, it’s not Sheldon from Big Bang Theory.

Nope, it’s not Dr. Phil.

It’s not even Simon Cowell or Ellen DeGeneres (despite both banking a bumper $75 mill each).

Coming in waaaay ahead is TV’s ‘Queen of Media’ Oprah Winfrey.

By the end of her 25 year run as the world #1 talk show host, Oprah’s paycheck was a whopping $300 million a year. 

That’s like 4 times the salary of Simon Cowell.

Clearly, she’s an uber talented lady.

Yet there’s one skill in particular that best explains how she amassed such vast wealth.

No, I’m not talking about her skill at negotiating her salary.

She has an agent for that.

I’m talking about a skill for which she’s peerless.

And that’s…

EMPATHY

No doubt about it.

Oprah is a natural at projecting the warmth and acceptance that gets guests opening up within minutes of perching on the sofa.

She understands that empathy is vital for earning a guest’s trust before the REAL conversation can flow.

Well, guess what…

The exact same principle applies to copywriting.

Unless you know how to express empathy for your reader, no amount of objection handling…

cross road closes… 

or open loops trickery is going to get you the sale.

So what’s the best way of massaging empathy into your words?

I’ll tell you how in a second.

First, let’s get one thing straight…

Empathy is NOT the same as SYMPATHY.

We’re not trying to throw a pity party here.

Empathy is not about wallowing in sadness and sorrow.

Empathy is demonstrating you UNDERSTAND the reader’s struggle…

You recognise their worldview… 

And you can be trusted to recommend something that can put things right.

Now, that all sounds fine and dandy, and using empathy sounds like it should be easy.

And Oprah makes it LOOK easy.

But using empathy in copy can be…

Like the Hellraiser puzzle to get right.

One wrong move, and your conversions get SLASHED. 

Using empathy has got to be so subtle your reader has no clue what you’re doing.

If they get the merest hint of being maniplated, they’ll be hammering that back button faster than lightning strikes the tree.

So here’s how NOT to do it…

Don’t bluntly call out your reader’s wants or needs as a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question.

If you say something like…

Do you suffer from high blood sugar?

Or

Are you fed up with following one dieting guru after another like a lost sheep?

…you give the reader the option to say ‘No’ and go back to scrolling through Facebook.

Like I said, empathy has got to be done subtly.

Here’s a BETTER way to do it…

In his NLP Copywriting course, Harlan Kilstein calls it ‘Pacing and Leading’.

You start with pacing.

Pacing is where you make creatively vague statements about the reader’s experience.

A creatively vague sentence could be something like:

“You may be wondering why so many people struggle with crippling brain fog and memory loss despite the billions spent on research.”

Or

“Many people struggle to lose belly fat despite giving up sugar and chowing down on vegetables.”

These are statements that say enough to show you understand what the reader thinks, while being vague enough for them to insert their own meaning.

After validating the reader’s worldview with a few creatively vague statements, you can move onto LEADING.

Leading is where you take the conversation in a new direction. 

Because now you’ve earned the reader’s trust, you can make more challenging statements that guide them down the slippery slope to the checkout.

It’s like dancing with a new partner. 

You start off with a few basic moves to reassure them you’re both plugged into the same beat.

Then once you’ve earned their trust, you can lead the dance in a new direction.

So that’s how to deploy empathy.

Doesn’t sound so easy now, does it?

And it shouldn’t.

Because using empathy in copywriting is tough to master.

It’s no wonder Oprah got paid the big bucks.

The bottom line is this…

Before you can convince your reader of anything, you’ve got to use EMPATHY to earn their trust.

And there’s no magical copywriting trick on what to say.

The only way is to get knee deep into the research to uncover what your reader thinks, sees, and feels on a daily basis.

And you’ve got to keep digging until you know them well enough to write a page in their diary about their daily struggles and fears (you should do this, seriously). 

Because it’s only after demonstrating empathy that leading them through your sales argument can begin.

____________________

The nexus for this post came from Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss, in which he hails Oprah as the world’s best negotiator. 

If you’d like more insights on what it takes to negotiate REAL life and death situations… how to build rapport with someone who sees you as the enemy… and the deeper psychology of what people really want…

I highly recommend you check it out.

N.B. None of the links are affiliate links. Just sharing some valuable resources that can raise your copy game with no agenda.

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How to Generate $1 Leads on Facebook with Chatbot Quizzes [FREE GUIDE]

Chatbots.

Some marketers say they’re passing fad.

Others… 

….who are using chatbot quizzes to generate HUGE lists of subscribers for pennies on the dollar…

…know different.

They know that chatbots can get: 

• Open rates of over 90%
• Clickthrough rates of over 30%
• New subscribers for as little as $1 

Stats that put email marketing to shame.

And stats that mean chatbots have IMMENSE potential for driving traffic to advertorials and sales pages at ultra low cost.

And it gets BETTER. 

Because at the time of typing, few marketers and businesses are using chatbot quizzes.

That means the field is wide open for generating huge lists of RESPONSIVE chatbot subscribers and turning them into customers.

AND for a fraction of the $1.72 average cost per click everyone else is paying.

Why Chatbot Quizzes Are AMAZING For Lead Generation

Sounds BODACIOUS, right?

Buuuut…

Before you can profit from the juicy stats I’ve mentioned, you need to get people subscribed.

There are a few ways to do this.

One way is to run Facebook ads that ask a provocative question. 

Anyone who comments then becomes a subscriber AUTOMATICALLY.

This can be an effective strategy. 

But it’s best suited for converting an existing page’s fans into chatbot subscribers.

A FAR better way of generating subscribers is a chatbot quiz. 

A quiz you run 100% inside Facebook Messenger.

There are so many benefits to chatbot quizzes it’s INSANE:

1. People LOVE quizzes – For years, quizzes have cream of the crop when it comes to creating responsive ads.
2. Quizzes get people taking action and diagnosing their issue –  With momentum comes movement. Getting people clicking and responding greases the slippery slide towards them subscribing to your email list or buying after the quiz.
3. Shareability – Making ads shareable is vital for keeping costs down. And quizzes are one of the most shared types of ads on Facebook going. Period.
4. Low cost – Facebook’s goal is to keep people on their site as long as possible. So by running the quiz inside Messenger, Facebook rewards you with lower click costs.
5. Compliance – Quizzes don’t involve making claims. So you face fewer compliance hurdles, particularly when running quizzes for health offers.
6. Quick and easy – There’s no need to build a quiz on a separate website, worry about poor loading times, or whether they’ll subscribe at the end.
7. Segment and prequalify – You can tag and segment people based on their answers and PRE QUALIFY them as customers.

I could go on with more benefits, but you get the gist: Chatbot quizzes are AWESOME for lead generation.

How to Do It 

You run a simple ad like this one:

As soon as people click on the ad and click to start the quiz they become a subscriber.

That’s it!

What to see a quiz in action?

Here’s a gut health quiz I’ve used to generate subscribers for $1. Click here to take the quiz in Messenger.

How to Build the Chatbot Quiz

Let me introduce you to Manychat.

Manychat is a drag-and-drop chatbot builder. 

Along with building quizzes, you can use Manychat for building:

• Onboarding sequences for new customers
• An interactive FAQ on your website
• Upsell sequences for visitors to your Facebook page
• Automating customer service on your website
• Sending customers product updates and news

So it’s like the R2D2 of chatbot builders.

For now, let’s focus on what to do after people complete the quiz.

And that’s to get them on your email list.

Generate Email Subscribers in One Click

You never know what spanners Facebook is going to throw in the works.

So get chatbot subscribers onto an email list as FAST as possible.

The good news is it can be done in one click.

After people have completed the quiz, dangle a lead magnet. 

Make sure it’s something quick to consume, and not a lengthy eBook that gets left to gather digital dust.

Now this is where Manychat gets REALLY clever. 

Rather than share the lead magnet directly in the chat, you can auto-populate the chat with the email address they used to register on Facebook. 

So all they need to do is click on it…

Et Voila!

You have a new email subscriber.

After sending them their free gift, you can then follow up with an upsell sequence for your main product by both email AND in Messenger.

Just don’t be lazy and copy + paste the same message (more on that later).

Obey the 24 + 1 Rule

All sounds great so far, don’t you think?

Buuuuut…

There is a KEY rule to follow when contacting subscribers. 

The oft misunderstood 24 + 1 rule.

When someone interacts with your bot you have a 24 hour window to send them promotional messages. 

After that, you can only send ONE more promotional message. 

Starting in 2020, you’ll have to pay to send non-commercial messages after 24 hours.

That is UNLESS they’ve interacted with your chatbot.

So you need to make sure you include questions and buttons for people to click on, so you can continue directing them to your advertorials, sales pages, and offers.

Four Pillars to a High Quality Chatbot Experience

Let’s do a rundown on what we’ve covered:

• The high open rates and clickthroughs of chatbots
• The benefits of chatbot quizzes
• How to build chatbot quizzes with Manychat
• How to get subscribers onto your email list

All good so far?

But guess what… 

if the conversation with your chatbot SUCKS people are going to unsubscribe faster than if you’d started posting Louis CK gags (or whoever’s been cancelled when you read this).

The good news is there are a few simple rules to follow to create bots people will be happy to engage with, and maybe even share with their friends.

1. Have a Personality

Just like with every channel, you’re only a finger flick away from having your messages ignored. 

So keep them short, punchy, and conversational. 

Ask your subscribers lots of questions, give them clearly worded buttons to click on, and reward them with GIFs when they do.

The first few messages should set expectations for what’s to come. So tell them about the messages you’ll be sending, how many, and how to unsubscribe if they want out.

When you’re in Facebook’s playground, it’s better to ask for permission than beg for forgiveness.

2. Let Them Leave When they Want To

I know telling people how to unsubscribe is counterproductive.

But if you make it confusing or difficult for them to leave, they’ll most likely flag your bot as spam. A Facebook ban will swiftly follow.

So REGULARLY remind subscribers how to unsubscribe.

But when they do, create a witty unsubscribe sequence as a last ditch bid to win them back.

3. Avoid ‘dead ends’ in the conversation. 

A ‘dead end’ is where the sequence ends abruptly and they realise they’re chatting to a bot. 

When the illusion is shattered, unsubscribes soon follow.

So turn every dead end into a friendly sign off.

4. Give Your Bot a Brain

We’re still a long way from Messenger Bots having the IQ of Suri. 

Until they get an upgrade, setup automated responses for common keywords and questions you expect people to post in the chat.

You can even use this as an interactive customer service tool, and for answering common objections.

Launch a Chatbot Quiz while the Iron is Hot

So there you go.

An action plan for creating chatbot quizzes that generate leads for as little as $1.

You now have all the info you need to get started. 

Like I said, chatbot quizzes for lead gen is still a little known and under used tactic.

So click costs are low.

But as sure as lightning strikes the tree, when more marketers find out about it costs will zoom up FAST.

So while the iron is hot, get your own chatbot quiz up and running (for yourself or for clients) and start generating leads for pennies on the dollar.

Click here to download this post as a PDF

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The time I nearly got sued by a celebrity TV chef…

“They want £1,000 by the end of the day. Or they’ll SUE.”

That’s what my client yelled at me on the most uncomfortable phone call of my career.

A call that gave me an expensive lesson on COMPLIANCE.

And a call that took place over 10 years ago… 

…back when I’ve just got started in copywriting, and thought I could rewrite the rulebook. 

An attitude that quickly cost me.

As I’m prone to do, I’d developed a technique for jazzing up press releases by hunting for hot news stories I could crowbar into the lead.

I guess you could call it ‘newsjacking’ (Seth Godin, you’re welcome).

But my ‘newsjacking’ backfired spectacularly when I used a story on ALLEGED food poisoning at a Michelin starred restaurant to promote kitchen shelving (it turned out to be a shellfish virus, who’d have thunk it).

This was my first and ONLY dalliance with lawyers (touch wood).

People I quickly discovered have a ruthless knack for flipping your words to mean something else entirely.

The good news is I only had to pay £1,000 to get the case closed.

The even BETTER news is it gave me the fright I needed to tighten up my legal game.

Ever since, I’ve pushed back on dodgy claims that offer a springboard into hot legal water.

Whether it’s inventing testimonials… 

blatantly attacking competitors… 

quoting celebrities without their consent… 

or making ingredient claims based on weak science… 

…ANYTHING on legal shaky ground always triggers memories of THAT phone call, and how terrified I felt inside.  

Sure, some clients think I’m a party pooper, and should just chill the heck out.

But I know they’d be MUCH LESS impressed if I agreed to making outrageous claims and the Alphabet agencies came knocking.

Well, this is exactly what’s happened to the biggest publisher in our industry.

A publisher you’d think would have the most stringent compliance lawyers in the land.

But it seems a few memos got lost, because they’re now getting hammered by the FTC for some pretty extreme claims:

• A simple and scientifically proven protocol that can permanently cure type 2 diabetes in 28 days, without any changes in diet or exercise and with a  “100 percent success rate.”
• An hour-long video presentation that claims the “hidden cause” of type 2 diabetes is Non-Ionizing Radiation (NIR) exposure from everyday electronic devices like computers, televisions, and cell phones.

I can imagine their offices are in meltdown right now.

They must be losing their minds thinking about all the risque claims they’ve made over the years, which the folks at the FTC are no doubt printing off and compiling into a drawstring file.

Sadly, this isn’t an isolated incident. 

Lots of supplements and natural health publishers have got slapped HARD for pushing their luck. 

But a lot of the time it’s down to lack of awareness, and thinking cause it’s advertising they can always play the ‘puffery’ card.

They can’t.

So to help my natural health clients get to grips with what’s allowed, and brush up my knowledge at the same time, I created my FTC Supplement Guidelines – Turn a Minefield into a Trust Tree.

It outlines what you can and can’t say in an easier to understand way than the legalese jargon you’ve got to wade through on the FTC’s website. 

Even better, it outlines how compliance can be turned into a marketing advantage when you use it to build rapport and trust.

So if you’re writing offers in natural health for clients, check it out. 

It may save them and YOU a ton of money.

Even better, it will avoid a phone call you NEVER want to pick up.

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