Your Reader Wants To Know These 5 Things

The other day, I was asked the following question:

“Why should the author of a product be included in their sales copy? Specifically, why do my readers need to know who I am or what I bring to the table? How does telling them my qualifications (or lack thereof) increase the strength of my copy?”

The author of the question then went on to say:

“My product solves a medical condition. But I am not a doctor and I have never had this condition myself. I’ve spent a year researching the best method to cure this condition. I have a list of 20,000 people with this condition and converse with them a lot. I know pretty much everything there is to know about this condition and have made it into an ebook.”

The answer is quite simple actually. In fact, in defending himself (i.e., that he’s not a doctor) the questioner answered his own question. Let me explain…

Why should people buy from you?

This is not some new concept. John E. Kennedy was the person who coined the term “Reasons Why Advertising,” if not the one who was credited as the creator of the concept back in 1905.

I’m a big fan of “reasons why” advertising. I always try to add as many reasons as possible in my copy, such as why the offer is made, why the author is making it, and why it’s important to the reader.

Good, successful copy tells the reader why right upfront because they always ask. If you don’t tell them, the irony is they’re left wondering why you left it out. It is almost always a direct advantage to tell your prospects why they should buy from you.

Additionally, you want to tell them the five major reasons why, which I talked about before:

1. Why you (the reader)
2. Why me (the author)
3. Why this (the offer)
4. Why now (the urgency)
5. Why this price (the value)

1. Why You?

As part of the qualification process, your copy should address why the reader is targeted for this copy — and not just for the offer.

Why should they read your copy? And why is this important to them? Why is this product and this offer perfect for them? If not, who is it not for?

2. Why Me?

Credentialization is an important element in copy. You tell your readers why they should listen to you (or read what you have to say).

Expert or not, the more reasons you give, the more credible you are, the more believable your copy is, and the more apt people are to buy.

3. Why This?

Are you selling this product just to make money? Perhaps. But directly or indirectly, your product exists and your offer is made for specific reasons. So why not put them in your copy?

Don’t assume your reader knows or doesn’t care about them, no matter how trivial you may think they are. If you don’t include them in your copy, your readers will be the ones making assumptions. (And they won’t all be positive.)

4. Why Now?

Jim Rohn said, “Without a sense of urgency, desire loses its value.” Whether it’s direct (such as a deadline or limitation) or implied (such as missing out on something important), adding scarcity and urgency is important.

But by itself, urgency is almost always suspect. So back it up with reasons why your readers should act now. Don’t be shy in explaining why they must take advantage of the offer immediately, or what the consequences are if they don’t.

5. Why This Price?

Your price is based on industry averages. Or you’re doing a clearance sale to make way for new stock. Perhaps your product is new and you’re offering an introductory price.

But do your readers know? Really?

Don’t be afraid to tell your readers why they should pay what you’re asking for. At least compare your price to the ultimate cost of either not buying your product or buying an alternative (perhaps even competing) product instead.

The bottom-line?

Remember, the most important word in persuasion, according to Dr. Robert Cialdini, author of “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion,” is not “you” or “free.”

It’s “because.”

Now, let me go back to the original question…

In this particular case, this person has quite a distinct selling point. They are what in marketing is referred to as the “anti-authority.”

They are non-experts. Lay people. And the fact that they are not a doctor, which means they are more like their readers, can be seen as a major advantage.

In other words, they did all this research from a layperson’s perspective. They did all the legwork for their readers, which not only saves them time but also is perceived as less biased.

They did all the searching for them. They analyzed all the data (from an outsider’s vantage point) and cherrypicked the best answers. And they condensed and distilled their findings into one, easy-to-read, easy-to-find place.

Add to that the fact that they conversed with over 20,000 people afflicted with this condition and know almost everything about it, makes them a lot more credible than some general practitioner who may have come across just a few hundred cases in their practice.

So, why you? Because you are the expert on this subject. Use your credibility and experience as a selling point, don’t hide from it.

Last 5 Posts by Michel Fortin

• Social Media Isn’t Dead, But It Can Be Deadly
• How to Extract Doubt From Your Sales Copy
• It’s Not About Facebook, It’s About Integrity
• Did Larry Winget Go Overboard?
• The Oft-Confused Features And Benefits

About the Author