5 Reasons Why Barack Obama is Better at Persuasive Selling than John McCain
October 8th, 2008 Dina at Wordfeeder.com
First off, let me just obliterate the notion that I might be an Obama supporter. I’m not. Frankly, I don’t have great faith in either of the candidates, and am seriously considering “throwing away” my vote on Bob Barr. But that’s beside the point, really.
Last night, like many Americans, I tuned in to the debate. And, all personal opinions and bias aside, one thing I could NOT help noticing was that Obama clearly has a really, really good speech writer and/or communication coach.
Not to mention his totally smooth and unruffled communication style… from his open body language to his “sympathetic” facial expressions to his even vocal tone to his effective use of pauses and emphasis in all the right places.
Before I begin my list of reasons why Obama is a master of persuasion, let me just clarify the meaning of persuasion as defined by Wikipedia.org:
Persuasion is a form of social influence. It is the process of guiding people toward the adoption of an idea, attitude, or action by rational and symbolic (though not always logical) means. It is strategy of problem-solving relying on “appeals” rather than strength.
Manipulation is taking persuasion to an extreme, where the one person or group benefits at the cost of the other.
That said, persuasive argument is of course the driving force behind sales copywriting, which is why it’s something I’m tuned in to. As a copywriter, I help business owners persuade individuals to buy/believe in their products, services, ideas and ideals. Because of the work I do, you might even say I’m especially JADED and immune to persuasion because I know where it comes from.
It should go without saying that each party is trying to sell something here - the idea of himself as our best candidate for U.S. President.
Okay: that out of the way, here’s why Obama is better at PERSUADING than McCain is:
(Again, persuasion being “the process of guiding people toward the adoption of an idea, attitude, or action by rational and symbolic (though not always logical) means.“).
1. Obama begins his answer to every debate question by addressing a very personal problem that “hits home” for the audience.
As he’s presenting the “issue,” whether it’s concerns over healthcare affordability, tax cuts for the middle class, lack of jobs, the war in Iraq, or social security, he ALWAYS opens his case by touching the emotions of “the average American.” I do believe that in the very first question he answered, he opened with something rousing like, “You’re scared. You’re concerned about the future.” (Don’t quote me on the man’s exact words but it was essentially an acknowledgement of the emotional state of the audience.)
This is HIGHLY persuasive - he used what is essentially the “ATTENTION” portion of the sales pitch formula - which is abbreviated as A.I.D.A. and stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, Action. By immediately touching upon the audience’s biggest fears, he grabbed their ATTENTION and got them listening to what he had to say.
2. Obama’s answers always focus on “the other person” - you, not him.
Obama consistently takes the second person perspective when he answers questions. The second person perspective uses the words “you,” “your family,” “your concerns,” and “your future” (as opposed to “me,” “my,” “I.”
Every good copywriter knows that if you want to endear your audience to your side of the fence, you spin the copy toward the “you” or the “what’s in it for you” perspective.
(While McCain may have made some equally good points, they were weakened by his repeated use of the words “I” and “me” - “What I will do.“)
Furthermore, when Obama gets to the “meat” of his question, or essentially his “answer,” he shifts his perspective to “we” and “us.” This creates the image of him being on the “us team” or “on the level” with the average American. Any good sales copywriter worth his salt knows that you open your arguments by being audience-focused. (I wish that a few more of my clients would recognize how powerful of a tactic this is — but alas, it’s hard for people to think clearly when their egos are making such a godawful racket!)
3. Obama covers his points in outline form, and then repeats them so that everybody understands.
(Side note: when people ask politicians to explain their plans, very rarely if ever do these plans actually go into deep detail. The truth is, we can’t possibly ever know whether such plans will work until all the funding, people, processes and systems are put into place to get the plans going. At that point, the plans will likely change. The plans will then likely change again and again, ending up nothing like what said politician originally promised. However, admitting this truth won’t likely provide that emotional security blanket that people are so desperately craving in trying times as these. So, instead, the presidential candidates get up there and try to sound like they know what they’re talking about.)
When Obama lays down his outlines as Point 1, Point 2, Point 3, etc., it comes across as very organized and this appeals to most people. Why is this persuasive? Because it’s easy to mentally grasp and recall an argument that’s presented in a logical format.
As I said, this doesn’t change the fact that said plan might be just a bunch of idealistic smoke blowing up your you-know-what. But it SOUNDS good, and it PERSUADES, and that is what, sadly, wins favor and gets the vote in the end.
4. Obama draws positive associations between himself and the American people.
Obama talks about his family’s struggle with money growing up, the fact that scholarships brought him to where he is today, etc.. He does this because he knows it creates an emotional connection between himself and his audience - the “we’re in this together” feeling.
McCain, on the other hand, uses the tactic of painting a NEGATIVE picture of his opponent, discussing pork barrel spending and lack of military experience. While such points may be valid, the problem is that negative communication produces NEGATIVE feelings. McCain is effectively alienating his audience with such tactics.
Most advertising experts will tell you that if you’re trying to build a trustworthy reputation for your brand (cause, etc.), IT PAYS to stay focused on the positive and avoid speaking negatively about anyone or anything.
Our country is at the critical point where the LAST thing people want to hear is more gloom and doom. With Obama playing the savior card, desperate Americans are lapping up everything he has to say. And that, unfortunately, is just the persuasive tactic that’s required to “sell” yourself as he is doing.
5. Obama paints a mental picture of himself in the president’s seat.
At the close of each answer, Obama used words such as “When I am president,” which gives a positive visualization of himself as our country’s future leader. This is highly persuasive and hypnotic, even!
Notice he doesn’t say “If I’m elected…” he says WHEN. Or, perhaps he might have said something like, “As president of the United States, I will…” (Note: I’m not using his exact words here because I don’t have a transcript of the debate in front of me, but if you do view it again, come by and tell me what his exact phrasing is. I’m pretty sure this is his tactic.)
The truth is that the world’s greatest and most influential leaders were/are also strong communicators. Clearly, when you can back your words with actions that support the greater good, then that makes all the difference. But it starts with being an effective, and persuasive, orator. Why? Because if you can’t persuade the masses from the start that your ideas are good and sound, then you’ll likely never live the day to see those ideas become reality.
The challenge, once that’s accomplished, is to give substance and credibility to your remarks by staying true to your word. And that, of course, is what remains to be seen from the presidential candidates on EITHER side.
I leave you with the definition of persuasion once more:
From Wikipedia.org:
Persuasion is a form of social influence. It is the process of guiding people toward the adoption of an idea, attitude, or action by rational and symbolic (though not always logical) means. It is strategy of problem-solving relying on “appeals” rather than strength.
For more information about the fine art of writing persuasively to position yourself as an authority in your field, download the FREE report: The Dangerous Truth About Copywriting That Sells - from Dina Giolitto at Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing.
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Posted in Commercial Writing, Copywriting Weapon, Dangerous Truth, Marketing Communications, Persuasive Copywriting, Target Audience, Writing Voice | No Comments »Business Week Article Bombs with Bad Tone
September 28th, 2008 Dina at Wordfeeder.comRegular readers of mine will recall that I talk a lot about tone in copywriting. It’s important — even critical, I would say– to adopt the appropriate voice as you write, as a means of conveying your brand in the appropriate light.
This morning I came across an article in Business Week that displayed inappropriate tone. Admittedly, this is journalistic writing, which is not persuasive so much as informative. But, nevertheless, the tone should be serious and respectful. Instead, we get flippant and cavalier.
Here’s the first paragraph:
Towns That Could Be Hit Hardest by the Financial Crisis
How many former Lehman Brothers bankers or AIG executives are likely to be buying a Park Avenue apartment or a home in Darien, Conn., this year? Most likely answer: not many at all.
(Why is this inappropriate? Because you’re talking about something serious - people losing their jobs and homes, and the author of this article opens with snarky commentary. And if you wanted to still give him the benefit of the doubt, and say that the above wasn’t meant to be offensive, then you can read on for confirmation):
As anyone who works on Wall Street, invests in the stock market, or just reads the newspapers knows, the past few weeks for the financials sector have been as ugly as Frankenstein’s sister. People have seen their net worth eviscerated, if not obliterated completely.
Comparing the nation’s finances to Frankenstein’s sister? That is HORRIBLE writing! Not because the grammar is wrong, and not because Frankenstein’s sister isn’t the epitome of ugly - she is. The problem is that subject is serious, but the comparison is comical. When such an incongruence occurs in writing, one might conclude that:
a. the person who wrote the article is not very intelligent, or,
b. the person who wrote the article is perfectly intelligent, but they just don’t care.
If Business Week had paid more attention to the wording of this article, they might have done a little editing on it. Sometimes it’s hard to find a better analogy than “Frankenstein’s sister,” but if you can’t make it work, then take it out and just do straight-up reporting instead.
Have you thought about the “tone” that is portrayed in your business communication? What kind of picture does it paint about your company?
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Posted in Copy Wrong, Writing Voice | No Comments »The Formula for Writing a Sales Letter
September 19th, 2008 Dina at Wordfeeder.comDo you feel confused, pressured or overwhelmed at the thought of writing a sales letter for your product? You’re not alone. The sight of that treacherously long page with the neverending streams of words, words, words confounds many.
The good news is, writing a sales letter needn’t be approached with the same dread one might take at having to bang out a college term paper on the night before it’s due. All you really need to do is break it down into manageable parts.
Part 1: Create the “Hooker” Headline and Intro. The “hooker” part of your sales letter includes a headline, subhead, and first paragraph or two. They call it the hooker because it’s meant to hook interest and capture attention. This is frequently done with a series of 3, attention-grabbing questions, but it doesn’t have to. One such question might be: “Are you sick of enduring fad diet after fad diet, only to gain all the weight back as soon as you fall off the wagon?”
Continue reading “The Formula for Writing a Sales Letter“
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Posted in Commercial Writing, Copywriting Services, Direct Mail Copywriting, Direct Response Copywriting, Marketing Communications, Persuasive Copywriting, Sales Letters, Target Audience, The Creative, Writing Voice | No Comments »How to be Colloquial in Your Copywriting
September 18th, 2008 Dina at Wordfeeder.com
by Dina Giolitto
Colloquial writing “warms up” standard business communication and keeps things friendly between you and your reader. Basically, that means that in ad copywriting, you’re permitted to bend the grammar rules a bit, so long as the meaning isn’t lost.
The reason is because in natural conversation, nobody speaks in formal language. Not only do we ease up on the use of grammatical correctness, but we employ jargon and cliche as well as make use of contractions - or the abbreviated form of certain word combinations. Some examples follow…
Bending the grammar rules…
(Continue reading “How to be Colloquial in Your Copywriting“)
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Posted in Brochure Copywriting, Business Writing, Commercial Writing, Copywriting Services, Copywriting for the Web, Direct Mail Copywriting, Direct Response Copywriting, Persuasive Copywriting, Wordfeeder Copywriting, Writing Voice | No Comments »Wife Insurance?
July 14th, 2008 Dina at Wordfeeder.comMy pal Ann Zuccardy of the Vermont Shortbread Company sent me this ad pitching “wife insurance” circa 1940. As a lover of antiques, old music and all things nostalgia, of course this ad tickled my funny bone.
But now the question is: did the person who wrote this copy mean to be funny - or was this the sentiment of the day? It’s hard to know what people were thinking during my Grandma’s era, and what might have passed for humor back then. The tone of this seems rather dramatic, if you ask me. I’m sure today’s leading insurance companies would approve.
So what new type of insurance might be the next step for the next generation of families? How about pet insurance? People are fairly mad about their pets - in fact, I like my pet more than most people! And with dog and cat food companies being responsible for thousands of pet deaths due to their questionable ingredients… I’d say we’ve got ourselves a market here.
Insurance… the biggest scam on the planet. “Here… pay us money *just in case* anything happens. But if nothing happens… we still get to keep your money!”
Burns my brisket, it does.
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Posted in Print Advertising, Target Audience, The Creative, Vintage Ads, Word Food, Writing Voice | 3 Comments »Copywriting Tricks: Mastering the Voice
May 7th, 2008 Dina at Wordfeeder.comSeeing as I feel pressured to start my work day at 4 a.m. this week, I thought I’d go easy on myself and not try to come up with new content for the copywriting blog. What I’m going to do instead is turn your attention to quite a decent piece on how to nab the “voice” in your copywriting. I wrote this in 2006 and likely published it in Word Food, the Copywriting Newsletter. But even so - I’m pretty happy with the way it sounds and think the old mare has still got some life left in ‘er. And by ‘old mare’ I am in no way referring to myself. ;0
Copywriting Tricks: Mastering the Voice
Professional copywriters are well-familiar with what’s commonly referred to as “the voice.” What is this exactly, and why do you need to master it in your writing?
If writing is icecream, then “the voice” is the flavor in your scoop. You may be slurping on mellow vanilla, while I’m over here crunching Rocky Road. Sure, we’re bothing having a cold and creamy treat, but our waffle cones are packing two entirely different tastes. So it is with the “voice” that carries your message in writing.
Another way to say this: the voice is the personality that comes across by way of your written message. When you set pen to paper or get those keys clicking, what comes out is your own voice or chosen style of expression.
The words and intonation you choose may be very different than what I’d use. That’s the variance in the voice. You must nab this for your copywriting clientele if you want to impress people!
Continue reading “Copywriting Tricks: Mastering the Voice”
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Posted in Copy Right, Copywriting Techniques, Persuasive Copywriting, Wordfeeder Copywriting, Writing Voice | No Comments »The Have-To Rant
April 29th, 2008 Dina at Wordfeeder.com
I’m going to permit myself the “have-to” rant today. This has been in the back of my mind for a long time, but I’m finally going to let it come bubbling up to the surface. This is going to feel GREAT.
The phrase that I just stumbled across was this one:
“For clients with limited budgets who ‘have’ to have guaranteed results…”
Aggghhh! I despise it when people say “have to” in place of “must.” It’s such a weak and mealy-mouthed substitute for a small but mighty word. And a double whammy offense when you say “have to have.” Eeeyew. (spitting)
(And yet I’d be lying if I said I didn’t occasionally say “have to” in my clients’ copy if the phrase fits their manner of speaking. BUT STILL…)
You can say this so many other ways.
“For clients with limited budgets who ‘must’ have guaranteed results…”
“For clients with limited budgets who ‘insist’ on guaranteed results…”
Do people cock their heads to the side, slacken their jaws and roll their eyes about before telling someone that they “have to” do something?
Why not just spell it “hafta?”
And while we’re being total dorks here, we may as well just add an “OMG.”
“OMG… you HAFTA take a look at what this amazing search engine optimization program offers. It’s like, soooo good.”
Ahh, I feel much better now that I got that one of my chest. Thanks for listening. You didn’t… hafta.
Dina at Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing
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Posted in Copy Wrong, Grammar Issues, Proofreader, Punctuation Peeves, Writing Voice | No Comments »Genre Copywriting - How to Determine The Proper Voice for Your Site
April 21st, 2008 Dina at Wordfeeder.comGenre is a word that gets thrown around mostly in fiction circles. Popular genres include horror, sci-fi, romance, western, mystery and fantasy. People who keep reading specific genres do so because they know what to expect. It’s that familiarity with the material that keeps them turning the pages. Horror fans know that the pretty girl who goes into the dark room by herself will get killed. Romance readers know that the main character will find love in the end.
Your blog, or website, needs to have a genre too in order to create the comfortable familiarity that readers come to expect.
There are three main types of genres you can apply to your blog’s copy. The main focus of your site, and your readers, will determine what’s working and what isn’t. But, once you settle on a particular voice, it’s vital that you stick with it because your readers will demand it every time they visit.
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Posted in Blogging Tips, Copywriting for the Web, Target Audience, Wordfeeder Copywriting, Writing Voice | No Comments »Copywriting: How to Nab the Voice
February 26th, 2008 Dina at Wordfeeder.comYou’ve probably come across those articles on the web that work nicely as a sleep aid. You can’t really pinpoint a problem with the writing or grammar… but just the same, they’re about as exciting as the warning label on the back of a box of Tylenol.
What makes one article jump off the page and suck you in immediately, while others are merely yawn-worthy? The strong article clearly expresses a voice. The weak one does not. Writing can be a lot like people in that way. No one wants to hang with a dullard. So DO apply a personality to whatever you’ve penned.
Mind you, this is not about the logical arrangement of paragraphs, or the sentence structure. It’s about word choice - verbs, adjectives, adverbs. It’s about colloquial expressions and natural speech - even purposeful errors that wouldn’t fly in a grammar stylebook. It’s also about pauses and establishing rhythm in your writing. You’re not just stringing lines together; you’re singing your song.
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Posted in Copywriting Techniques, Writing Voice | No Comments »