Copywriting Weapon: The Guilt Trip
July 7th, 2007 Dina at Wordfeeder.comLast week we discussed the “Us and Them” copywriting strategy, this week we’ll cover guilt-tripping your audience.
While “Us and Them” works its psychology on your rabble-rousing fans, the guilt trip wins over meeker individuals. If you’ve already been doing your best to attract a readership of humble, gentle, forgiving, confidence-lacking or even downright wussy people, the guilt trip will no doubt be your ticket to plentiful sales conversions.
(An aside: I don’t mean to come across as callous when I whisper these little tricks in your ear with tongue planted firmly in cheek. I’m merely speaking the unspoken. These are the games real people play, and the way to get past them is to just laugh it off. Keep a healthy perspective! Life is absurd, humans are a curious lot indeed. But as a psychologically-minded copywriter, I for one can’t ignore the manipulation. Pro copywriters stockpile an arsenal of secret word weapons to clasp their readers ever closer to their hearts and ultimately bring more profit. You have to just accept it, analyze it, learn how to use it to your advantage. Just don’t forget to stay genuine in your “real” life experiences. There is a fine line between a somewhat manufactured image you cultivate in your marketing, and who you really are as a person.)
Thinking about guilt trips in your marketing copy, I’m reminded of an email I once received from a well-known marketer which I think I shall never forget. In the email, this man was selling one of those Become a Marketer Overnight kit-in-a-box deals. His copy said something like, “I’m sure it’s not your fault if you haven’t had time to sign up yet.”
I nearly burst out laughing when I read that. “You’re sure it’s not my FAULT?” Whew… subtle guilt-tripping at its finest! On the outside, this guy seems really swell, right? What a generous offer… telling his readers “it’s not your fault” if you haven’t signed up yet.
It’s not your fault.
It’s not your fault.
Wait a minute, wait a minute. Why is the word fault in this sentence? The remark is aimed at you. Are you at fault? Did you do something wrong? No… you always do the right thing… don’t you? What’s the right thing? Oh dear, oh dear… maybe the right thing is to sign up for this shindig right now. Right?? Right?
(classic neurotic psychological response to the “It’s not your fault” line)
Just seeing the phrase “It’s not your fault” in print like that begs for a guilt-hungry self-blamer to breeze by, take note of the message, feel terrible about not signing up, and then click BUY NOW. If it wasn’t true and this trick didn’t work, why was it in the sales copy of one of the biggest marketing success stories out there?
Since I’m already deep in the throes of copy psychology here– let’s break it down further.
“It’s not your fault if you haven’t had time to sign up yet.”
This one line - this ONE powerful line, not only guilt trips you out, but it paints a visual of you signing up. As though this was your eventual intention all the while. A lot of people would readily fall prey to that kind of pressure. It’s hypnotic suggestive imagery, with a heavy helping of good ol’ fashioned “do the right thing” guilt thrown in. Reminds me of Mom and her coercive broccoli tactics. Yes, millions of folks can be cajoled into buying things simply by having a little shame and suggestion stirred up and gently kicked in their general direction.
And me personally? Do I guilt-trip my readers? Well… no, and I think it’s a personality thing. To me, it seems like the person who would guilt her readers into buying something is the same type who might deliver a backhanded compliment. You know what I mean: the old, “Oh your hair looks much better like this!” style of remark. (Oh - so you’re saying it didn’t look good before? Change “much better” to “really nice” and you’ve got a genuine compliment with no sneaky underlying meaning lurking beneath the surface. Are you getting how subtlety can slip through the cracks in your copy?)
Me, I’d try every other trick in this mini advertising book, before I ever resorted to the guilt trip in my copy. Guilt tripping is just not my personal style. But if YOU want to use it, know that when the guilt button is depressed ever so lightly, it works on the minds of many target markets. The trick to using guilt in your copy is to position your product as an alleviator of said deep-seated guilt. Why would you feel guilty? Same as any of us would… life is tough, we feel pressured! We do and say the wrong things, we neglect our civic duties, we don’t treat people as well as we should, we don’t treat ourselves as well as we should… and then it eats away at us. That’s a primo selling opportunity. Buy your way to a guilt-free existence!
Here’s an extreme example. Suppose you own a company that provides home care for the elderly. How would you market your services and tap into the hidden guilt? Try some guilt-addled imagery. Let’s say we’re trying to reach the reader who’s neglected to deal with Granny’s needs in a timely manner. Grandma’s world is crumbling as life sails on, and it’s weighing on this person like a ton of bricks.
Would painting a sorrowful picture of Grandma with her failing health, and the gnawing fear for her personal safety, conjure up some feelings of shame and self-criticism in the reader? You bet it might. Oh, but what if your copy then told your audience that they don’t have to feel badly anymore, because Grandma will be in good hands thanks to this professional health and personal care service? Grandmother will be tended to with love, by people who truly care, and you can be free of worry. And guilt. Think that’d prompt some people to purchase, or at the very least endear your brand closer to their hearts, for next time? Yes, yes, and YES.
As with all of the Deadly Six Copywriting Truths, you’ve got to keep it subtle. You definitely don’t want to come down hard on your readers while you’re guilt-tripping them, as this makes readers angry. And you MUST sound sincere and understanding (as opposed to satirical, like the tone I’ve taken in this copywriting report). Tone is a big factor as to whether your copy will deliver the psychological effect you intend for it to have. If you have trouble with the tone, play that “advertising announcer” tape in your head while reading your copy out loud. Trust me, it works - I’ve been doing it since I was just a small tot, writing advertising jingles and radio commercials with my best pal, for fun. (What can I say? I was a weird kid).
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July 10th, 2007 at 11:14 am
I think guilt and fear are two of the most powerful human motivators. While I don’t like to use eithe personally (because they border in manipulation rather than influence), I still recognize their power.
Great article Dina… keep up the good work!
Cheers!
Miguel Alvarez
Copywriting.com