CopyHackers’ Copy School 2019 Presell videos had some real fire this year.
The most valuable piece for me was Ry explaining EXACTLY what a moment of highest tension / pleasure looked like. He dimensionalized the copy very well, as you’ll see below.
1. Moment of highest tension [MOHT]
Definied:The hyper-specific 3-dimensional moment in time where the problems that your product solves (or will solve) are most present and severe
“The flare up of the unresolved condition where your prospect would be most motivated to fix it, where they literally can’t rest until they solve it”
“Illuminates the truth of the situation[…]Reveals all the things your prospect was thinking or pretending could be swept under the rug”
“the more descriptive you are, the greater the chance your prospect will be able to see themselves within that story and raise their hand and say ‘OMG if I don’t resolve this fast, that’s how bad things could get”
If selling accounting software, MOHT for small biz owners = “maybe it’s when you’re sitting onyour accountants office and she points out a stack of receivables you failed to collect because you didn’t even know they existed”
or “Maybe it’s the moment when she hands you the year end report and you see that you were way less profitable than you thought”
or “If you know your reporting has been sloppy, your MOHT might be when you open your mailbox and see a letter from the IRS with that ugly red stamp and your stomach sinks because you know it can’t be good news”
NOT: struggling with your books or worrying about being late on your reporting. BEcause the prospect MUST be able to play the scene in their head and feel the visceral emotion behind it. You’re still writing what we call “placeholder copy”
MOHT = “visible, lived experience. The actual experience. The ‘moment’ ” NOT the BENEFIT, outcome, idea, or feeling.
In that MOMENT, nothing else matters except getting that tension relieved. IT’s the moment where your prospect would be absolutely motivated to fix it
Aim for this, when writing your MOHT.
Lesson = stop selling placeholder problems with placeholder copy. Dive into the “actual lived experience of that problem presenting itself—in the most accurate way possible”
MOHT = “Male pattern baldness isn’t a problem. It’s being 27, single, and having your date playfully taking your ballcap off to see what you look like”
What MOHT is not:“Being late on your taxes isn’t a problem, it’s a condition. The flare up of that condition, the moment of highest tension is the second you get that notice telling you you’re about to get audited”
MOHT = real-life moment. You’re recreating a scene and placing your reader in that scene
The Nic Cage Test
“Your work isn’t don’t until a questionably talented actor like Nicholas Cage could read your moment of highest tension and know exactly how to act it on a screen. [Your MOHT] should be vivid enough to be made into a movie script”
“Illuminating pain isn’t enough. We have to establish a gap between your prospect’s current reality—their moment of highest tension and how things SHOULD be”
Using SHOULD not could when writing these is an important nuance
2. Moment of highest pleasure [MOHP]
Defined: The hyper-specific 3-dimensional moment in time where the benefits or outcomes your product produces are the most present and exciting
In a typical sales call / face-to-face conversation you learn:
- Know WHAT your prospect wants,
- WHY it’s wanted, and
- what it’d’ LOOK LIKE
MOHP = how it’d impact their lives and the lives of those around them
Unpack the benefits (don’t just list them):
- What do the benefits mean (Ry says perform some sense surgery, i.e. draw out the sensory details, describe what the pleasure would feel like)
- Why do they matter to your prospect?
- How do they appear in their life?
MOHP Goal: dial-in the specificity of the benefits
Not MOHP: “hitting refresh on your convertkit or mailchimp account and seeing hundreds of new subscribers[…]but it feels like that lacks dimensionality”
Not MOHP: Being able to execute a flash campaign because you have the list to do it
MOHP: Being at a top conference in your industry and talking to one of the leaders in your field. Someone you respect. Someone who maybe makes your hands a little quivery. And after a few minutes they ask you, how many people do you have on your list?
And instead of sheepishly saying something like: ‘I’m working on it’ You can say a number you’re actually proud of. One that visibly impresses them and shifts the conversation into partnering on a launch or being on a podcast together, or whatever opportunities may now open up, with this person you respect bBECAUSE you have an email list.
Why it’s a MOHP = That’s a scene, your prospect can play out in their head. It’s specific. It’s vivid. And more importantly, it has your prospect investing in a reality that you and you alone have earned the right to lead them towards
MOHP gets them to invest in a new reality. A new imagined (better) future for themselves
Tip 1: Stop treating your MOHP as something so high up on the aspirational scale.
“The biggest mistake I see novice copywriters and marketers make is this: they make the benefits of their product over the aspiration. Instead, in most cases you’ll have greater success if you can find a moment of highest pleasure, that’s lower down on Maslow’s hierachy of needs. Something that’s more on the level of survival or a correction of an injustice. Or the restoration of something that SHOULD be”
Hidden truth in the tip: “People are far more willing to invest their resources—in the form of time, money, and energy—when there’s an injustice that needs to be corrected”
It’s partly why Shawshank Redemption is such a popular movie. The movie’s ending is FAR from aspirational. “…yet the raw emotion of correcting an injustice is so compelling on a visceral level”
Tip 2: Wherever possible, make your MOHP be the restoration of what your prospect believes SHOULD be [not could be]
- Who they are
- What they’ve ALREADY accomplished or endured
- Their resources
- or their self-perception of who they are
Ry calls tip #2 the “Andy Dufresne Test:” taking a moment to make sure your MOHP is low enough on the aspirational scale that it’s somethign that can single handedly be the difference between a ‘Meh this can wait til later’ respone and a ‘I need this right freaking now’ conversion
Using these 2 persuasion triggers (especially in sales emails) are the most powerful way to naturally and ethically ramp up the urgency, illuminate pain, and create a wide enough gap that your prospect can only cross with you and your product
Notes from CopyHackers CopySchool 2019 Video 3
“People don’t buy a product or service, they buy a better version of themselves”
“The sales page is where they say YES or NO to that transformation to that image of a better self”
Salesletter = 24/7 sales person
Myth: Great products sell themselves
A sales page isn’t a hard sell. Its a final opportunity in a funnel to coach the conversion. It’s your chance to talk WITH them not AT them. Taking your time to coach them through everything they’re experience in their transformation at that point
Every anxiety that needs neutralizing
Every objection that needs to be worked through, 1 by 1
The 4 Specific Jobs
a Sales Page Has in Your Business
1. Long copy lets you coach the conversion
Not selling. Coaching.
2. Long copy increases the perception of value
It sends out signals of safety and perceived value
3. Long copy readers are hot leads worth retargeting
4. Long copy increases sophistication and boosts emotional investment
People who spend time, spend money. The more they read, the more they are getting invested in your copy, even if they don’t buy on the first visit.
Pixel and retarget your campaigns
Note: See Justin Brooke’s retargeting recipes book for recipes and push-button strategies on how to do that.
Becoming a copywriter = becoming the most profitable person in the room.
Go forth and build cash flow.