If you haven’t seen VH1′s show “The Pick-Up Artist,” pick-up artist (PUA) strategies enable a guy to attract a girl (or “target”) despite wearing copious amounts of eyeliner and a ridiculous floppy hat. If these strategies can work for a long-haired, unemployed 35-year-old man named “Mystery,” maybe they can work for marketers of truly great services, too.
In this post, we will attempt to go where no pick-up artist has gone before. Into the world of the written word.
You see, everything we need to know about copywriting we can learn from watching VH1′s “The Pick-Up Artist.” Here are 3 essential pick-up artist strategies, as applied to copywriting.
Pick-up artist strategy #1: The Neg.
Explanation: Offer a teasing, negative statement to make the ‘out-of-your-league’ target believe you’re not yet completely sold on her. Example: “So, what else do you have going for you besides your looks?”
As it applies to copywriting: Got a great idea? Slap it upside the head.
Instead of leading with your awesome value statement, or asking prospects about their hemorrhoid problems, write about the opposite. For example, do you help companies offset their emissions? Why not lead with a story about how offsetting isn’t actually the best first step? Another example is the latest Herbal Essences shampoo commercial. We’ve all seen the beautiful woman shaking out her long, silky hair for the benefit of the camera. What we haven’t seen, until now, is a long-haired trucker in a leather jacket and jeans, shaking out his long, silky hair and flashing a radiant smile.
When you surprise prospects with the unexpected–when you’re not just feeding them the standard marketing tripe–their defenses go down, results go up, and you can then work to create a genuine connection.
Pick-up artist strategy #2: The Time Limitation
Explanation: Tell the target you can’t stay long because you “have to meet your friends.”
As it applies to copywriting: One way in which you can apply the time limitation to copywriting is, of course, by using a limited-time offer. Sweeten the pot for those who act sooner rather than later. Just make sure it’s authentic–not forced–urgency.
The second way to apply the time limitation is through brevity. See my earlier Brevity Burgers post. If you can use fewer words, do so. Right or wrong, we’re impatient these days. So get to the point.
Pick-up artist strategy #3: The “Three Seconds” Rule
Explanation: From the time you make eye contact with a target, you have three seconds to walk over and say something.
As it applies to copywriting: So, you’ve gotten the prospect’s interest. Now start talking. Did you ask them to provide a name & e-mail address so they could download a case study? Automatically e-mail it to them–rather than making them wait for a salesperson.
And don’t make your prospect wade through hundreds of words of sales copy before making your offer. In fact, you might want to simply lead with it. Make sure the most important points are above the fold–or scroll line–in an e-mail, sales page, or letter.
And if you’ve got a website that makes you wait more than 3 seconds for it to load–and yes, this includes those magnificently-crafted intro pages with “skip intro” buttons–then you should seriously consider getting rid of it. Remember the 3-second rule.
Picking up prospects is relatively easy. Retaining them? A bit more difficult–but also more rewarding.
That’s where excellent service and implementation comes in. You can’t forget customers exist simply because they now work with you.
Your messages should change for these folks.
Stay in touch through newsletters, e-mails, postcards, and other communications. And, of course, creating a fantastic, memorable, earth-shaking client experience. That should, after all, be the end goal of every true pick-up artist.
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