Tim Ferris, Mindvalley, The BulletProof Executive, Selena Soo and other industry leaders do something in their opt-in copy other businesses overlook.
It’s the same thing the top ear plug company in the US does to sell ear plugs.
Get this concept down, and your lead magnet becomes irresistible (leading to a bigger list and more DDS responses). Even better, it’ll make any copy you write — from the story on your sales page to the bullets in your sales email — more compelling and persuasive.
Before we get into what it is, take a moment and imagine being stuck in a room for a night with a heavy snorer. You don’t want to be a tired wreck the next morning, so you go to the pharmacy to get ear plugs.
You see two packages the same price. One, regular old ear plugs.
The other says “Snore blockers — Powerful snore blocking technology”
Which do you buy?
This happened to me last year, and I went with option 2. Sure the other pair could have worked fine. But why not go with the one that makes the specific promise I’m looking for?
And therein lies the key to making your lead magnet irresistible.
It’s all about specifics, baby!
The more specific you are on what you can do for your reader and why they should trust you, the more they believe you.
Now “be more specific” is vague advice. So let’s dive in and take a look at 5 ways you can make your landing pages more effective by being specific.
1. Clear, specific promises
When people take their first crack at landing page copy they generally wind up with promises like this:
- “Learn how to set and reach your goals!”
- “Attract women and get more dates!”
- “Be more productive and get more done in less time”
It’s a fine starting point. But if that’s as deep as you go, you blend in with everyone else saying the same thing.
So how do you go deeper? Take a look at the benefit you wrote and ask yourself “What exactly does that mean? What does that look like?”
For example, what does “attract women” mean?
Tao of Badass, a company that tends to stay at the top of Clickbank, answers that by going deeper on what “attract women” means and promising their lead magnet will help you: 1) Always know what to say 2) Effortlessly engage with confidence and 3) Turn heads of hotter women.
By getting more specific, the offer is more enticing than one that merely says “attract women.”
Here’s another example. If your promise is “be more productive” ask yourself, “What exactly does that mean?
Here’s how Tim Ferris answers that question in his opt-in copy.
He gets specific with what productivity means with “per-hour output”. He also gets specific in the amount you’ll increase it with “10x”. (Though even this could be more specific if it were something along the lines of “How I learned to crank out 2 weeks worth of work in one day”. More on that in point #3.)
Get specific on what exactly you’re promising and your copy stands out, sounds more believable, and becomes more enticing.
2. Add a unique mechanism
Okay, you’ve got a clear, specific promise. But someone else with more experience and a track record is making a similar claim. How do you get them to see you as their go-to guy?
One method is to add a specific mechanism or feature that they can only get from you.
So instead of just saying “Learn how to grow your business” you’d give them a specific thing they’ll get that’ll grow their business.
Here’s how the guys at ILoveMarketing do it:
If you want “8 Profit Activators” (and what business owner wouldn’t?) you better download that report because where else will you get it?
Here’s another example taken from a Ryan Levesque email:
“SCALE your business by using “Funnel Stacking” to connect your quiz funnels together”
The name “funnel stacking” shows you’re getting a proprietary “thing”.
While plenty of people can promise big results, those results are more believable when there’s a specific mechanism that brings them to you. And when you are the only one who has that mechanism, you become the go-to person your reader turns to for help.
3. Share specific results
If you or someone you’ve helped has achieved specific results using some of what you’re about to share, let people know!
What’s great about this method is you can imply a promise or benefit without claiming one. You’re simply saying “this material helped others get this amazing benefit” and letting them fill in the blanks that it can work for them too.
Here’s how Selana Soo does it:
She’s not saying you’ll get $157k this year. She’s simply sharing how she did it despite starting from $0. Since the reader is starting from a spot no worse than that, he can see himself following the same path to a 6-figure coaching gig.
You can also show off the results of people you have helped. Here’s an example where Ramit Sethi does exactly that:
If you don’t have specific numbers like Selena and Ramit (say you’re a life coach and most of your results are around helping people “feel fulfilled”), you can always use a quote from a client on how you helped their life or relationship instead.
Showing a specific result you or your client achieved let’s your reader imagine themselves achieving the same thing.
4. Give a timeframe
Another way to get specific is by giving a time-frame. This can be when they can implement what you’re teaching and start to see results or when they’ll achieve their desired result.
Here’s an example from Matthew Hussey, one of the top women’s dating coaches in the U.K. Notice how he emphasizes how you can use these “Confidence Secrets” TODAY.
Or take this opt-in copy from John Lee Dumas at Entrepreneur on Fire. He not only has a specific and unique mechanism (the “Freedom Journal”) along with a big promise (“accomplish your #1 goal”) he gives a specific time when you’ll have achieved that benefit (100 days.)
When you have a timeframe on your promise it makes it unique, desirable, and adds a touch of curiosity (“How is that possible?”) that draws the reader in.
5. Social proof
When I’m critiquing someone’s copy I’ll often go to their webpage to get a feel for who they are, what they do, and the audience they serve. What I find is suprising.
They’ll mention how they’ve helped dozens of people already or have built a thriving community. The proof they can help people is buried deep in their site.
If you’re already a leader people listen to, show it off! Like Dave Asprey, the Bulletproof Executive. His opt-in copy focuses how many people are already on his list as he says: “Join over 200,000 people who already receive information that upgrades their lives”.
Your list may not be anywhere near that size, but if you’ve people or have a FB community, share that (with specific numbers if they’re strong.), It makes you an authority and shows people are already listening to you.
If you don’t have any following, don’t worry. There are other ways to get social proof.
You could, for example, do what Mindvalley does in this bullet for one of their webinars. Here’s a line where they highlight how the techniques you’ll learn are already being used by top sports teams:
“The proven method used by world class sports teams to foster healthy, motivating, and competitive spirit that compels your team members to happily strive to be the best performer in your company”
(Note that if they could name specific sports teams it’d make that even stronger… unless that team was the Cleveland Browns)
Show how many other people are following you, or how other leaders are using what you’re teaching, and it gives you social proof that compels the reader to join you.
Quick recap:
Here’s a recap of the 5 ways to get specific
- A clear, specific promise, benefit, or results
- A unique and specific feature or mechanism they’ll use to get those results
- Specific results that have been achieved by you or others who used the system/method/checklist they’re about to learn
- A specific timeframe for when they’ll get results
- Social proof: The number of people you’ve helped, community members, years you’ve been in business, or high-level people using your techniques
Now if you’re thinking “Ahhhh that’s a lot of things! Which one do I use!?”
Don’t worry, there’s no need to cram all of these things into your landing page or opt-in copy. Throw 1 -3 of these elements in there and you’ll be in a great spot.
The key is to hone in on whatever is unique to you. Whatever point helps you make the biggest promise and come off as an authority.
If you want to hang on to this as a reference, plus get 3 more ways you can be specific (with more examples from top online businesses — like Ryan Deiss and Rhonda Britten) you can download this free report I made you: 8 “Pro Tips” for Maximum Opt-ins.