In yesterday’s post “A Painful Marketing Lesson…” I touched on the topic of the knowledge that specialists have that outsiders do not.
In that case, it was the computer technician knowing some simple tweaks and techniques that I did not.
In other words…
…he knew a “secret” that I didn’t.
Using “secrets” to appeal to the reader’s curiosity is a proven technique in effective copywriting.
But you may sometimes feel that the idea is a little over-used.
After all, how many times have we seen a swipe of copywriter John Carlton’s “One-Legged Golfer” letter starting…
“Amazing Secret Discovered By….”
…blah, blah, blah?
The short answer to knowing whether or not “Secrets” will appeal is, of course, to test.
However, based on the frequency with which I observe this technique being used by savvy direct response marketers who test (organizations like Rodale and Boardroom), I think it’s a pretty safe assumption that it continues to work.
Always test to optimize, of course.
The second objection might be that your specialist knowledge isn’t really a “secret”.
I’m sure Gary the computer technician didn’t really think that what he did was all that difficult.
But that’s not the point.
To the non-specialist, the customer, the expert knowledge is a “secret”.
And they will be happy to pay to get the benefit.
So don’t undervalue your skills and your knowledge (that particularly applies to any copywriters reading this!).
You probably know a lot more than you give yourself credit for…
…and those “secrets” are valuable.