PUSH PULL

I’ma teach you a super handy copy tactic today.

It’ll take 2 mins (and will help you improve your copy’s performance instantly).

But first…

I just bought a new copywriting book.

Yes… I’m five years into being a six-figure copywriter and I still read copywriting books. The most successful copywriters I know never stop learning (remember that).

But…

It’s one I’ve never read (so it’s new to me).

It’s called Copywriting Secrets by Jim Edwards. I’ve heard amazing things about it. So I couldn’t resist.

My honest review?

I haven’t even opened it yet but I know it’s going to be good.

How?

If a book about copywriting is any good, the true test is what’s on the outside.

Is the copy on the outside good?

So I flip it over and start poking around at what Jimmy-boy’s got on the back.

And sure enough… the copy’s on point.

How do I know?

Because I couldn’t help myself but read the whole back cover with ease.

Slippery slide.

In fact…

There’s one thing Jim does on the back that’s brilliant to tap into everyone’s emotions.

To hit on that psychological trigger necessary to urge people to buy (or in this case, open the front cover of the book and start reading).

Here’s what it says:

“Fact #1: Great Copywriting = Incredible lifestyle, plenty of money, and freedom!

Fact #2: Poor Copywriting = Struggle forever and die poor!”

What’s the lesson here? What’s Jim doing here with these two lines of copy?

I don’t know if there’s a proper name for it…

But I’m just going to call it the “Push-Pull Method.”

No idea if that’s the actual name or if I just made that up. But, that’s what it’s called as of today.

What does the Push-Pull copy tactic do?

It ensures you hit on the emotional element most important to every reader.

You see…

Everybody has different reasons for buying things.

But simply put, it comes down to two things:

We want to run from pain and towards pleasure.

So when you focus on tapping into PAIN or PLEASURE the right way in your copy, you’ll hit the psychological triggers someone needs to take action.

Depending on your audience (and your product), you might want to focus on one of these a bit more than the other.

But, in some cases, you’ll want to hit on both. It’s safer to do that. You’re more likely to hit the target. It’s like casting a wider net with your copy.

That’s what Jim does here.

With line one, he’s PULLING his audience towards pleasure:

“Fact #1: Great Copywriting = Incredible lifestyle, plenty of money, and freedom!”

With line two he’s PUSHING his audience away from pain:

“Fact #2: Poor Copywriting = Struggle forever and die poor!”

If you’re ever unsure which one to tap into?

Just use both.

-Brandon “The Push-Pull Method” Storey

P.S. If you want to read Copywriting Secrets too, you can grab the book from Amazon (not an affiliate link, just wanted to save you some time).