In George Romero’s \ud835\ude0b\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude3a \ud835\ude30\ud835\ude27 \ud835\ude35\ud835\ude29\ud835\ude26 \ud835\ude0b\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude25 (1985), scientists and soldiers are holed up in an underground bunker while the living dead swarm outside.<\/p>\n
Supplies are dwindling, tempers are exploding, and attempts to maintain control make things worse.<\/p>\n
Eventually, a desperate soldier opens the gates and lets the zombies inside.<\/p>\n
Now they’ve got more problems than they can count.<\/p>\n
That’s a useful lesson for copywriters: \ud835\ude00\ud835\uddfc\ud835\uddfa\ud835\uddf2 \ud835\uddfd\ud835\uddff\ud835\uddfc\ud835\uddef\ud835\uddf9\ud835\uddf2\ud835\uddfa\ud835\ude00 \ud835\uddef\ud835\uddf2\ud835\uddf0\ud835\uddfc\ud835\uddfa\ud835\uddf2 \ud835\uddfa\ud835\uddfc\ud835\uddff\ud835\uddf2 \ud835\uddf0\ud835\uddfc\ud835\uddfa\ud835\uddfd\ud835\uddf2\ud835\uddf9\ud835\uddf9\ud835\uddf6\ud835\uddfb\ud835\uddf4 \ud835\ude04\ud835\uddf5\ud835\uddf2\ud835\uddfb \ud835\ude06\ud835\uddfc\ud835\ude02 \ud835\uddff\ud835\uddf2\ud835\ude03\ud835\uddf2\ud835\uddee\ud835\uddf9 \ud835\ude04\ud835\uddf5\ud835\uddee\ud835\ude01 \ud835\uddf2\ud835\uddf9\ud835\ude00\ud835\uddf2 \ud835\ude01\ud835\uddf5\ud835\uddf2\ud835\ude06 \ud835\uddf0\ud835\uddee\ud835\ude02\ud835\ude00\ud835\uddf2.<\/p>\n
Suppose you’re selling a service that improves checkout pages.<\/p>\n
You could write:<\/p>\n
\u201c\ud835\ude19\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude25\ud835\ude36\ud835\ude24\ud835\ude26 \ud835\ude34\ud835\ude29\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude31\ud835\ude31\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude28 \ud835\ude24\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude33\ud835\ude35 \ud835\ude22\ud835\ude23\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude25\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude2e\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude35.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fair enough. But that’s only the first zombie.<\/p>\n
A confusing checkout drives away buyers, makes advertising less profitable, and generates support requests that consume time and money.<\/p>\n
Now try:<\/p>\n
\u201c\ud835\ude1b\ud835\ude29\ud835\ude26 \ud835\ude0a\ud835\ude29\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude24\ud835\ude2c\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude36\ud835\ude35 \ud835\ude14\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude34\ud835\ude35\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude2c\ud835\ude26 \ud835\ude1b\ud835\ude29\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude35’\ud835\ude34 \ud835\ude13\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude34\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude28 \ud835\ude20\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude36 \ud835\ude1a\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude2d\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude34, \ud835\ude1e\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude34\ud835\ude35\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude28 \ud835\ude20\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude36\ud835\ude33 \ud835\ude08\ud835\ude25 \ud835\ude09\ud835\ude36\ud835\ude25\ud835\ude28\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude35, \ud835\ude22\ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude25 \ud835\ude09\ud835\ude36\ud835\ude33\ud835\ude3a\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude28 \ud835\ude20\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude36\ud835\ude33 \ud835\ude1a\ud835\ude36\ud835\ude31\ud835\ude31\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude33\ud835\ude35 \ud835\ude1b\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude2e \ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude2f \ud835\ude0a\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude2e\ud835\ude31\ud835\ude2d\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude2f\ud835\ude35\ud835\ude34.\u201d<\/p>\n
This approach works when prospects recognize a problem but underestimate its cost.<\/p>\n
\ud835\udddb\ud835\uddf2\ud835\uddff\ud835\uddf2’\ud835\ude00 \ud835\uddf5\ud835\uddfc\ud835\ude04 \ud835\ude01\ud835\uddfc \ud835\ude02\ud835\ude00\ud835\uddf2 \ud835\uddf6\ud835\ude01:<\/p>\n
1. Identify a familiar problem prospects tolerate.<\/p>\n
\n
2. Trace the consequences it creates.<\/p>\n
\n
3. Find evidence connecting those consequences.<\/p>\n
\n
4. Build a headline around the most costly or surprising chain reaction.<\/p>\n
\n
Don’t invent consequences to make your headline frightening. The connections need to be credible.<\/p>\n
The survivors in \ud835\ude0b\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude3a \ud835\ude30\ud835\ude27 \ud835\ude35\ud835\ude29\ud835\ude26 \ud835\ude0b\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude25 had plenty of problems before anyone opened the gates.<\/p>\n
\ud835\uddd5\ud835\ude02\ud835\ude01 \ud835\uddfc\ud835\uddfb\ud835\uddf0\ud835\uddf2 \ud835\ude01\ud835\uddf5\ud835\uddf2 \ud835\ude07\ud835\uddfc\ud835\uddfa\ud835\uddef\ud835\uddf6\ud835\uddf2\ud835\ude00 \ud835\uddf4\ud835\uddfc\ud835\ude01 \ud835\uddf6\ud835\uddfb\ud835\ude00\ud835\uddf6\ud835\uddf1\ud835\uddf2, \ud835\uddf2\ud835\ude03\ud835\uddf2\ud835\uddff\ud835\ude06 \ud835\uddfd\ud835\uddff\ud835\uddfc\ud835\uddef\ud835\uddf9\ud835\uddf2\ud835\uddfa \ud835\ude01\ud835\uddf5\ud835\uddf2\ud835\ude06’\ud835\uddf1 \ud835\uddef\ud835\uddf2\ud835\uddf2\ud835\uddfb \ud835\uddf6\ud835\uddf4\ud835\uddfb\ud835\uddfc\ud835\uddff\ud835\uddf6\ud835\uddfb\ud835\uddf4 \ud835\uddef\ud835\uddf2\ud835\uddf0\ud835\uddee\ud835\uddfa\ud835\uddf2 \ud835\uddf5\ud835\uddee\ud835\uddff\ud835\uddf1\ud835\uddf2\ud835\uddff \ud835\ude01\ud835\uddfc \ud835\ude00\ud835\uddfc\ud835\uddf9\ud835\ude03\ud835\uddf2.<\/p>\n
RW<\/p>\n
.<\/p>\n
.<\/p>\n
.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In George Romero’s \ud835\ude0b\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude3a \ud835\ude30\ud835\ude27 \ud835\ude35\ud835\ude29\ud835\ude26 \ud835\ude0b\ud835\ude26\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude25 (1985), scientists and soldiers are holed up in an underground bunker while the living dead swarm outside. Supplies are dwindling, tempers are exploding, and attempts to maintain control make things worse. Eventually, a desperate soldier opens the gates and lets the zombies inside. Now they’ve got more problems […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-693","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-copywriting"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/richardwinser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/693","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/richardwinser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/richardwinser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/richardwinser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/richardwinser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=693"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/richardwinser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/693\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":694,"href":"https:\/\/richardwinser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/693\/revisions\/694"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/richardwinser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=693"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/richardwinser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=693"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/richardwinser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=693"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}