Title - How To Sweep Aside Scepticism Tags -
If you want to write great nutritional supplement copy, the next few pages might be the most important information you will ever read.
Allow me to prove it to you.
In the early 19th century, passenger elevators had been installed in England and America, but the hemp ropes that held the elevators up would often break and kill passengers.
Then one day, a man by the name of Elisha Otis invented a device that could prevent an elevator from falling when its rope broke.
But he had a problem.
In 1853, Otis sold only three elevators. In the first few months of 1854, he sold none. Seemingly, everybody was too scared of elevators to take a chance on his invention.
So, the entrepreneur set up a dramatic demonstration at the Worlds Fair in New York’s Crystal Palace.
Here’s how the Otis Elevator Company, still going strong today, recall the event:
“Perched on a hoisting platform high above the crowd at New York’s Crystal Palace, a pragmatic mechanic shocked the crowd when he dramatically cut the only rope suspending the platform on which he was standing. The platform dropped a few inches, but then came to a stop. His revolutionary new safety brake had worked, stopping the platform from crashing to the ground. “All safe, gentlemen!” the man proclaimed.” After that, Otis ended 1854 with seven sales, and the following year he sold 15. But that was only the beginning of his company’s success. By 1873 there were 2,000 Otis elevators in use, and they later fitted elevators in the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building, and the World Trade Center.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Otis’s invention transformed the way we live. Real estate investors could now build high without buying more land. High-rise living quarters went from being the cheapest to the most expensive. And the turning point was… without a doubt…
The Dramatic Demonstration!
You see, when Otis invented his safety device, the public was very skeptical of elevators. I guess they weren’t particularly keen on falling to their death from a great height.
Selling using normal methods was unsuccessful. Perhaps the buyers didn’t believe that the invention really was safe and trustworthy. The risk was too high. The demonstration solved that problem.
Simply, Otis put his life on the line to prove his invention was safe. In advertising, just like when Otis tried to tell people he had found a way to make elevators safe, each claim is met with a corresponding level of resistance. You must prove and credentialize your claims.
Gary Bencivenga, the greatest living copywriter, says:
“When you make your credibility an essential, highly visible part of your marketing, persuasion can flow like silk because your most commonly encountered enemy—skepticism—is largely swept aside. — Bencivenga Bullets, Bullet #29: The Secret of How to Sell Anything
In his book No B.S. Sales Success in The New Economy, Dan Kennedy says:
“Having a preponderance of proof make it possible to sell with 100% effectiveness, 100% of the time. If you want to win with every presentation of every proposition, make sure you have an overwhelming amount of proof that what you are selling is a great deal, have an overwhelming quality of proof and have proof that is influential.”
Okay, so how can you apply this?
Well, you can use demonstration in your ads. Eugene Schwartz was brilliant at this. Here’s one of his headlines:
“IF YOU’RE OVER THIRTY—THIS IS THE BEST EXERCISE YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR FACE, YOUR BODY AND YOUR HEART!”
The entire ad was a demonstration of what the book would do for the reader if they ordered. The body copy took the reader through the three steps they needed to follow to increase their energy levels.
How can you use this in supplement copy?
Here’s one example. If you are selling a supplement that helps improve vision, say:
“Do this eye test now. Mark your score down. Try the product for 3 months then retake the test. If your score isn’t any higher then we’ll give you a refund.”
As you can see, demonstration is a very powerful form of proof. Perhaps the most powerful. But there are many others, too. Testimonials, for example. That’s the next section. Before we get to that, here are some other ways to prove your claims.
Write in the voice of an expert
This is a classic approach to nutritional supplement advertising. The health market is very sophisticated. They’ve seen a lot of ads; as much as 2-3 a week. To make it worse, the media tend to discredit supplements, and doctors distrust them. People are very, very skeptical. Their gut reaction to an ad is:
“Who the hell are you and why should I listen to you?”.
Still, there are a lot of people who need solutions to their health problems. You just have to work hard to build trust and persuade them you can help. You have to prove it.
One way to do this is to write in the voice of an expert; typically, a doctor. Hearing from a doctor gives the reader hope. Doctors are seen as “insiders” with knowledge the rest of us couldn’t possibly possess. They are trusted immediately.
Expert lift note
If for some reason the doctor or expert behind your product does not want the ad to appear as though written by them, you could feature their words on a lift note, or as a testimonial.
Profile your expert in a sidebar
Another approach to leveraging the credibility of an expert is to feature them in a sidebar. You should dedicate plenty of space to their credentials and also weave them into your main copy.
Quote a recognized expert
If you don’t have a medical expert on board, pull in quotes from a published book from a recognized expert. Dr. Stephen Sinatra or Dr. Christine Northrup, for example. Of course, get written permission to refer to their published material in your copy.
Sell to the doctor
More and more people are consulting their doctor about taking supplements. Provide adequate evidence from sources that will stand on their own against their doctor’s advice. Include citations of specific studies. Possibly include a lift note they can take to the doctor. Highlight how difficult it is for physicians to keep up with the volume of nutritional research—and how you will provide the pertinent information.
Guarantee
Providing a guarantee is a strong advantage of natural over pharmaceutical.
Can you imagine paying for a prescription and then asking for a refund if it didn’t work? It just wouldn’t wash. Use this to your advantage. It can be as simple as saying, in effect: “If this doesn’t work, it costs you nothing. If it does, it will change your life.” Use social proof
You know Jeff Walker, the internet marketer behind the Product Launch Formula? His method has helped countless marketers create multi-million dollar launches and a big part of the reason why is that the formula leverages social proof.
You can use this in supplement advertising, too.
Although most people get supplement recommendations from doctors and print (books, magazines, etc.), they also ask their friends and family. They want social proof.
People want to see that your product changed somebody’s life in the way they want to change theirs. You can achieve this by using powerful case histories and testimonials.
Leverage the press
If your product, type of product or business has been featured in the press… use it! This is possibly better than using a private expert, who could later deny providing an endorsement.
Combine evidence behind each ingredient
A big challenge with supplement advertising is that few products have been scientifically tested with all ingredients together, which makes it hard to back up product claims.
One way to get around this is to find evidence for the effect of individual ingredients, then make a case that they could be more reactive together.
Always be specific
Generalities are received with caution. Consumers assume that advertisers exaggerate, but a specific claim is either true or false. And since nobody expects you to outright lie, the specific claim is believable.
Be very specific about the number of products, the percentage of each ingredient… and… when using scientific evidence, be very specific about which scientists and studies you are referring to.
Be specific about exactly how your supplement helped others. For example, “24.7 kg weight loss in 21 days” rather than “significant weight loss”.
Finally, if you don’t have specific facts to prove your claims, consider investing in experiments to gain these facts.
Scientific evidence
I’ve left this until last, but it’s probably the most obvious form of proof in supplement advertising. It’s pretty much impossible to write supplement ads without citing scientific evidence, not least because the FTC requires that you back up your claims.