How To Make People Do Anything For You Without Being Manipulative
Writing Cheat Codes Newsletter
Welcome, 63 new Writing Cheaters!
Today you’ll learn:
#1 hack to make people do anything for you without being manipulative
2 types of content & how to use them strategically
The most effortless change you can make to engage readers better
Let’s take a dive.
#1 hack to make people do anything for you without being manipulative
Just stop and think a minute:
Why are you reading this newsletter?
Is it because you’re kind & you want me to be happy & successful?
Maybe.
Is it because you want to learn how you can improve on your writing journey & you trust my expertise?
Defo.
The best way to trick someone into doing the things you want them to do is making them think you’re doing something for them instead.
I don’t want you to read my newsletter. I want you to learn 3 bite-sized hacks to improve your writing.
McDonald's doesn’t want you to buy their food. They want to feed you.
James Clear doesn’t want you to read Atomic Habits. He wants to transform you.
This all boils down to the most fundamental copywriting principle: Sell the transformation, not the product.
Whenever you’re selling something, or you just want to politely ask someone to do it, don’t tell them what to do. Tell them how are they going to benefit from it.
2 types of content & how to use them strategically
There are only 2 types of content:
content that does far
content that goes deep
Content that goes far is usually riding a popular wave. It’s on a topic that people want to hear about.
This type of content will get you likes & shares, and plenty of followers in a short time period (although the quality of these followers is usually lower).
On the other hand, there is content that goes deep. This content doesn’t get as much traction, but on the other, it’s the type of content that will make people burst out in the DMs telling you how much you helped them.
This is the content that brings you a few followers but followers who will turn notifications for you. Followers who’ll join your email list. Followers who will be your future clients.
I’m not saying to choose only 1 type of content to create. Not at all. You just want to get clear on what are your goals with the piece.
Here are 2 of examples of how I used it in my content:
The most important Twitter skill: Crafting tempting hooks. Master it, and you can rule this platform. Here are 10 simple viral hook structures you can learn in under 2 minutes for free:This is a typical example of content that goes far. It’s a popular topic, and got a lot of likes & retweets.
- I'm 13. In January, my ex-best-friend told me I'll never succeed online. 3,430 followers & 191 email subscribers later, here's my story (and 9 lessons I learned from it) 🧵:
Yet this is a typical example of content that goes deep. After publishing it, my DMs were overflowing with positivity and messages of how much I’ve inspired pepple.
The most effortless change you can make to make your writing more engaging
It was a dark night and the rain was pouring through my clothes. My mood was even darker than the weather that night. I was drowning in the sea of my anxiety. I was overthinking every single step. And then, suddenly, I tripped. When getting up, as slowly as a turtle, I saw a man twice as taller as me, looking down at me. He looked scary as hell.
Sounds like a potential story, right? Now read this:
It is a dark night and the rain is pouring through my clothes. My mood is even darker than the weather tonight. I’m drowning in the sea of my anxiety. I'm overthinking every single step. And then, suddenly, I trip. When I get up, as slowly as a turtle, I see a man twice as taller as me, looking down at me. He looks scary as hell.
Paragraph #2 is much more engaging, right?
We all know that stories are a must if we want to engage our readers. But when you’re telling a story, you want the readers to imagine it in their heads. You want to create a movie inside their heads (inspired by Matthew Dicks from the book Storyworthy).
And using present tense is a killer way to assure that.
So whenever you’re telling a story, tell it in the present tense.
Alright, that’s it for today!
Enjoy your Sunday and don’t forget to catch some sunlight!