Cashvertising

1. Understand and Leverage the Life-Force 8 Human Desires

"These eight powerful desires are responsible for more sales than all other human wants combined."

The Life-Force 8 are fundamental human desires that drive consumer behavior:

1. Survival, enjoyment of life, life extension
2. Enjoyment of food and beverages
3. Freedom from fear, pain, and danger
4. Sexual companionship
5. Comfortable living conditions
6. To be superior, winning, keeping up with the Joneses
7. Care and protection of loved ones
8. Social approval

These desires are hardwired into our brains and cannot be ignored or suppressed. By tapping into one or more of these desires in your advertising, you create a powerful motivator for people to take action and buy your product or service. When crafting your marketing messages, always consider how your offering satisfies these fundamental human wants.

2. Harness the Power of Consumer Psychology Principles

"Consumers buy based on what the product will do for them, not on what ingredients it has."

Key psychological principles to incorporate in your advertising:

• Scarcity: Create a sense of urgency by limiting availability or time
• Social Proof: Use testimonials and endorsements to build credibility
• Authority: Position yourself as an expert in your field
• Reciprocity: Offer something of value to encourage reciprocal action
• Commitment/Consistency: Get small commitments to lead to larger ones
• Liking: Build rapport and likability with your audience

Understanding these principles allows you to craft more persuasive messages that resonate with your target audience. Focus on communicating the benefits and end results of your product or service, rather than just listing features. Use storytelling and vivid imagery to help prospects imagine themselves experiencing the positive outcomes of using your offering.

3. Craft Attention-Grabbing Headlines and Copy

"Unless your headline sells your product, you have wasted 90 percent of your money."

Effective headlines are critical for capturing attention and drawing readers into your ad. Some proven headline formulas include:

• How to...
• X Ways to...
• The Secret of...
• Warning!
• Who Else Wants...
• At Last...

When writing copy, use short sentences and paragraphs for readability. Incorporate power words and vivid descriptions to paint a mental picture. Always focus on benefits over features, and use specifics rather than vague claims. For example, "Save $50 on your electric bill" is more compelling than "Lower your energy costs."

• Use subheadings to break up text and guide readers
• Include bullet points to highlight key information
• Incorporate testimonials and social proof throughout

Remember to include a strong call-to-action that tells readers exactly what to do next.

4. Utilize Effective Ad Design and Layout Techniques

"The less an advertisement looks like an advertisement, and the more it looks like an editorial, the more readers stop, look, and read."

Key design elements to consider:

• Use the "Ogilvy" layout: Large image at top, headline underneath, body copy below
• Incorporate white space to improve readability
• Choose serif fonts for print, sans-serif for digital
• Use a "grabber" (like a dollar bill) to capture attention in direct mail
• Surround your offer with a coupon-style border

Experiment with editorial-style ads that mimic the look of news articles. These tend to get higher readership than traditional ad formats. For images, action shots and product demonstrations are more effective than static product photos. Always include captions, as they're read more often than body copy.

Consider using circular ads to stand out from rectangular competitors. And don't forget the power of color – blue, red, and green are generally the most preferred colors by consumers.

5. Implement Proven Response-Boosting Strategies

"Copy can never be too long, only too boring!"

Boost response rates with these tactics:

• Use long-form copy to provide comprehensive information
• Incorporate a strong guarantee to reduce purchase anxiety
• Create a sense of scarcity or urgency with deadlines
• Offer multiple payment options to reduce barriers
• Use odd-number pricing (e.g., $19.99 vs $20) for perceived value
• Provide free bonuses or incentives to sweeten the deal

Don't be afraid of long copy – if someone is truly interested in your product, they'll read it all. Just ensure it remains engaging throughout. Use subheadings, bullet points, and varied paragraph lengths to maintain visual interest.

Test different offers and guarantee lengths to find what resonates best with your audience. And always make it easy for people to respond, whether through a toll-free number, website, or pre-addressed reply card.

6. Master the Art of Persuasive Writing and Storytelling

"Until you can get your prospects to imagine themselves using your product or service, they're not going to take the next step and buy it."

Effective persuasion techniques:

• Use vivid, sensory-rich language to create mental movies
• Tell stories that illustrate the benefits of your product
• Incorporate metaphors and analogies to explain complex concepts
• Use rhetorical questions to engage readers
• Provide specific examples and case studies

Focus on painting a picture of the positive outcomes and transformations your product or service provides. Help prospects imagine themselves enjoying these benefits. Use the "before and after" technique to highlight the contrast between their current situation and the improved future with your offering.

Incorporate dialogue and quotes to bring your stories to life. And always strive for authenticity – overhyped claims will damage your credibility.

7. Optimize Pricing, Guarantees, and Offer Presentation

"Longer headlines sell more products."

Key strategies for presenting your offer:

• Test different price points and presentation (e.g., $97 vs $100)
• Offer the longest, strongest guarantee in your industry
• Break down large prices into smaller daily amounts
• Use decoy pricing to make your preferred option more attractive
• Clearly state the total value of your offer, including bonuses
• Highlight any time-limited or exclusive aspects

When writing headlines, don't be afraid of length if it allows you to include your strongest benefit. Subheadings can help break up longer headlines. Always put your biggest benefit in the headline to capture attention.

For guarantees, consider unconventional offers like "double your money back" to stand out. And remember to restate your offer and guarantee on your order form or response device.

8. Leverage Color Psychology and Visual Elements

"Color not only attracts readers, but also gets them more involved."

Color psychology insights:

• Blue is the most universally preferred color
• Red creates urgency and excitement
• Green is associated with health and nature
• Yellow captures attention but can be overwhelming
• Black conveys luxury and sophistication

Use color strategically in your ads to evoke specific emotions and associations. For maximum readability, use black text on a yellow background. Avoid difficult-to-read combinations like red on green.

Incorporate images of people, especially babies and mothers, to boost engagement. Product demonstration photos are more effective than static product shots. And don't forget the power of before-and-after images to illustrate your product's benefits.

9. Maximize Impact with Strategic Ad Placement and Repetition

"The aim of all advertising is to create marginal differences in consumer attitudes and perceptions. Through repetition, these small differences can build into larger differences, and can often tip the balance in favor of the advertised brand."

Ad placement strategies:

• Inside front cover gets 29% higher readership
• Opposite table of contents: 25% higher
• Back cover: 22% higher
• Inside back cover: 6% higher

While specific page placement (left vs right, front vs back) doesn't significantly impact results, repetition is key. Multiple exposures to your message increase the likelihood of response. Consider running a series of ads that build on each other, or use multi-page spreads for greater impact.

For online advertising, test different ad sizes and placements. Skyscrapers (vertical) and leaderboards (horizontal) tend to outperform standard banner ads.

10. Embrace Long-Form Copy for Comprehensive Persuasion

"If advertisers worried more about the quality of their sales materials, they wouldn't have time to worry about this ridiculous chicken-and-egg riddle. They'd be too busy ringing up sales."

Benefits of long-form copy:

• Allows for comprehensive explanation of benefits
• Provides space for multiple persuasion techniques
• Caters to both quick and thorough readers
• Builds credibility through detailed information
• Gives prospects everything they need to make a decision

Don't shy away from long copy, especially for complex or high-ticket items. Use formatting techniques like subheadings, bullet points, and varied paragraph lengths to maintain readability. Include multiple calls-to-action throughout for those ready to buy at different points.

Remember, you're not forcing anyone to read every word – those truly interested will consume it all, while others can skim to find the information most relevant to them. Focus on keeping your copy engaging and benefit-focused, and you'll find that longer copy often outperforms short, regardless of the medium.

Last updated: January 24, 2025