5 personality-packed
Copywriting How-To Hacks
Words without personality is like a bar without booze - a total $&@/?!# buzzkill!
You’ve built a 900 ft. wall between who you are and who you think you have to be to sell - and it’s time to set that bad boy ablaze! Burn, baby, burn! People want your fifty shades of weird. That’s what makes you real - and the more real you are the more interesting you become. Knowing how to write copy that sells is more about personality than it is about grammar (or your product, for that matter).
written by: DRE BELTRAMI
reading time: 15 minutes
The world (internet) is full of people who'll love you and buy from you and they don’t need you to be perfect… or change. Some call these people your ideal customers, I prefer to call them your kindreds.
These amazing human beings don’t need you to be more ladylike or less nerdy. They don't need you to filter out your imperfect moments. They want you just the way you are because it isn’t the credentials on your resume or the colors in your palette they can’t get enough of, it’s your state of mind that they find delightfully refreshing.
“Only you could come up with that”. Is what they’re going to think when they read your content.
*Mind blow ahead!*
Personality is an optical illusion.
It’s like that Old Woman/Young Lady picture.
Some will see the best version of you… others will see your most misunderstood version. Same you. Different them.
The people who see the young lady see you in your most understood state. These people get you, accept you, and celebrate you.
On my personality portrait, I picture myself on a stand-up stage with patrons laughing so hard they’re falling off their barstools.
The people who see the old woman see you in your most misunderstood state. These people don’t get you, like you, or believe you. Oh, and they most definitely are never, EVAH, going to buy from you.
On my personality portrait, I picture myself standing in front of an emergency exit with “fuck off” tattooed on my forehead and a shit-eating grin plastered on my face.
I figure it covers all my bases - equal parts Outlaw + Entertainer with a splash of Girl Next Door. Oops, sorry, nothing like breaking into brand archetype speak out of nowhere. Sometimes it feels like I’m bilingual I speak them so hard. I promise I won’t do it again.
PERSONALITY FILTERS OUT THE BS.
If you lean so far into your personality that people don’t have a choice but to see your “old woman” or “young lady”, then all you have to worry about is being YOU. And that is figure-out-able.
I know likability feels like a damn good reason to filter, fudge, or straight up manufacture a better (more publicly “acceptable”) version of yourself but before you go prancing off into the night, what if writing copy could feel as natural as writing a friend?
Let’s turn your buzzkill into a done deal. You bring the personality, I’ll bring the copywriting how to hacks. It’s demolition day!
The wall dividing who you are from who you think you have to be has gots to go. On the other side, there are love notes, bank notes, and high notes with your name written all over them.
PEPTALK COMPLETE.
COPYWRITING MODE ENGAGED.
Are you ready to throw “fucks” to the wind and let the real
you come out and play in your copy-colored sandbox?? I wanna see a scouts honor, right here… right now! *tapping my foot politely yet somewhat impatiently*
The next time you sit down to write and the devilish restraints of “fact speak” start closing in, I want you to deploy these five copywriting for beginners hacks to give your words all the personality they need to become a craving for your kindreds (what I prefer to call ideal customers).
*The curtain rises and the lights come up.* It’s copy time!
Copywriting Hack No. 1
ARRESTING ANALOGY
The single most heroic thing you can do to 10x the personality and conversion-power in your copy is to become a master of the analogy because there’s nothing more persuasive than driving a point home by painting a graphic picture that stirs up feelings as soon as you imagine the scenario.
The magic of captivating copywriting is that it’s convincing! It makes the emotional and logical associations that a reader needs to believe what’s being said. The Arresting Analogy hack is all about creating those associations using original and outlandish comparisons that disarm your reader’s copy blinders.
When you make claims in your copy (the core of convincing) it shouldn’t be so you sound “authoritative” it should be because you want people to feel a certain way.
The Arresting Analogy copywriting hack is about giving your reader’s an experience so familiar that as soon as they hear it they’re brought to the emotions you’re trying to stir up.
For instance, if I want you to understand how differently I do webinars than other brands I wouldn’t just come out and say “I do webinars differently!” That sentiment gives you nothing but my word (which doesn’t mean jack… yet).
Instead I would paint a graphic picture by saying…
"My happy hours are like Coachella meets Tedtalk but for home-based nerds."
Or, I might say…
"My happy hours are nothing like those 3 secret webinars littering your feeds. Mine are like entrepreneurial speed dating - only for nerds who want to stay in their jammies and keep the learning to their living rooms."
Side note: The simple act of calling my live training events happy hours (instead of webinars) disrupts people’s idea of what to expect, sets a vibe that differentiates me, and reinforces my personality.
Your analogies are the perfect place to drench your words in personality because you have the freedom to describe things any damn way you please.
HOW TO CRAFT AN ARRESTING ANALOGY:
The more original and outlandish the comparison the more it’ll disarm copy blindness.
The next time you want to make a “claim” turn it into an analogy that’s so graphic it leaves nothing to the imagination.
EXAMPLES OF An aRRESTING ANALOGy:
Buzzkill:
You’re drowning in self-doubt and hating yourself more each day.
ARRESTING analogy:
Your business feels like a hiring manager right now. Like some smug S.O.B sitting at their executive mahogany desk, adjusting their comb-over, failing miserably at pretending to care, while you put on the pitch of your life.
Buzzkill
The struggle is real when you’re a newbie.
ARRESTING analogy:
When you don’t know what you’re doing, running a business feels like eating a big ol’ broken glass sandwich.
Buzzkill
The struggle is real when you’re a newbie.
ARRESTING analogy:
Lobbing your brand out there and hearing nothing but crickets feels like showing up on the first day of junior high decked out in JCPenney gear, with a mouth full of braces, and a bushy AF unibrow.
Buzzkill
Dre is crazy.
ARRESTING analogy:
Dre is like a 4-tire blow out on the interstate, while going 90mph on a rainy night, singing Salt-N-Pepa’s Push It at volume 10 with a 1/5 of Marshmallow vodka in your system and a blunt the size of Texas in your hand.
True story, that’s a direct quote (text) from a bestie. Thanks B, you so get me!
NOW IT’S YOUR TURN. (PRACTICE TIME)
Choose a subject matter (e.g. your brand, your product, your opt-in, your personality, your event, etc.) and fill in the blanks in the statement below.
[Subject Matter] are/is like [blank] meets [blank] but for [blank].
**take whatever creative license needed when it comes to crafting this sentence - add/remove words that don’t fit the tense or overall analogy.
For example:
"The Solopreneur Society is like a piggy bank full of besties meets a helpdesk full of trade secrets - only totally legal."
Post your statement in The Solopreneur Society so Team Solo and I can drown you in high fives and happy dances!
Copywriting Hack No. 2
ASSUME KABOOM
When you want to jolt your readers out of their autopilot state there are few weapons better to deploy than an Assume Kaboom.
This copywriting how to hack is based on the Expectancy Violation Theory, which analyzes the emotional response people have to unexpected violations of their social norms or expectations.
In layman’s terms, it’s about starting a phrase in a way the reader expects, then suddenly hitting them with something they don’t expect at all.
HOW TO CRAFT AN ASSUME KABOOM:
EXAMPLES OF AN ASSUME KABOOM:
ASSUME
"Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn." (Gone With the Wind, 1939)
KABOOM
What I wanted to say to her was, "Frankly my dear, I don’t give as many fucks as you think I do!” I mean, who does this dream dictator think she is!
ASSUME
"May the force be with you." (Star Wars, 1977)
KABOOM
May the force be with the poor suckers who lag and lose out on this pop-up copywriting how to workshop.
ASSUME
"Love means never having to say you're sorry.” (Love Story, 1970)
KABOOM
Love means never having to say you’re sorry when your wife of 25 years overhears you describe her cooking as heavy-handed with the salt, limp-wristed with the flavor, and without fail always overcooked. #doghouse
ASSUME
“A picture is worth a thousand words.” (Arthur Brisbane, 1911)
KABOOM
A picture is worth a thousand words, unless it’s of you enjoying your first drama-free, kid-free, anxiety-free vacation in 10 years — that needs just two words: CHECKED OUT!
ASSUME
“Maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s Maybelline.” (Maybelline, 1991)
KABOOM
Maybe you’re born with it, maybe it’s an easily learnable skill (when you have the right teacher).
NOW IT’S YOUR TURN. (PRACTICE TIME)
Riffing off of the quote below, add your personal twist to the beginning, middle, or end of this overused classic.
“If you build it, they will come.” (Field of Dreams, 1989)
For example:
"Building a membership without a marketing plan is like building a ballpark with no seats. If you build it, build a cryogenic chamber because it’s going to be on ice for a very long time. Ain’t nobody coming, buttercup!"
Post your version of this old classic in The Solopreneur Society so Team Solo and I can drown you in high fives and happy dances!
Copywriting Hack No. 3
THE EVEN IF EXTENSION
Anytime you tell someone what’s possible you have to be ready for resistance and reasons why they are the exception — why it’s NOT actually possible for them. This type of objection is part self-preservation (as it keeps us feeling grounded and protected) and part fear (as it helps us avoid feelings of failure and disappointment).
The Even If Extension copywriting how to hack is about addressing the mental landmines lurking in your kindred's thoughts and squashing the “buts” bouncing around in their head so they don't get sucked into any self-doubt spirals.
It’s about addressing the elephant in the room right out of the gate so they don’t even have a chance to doubt what you’re saying.
HOW TO CRAFT AN EVEN IF EXTENSION:
At the end of your sentence add “even if” and then a descriptive qualifier that obliterates the objection(s) popping up in your kindred's head as they emotionally-process the claim you're making.
EXAMPLES OF AN EVEN IF EXTENSION:
OBJECTION PRONE
You’re going to learn how to wordsmith your way to the top of your market by the time fall rolls around.
OBJECTION PROOF
You’re going to learn how to wordsmith your way to the top of your market by the time fall rolls around — even if you have zero brain cells left during the summer.
OBJECTION PRONE
How to cure cravings, break free from night-time munchies, and put that Wine Genie back in his bottle.
OBJECTION PROOF
How to cure cravings, break free from night-time munchies, and put that Wine Genie back in his bottle — even if you have no willpower and basically run on chocolate.
OBJECTION PRONE
With Clicks to Kindreds, you’re getting a personality-fueled, psychology-backed formula for creating hypnotizing offers that’ll drown your list in kindreds, your bank account in boners, and your inbox in love notes.
OBJECTION PROOF
With Clicks to Kindreds, you’re getting a personality-fueled, psychology-backed formula for creating hypnotizing offers that’ll drown your list in kindreds, your bank account in boners, and your inbox in love notes — even if you’re on the national personality transplant waiting list.
OBJECTION PRONE
How to sizzle more senses, spawn more sales, and shatter more ceilings.
OBJECTION PROOF
How to sizzle more senses, spawn more sales, and shatter more ceilings (even if you’re allergic to sales and terrified of launching)!
OBJECTION PRONE
A personality-fueled, psychology-backed formula for building a limited edition brand that'll drown your list in kindreds, your bank account in boners, and your inbox in love notes.
OBJECTION PROOF
A personality-fueled, psychology-backed formula for building a limited edition brand that'll drown your list in kindreds, your bank account in boners, and your inbox in love notes... even if you have no credibility, connections, or influence to speak of.
NOW IT’S YOUR TURN. (PRACTICE TIME)
Channel a specific skill that you impart to your readers (e.g. building relationships, getting sales from Instagram, writing words with personality, etc.) and fill in the blanks in the statement below.
[Number] things you can do in [time-frame] to [result your kindred is chasing] even if [biggest objections bouncing around when they hear your claim].
BAM, you just wrote yourself a buzz-worthy headline! No more buzzkill over here, buttercup, just rinse and repeat this formula and headline headaches will be a distant memory.
For example:
"Five things you can do in the next month to 2X the engagement on your social media posts even if you have more imaginary friends than fans, subscribers, and clients put together."
Show Team Solo and I what you came up with in The Solopreneur Society so we can drown you in copywriting high fives and happy dances!
Copywriting Hack No. 4
THE THREE MUSKETEERS
This hack is based on the Rule of Three, which is a writing theory that suggests that providing points, events, and/or characters in groups of threes is more entertaining, comforting, and powerful than any other number.
Case in point:
The power of three can be seen in every nook and cranny of our lives. The Three Musketeers copywriting how to hack is about infusing the power of a triad in your words so you can pack a punch that’ll stick to your kindred's emotional receptors.
HOW TO CRAFT A THREE MUSKETEERS:
When you want to describe something, whether that be a result, experience, or a feeling, expand your sentence into three bite-sized but graphic descriptors.
EXAMPLES OF THE THREE MUSKETEERS:
one and done
Your job as a brand is to understand where your state of mind intersects with your buyer’s belief system because once people buy into your methodologies the sale is just a matter of time.
Power of three
Your job as a brand is to understand where your state of mind intersects with your buyer’s belief system because once people buy into your mind, mouth, and mission the sale is just a matter of time.
one and done
Belief building is going to make more impact than any marketing-of-the-day tactic you can think of because selling is about making your buyer feel understood, not pitching your product.
Power of three
Belief building is going to create more buzz, win more hearts, and close more sales than any marketing-of-the-day tactic you can think of because selling is about making your buyer feel understood, not pitching your product.
one and done
Clicks to Kindreds is a 5-part system for creating profitable sales offers in as little as 35 days.
Power of three
Clicks to Kindreds is a 5-part system for creating sales offers that drown your list in kindreds, your bank account in boners, and your inbox in love notes, in as little as 35 days.
one and done
This workshop makes it possible to go from socialed-out to sold out in 60 days without driving you into a straitjacket.
Power of three
This workshop makes it possible to go from socialed-out to sold out in 60 days without selling your soul, losing your mind, or giving up your guilty pleasures.
one and done
How to turn your screw-ups and setbacks into a content series that’ll increase your brand influence.
Power of three
How to turn your screw-ups and setbacks into a content series that’ll bolster your credibility, boost your sales, and broaden your exposure.
NOW IT’S YOUR TURN. (PRACTICE TIME)
Choose one of the products or services in your suite and fill in the blanks in the statement below.
How to do [blank], [blank], and [blank] in [time-frame] using [name of your product or service].
For example:
"How to explode your list, establish your authority, and launch your virtual summit in 90 days using Virtual Summit School."
Show Team Solo and I what Three Musketeers you’re working with in The Solopreneur Society so we can drown you in high fives and happy dances!
Copywriting Hack No. 5
THE BULLETPROOF
The Bulletproof hack is perfect for those times when you have a lot of benefits to list out but none of them warrant a whole paragraph to themselves.
When you have three to five thoughts or points you want to make, turn them into bullet points to break up the overwhelm of so many words on a screen without any eye-candy. This’ll help you avoid the conversion killer that is the wall of text effect.
The Bulletproof copywriting how to hack is about making your words inviting, in terms of how difficult they look to follow, because staring down the barrel of nothing but words brings up feelings of overwhelm and inadequacy, which are the last states you want to fling your kindreds into.
Side Note: Content consumption is as much about the feelings as it is about the dance you take your kindred's eyeballs on. This is just one of many visual techniques you can deploy using color, symbols, images, and typography. But, more on that another day. For now, let’s Bulletproof you up…
HOW TO CRAFT THE BULLETPROOF
Break up “lists” in your paragraphs by moving them into bullet points. Also, and this is important, so don’t leave it out, use characters (wingbats) or emojis as the bullets for your list. No little black circles, please! This will visually disrupt and delight your kindreds (especially those skimmers) by giving their eyes a destination. **Here kitty, kitty!**
Oh, and no ending punctuation either. That just creates an awkward pause when you’re on a roll.
EXAMPLES OF THE BULLETPROOF:
BARREL OF WORDS
At One Eighty Lounge we don’t peddle regurgitated free content, we don’t upsell (or hard sell) our members, and we aren’t fairy godmothers with magic wands. We’re your partners in crime - because every entrepreneurial misfit should have a support system that laughs, listens, and lends assistance.
BULLETPROOF
Seriously, mark this day on your calendar. This is the day you met the love of your entrepreneurial life - One Eighty Lounge.
It ticks all the boxes:
It doesn’t serve glorified webinars disguised as insider strategies
It’s not a sales staging area where you’re lured in with fake promises then pummeled with relentless upsells
It’s not built on some one-trick pony system that’ll band-aid one problem while introducing fourteen others
BARREL OF WORDS
One Eighty Lounge is an entrepreneurial support system full of salt of the Earth colleagues, incredibly generous mentors, crazy helpful resources, and deals you can actually afford. It's everything you need to make 2021 the year your brand finally finds its footing.
BULLETPROOF
One Eighty Lounge is a support system and think tank for entrepreneurs looking to turn their brand into a cashflow amusement park in 2021.
➊ Colleagues who’ll tell you when you “have spinach in your teeth” without the cubicle-vibe that sucks your soul dry
➋ Concierge-style mentors who’ll give you a customized game plan without a 12-week program you need just to execute it
➌ Deals on services that’ll finally make paying shit away doable without the subpar service that reminds you why you do everything yourself
➍ Unlimited access to a fully stocked branding bar that’s loaded with agency-grade, fully customizable scripts and templates
NOW IT’S YOUR TURN. (PRACTICE TIME)
Choose one of the products or services in your suite and fill in the blanks in the script below with real world scenarios that your kindreds will resonate with.
Seriously, mark this day on your calendar. This is the day you met the love of your [type of lifestyle they live] life - [name of product or service].
It ticks all the boxes:
🥳 It doesn’t serve [something you'd never do to your kindreds]
🤯 It’s not a [something your product/service is not, that'll overjoy your kindreds]
😍 It’s not [something else they're going to be overjoyed not to see]
For example:
Seriously, mark this day on your calendar. This is the day you met the love of your entrepreneurial life - One Eighty Lounge.
It ticks all the boxes:
🥳 It doesn’t serve glorified webinars disguised as insider strategies
🤯 It’s not a sales staging area where you’re lured in with fake promises then pummeled with relentless upsells
😍 It’s not built on some one-trick pony system that’ll band-aid one problem while introducing fourteen others
Post your version in The Solopreneur Society so Team Solo and I can drown you in high fives and happy dances!
ONE MORE THING
BEFORE YOU GO...
Remember, the more real you are the more interesting you become.
Let your personality flag fly loudly and proudly, buttercup! I pinky promise that your kindred's are craving words the way only you can deliver them.
I double-dog dare you to choose your favorite copywriting how-to hack from this lesson and unleash your realest, most vulnerable self on the socials or in an email before your head hits the pillow tonight! The scripts I included are calling your name.
You up to the challenge? If that was a HELL YEAH I just heard slip out of your mouth there’s a little somethin’, somethin’ below that I think might just geek you out so hard you're gonna wanna hug me - which is only virtually allowed. 😆
HERE'S YOUR CHANCE TO grab ALL 21 copywriting HACKS FROM
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