The Power of the Villain in Copywriting

Knowing how to sell is half the equation... Knowing why people buy is the bigger half.
Post Reply
User avatar
SARubin
Copywriter
Posts: 575
Joined: January 12th, 2019, 8:00 am
Location: USA
Tagline: Spinning Words Into Gold
Has thanked: 129 times
Been thanked: 117 times
Contact:

The Power of the Villain in Copywriting

Post by SARubin »

I have a confession to make...

I was never a big fan of comic books.

Even as a kid when I loved watching cartoons, still do, I always thought comic books were only for nerds and geeks.

But over the past year I've discovered the incredible stories hidden within comic books and full length Anime movies.

And now I stand proudly among the ranks of geeks and misfits who find themselves caught up in the magical world of animated storytelling.

I doubt I'll be putting on a Spiderman costume and going to the next ComiCon anytime soon, but at least I now understand the term "Graphic Novel".


So what does this have to with Copywriting...?

The single biggest lesson I'm learning from these stories is

"The stronger the villain the better the supehero".

Think about it... If Superman was writing parking tickets all day, or arresting shoplifters, no one would care. Because it would be boring.

But throw in an evil villain who wants to take over the world...

And Superman becomes a SUPER-HERO


I think most copywriters know a formula or two which follows the steps - state the problem - agitate the problem - solve the problem?

But how strong of a villain can we (ethically) turn those problems into?


If we're selling a weight loss product and our villain is those last 10 to 15 pounds of stubborn flab that won't go away, how can we make that villain bigger and more powerful?

Asking your customer "wouldn't it be nice to finally get rid of those extra few pounds?"
Will likely get us a predictable, lackluster response like "yeah, thanks for reminding me. Now I have somewhere else to be. Goodbye".

But show them how that last bit of weight can cause terrible health complications like skeletal imbalance, or muscular degeneration, and it might even make their pecker fall off, and suddenly that villain gets much bigger and more dangerous.

Now our weight loss solution isn't just a nice guy to have around... It's a SUPER-HERO fighting the evil enemy "Flabbyoculous"!


OK, maybe I'm getting a little carried away here. But I get excited when I learn new things, or just reinforce old lessons, from unexpected sources.

And when a comic book teaches me a copywriting lesson, how can I not find that amusing, and amazing?

And if this one doesn't excite you the way it excites me... Well, nobody drops gold nuggets every time they sit down at the throne. And maybe my next post will suit you better?

Here's to finding brilliant marketing lessons, in unexpected places...

All the best,
Steve
A good marketer knows how to think like a marketer - A great marketer learns how to think like the customer...
SARubin - Direct Response Copywriter / Conversion Flow Expert
User avatar
Franklin
Copywriter
Posts: 244
Joined: January 27th, 2019, 12:00 am
Location: Right in front of you
Has thanked: 51 times
Been thanked: 83 times

Re: The Power of the Villain in Copywriting

Post by Franklin »

So true, folks pay more for solutions to bigger problems.
SARubin wrote: January 13th, 2022, 11:15 am But show them how that last bit of weight can cause terrible health complications like skeletal imbalance, or muscular degeneration, and it might even make their pecker fall off, and suddenly that villain gets much bigger and more dangerous.
That is a very dangerous villain indeed :shock:
“There are 3 kinds of people in this world. Those who can count, and those who can't”
User avatar
josexxx
Newbie
Posts: 1
Joined: September 6th, 2023, 8:14 pm

Re: The Power of the Villain in Copywriting

Post by josexxx »

I am very grateful for your content, I am from Brazil :D
User avatar
SARubin
Copywriter
Posts: 575
Joined: January 12th, 2019, 8:00 am
Location: USA
Tagline: Spinning Words Into Gold
Has thanked: 129 times
Been thanked: 117 times
Contact:

Re: The Power of the Villain in Copywriting

Post by SARubin »

josexxx wrote: I am very grateful for your content, I am from Brazil :D
Hi josexxx, and welcome to the copywriters forum.

I'm glad you like the content. And I'm happy to have you here all the way from Brazil :)

All the best,
Steve

P.S. I'm from USA
A good marketer knows how to think like a marketer - A great marketer learns how to think like the customer...
SARubin - Direct Response Copywriter / Conversion Flow Expert
Post Reply
  • Similar Topics of Interest
    Replies
    Views
    Last post