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The Secret Conversion Copywriting Strategy No One Talks About: Dreamlike State
We dream when we are sleeping but I’d argue it’s possible to experience a dreamlike state even when we are awake. This isn’t such a fantastical idea because we recognize that we are in an altered state (what I’m calling a dreamlike state) while reading a particularly engrossing book, watching a captivating movie, or diving into a poem. Achieving this dreamlike state with your shoppers through your copy is a highly effective copywriting strategy, but one that is hardly talked about.
I recently discovered poetry and what strikes me about poetry is how it can put the reader into a dreamlike state. Here is a great Robert Frost poem:
Fire and Ice
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
Did you notice how the words danced? How the poem took you on an adventure of surprise and delight? I believe the copy on your product page can (and should) evoke the same reaction from a shopper browsing a product.
This copywriting strategy could be the difference between your shopper feeling a connection with your business/product or feeling bored to death and moving over to one of your competitors.
It doesn’t matter what kind of product you’re selling either. You might think that you have the most boring product in the world (I hope that’s not the case) and that trying to unlock this dreamlike state in your shopper is strange, but the reality is that people want to be captivated. Give them what they want and they’ll give you what you want ($$$).
The Basic Idea Behind This Copywriting Strategy
The idea itself is pretty straightforward—a visitor comes to your site looking to buy a product to solve a very specific problem. We use this copywriting strategy and explain what the product does in a way that activates the dreamlike state.
You see, typically on product pages, the descriptions are very much in a what-you-see-is-what-you-get format. A neat (and boring) listing of features and benefits.
But it’s impossible to activate a dreamlike state with that formula.
A super-talented copywriter is able to sidestep this black-and-white format. They start weaving together a story that does two fundamental things:
— It causes the shopper to not want to look at competitor sites, and to forget about your competitors completely.
— It causes the shopper to vividly imagine a better life thanks to your product.
1: Not Looking at Competitor Sites
Think about dating. You see a few nice people. On one date you meet a very special person and there’s an instant connection. As the evening proceeds, you conclude that you will invest all of your energy in this person for the moment and let go of the idea of considering other people.
You have made a decision to continue exploring this relationship exclusively. At this point, you don’t even know if the other person feels exactly the same way about you but you make the call anyway.
Something very similar happens when a shopper gets to your product page.
We assume shoppers love a large number of choices. The reality is that our brains are energy-hogging devices, consuming up to 20% of the energy that the body creates. Evolution has a strong preference to conserve this energy.
For a shopper, every alternative brand to consider is an energy burden on the brain. Therefore, the shopper isn’t really interested in doing that. However, the shopper also doesn’t want to pick the sub-optimal option. These two opposing forces are working inside the shopper’s mind. That’s a stressful state. The shopper doesn’t want to feel this stress.
A super-talented copywriter is able to frame their argument in a way that lets the shopper know that this product will not disappoint and that while they can and are encouraged to look at all competing options they would likely not find anything as good as this one.
This idea needs to be communicated in a hyper-subtle way because if the shopper feels that they are being restricted, they will rebel.
With this copywriting strategy, you’ll be able to capture the shopper’s interest immediately and keep them on the page, thereby reducing their consideration set (the number of companies they’re looking at).
Does this make sense? /
2: This Copywriting Strategy Will Help the Shopper Vividly Imagine a Better Life
On a practical basis, we realize that most new purchases can’t really alter our lives, but we still hope they will.
I recently bought a new MacBook. I’ve been using Apple products for over a decade, having bought many new laptops. Objectively, I know a laptop isn’t going to change my life a considerable amount. At best, it’s a small improvement over what I have.
Yet, as I got sucked into Apple’s storytelling I found myself imagining this laptop transforming my life. This effect was 100% caused by how Apple was telling its story. Their copy was so much more than simple bullet points containing the product features.
They painted a picture, wrote poetry, and directed a movie. In other words, they captivated me through compelling copy and storytelling, which made me want to stay on their site.
Do you see the value in this approach? /
Further Reading
I’m guessing you arrived at this post via our sales pitch article. If so click here to resume where you left off. But if this is the first article you are reading you absolutely need to see our most important post: Marketing Secrets.
