One of the most powerful copy tactics I learned from David Deutsch is the use of a “nightmare” story.
And here’s what I mean by that…
Back in 2016, I was tasked with writing an email for our digestive supplement and I was really struggling with it.
There weren’t any obvious hooks…
No good angles stood out…
So David recommended I go with a story.
Specifically a “nightmare” story.
“Most people with digestive issues have some type of horror story that they’re scared to death might happen again” he said.
I thought about it for a second.
He was right.
I’ve had Crohn’s disease since I was 16 years old, so I had plenty of nightmare stories when it comes to my stomach.
So I decided to tell one of my stories in the email creative.
Specifically it was a story that happened to me when I was golfing with some friends and all of a sudden I had “to go”.
We were out on the 4th hole, and I was playing well that day. And out of nowhere I felt like there was a wild animal running loose through my bowels. My stomach was in knots. I was bending over and breathing heavily to ease the pain.
I knew I had to get to a bathroom fast.
But that was the issue. We were out in the middle of a golf course.
There were no port-a-potties…
No bathrooms…
Nothing.
Every second that I stood there my stomach felt worse and worse.
My buddies that I was golfing with started to get concerned.
They had no idea what was wrong with me.
Eventually I hit the “oh shit” moment.
And I just took off running towards the woods.
I’ll spare you the rest of the gory details of what happened…
But the premise of this story is what matters.
Cause it’s a true nightmare story.
Why?
Well for one it’s incredibly embarrassing.
It’s one of those times that you just want to curl-up in the corner and die.
But that’s what a good nightmare story does.
You can just feel the shame and embarassment dripping out of the story.
And here’s the thing…
Every market has nightmare stories like this.
For people with digestive issues, my golfing story hit home.
Cause anyone with stomach problems could relate to being out in public and having the feeling of “oh crap I need to find a bathroom”.
And when we tested that email, the stats proved it.
That email wound-up running on cold traffic for nearly 6 months!
That’s the power of a nightmare story.
And it’s something David Deutsch had a big influence on me with my writing.
He taught me how to tell a nightmare story…
And how to put the reader in my shoes.
Now the reason I’m telling you this is two-fold.
One, if you’re not using nightmare stories yet in your copy, you should…
And two, David just released his new copywriting course called A-list Copywriting Secrets.
I’ve gone through the entire course myself.
And I recommend it for anyone that’s already a solid copywriter, but who wants to get to the next level (not really for newbies).
One thing to note…
This is not an A-Z course on copywriting.
It’s much more about how to “think” about copy to make your copy better.
So it goes into how to write better stories, how to target certain emotions, and how to dive into what people really want to buy.
So if that appeals to you…
I suggest you give the course a look here
And if you decide to get the course, I highly recommend going through module 7 once you get inside.
That’s the one that’s all about stories.
Here’s the link again for the course…
-> David Deutsch’s A-List Copywriting Secrets
Enjoy,
– Justin
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