Authority

A little while back I decided I wanted to buy myself a bike. After poking around online, I found a model I liked and went to a local shop to see if they could order for me.

When I got to the shop, I was excited to find they actually had a few in stock. I rode one around for a bit and thought it was great fun. The colorway I wanted was sold online—and I was hoping to take advantage of a Black Friday deal—and they were totally cool with all that. They’d let me place the order through the shop and then assemble the bike for me when it arrived… Which ended up being kind of a hassle.

For starters, the manufacturer sent the wrong bike. so they had to pack it back up and return it. Then, the sent the right bike, but I became the problem. For some reason, it felt too big for me. I couldn’t stand over the bike without getting racked, for one. And the whole thing just felt too big. I was going back and forth and back and forth until someone set me straight.

It was my mailman. He saw me whip around the corner on my new wheels and wanted to talk all about it. This guy, Louie, to me, is an expert. He walks something like eight hours a day, and when he isn’t on foot, he’s riding around town on his road bike or cargo bike. The dude knows and loves bikes, something he made clear while admiring my new whip.

I told him I was self-conscious about the size choice. He asked if it was because I thought it was too big, which I did. I then explained my complaints to him and he said he believes a person should love their bike—that way they’ll ride it. And I should go through the hassle of returning it. So I did.

His authority and strong opinion on the matter—just knowing and loving bikes—helped me make a tough decision with confidence. His reassurance made it okay for me to go with what I thought. I took his advice and now I have a bike I love–and his my mailman’s expert validation and reassurance played no small part in that. Your job as copywriter (or business leader or marketer or whoever) is to provide that reassurance.

Be the knowledgeable friend, the neutral third-party that wants you to appreciate the money you’ve spent. You do this by establishing yourself as an authority—by reassuring them that you can solve their problem.

EXAMPLES • do you follow any jurisdictions or rules? • age, experience, knowing a lot… looks?

Is there anything you’re the biggest at? The smartest? The most well-equipped? The first?

^ Some of the covers say “See why we’re the fastest…” (Ads in some curiosity)

• Where you post ads: QVC, Amazon, etc.

• The city your business (or mailing address) is in: NYC publisher or jazz musician, an LA studio cat, perfume from Paris, a pub in Glasgow, Brooklyn pizza…

• The Most Crowdfunded App in Kickstarter’s History

• Motors and Pumps: Largest supply in Pennsylvania

• Largest Selection of Used Legos in America

• Most Stolen Pants on the Internet

• How long you’ve been in business

  • After 30 Years, We Know Gutters

Names that Create Authority#

• Computer Discount Warehouse

Popular Products#

• Creator of the…

Testimonials#

Tell Your Story#

• I went bankrupt a long time ago… then I found this… and now I ahve financial peace and you can too.
• using the exact plan you’ll learn in this book i grew my business from four employees working out of a basement to a $15M operation in just six years.

The Success of Your Customers#

• One of the companies—cincinnati Microwave—sent three of their top people to my seminar before it took off and became a $140M company with over $40M in profits.

Endoresments#

• (Name dropping)

biggest? smartest? most well-equipped? (only proton therapy in PA) hardest working? (authority, size, position, intention) •

• testimonials (the reality of the product) • referrals • Any kind of numbers. How many people you’ve helped, how much your clients grow or improve. • How LONG have you been in business? (E&E) • Most customers save $600 in their first month (this is also credibility) • Awards (Grammy logos, accolades, business logos, media, testimonies…

HOW TO USE A STRAP-ON, ACCORDING TO QUEER SEX EXPERTS

this one works for empathy too

YOU MIGHT DO THIS ONCE IN YOUR LIFE––WE DO IT EVERYDAY

Social Proof

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND tell stories of your customer’s successes

Testimonial headlines

BRAGGED ABOUT BY . . . 100,000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS DON’T LIE

• proof/stats of effectiveness • stakes • authority (science says so) • benefit • benefit • promise …. I like it.

WHERE TO DO THIS; • every ad, every time, always

Questions to Ask Your Clients

this is about the stress and worry of making the wrong choice. louie took that away and gave me confidence. I felt guilt about returning it to the shop after they ordered and built it. I couldn’t get it out of my head for a week. Then I bumped into an unlikely … saw the mailman.