RE: Copywriting — A Powerful Lesson on “Subconscious Material” From Martin Luther King Jr.
Powerful speeches, like great copy, aren’t simply written – they aren’t merely a collection of well-written words. Those words and their accompanying emotion come from “Subconscious Material.”
What do I mean by that?
The simple act of writing words is missing dimension – emotional content. The writer isn’t deeply into the subject at hand. Sure, you’re “into it” but there’s something deeper.
The greatest example of this is how copywriters talk about how their best copy comes when they are the target audience for the product they are writing for.
There is an intimacy to the writing – a depth of emotion – an unspoken understanding.
For the reader, there’s an inner knowing that this person (the writer) personally KNOWS their situation.
It’s actually more than understanding it’s that, “You have walked in my shoes” Feeling.
They can tell, yes feel, that there’s an authentic empathy for their problem.
They feel it and that triggers an inner…
I can TRUST that.
The reader can FEEL that what they are saying – the results they received — that it’s real for them.
They feel it and that triggers an inner…
I can BELIEVE that.
It’s intangible and as a result flies under the sales radar, lowering resistance, putting the reader into the buyers trance… increasing the will to buy.
It’s waaay more than carefully chosen words and…
You can’t fake it.
If you’re not the target audience the best way I know of to gain this connection is what I call “Full Immersion.”
Yes…
- You need to do Internet Research.
- You review what your market is saying in online forums.
- You imagine being in their shoes and most importantly…
You interview members of the target audience… more than one or two. At least four, if not six!
You’ll gain so much great copy…
Effective wording — reasons they buy — don’t buy — emotional material — etc. etc but what I really want to focus on is how it connects you to the target audience — how you “feel for them” — understand them… KNOW their pain.
I’m going to use that word again — You can FEEL it and it comes out in your writing!
Yes… it is your most potent weapon as a copywriter. Do interviews!
Unless you are the target audience, nothing replaces its power. It’s the surest way to tap into the highest converting copy that’s in you – in your subconscious… your subconscious material.
Evidence…
Martin Luther King JR’s “I Have a Dream” Speech leaves us great clues.
Recently his accumulated writings, notes in books, etc. were put on display in an Atlanta-based Museum.
From Yahoo News I extracted the text below.
The first bolded piece equals his own… Full Immersion. Yes he was already into it but he further embedded himself into the topic.
The second bolded piece equals his “Flow” – his subconscious material just pouring out.
If you think I’m off base here it’s because you have not experienced the effortless writing from your subconscious.
I remember Ryan Healy saying – “It wasn’t me that was writing, I had to run home and get it down. I couldn’t stop it. I didn’t have to think about it… it was just coming out of me.”
Powerful eh!
That’s subconscious material. Spend less time struggling over the right words and more time on Full Immersion. You’ll have more fun and write high-response, emotion-rich copy!
Here’s the extracted piece from Yahoo News:
Again…
The first bolded piece equals his own… Full Immersion.
The second bolded piece equals his “Flow” – his subconscious material just pouring out.
“There were 10 years of creation before ‘I Have a Dream.’ You can see all these threads come together in the speech,” she said of the speech that capped the 1963 civil rights march on Washington.
Drafts show how King worked on the speech with aides the night before, struggling to get it down to the five minutes allotted to each speaker.
But the speech’s landmark final section was delivered extemporaneously after gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, who was standing close to King, told him to tell the crowd about his “dream,” Muller said.
At that point, King departed from his prepared text and began to speak without notes, weaving together ideas from speeches he had delivered previously and drawing on a deep tradition of African-American preaching.
Shaune
PS: Of course, There’s a lot more we can learn from Dr. King.
Comment by Sherry
January 13, 2007 @ 12:02 pm
Shaune,
I’ve been there. I know how powerful writing from the subconscious can be. Unfortunately, it’s been awhile since I’ve experienced it because I’ve spent most of my time teaching writing the past 20 years.
You feel…emotion…power…that there is something undefinable in you that is placing the words on the paper. You can imagine my joy when my students feel it, too. It doesn’t happen often or with too many kids…just a few that really feel their writing and subjects with their heart.
Indescribable really. I look forward to being able to do that again.
Thanks for the inspiration.
Sherry