{"id":3162,"date":"2017-06-12T06:45:53","date_gmt":"2017-06-12T13:45:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.genesisdigital.co\/blog\/?p=3162"},"modified":"2019-05-09T11:31:45","modified_gmt":"2019-05-09T18:31:45","slug":"drowning-your-audience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genesisdigital.co\/blog\/learn\/marketing\/drowning-your-audience\/","title":{"rendered":"Drowning Your Audience"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
This is an expansion of an earlier article \u2013 if you haven\u2019t already I encourage you to read the original post first.<\/i><\/p>\n

Rock Solid Scripts that Sizzle<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

If you want to read the entire Video Sales Letter article series from the beginning, start here\u2026<\/i><\/p>\n

The First 5 Critical Steps to Creating Sleek Video Sales Letters<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

If you\u2019ve never watched the movie, As Good as It Gets<\/i> (you REALLY need to), there\u2019s a scene about three-quarters of the way through where Jack Nicholson\u2019s character, Melvin, is talking to Greg Kinnear\u2019s character, Simon, about a problem he\u2019s having.<\/p>\n

Simon offers what Melvin feels is an unhelpful<\/b> response. He sums up his opinion of this by saying\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m drowning here! And you\u2019re describing the water!\u201d<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

Some would say it is the perfect metaphor for how therapy works.<\/p>\n

However you feel about that<\/i> aside, if your Video Sales Letter (VSL) is going to be effective, you\u2019re going to have to get really good at describing the water<\/i>.<\/p>\n

First things first\u2026<\/p>\n

In the opening two plot points of our VSL we focused entirely on \u201cstick\u201d. The aim was to capture the viewer\u2019s attention and give them emotional and logical reasons why they should watch your production (you can read the full article on this subject HERE: The Snowball Effect of Script Writing<\/b><\/a>).<\/p>\n

We\u2019re going to spend one more plot point on \u201cstick\u201d, and then we\u2019re going to metaphorically drown our audience.<\/p>\n

Plot Point #3: The Promised Land of Your Future<\/b><\/p>\n

If it feels like we\u2019re spending a lot of time on our VSL just trying to convince the viewer to stick around, you\u2019re absolutely right.<\/p>\n

You can\u2019t half arse this.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re going to convince someone to spend 30-60 minutes watching your VSL, you\u2019re going to want to spend several of the opening minutes getting people invested.<\/p>\n

The third plot point is the most important piece of \u201cstick\u201d because it\u2019s where you bring the audience\u2019s excitement to a peak, right before shoot them crashing back down to earth.<\/p>\n

It\u2019ll feel harsh, even a little insensitive. But, if you truly believe that your product or service is going to improve the lives of your audience, this is a critical step in convincing them of the value of your offer.<\/p>\n

The \u201cpromised land\u201d that you\u2019re going to describe in this plot point is how your audience will feel when they experience the benefits of your product.<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

We\u2019re still not going to talk specifically about what your product is for quite some time, so this is purely about emotions and getting the audience to imagine themselves in a brighter tomorrow.<\/p>\n

Describe the new life your product will provide and specifically ask your viewers to imagine themselves in this awesome new world they can attain without having to make any UNREASONABLE sacrifices.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve highlighted the word \u201cunreasonable\u201d in that last paragraph and I encourage you to use this specific word (or one of its synonyms) when talking about sacrifices. It might feel nicer on your tongue to say, \u201cwithout making ANY sacrifices,\u201d and you might even make more sales that way, but you risk attracting the wrong type of customer.<\/p>\n

And besides\u2026<\/p>\n

Unless you\u2019re giving away your product for free AND you\u2019re going to do all the work for them, suggesting that the promised land you\u2019re eulogizing is going to arrive without any effort or sacrifice is blatantly false.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Imagine being able to turn on your laptop without ANY fears of being vulnerable to viruses or identity theft. You can surf to any website, instant message with your friends, and post your family pics on social media without worrying about whether your firewall is secure or if there are any nasties lurking on your hard drive.<\/i><\/p>\n

You can even let your children surf around, playing online games and studying Wikipedia for their homework assignments, without any concerns about what might happen the moment your back is turned.<\/i><\/p>\n

How awesome is it going to feel when you can enjoy your Internet experience the way it\u2019s SUPPOSED to be? The way it was BEFORE the hackers and the criminals took charge. It\u2019ll be like they don\u2019t even exist.<\/i><\/p>\n

And all you had to do was make one small change that transformed your online experience forever!<\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

It takes a bit of practice to be able to paint this picture without going into specifics, but this is primarily about heightening the emotional state of your audience, so focus on being enthusiastic and generating excitement for what\u2019s coming soon.<\/p>\n

Because THAT is the moment when you pull the rug out from under them.<\/p>\n

\"Describe<\/p>\n

Plot Point #4: What\u2019s the Problem?<\/b><\/p>\n

You know how it\u2019s always nice to follow bad news with good news?<\/p>\n

This is the opposite of that.<\/p>\n

In the last plot point you painted an image of a rosy future for every single viewer. In this plot point you\u2019re going to take it all away by explaining why they\u2019re NEVER going to realize that dream\u2026<\/p>\n

Unless SOMETHING changes!<\/b><\/p>\n

Essentially, with this plot point you\u2019re going to describe the waters in which your audience is drowning.<\/p>\n

Yes, very soon, we\u2019re going to throw our audience a lifejacket. But first, you need to really agitate the problems they\u2019re experiencing.<\/p>\n

This part isn\u2019t fun. And it isn\u2019t supposed to be. You KNOW your audience is struggling and frustrated and in pain. That\u2019s why you developed your product in the first place.<\/p>\n

But to fully permit your viewers to understand, eventually, why they need your product, you need to pull them out of any delusions they may be suffering under, and bring home the full impact of the tough situation they\u2019re in.<\/p>\n

If you present this plot point correctly, your viewers should be reliving their problems, remembering the frustration they\u2019ve felt around this issue, and feeling like the \u201cpromised land\u201d you described a few moments ago has never been further away.<\/p>\n

Start with the characters\u2026<\/p>\n

Who is the enemy that\u2019s causing the pain? Is it\u2026<\/p>\n