{"id":3205,"date":"2017-06-26T07:43:11","date_gmt":"2017-06-26T14:43:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.genesisdigital.co\/blog\/?p=3205"},"modified":"2019-05-09T11:31:45","modified_gmt":"2019-05-09T18:31:45","slug":"peeking-behind-curtain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genesisdigital.co\/blog\/learn\/marketing\/peeking-behind-curtain\/","title":{"rendered":"Peeking Behind the Curtain"},"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 we\u2019re honest, deep down we all secretly want to peek behind the curtain.<\/p>\n

No, not your neighbors curtain using your new infra-red, high-powered binoculars…<\/em> That\u2019s creepy.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m talking about getting to watch or listen to people\u2019s personal stories \u2013 both their successes and that moment they slip and fall and we try not laugh until we know they\u2019re ok.<\/p>\n

Although I\u2019m not a fan of watching the un-Real Housewives spit and claw, I do admit to feeling proud of my less than tidy house because I watched a Hoarder unearth a dead cat from beneath a pile of used toilet paper.<\/p>\n

Maybe it\u2019s just that we all like to hear real stories. We like to know about people\u2019s roots, where they were before they got here, and the trials they endured along the way.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s why we watch DVD extras, read celebrity autobiographies, and, yes, watch trashy reality TV shows.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s that innate desire to look behind the curtain that you can tap into with your Video Sales Letter (VSL).<\/p>\n

Act Two<\/b><\/p>\n

We concluded Act One of your VSL by agitating the frustration that your viewers are feeling because of a specific pain point and revealed, for the first time, a juicy hint that you have a solution that\u2019s going to end all of their angst (you can read the full article on this subject <\/b>HERE<\/b><\/a>)<\/b>.<\/p>\n

In Act Two, you\u2019re going to invite your audience to pause for a moment while you build anticipation for the main event, but doing so in a way that maintains their attention.<\/p>\n

If your VSL was a movie, this would be the brief respite where the hero (or heroine) has a moment to take a breather and reflect on how they got to their current position.If you\u2019re a fan a cheesy flashback sequences, this is where you would do it.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also one of the longest sequences in your VSL, taking up roughly 15-30 slides. Use this section to teach your audience something valuable and transform their understanding of what\u2019s possible.<\/p>\n

\"Tell<\/p>\n

Your Personal Story (or a Case Study)<\/b><\/p>\n

Stories are always effective for marketing and sales strategies, especially when they involve a certain amount of \u201ccurtain lifting\u201d admissions. People LOVE to feel like they\u2019re getting to hear your personal secrets and confessions. Everybody loves good dirt.<\/p>\n

So, this is the point in your VSL when you tell YOUR story, reveal your dirt. The story of how your \u2013 not yet revealed \u2013 solution was born.<\/p>\n

*In this article, I\u2019m encouraging you to relate your <\/i>Personal Story<\/i><\/b>. But, if you don\u2019t feel like this is going to work in your instance, you can, instead, substitute a Case Study where you tell the story of one of your most successful clients. The principles are mostly the same \u2013 just modify accordingly.<\/i><\/p>\n

To illustrate how effective this approach is, consider the two following versions of what is, essentially, the same story\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Facts<\/b><\/p>\n

When engineers worked on the very first iPod, they labored long and hard to meet Steve Job\u2019s strict requirements. They gradually made the device smaller and smaller until it became the compact technological marvel we all remember.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
The Story<\/b><\/p>\n

When engineers working on the very first iPod completed the prototype, they presented their work to Steve Jobs for his approval. Jobs played with the device, scrutinized it, weighed it in his hands, and promptly rejected it. It was too big.<\/p>\n

The engineers explained that they had to reinvent inventing to create the iPod, and that it was simply impossible to make it any smaller. Jobs was quiet for a moment. Finally he stood, walked over to an aquarium, and dropped the iPod in the tank. After it touched bottom, bubbles floated to the top.<\/p>\n

“Those are air bubbles,” he snapped. “That means there’s space in there. Make it smaller.”<\/p>\n

Quoted from<\/i> The Atlantic<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

Apocryphal or not, you have to admit the \u201cstory\u201d version is much more interesting and way more memorable!<\/p>\n

This is the kind of story that needs to find its way into your \u201cbehind the curtain\u201d sequence.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to do a complete A-Z of your entire career. Be selective and choose the most interesting moments (the highest highs and the lowest lows \u2013 plus some comedic moments if you have \u2018em).<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a rough outline of how you might present your story. You don\u2019t have to hit every beat, but this is a tried and trusted formula for this stage of a VSL.<\/p>\n