065 A Mildly Spooky Illustration of “Reason Why” Copy

The Transcript

A Mildly Spooky Illustration of “Reason Why” Copy

Voiceover: This is Rainmaker.FM, the digital marketing podcast network. It’s built on the Rainmaker Platform, which empowers you to build your own digital marketing and sales platform. Start your free 14-day trial at Rainmaker.FM/Platform.

Demian Farnworth: Hello there, friendly friend. You are listening to Rough Draft, your daily dose of essential web writing advice. I am Demian Farnworth, your host, your muse, your digital recluse, and the Chief Content Writer for Copyblogger Media.

And thank you for sharing the next few minutes of your life with me.

So, as of today, I’ve got 65 episodes under my belt. In about four months, and that’s close to 200 pages of scripts, and one of the things I’ve been trying to experiment with this whole time is telling more stories. Historical stories, fake stories, personal stories.

The Ultra-Unique Angle that Makes a Product, Service, or Idea Stand Out

What I’m trying to do is make the audio visual. And I’ve found that the best way to do that is to share stories. Illustrations.

Audio really challenges your storytelling abilities because you must paint a vivid picture. You might have noticed a string of stories in the last few episodes.

So, no surprise I have another one for you today. It’s a made up story, a parable, and the reason why I want to tell this story is to illustrate a point I made a few weeks back. In the show on Reason Why copy. I want to bring this point home for you.

It’s a short story. But I think you’ll enjoy it.

So, without further ado … here’s a story I’m calling “The Hook and the Hitch.”

“I need to show you something,” he said.

He led me through the screen door, around the barn, down a slope with slabs of limestone set into the hill, and along a narrow path winding through a thick stand of beech.

When we finally broke through the last of the trees I felt the wind, saw the circling sea hawk, and gasped at the sudden drop as the ground disappeared before us.

A hollow feeling shot through my stomach and legs.

We stood on a cliff overlooking a bay of dark water surrounded by steep cliffs slanting toward the afternoon sun.

“Do you see that little fishing hut down there?”

When I strained I could make out a little two-door, two-window house with a light blue roof, possibly metal.

“Yes.”

“You can live in that hut. Fish from the shore. Drink water from the spring behind the hut. Build a garden. Everything you need to get away … to rest … to live a simple life.”

Something in me stirred.

“Any visitors?”

“A few. A fisherman may come into this bay. Trappers may come down to fish. But people just like you. People who understand you and where you came from.”

I was hooked.

I imagined climbing cliffs every morning, writing in the afternoon. During the summer I could swim in the bay and sleep under a blanket of bright stars at night. In the winter I could trap beaver and dog sled through the forest.

“What’s the cost?”

He smiled. “A dollar a day?”

I let out a deep breath. “So, what’s the hitch?”

He shrugged. “It’s haunted.”

Now, sorry to disappoint you. But I don’t have an ending for this story. I know that’s cruel. But I think I accomplished what I was after …

See, this short story illustrates two important copywriting concepts. What are they? Think about it for a moment.

How Explaining the Hook Allows You to Add Credibility to Your Claims

The first clue was in the headline: the hook and the hitch. So, let me tell you what those words mean:

Hook: the ultra-unique angle that makes a product, service, or idea stand out … tied deeply into the emotional condition of the prospect. It’s the “aha moment.” In this case, the hut in sheer seclusion provides a sanctuary for the main character to recover. From what, we don’t know, but that’s not important at this point.

Hitch: Otherwise known as “the catch” … your hook is so unbelievably cool there has to be a catch. This is the reason why. Explaining the why behind your offer. In the case of the story, the catch was the reason why the hut was so inexpensive (it was haunted). And explaining the hook allows you to add credibility to your claims. It allows people to make a decision based on all the facts. Even the ugly ones.

The Embarrassing Genesis Behind This Story

Okay, obligatory embarrassing confession to increase my warmth quotient moment.

I totally get it. The word “Hitch” is a stretch. It’s not the typical phrase you would use. “What’s the catch?” is the typical way of saying it.

However, that phrase came from a conversation I was having with a friend. I was explaining to him that you need a good hook when describing a product … but then, off the cuff, you have to follow up with the hitch — I meant to say reason why.

Then the light bulb went off.

I dropped the phone, wrote the story, and went to run it by my wife … who, after some minor tweaks, said. “I love it. But I don’t think people actually say what’s the hitch?”

Hm.

It sounded so natural at first, but then when I looked it up I couldn’t find any references (except an awkward mention in an LA Times article … there were a dozen mentions of Christopher Hitchens, aka the Hitch, however) … and the dictionary didn’t have any mentions of hitch as a synonym for “the catch.”

However, looking up synonyms for the word “catch” I discovered the reverse: a reference to “hitch.”

Enough justification for me. I hope for you, too. So, let me know what you think of this episode, this story, this concept. Drop me a rating or review on iTunes if you haven’t already. Thank you to everyone who’s shown their support this way. To people like Andypanda 5976, SmBizPro, and Shlomo626.

Couldn’t do it without you guys and girls. Thank you. And until next time, take care.