The "F You Test" in Marketing and Copy.
This is one of the most common mistakes I'll see people make in their messaging and sales copy, so let me explain:
You want your prospect to feel seen/heard while they're consuming your content or copy.
You can do this by checking in with them at various points and saying things like: "Maybe you can relate?" Or "I don't know about you, but that's how it was for me." Or "Have you ever experienced something like this?"
You can even go so far as to describe the problem they're suffering from (and that they want alleviated).
For example, if you were selling weight loss it's fine to go:
"Maybe you can relate. Maybe you've found yourself spending far too much time in front of the mirror too, feeling critical or even judgmental of yourself and the reflection you see staring back. Or like you're fighting a war each day with your metabolism."
The crucial word in the above is "maybe."
Maybe = speculating. You're not saying this is true. You're saying that you'd understand if it was.
This is really important.
Where copywriters/marketers get into trouble is when they assume.
For example, I was just reading some emails written for a guy who sells to aspiring filmmakers. In the copy, the writer had a line that basically said: "The real reason you haven't succeed yet is your massive levels of business ignorance."
If I'm an aspiring filmmaker and I read that line, I immediately go "F you."
I think "who are you calling ignorant you mofo? You don't know me!!!"
There's no way I'm buying from that guy after reading that line.
Does this make sense?
Speculating is good. Assuming is bad.
And a really good test you can do when reviewing copy/scripts/etc is to ask if there are any lines or parts where your prospect might react with an "F you."
If there are, you gotta change them.
It might seem like a little thing, but it can make a huge difference.