Have you ever in your life connected free parking with copywriting?
I have.
It all started when Michel Fortin posted a link to a YouTube video. The video title is “Validation” and it is described as “a fable about the magic of free parking.”
I watched “Validation” and loved it for the message, the story, the beauty and the music. Over the next few days I thought about the film constantly. I forwarded the link to family and friends. I couldn’t get “Validation” out of my mind.
Finally, I figured out why.
Not only is it a feel-good short, it also provides a great copywriting lesson for connecting with your reader.
Before I ruin the experience of simply watching an excellent short, please take a few minutes to watch Validation before reading about how free parking connects to copywriting.
Copywriting and Validation
Did you see how effectively Hugh (the parking attendant) changes the emotional state of the people seeking validation?
Each one of the people he validated finally felt like they mattered. The felt that someone “got” them. And that’s what copywriters need to do. They need to “get” their target market.
But how do you show this in written copy? You do it by…
Validating the Reader’s Experience
When you write copy, you’re writing to a reader who has a need, desire or problem. Your copy should convince the reader that your product (or service) can meet their need, fulfill their desire or solve their problem.
To do that, you need to get them to trust you. One of the most effective ways to start building trust is to show the reader that you know what they’re going through. You know how they feel. That’s what Hugh did for the parkers seeking validation.
Writing for the weight loss market? Talk about the frustration of trying clothes on in a dressing room. Describe the humiliation of having to go to a “big & large” store. Mention the “skinny clothes” in the back of the closet that the reader hopes to fit in some day.
When you do that, your reader starts nodding along with your copy. She recognizes that you “get” her.
Writing to flamenco dancers? Describe the preparation rituals. Include the scent of the make up. Describe the how the weight of the hair ornaments tug at her hair when she whips her head during a turn. Get specific – mention the Menkes shoes, the letras, the palmas and the remates.
You don’t know what a “letra” or a “remate” is? It feels weird to read those words, right? Well, that’s how your readers will feel if you miss the mark on validating their experience. Don’t worry about what a letra or remate is – the point is that if you were writing for a flamenco audience, you WOULD know.
This is part of the process that John Collier describes as entering into the conversation in your prospect’s mind. This helps you connect with the reader and direct the conversation.
NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) practitioners call this pacing. Harlan Kilstein, the Grand Pooh Bah of using NLP techniques in writing, teaches how to use pacing to establish rapport with your reader and how to use what he calls “future pacing” as a powerful technique that motivates the reader to buy.
But that’s a topic for another post. For now, master the technique of validating your reader’s experience. When you do, it will make your reader smile and your “cash register” sing.
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