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The Challenges of Marketing ThePowerMoves
Analyzing this lead magnet and sharing some quick thoughts:
*Part of it is cut off since this image was captured from my phone.
#1. TEXTS
It caught my attention, but I'm unsure if it's because I was excited and curious to check out a new lead magnet from TPM, or because the new title was more effective.
On one hand, it overcomes the obstacle of "psychological reactance", which is where when you give someone an order as a persuasion attempt (such as by saying "Wait!"), they'll nonconsciously resist to keep their personal freedom to choose what they want to do.
On the other hand, it feels like it could improve into a statement more compelling. A few options might be:
- "Dating Texts": the Nick Kolenda approach, make it more specific so readers feel more like it applies to them if they're interested (yet, keep it simple and straightforward so it doesn't come across as market-y)
- "Steal These Texts!": a TPM-similar approach (reminds me of the title of one of Lucio's articles, "What to Text When She Doesn’t Text Back — Just Copy Paste These!). Not my absolute favorite, but from what I've seen, also not the most ineffective. Appeals to the brain's desire to seek a shortcut by using wording like "steal".
- "Text Her This": another possibility that clashes with psychological reactance, but could be effective with anyone who views Lucio as a mentor (especially, since there's a picture of him if one scrolls down the lead magnet's page)
- "The 7 Texts That Always Work": the TextGod.com approach. Not bad, but the "always" makes it come across as clickbait-y.
- "3 'Copy and Paste' Texts That Make Her CHASE...": the Jon Anthony approach. A bit long, but also not bad in terms of content message.
These are only thoughts, not yet recommendations or suggestions. So, feel free to share ideas or thoughts below and I'll comment on them.
#2. Subtitle
... That work (354 lays prove it)
A lot of dating gurus are talking about texts that "work". But, what does "work" mean?
A specific message will lead to a specific visualization for the reader (imagery of consumption fluency). And, that will make them more likely to enjoy the message.
So, how about something like:
The
Dating Texts
That got me 354 lays.
Now they know exactly what they'd get. And, it sounds more appealing this way.
Or, use that rule of three again:
Texts
Proven by years of dating research, evolutionary psychology, and 354 lays.
#3. Copy
We teach you how to get what women love most: power.
This statement feels a bit convoluted. For me, it was difficult to process without rereading.
So, a simpler, more straightforward phrasing would be something like:
Give women what they want.
Women are attracted to powerful men.
So, we engineered and tested these texts to make you the more powerful one in the interaction.
Click "Send It" to see the ones that work.
This avoids the obstacles of:
- Misunderstanding: power dynamics is still a relatively new/foreign concept to many. So, redefining what's important for attraction by saying it's power and not something they're more familiar with (like "game") may seem like a leap to them, and an idea they're not yet convinced of (unless they've been reading around here a while :). So, keeping the explanation brief and straightforward avoids this.
- WIIFT > TPM's Self-Promotion: the lead magnet is spending valuable space talking about this website. The reader is only likely to stay because they care about WIIFT, not "what this website is spearheading". (And, I say that with all due respect as a long-time fan of TPM and Lucio's work.)
- Length: a version/variation of this copy (which is only an example) would be significantly shorter. (And, the faster they can read the lead magnet, the faster they can decide to click.)
Had some other thoughts as well, but will leave this as-is for right now. Feel free to leave a comment below.
On #3 how about. Women love powerful men. Power-up here
Quote from Ali Scarlett on June 24, 2022, 10:08 pmAnalyzing this lead magnet and sharing some quick thoughts:
(...)
Awesome, awesome stuff, Ali!
As usual, of course :).
I made a note and will be implementing this as soon as I get back to do some marketing work.
And will also update here about the results (which I'd expect to be good, since what you say makes a lot of sense).
To quickly respond:
Quote from Transitioned on June 25, 2022, 1:06 amOn #3 how about. Women love powerful men. Power-up here
Not bad, Kevin, I like it.
I do feel that it might work better as a tagline though (maybe for SU) than as a lead magnet description.
Quote from Lucio Buffalmano on June 25, 2022, 7:05 amQuote from Ali Scarlett on June 24, 2022, 10:08 pmAnalyzing this lead magnet and sharing some quick thoughts:
(...)
Awesome, awesome stuff, Ali!
As usual, of course :).
I made a note and will be implementing this as soon as I get back to do some marketing work.
And will also update here about the results (which I'd expect to be good, since what you say makes a lot of sense).
Thanks for the compliment, Lucio!
When you start implementing, you can also apply the previous feedback regarding the "Send it" button and the grey disclaimer:
Quote from Ali Scarlett on January 4, 2022, 12:41 am(...)#5. Submit Button
Small thing, but I'd probably make the "I" in "It" capitalized.
Due to the mere exposure effect (i.e. the "familiarity principle"), being exposed to familiar information repeatedly causes us to develop a liking for that information because it's more familiar (which feels good due to processing fluency).
So, repeatedly starting both the word "Send" and "It" with a capital letter can help influence visitors to like the button more (and the idea of pressing it :).
#6. Fine Print.
I like the message at the bottom that they can unsubscribe a lot.
The only change I'd make is to add a period at the end because it's "proper" written communication which helps with the authority of the person delivering the message.
And, as the old saying goes, "When people are responding to a message, they're responding to the message and the messenger."
Wanted to mention here briefly that certain aspects of the SU sales page rub me the wrong way.
I don't feel like they represent (a) the person Lucio is or (b) the type of high-flying eagle/high-quality man TPM aims to create.
Sections like this:
Felt like they were pulled from the sales page for the Shogun Method:
And, while the methods are one thing, the mindset of going around seeking to make women one's "slaves" isn't something I agree with (and I don't want to associate myself with anyone who does).
As a general rule though, I dislike giving feedback without also sharing ideas for what might be better.
So, to be frank, I think it's mainly the way the sections are presented that causes them to come across as potentially "overly-dark" to me.
And, maybe with some different wording, rather than coming across as a way to get into the sheets with a woman by any means necessary (regardless of any damage done to her), it can be a light for those looking to reach the heights of personal empowerment by learning everything they need to know, including the darker aspects of dating (combined with wisdom on mindsets and strategies for ethical applications as well as which to avoid).
Happy to read anyone's thoughts.
P.S.:
By the way, it was moments like this that I liked more and felt closer to Lucio's words:
Thank you for the feedback, Ali!
That page is (heavily) modeled on "The Systeme" by Todd, and then adapted.
And yes, it heavily winks at those looking for the "dark" edge -which is only an edge over the naive, clueless, low-power, and lazy, something SU also well explains-.
I think some of that market ends up here on TPM, but turns away because they just can't see that the shortcut shortcuts you to the middle -at best-. And then they fall for the marketing BS of that type of courses you linked. I wanted to capture some of that market (and channel into better alternatives, as SU probably does a better job at introducing, detailing, and explaining those strategies -including the limitations-).
But it's probably ineffective with the "vast majority".
If it works well, I may later on replace the same sales page for PU, into SU.
Hello, guys
I think Ali addresses a very important point. SU's marketing page doesn't really showcase the content of the course, that is very win-win: for women and for men alike. When one browses the course's content, it shows that TPM actually spouses a fairly egalitarian approach both to dating and relationships (granted, it recommends pilot-copilot relationships, but still promotes collaborative relationships; I apply the same principles for “pilot-pilot” and I am really happy with what I get).
When it describes something "dark", it frames it as something strongly not recommended but that it's good to be aware of how it works in order to be able to protect oneself against it. Frankly, I would rather prefer that things were phrased differently sometimes: for exemple, instead of saying “do this (don’t!)”, I’d rather have it written “psychopaths do this to control women, defend against this”. This is the old Hogwarts debate on teaching Dark Arts vs Defence Against the Dark Arts, though; but the nuance makes things easier when dealing with shame attacks while remaining faithful to one’s purpose.
This may also explain why it attracts men looking for red pills, but who then end up turning away when they see the content. So, not only the sales page may scare people who will actually make a good use from it, but it doesn't really keep those guys it attracts and attempts at converting to a more healthy view of things.
Another point to be made, is that it may drive women away from buying Power University, if they get the wrong impression of the content looking at SU's page.
I considered not going through the course, at first. But as I was having problems in my relationships at that time, and I knew from Power University that there was nothing unethical in what Lucio really teaches despite what the sale's page says. I gave it a shot. And I loved it. I would even recommend it to women. In fact, it can be the best source for dating in the market even for non-binary folks, non heterossexual folks etc. Note: even from a strategical point of view, I think TPM can promote traditional values of manliness/femininity in a manner that doesn’t annoy these folks (the website Art of Manliness does it very well). They are a rising tide; TPM doesn’t need to surf it, but it would do better by not stand in its way when it starts to break.
It's the only relationship/dating course I've seen so far that is not bitter against women and that doesn't try to trick them into sleeping with you. It encourages honesty as a go to approach, and that's a value that is very dear to my heart. It also doesn't discriminate against types of relationships: you can put it to good use if you are looking to be married, have polyamorous relationships, or even just play around.
SU’s page can be marketed in a manner that appeals to women; in the forum, we had already got to the conclusion that there is a gap for good dating advice for women in the market. TPM can fill it. It already has great content; perhaps what it needs to do is to beef up the “women’s part” and present it in a manner that mirrors the men’s part. For example, the “high value women” thread in the forum can be a source of “dating role models for women”.
I'd also rather not be associated with a course marketed with words like "manipulation", "enslavement", "psychopath game" and things like these (that’s also why I don’t like the “machiavellianism” word, though I love Machiavelli). It may become a source of problems. One thing that Power University inspired me to do, is to pursue a career in high civil service (today Kavalier is pretty much broke; he used of all his heirloom to buy books of chivalry, and can barely pay his rent. but one day he'll get three and PU teaches him the skills he needs for it :) ).
And let's say, one day, Russian hackers steal my passwords. Then we will have headlines like "Ozian ambassador to Wonderland takes online courses on enslaving women". There will be a media onslaught after this. Alice is gonna be a pain in the ass, she's gonna rally all women of Wonderland and the Looking Glass in a public shaming campaign against Kavalier. Nobody is gonna take a look at the course content. (Big money for Lucio, though: it's gonna make the website famous; everyone in Oz is gonna want to enroll – possibly with the only exception of Tin Woodman, ‘cause he’s got no heart). Kavalier’s wife, whose heart he conquered by following SU’s advice and becoming the man she had always dreamt of, would wonder if he wasn’t playing mind tricks on her all along.
Sure, Kavalier can put to good service all the advice he read in PU about how to deal with shame attacks, but he’d rather not need to do that awful load of explaining. Even if he is successful, he might lose that office in the short run. People who really want to fly high, such as executives, politicians and even scholars are very vulnerable to that, especially if they are still climbing.
And I'd rather not hide it. I'd prefer to make my association with Lucio and TPM public when I'm actually successful and even recommend it as the go to source for people skills for everyone. I want to do that, because Lucio helped me so much, that I’d like to give back to him everything he deserves.
The pictures: I don't know if they are necessary. It's a good point: it may showcase that you do have success in dating, and therefore it's a proof of SU's methods. On the other hand, scepticals may always say "well, he just hired some prostitutes and had someone take the pictures". It can be a source of problems, though, because SU has advice for how to date in conservative cultures; but the pictures hurt the sensibilities of the very people who might benefit from them.
Lucio, it was long and I hoped I didn’t sound too harsh. I also don’t like to give feedback without sharing ideas, but marketing is something that I’m terrible at, so I’ll leave it to the true masters :)
Thank you very much, Kavalier.
That's the best type of feedback: honest, and just telling it how it is.
And you make great points.
I'm more and more making up my mind to change it now.
Taking a look at James Clear's strategy for getting more referrals from his email list, he seems to have taken another approach recently:
#1. Give 3 Referrals, Get a Special Gift
A PDF that's only accessible to those who earn it by meeting this requirement.
It seems like a good WIIFT for those who are fans of his work (which is likely the majority of his email list after the success of Atomic Habits).
And, maybe he knows this since one of his strategies for promoting Atomic Habits (which, when people buy the book they're also more likely to search for his website and potentially join his email list) is by offering his email list a "secret chapter":
However, this was the strategy in December of 2021.
On July 7 (this year), he changed to:
#2. If You Want to Refer, Here's An Easy Way
Something of a more laid-back, "up to you" approach.
I'm wondering if TPM took a "monthly power dynamics wisdom" approach to its email list and experimented with either (or both) of the above strategies, what results it might yield.
P.S.
Recently, Clear also revealed that his email list is over 1.85M and has a 40-45% open rate:
Nearly 50% is very good, especially considering that Google says between 17-28% is a "good" open rate for 2022 (depending on your industry).
Entrepreneurs like Ramit Sethi, on the other hand, prefer to go the more popular route of sharing a short story with their email list and then asking a question at the end that encourages responses (while promising that they'll read every email they get back).
Would be curious about their open rates as well (and what you guys would prefer to read), even though I'm not a huge fan of that approach sometimes.
Thank you for this, Ali.
Referral approach
Very interesting approach.
I have a slight resistance to it as I like to follow an approach of "treat others the way you'd like to be treated", which in this case turns into "send what you'd like to receive".
And if I'd received that email from James Clear I wouldn't think too much of it, and wouldn't follow through on it.
Of course, that is not to say that it's not effective, it may as well be.
And may be worth a try one day.
You can add a big chunk of new subscribers in one quick fell-swoop, the end results might justify the gimmicky feel may be :).
Open rates
For TPM it's in the upper range of that "good" open rate of 20-something percent on normal emails:
Almost never below 20%.
I'd say it's a relatively high-engagement list considering I never focused on it much, and don't do many marketing gimmicks (hopefully, also because subscribes trust the recommendations / reviews / content).
It's much higher for the "automations", albeit that's a very different segment:
Lower for PU automation as it's quite good in content, but also long and it get a bit more salesy in a few of those laters emails.
I may have to review it whenever I'll focus next on marketing.
