Emotions In Copywriting Cheatsheet

Victor Schwab’s 40 Key Emotional Drivers

People Want To Gain

• Health (greater strength, vigor, endurance, the possibility of longer life)
• Time
• Money (for spending, saving, or giving to others)
• Popularity (through a more attractive personality or through personal accomplishments)
• Improved appearance (beauty, style, better physical build, cleanliness)
• Security in old age (independence, provision for age or adversity)
• Praise from others (for one’s intelligence, knowledge, appearance, or other evidence of superiority)
• Comfort (ease, luxury, self-indulgence, convenience)
• Leisure (for travel, hobbies, rest, play, self development, etc)
• Pride of accomplishment (overcoming obstacles and competition, desire to “do things well”)
• Business advancement (better job, success, ‘be your own boss’, reward for merit)
• Social advancement (moving in better circles, social acceptance, ‘keeping up with the Joneses’)
• Increased enjoyment (from entertainment, food, drink, and other physical contacts)
• Self-confidence
• Personal prestige

People Want To Be

• Good parents
• Sociable, hospitable
• Up-to-date
• Creative
• Proud of their possessions
• Influential over others
• Gregarious
• Efficient
• “First” in things
• Recognized as authorities

People Want To Do

• Express their personalities
• Resist domination by others
• Satisfy their curiosity
• Emulate the admirable
• Appreciate beauty
• Acquire or collect things
• Win others’ affection
• Improve themselves generally

People Want To Save

• Time
• Money
• Work
• Discomfort
• Worry
• Doubts
• Risks
• Personal embarrassment

Gary Bencivenga’s Desire Checklist

• Recognition (respect, fame, exclusivity, status, prestige, popularity)
• Rejuvenation (longevity, health, energy, fitness)
• Relaxation (fun, leisure, having the luxury of time do what you want)
• Relief (from share, pain, difficulty of any sort)
• Religion (built in set of belief, use the patron saints of their religion – for marketing use Ogilvy, use the assumptions the market has)
• Remuneration
• Results
• Revenge (“remember those people who laughed at you and thought you would never make it, well now with our help you can show ‘em”)
• Role Performance (how to be better in your role, the best at what you want to be)
• Romance (travel, stimulation of any kind)

Dan Kennedy’s 7 Dark Arts Devices

Lust

• Sex motivation
• Approval, acceptance, admiration
• Opposite of “the skinny weakling”
• Popularity (being desired by, interesting to)
• Exceptionally strong desire, for anything (synonyms: hunger, thirst, appetite).
• Have the hots for. In heat about.
• Male example: by this improvement, I’ll get laid more.
• Female example: by this improvement, I’ll be more attractive.
• Agitation: sex energy is biologic, physiologic and it can be focused on any “object of desire”.
• Lust is most linked with esteem.

Escape

• Sell “replacement” instead of “improvement”.
• Our desire for “greener pastures” (e.g. Earl Nightingale’s Acres of Diamonds story)
• Everyone is addicted to some type of  “porn” (Food Network, Martha Stewart etc. = porn for women)
• People are like cats — they want to be in the other room.
• Liberation, liberty, freedom from, out from under control of (e.g. “Take This Job And Shove It”)
• Escapism: pleasure from living vicariously through another’s experiences
• Fiction outsells non-fiction by 5,000 to 1 (50 Shades Of Gray)

Esteem/Inadequacy

• The most reliable motivational ground, turn of century to present.
• To make people feel good ASAP, have them see activity as accomplishment.
• Respect, self-respect
• Confidence (e.g. Dale Carnegie, martial arts, cosmetic surgery)
• Ownership and possession.
• Status, prestige, elitism.
• Being part of the “in crowd”
• Revenge (e.g. Revenge of the Nerds, “They All Laughed” ad)
• Being superior to others or inferior to others. There’s always a pecking order.
• Ignorant, not smart, weak, embarrassed.
• Nobody wants to be a loser.
• My dick is bigger or smaller than his dick.
• Links to affinity

Fear

• Everyone lives in secret fear.
• Most people are sheep in search of a shepherd.
• Fear of loss (money, status, respect etc.)
• Fear of dangers, hazards,and threats.
• Fear of being left out or left behind.
• Fear of criticism, negative opinions of others, gossip.
• Fear of bad decisions (“haunted by ghosts of disappointing purchases past”).

Guilt

• Everyone has guilt they are eager if not desperate to assuage.
• Many purchases are halted because they will worsen or create guilt.
• Past and unresolved or present failures and abuses.
• Guilt of frequently or perpetually disappointing others (specially spouse, family).
• Guilt of not living up to others’ expectations or a particular code (e.g. religion).
  
• Guilt for having fear, weakness, “poor” behavior (e.g. procrastination, being overweight).
  
• Guilt for true thoughts, desires, wanting wealth.
• There is power in issuing permission slips. People are taught and programmed to be guilty for their true nature, desires, and thoughts from childhood forward by parents, religious influencers, sex partners, political correctness, media etc.
• Can link to affinity.

Affinity

• It’s easier for people to choose a “who” than a “what”.
• Hardly anybody knows enough about “x” to intelligently and safely make a choice decision.
• Simple solution to a complex matter: choose a trusted guide, advisor.
• Philosophical example: Rush Limbaugh, preaching to the converted.
• By association (purchase), I am (smart, superior, renegade…)
• The bigger you get, the more you’re paid for WHO you are (and are perceived to be) versus WHAT you do.
• Safety, safety in numbers.
• Prestige and status.
• Man or Mouse? Smart or Dumb? Winner or Loser? — make the prospect self-identify and place himself in one or the other, by his agreement or disagreement with you and by his purchase (e.g. how the Obama team and complicit media has made any disagreement with him a sign you are a racist.)
• Use affinity to: intimidate, reassure.

Greed

• You can never be too rich (or too thin).
• A lot of greed is driven by fear, esteem/inadequacy and lust.
• Examples of Greed-driven titles: The Lazy Man’s Way To Riches, The 4-Hour Workweek.
• Appeals to sin of sloth
• Appeals to universally held idea that there is a secret or secrets, concealed or withheld, possessed by others.
• A conspiracy against = “it’s not my fault”
• Gluttony: desire for excess
• Insatiable appetite, impossible to satisfy, never enough
• Desire to “trump” others – motivated more by competition than achievement of personal goals
• Links to fear, esteem/inadequacy and lust

AWAI’s 37 Emotions

• Annoyance
• Benevolence
• Boredom
• Complacence
• Confidence
• Confusion
• Curiosity
• Desperation
• Disgust
• Embarrassment
• Envy
• Exhaustion
• Fear
• Guilt
• Happiness
• Indifference
• Insecurity
• Laziness
• Loneliness
• Love
• Lust
• Optimism
• Passion
• Patriotism
• Pessimism
• Pride
• Revenge
• Sadness
• Shyness
• Stupidity
• Surprise
• Sympathy
• Vanity
• Whimsy
• Wit

AWAI’s Top 5 Emotions

• Curiosity
• Vanity
• Fear
• Benevolence
• Insecurity

29 Powerful Emotions Your Prospects Already Have from Clayton Makepeace

10 fears every human being experiences

• Fear of the Unknown
• Fear of Embarrassment
• Fear of Failure
• Fear of Poverty and Want
• Fear of Loneliness
• Fear of Dependence
• Fear of Betrayal
• Fear of Illness
• Fear of Death
• Fear of all of the above for people who are close to us

11 frustrations that drive us nuts

• Frustrated by feelings of Inadequacy
• Frustrated by the feeling that we’re Inconsequential or Unimportant
• Frustrated when we feel Unappreciated
• Frustrated when we feel Powerless or Trapped
• Frustrated when we feel Used or taken advantage of
• Frustrated when we feel Oppressed
• Frustrated when we feel deprived of things that others enjoy or even take for granted.
• Frustrated when we feel demeaned in key relationships and when others seem to take us for granted.
• Frustrated by constant feelings of Guilt imposed upon us by parents, religious institutions and even by our own expectations of ourselves.
• Frustrated with the feeling that life is going by too fast and that we’re not getting all we could be out of it.
• Frustrated with things that shouldn’t be difficult or time-consuming, but often seem to be.

8 common desires we all share

• To feel OK about our past and to find Justification or Forgiveness for past mistakes
• To feel Free and in Control of our own lives
• To feel Happy
• To feel Alive, Excited and Exhilarated
• To feel physically, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually Fulfilled
• To feel accepted, respected, admired, needed, desired and Loved
• To feel Successful
• To feel Optimistic, even excited about our futures.

14 Questions To Ask About Your Buyer

• What do they dream about?
• What do they desire?
• What do they love?
• What do they fear?
• What frustrates them?
• What angers them?
• What do they hate?
• What arouses their skepticism?
• What embarrasses them?
• What are they most thankful for?
• What are their sources of shame and guilt?
• What are their secret self-doubts?
• What are they proudest of?
• What makes them happy?

Glenn Livingston’s 37 Emotional Benefits

• Feeling Loved
  • Feeling Loved implies that a person has a satisfactory number of significant attachments in his or her life from whom (s)he receives an adequate amount of emotional nourishment on a daily basis.
• Feeling Attractive
  • Having a strong level of comfort with one’s physical being. Knowing that one is pleasant to look at and able to draw attention by virtue of one’s physical presence. (Note: ‘Feeling Sexy’ … the specific ability to attract a desired sexual partner, is a special kind of attractiveness which is rated separately)
• Sense of Adventure
  • Interested in exciting and remarkable experiences, sometimes involving unknown danger and risk. Rising to the challenge, exploring new territory, feeling excited about new leanings, new experiences, etc.
• Feeling Financially Secure
  • Believing one has adequate money to take care of the majority of their BASIC needs and desires in the present and in the future. Feeling Financially Secure is different than Feeling Affluent or Wealthy – which means one believes they have enough money to buy WHATEVER they desire (more than basic needs and wishes) and has more money than one could reasonably spend.
• Sense of Accomplishment
  • Seeing progressive evidence in one’s life that particular worthwhile goals are being sought after and achieved.
• Feeling Caring or Nurturing
  • Interested in providing emotional, physical, financial, or spiritual support to others, warmly enjoying the process of doing so.
• Being Altruistic
  • Able to sacrifice oneself for the benefit of society. To forgo one’s own gratification in favor of the interest of others whose well-being will not enhance one’s own.
• Being Assertive:
  • Able to stand up for and strive to obtain one’s own interests, especially given the presence of difficult people who stand in the way.
• Feeling Brave or Courageous
  • Being willing to face risk and danger for the purpose of obtaining a positive benefit (when it is judged to be beneficial and wise to take the risk). (Being willing to face risk and danger without judgment is ‘foolhardiness’).
• Feeling Creative:
  • Interested in and able to UNIQUELY express oneself in words, behavior, or the arts.
• Excitement or Liveliness
  • Having a strong sense of being alive, having the energy and interest to partake of all life has to offer.
• Feeling Fair, Just, or Ethical
  • Marked by impartiality and honesty. Able to make judgments free from self-interest, prejudice, or favoritism. Interested in upholding these principles.
• Feeling Luxurious or Pampered
  • The belief that one has enough resources at hand to enable splurging on things that are understood to be unnecessary DESIRES as opposed to essential NEEDS.
• Feeling Healthy
  • Having confidence in one’s physical wellbeing, strength, and ability to avoid disease and illness.
• Feeling Athletic
  • Having confidence in one’s physical strength, stamina, flexibility, and ability to meet various physical challenges. (Especially sports, but also non-competitive physical challenges)
• Feeling Flexible or Adaptable
  • Able to change one’s perspective and use one’s strengths according to the demands of a wide variety of situations.
• Feeling Free
  • Being able to say what one wants to say, think what one wants to think, go where one wants to go, be with people one wants to be with, and behave how one wants to behave. Generally, being able to do as one pleases!
• Being a Good Friend
  • Believing oneself to be attached to and supportive of a cared for other. Providing companionship and enjoying their company.
• Enjoying Humor
  • Seeking to laugh regularly. Enjoying the ludicrous or absurd. Liking to make others laugh.
• Feels like a Good Teacher
  • Able to successfully impart useful knowledge or abilities to others.
• Being In Control
  • Able to influence one’s self and surroundings as desired. Being able to predict, manage, and successfully react to the occurrence of stressful events. Having the ability to decide when, how, and where one will engage in particular verbal or behavioral expressions.
• Feeling Independent
  • Able to care for oneself, not requiring others to meet one’s needs.
• Being Insightful:
  • Able to make useful new connections. Seeing the broader picture, able to understand the way things work in new ways.
• Having Integrity
  • Walking the walk, not just talking the talk. Knowing one’s behaviors are consistent with one’s principles. Able to put off or deny one’s own gratification at the moment in favor of a cherished principle. Being willing to hold oneself accountable for one’s actions.
• Feeling Wise or Intelligent
  • Being mentally keen or quick. Knowing that one has a high degree of mental capacity which has been used to accumulate the kinds of knowledge and experience which makes one particularly well suited to meet the challenges of life.
• Taking a Leadership Role
  • Serving as a leader for others, helping guide others towards worthwhile goals and being directly responsible for their supervision and performance.
• Peaceful – Relaxed – Calm
  • Feeling peaceful, relaxed or calm. Having peace of mind, body, and spirit.
• Having a Sense of Power
  • Able to wield influence over one’s own life and over others. Occupying a position of importance in life.
• Being Productive
  • Believing oneself to be effective in consistently contributing some valuable work product to one’s own life, family, or society.
• Feeling Respected
  • Being acknowledged and recognized for one’s value or contributions to one’s loved ones, family or society.
• Feeling Spiritual
  • Feeling an established connection with a higher power of one’s own definition (one that transcends the mortal world). Can be, but is not necessarily, the higher power defined in one’s chosen religion.
• Feeling Sexy
  • The specific ability to arouse the desire to mate in a potential partner of the desired gender. (Feeling Sexy is a specific type of the more general ‘Feeling Attractive’: which is knowing that one is pleasant to look at and able to draw attention by virtue of one’s physical presence).
• Feeling Romantic
  • Enjoying the thoughts, feelings and perceptions associated with the desire to be ONE with another human being.
• Feeling Safe
  • Reasonably knowing no harm will come to oneself. Able to rest assured in life or in a relationship.
• Sense of Belonging
  • Knowing on a gut level that one is part of a family, group of friends, or society where one ‘fits in’ due to similar values, beliefs, and behavioral tendencies.
• Feeling Trustworthy
  • Will not harm others in favor of one’s own gratification if given the opportunity. Reliable, dependable, able to be counted on.
• Feeling Unique
  • Feeling unique implies that one is aware of being an individual distinct from all others.

The Livingston Paradigm Of Self Esteem

Category I: Self Actualization And Healthy Narcissism

• Esteem derived from specific personal accomplishments.
• Provides the feeling that one is fit for, and able to accomplish, the tasks that life demands, and is a very strong emotional driver of purchase.
• The mastery of one’s environment (cooking dinner faster)
• The realization of one’s abilities (learning how to use the computer)
• The development of one’s talents (having all the right art supplies for that watercolor drawing in
  your head)
• The recognition from others with regard to these achievements (receiving rewards or applause).
• Often associated with self confidence, pride, creativity, a strong sense of gender identity, and empowerment and control over one’s destiny.
• “I’m in control”
• “I feel free”
• “I can accomplish
• “I’m intelligent”
• “I have integrity”
• “I’m financially successful”
• “I feel proud”
• “I’m creative”
• “I’m resourceful”
• “I feel alive”
• “I have a good sense of humor”
• “I enjoy life”
• “I feel secure/safe”
• “I’m physically healthy”
• “I’m flexible and adaptable”
• “I get recognition and prestige”
• “I’m persistent”
• “I’m assertive”
• “I make rational decisions”
• “I trust my own perceptions”

Category II: Interpersonal Love & Romance

• This is about esteem derived from adult one-on-one romantic love relationships
• “I am a worthy person because I love and am loved by someone I hold in high regard.”
• “Being attractive will help me find a partner or improve my current relationship”
• “I’m accepted”
• “I belong”
• “People like me”
• “I feel loved”
• “I feel connected to or closer to my significant other”
• “I feel secure in my significant relationship”
• “I have better lovemaking or intimacy with my partner”
• “I’m a committed partner”
• “I’m a good friend”

Categories I & II

• Generally connected with image benefits: “sparkle,” “invisible,” “slimming,” “exciting,” “fun.”
• Are attached to exciting, highly charged actions, images and emotions. There’s often a quick rush associated with immediate gratification of wants and needs.
• In most product arenas, categories I & II lead to trial.

Category III: Nurturant And Parental Esteem

• This focuses on esteem derived from taking responsibility for the well-being of offspring (or significant others we care about).
• There is an awareness that a dependent’s sense of self esteem can be enhanced or diminished by one’s ability to “be there” physically and emotionally for him/her/them.
• In addition, associated esteem and pride are experienced from the appreciation of accomplishments of these same others, “My daughter/son the doctor.”
• “I’m a good parent”
• “I am a good pet owner”
• “I am responsible”
• “My family can count on me”
• “I am reliable”
• “I am trustworthy”
• “I am a good teacher”
• “I’m a nurturer”
• “I feel good about myself when i take care of others”
• “I’m making sacrifices to help my family/others who are important to me”
• “I can touch others and have a meaningful impact on them”

Category IV: Altruism And Societal Esteem

• This reflects esteem derived from the belief that one has contributed to the broader well-being and welfare of society.
• This is similar to Steven Covey’s notion of the desire of healthy individuals to “leave a legacy” for the upcoming generation, or the notion that one’s purpose on the planet in some way transcends one’s own needs and those of immediate loved ones.
• “I am altruistic”
• “I take care of the environment”
• “I further the development of others (larger scale)”
• “I improve the quality of other people’s lives”
• “I give back to society”
• “I’m helping to make the world a better place for future generations”
• “I care about the welfare of others”
• “I’m charitable”

Categories III & IV

• Generally connected to practical, measurable benefits: “long lasting,” “effective,” “biodegradable.”
• Personal satisfaction seems to be longer term & moee serious in categories III & IV. They are more sedate and profound, but initially less motivating.
• In most product arenas, categories III & IV lead to repeat purchase.

More Feelings

• Anger
• Sadness
• Joy
• Surprise
• Disgust
• Ecstasy
• Terror
• Despair
• Anticipation

Vices

• Sloth
• Envy
• Gluttony
• Avarice
• Greed
• Lust
• Selfishness
• Revenge

Virtues

• Love
• Compassion
• Ambition
• Courage
• Justice
• Cleanliness
• Generosity
• Creativity
• Defiance
• Determination
• Excellence
• Honesty
• Modesty
• Reliability
• Superiority
• Simplicity
• Elegance
• Thrift
• Forgiveness
• Resolution