Writing Formula: The 4 Ps Approach to Persuasion

Promise

The promise you make is designed to catch your lead's attention. That beneficial promise is made with the headline and carried over into your opening.


This promise is “what’s in it for them.” Yes you want their attention, but the promise is the only reason the reader is willing to give it to you.


Picture

You’re going to take that promise and now use vibrant descriptive language to paint a picture for your leads. 


One way to do this is to get the reader to imagine themselves enjoying the benefit or desired outcome of your product or service. Then you get very specific about how your proposed solution or idea makes that benefit happen.


The Picture phase suggests using storytelling and vivid descriptive imagery as a way to hold the reader’s emotional interest while you nudge them down the path to acceptance. It also keeps you focused on communicating the benefits associated with the features or facts that you need to get across.


Proof


This section requires you to support the logical mindset of your leads. Include: statistics, studies, graphs, charts, testimonials, a demonstration that the features of your product deliver the benefits you’ve promised. Use facts to support the emotional trigger that you earlier used to create a picture. 


Push

Call To Action Time. 


Consider a promotion or offer and then ask for the purchase.


Persuasive writing begins with the ending in mind, imagine the outcome.

What do you want the reader to do? 

During the push stage you’re tying the promise and the picture to acceptance and specific actions. Remember, understanding leads to acceptance! Acceptance leads to sales!

If you want to learn more about how to execute the 4 Ps writing formula, join us for the workshop!