Last night, Bat-John sat on his couch in shorts and a t-shirt, officially watching the penalty shootouts at the World Cup, but really, keeping an eye on the Bat-Fax for news of criminal activity in Gotham City.
Another slow night.
No Scarecrows or Penguins running amuck anywhere.
Instead, all that came through the Bat-Fax were letters from grateful citizens of Gotham:
“Subscribe For ‘LIFE’ please”
“You had me in stitches with this part”
“I was so tempted to reply to this with an off the wall rant — just for fun. But I’d rather remain subscribed…”
“Love your emails. But I must admit I have to read the ones you mentioned about the trolls.”
The background, in case you missed it, is that I wrote an email yesterday, modestly comparing myself to Batman.
My point was that it’s good for business if your readers see you scrapping each night with wacky costumed villains who lurk beneath the surface of your email list.
Unfortunately, that email didn’t provoke any of these wacky villains to pipe up.
But based on the replies I did get, my point stands. Create enemies, and people rally around you.
And since the Bat-Fax has been so quiet today, here’s some truly wacky news from outside Gotham City:
Have you heard of the violent coup d’etat attempt in Germany this past Wednesday?
The German police arrested some two dozen far-right terrorists, including a Russian national, who were planning to overthrow the German government and install 71-year-old Prince Heinrich XIII, a member of the royal House of Reuss, on the restored throne.
For months, these 25 terrorists had been making plans about the colors on their future flag… recruiting new members at RPG nights at the local comic-book store… gathering equipment, including thermal socks and cans of corn.
A press release from German’s federal public prosecutor explains what was going on in the heads of these terrorists:
“The accused are united by a deep rejection of the state institutions.”
Hm.
Could it be that the German government is trying to create its own villains out of thin air… as a way to get its citizens rallying around its state institutions?
Maybe you don’t think there’s anything there.
But maybe you are intrigued or at least entertained by the idea, now that I bring it up.
If so, you might want to know what just happened inside your head. It’s one of my 10 Commandments of A-list copywriters, Commandment V:
“Honor thy reader’s skepticism, and structure your ad accordingly.”
This particular commandment is by Gene Schwartz. It’s not about sophistication or awareness, two concepts that Gene is best known for.
Instead, this commandment is real A-list stuff. Few copywriters know it and even fewer follow it.
Ignore this commandment and all your case studies, testimonials, statistics, and other proof will be worthless. Follow it and the power of your proof will be amplified hundredfold.
In case you’re curious: