Continuing on yesterday’s discussion about proof, there is the following sad fact:
If you are a copywriter trying to prove your case, you might be forced to squeeze juice out of a dry and withered lemon.
Most often, that consists of stacking up a few weak testimonials, and maybe including an unremarkable mechanism.
Don’t get me wrong. This kind of proof, dry and withered though it may be, is still better than nothing.
But in a way, it’s like that scene in The Raiders of the Lost Ark, where Indy comes into a crowded marketplace, only to be faced with a black-robed giant who’s wielding a scimitar.
The black-robed giant laughs and does some fancy sword waving.
And then Indy pulls out a gun and shoots him.
Lesson being, don’t bring your testimonial knife to a proof fight. Somebody out there will shoot you.
But if testimonials are the scimitar equivalent of proof, then what is the equivalent of a gun?
Well, just take a look at all the direct response giants.
Guthy-Renker…
Agora…
Golden Hippo.
All these billion-dollar companies don’t use just endorsements or testimonials to prove the worth of their products. Instead, their entire offers are built around gurus with a following, credibility, and authority.
People like Tony Robbins… or James Altucher… or Steven Gundry (okay, maybe not a terrible amount of credibility there).
Point being:
You might not be able to get a famous and successful person to be the face and heart of your new product. But with a bit of thinking, you can find ways to bake the proof into your product, rather than sprinkling it on as a dry and withered afterthought.
On an entirely unrelated topic:
I have an email newsletter. It’s all about persuasion insights and strategies. Want proof that it’s worth reading? Tony Robbins is my editor. If you want to sign up and see what Tony and I have to say, here’s where to go.