The Foundational Skill

Picture this:

It's 2021.

And you first start writing online.

Every day - you wake up, write a tweet, go to school/work, come home, check your post, feel disappointed, and go to bed.

Kinda depressing, right? Well - this was the situation I was in a little over a year ago.

And to be honest... I was tired, burnt out, and discouraged.

• "Why am I not growing?"• "Why aren't my posts doing well?"• "Are my ideas really that bad?"

But - it wasn't that my ideas were poor.It was that I didn't understand this one concept...

I didn't understand what makes people pay attention.

You see, it's not enough to simply post every day and hope to go viral. It didn't happen for me (believe me, I've tried) - and chances are it won't happen for you...

...Unless you master the art of persuasion.

What's that, you say? You think persuasion is a dirty word? Sigh. I did too. But there's a huge difference between persuasion and manipulation.

Manipulating is persuasion for a negative impact:• Lying• Blaming• Gaslighting

Persuasion is helping people get what they want:• Changing beliefs• Sharing high-impact ideas• Inspiring people to take action

In summary - persuasion helps all parties involved. Manipulation benefits only the manipulator. Got it?

Alright, enough of my myth-busting ranting. Here's how to master the art of persuasion:

The first thing to note is this:

People don't care what you can do. They care what you can do FOR THEM.

Humans are selfish by nature. (Shocker, huh?)

They can only see the world through their POV.

It's your job as the writer to anticipate what your reader is thinking, feeling, and desiring.

And the best way to do that is by researching your audience.

And you'll find - we are primarily driven by 2 things:

1. To reduce an unwanted feeling (drive-reduction theory) 

2. And to achieve a desired reward (incentive theory) 

Blair Warren sums this up perfectly in 1 sentence:

Now, I want you to write this down, bold it, highlight it, underline it, and tattoo it on your forehead so you don’t forget it.

“People will do anything for those who encourage their dreams, justify their failures, allay their fears, confirm their suspicions, and help them throw rocks at their enemies.”

Okay... so assuming your forehead tattoo is finished and healed up, let me continue.

If you want to:• Go viral• Build loyal fans• Or get people to click your threads...

...You have to either promise to reduce their pain (be a painkiller) or help them achieve their desired result (protein powder).

Let's run through a few examples:

Encourage their dreams (Reciprocity Bias)

Possible thought: "Man, If a 16-year-old kid can do it... so can I."

Possible emotion: Inspired

Justify their failures (Liking Principle)

Possible thought: "THANK YOU! I felt like my life was falling apart, but this made me feel a lot better."

Possible emotion: Relief

Allay their fears (Authority Bias)

Possible thought: "Phew, it's not just me. If George (a top creator) feels imposter syndrome... I guess it's okay for me to feel it too."

Possible emotion: Respect

Confirm their suspicions (Confirmation bias)

Possible thought: "I knew it! All those fancy morning routines seemed fake to me."

Possible emotion: Finally!

Help throw rocks at their enemies (Ingroup bias)

Possible thought: "Ugh. Yeah, I hate those hustle culture people."

Possible emotion: Superiority

Do you see how each tweet evokes an emotion? Virality isn't accidental, it's designed.

Now, of course, there's a ton of nuance in this, and we'll go more in-depth soon.

But for now, this should give you a broad understanding of why people like, comment, and share posts.

TL;DR:1) Persuasion is the foundational skill2) It's not about what you can do, it's about what you can do for them3) People will do anything for those who encourage their dreams, justify their failures, allay their fears, confirm their suspicions, and help them throw rocks at their enemies.

Alrighty, that's all from me.

Next week we'll be covering: How to learn anything using the DRIIP Method...

And the week after that? My new and improved system for writing these newsletters (The 5A Framework, The PSUS Method, and The ABC Editing Method)

Oh boy! I'm getting excited just thinking about it. Sound like fun? Stay tuned... oh and if you're new here - hit that big button below and join us!

Talk soon,Jay

P.S.

Jay's Picks:

🧵 Twitter Thread: A Writing Masterclass by Kieran Drew🎙 Podcast: Thomas Frank on the Danny Miranda podcast🎥 Video: This video inspired my tagline (Sharing ideas, inspiring change)📝 Article: 5 Sales Letters Everyone Should Know (good for CopyWork)