Written by Bob McClain, Web Copywriting Expert

For Part Ten of our Web Copywriting – Using Subliminal Persuasion series, in sort of a recap of everything, we’re going to talk about what kind of copywriting goes viral. In other words, what elements do you need to get people to spread your message organically?

Let’s first review our previous subliminal persuasion posts:

•    Part One of this series established who we are trying to sell to by answering a series of in depth questions
•    Part Two talked about the power of “Story” and three tools to utilize it in your website copy
•    Part Three explained the “iron-clad” guarantee
•    Part Four talked about association with certain socio-economic groups
•    Part Five looked at persuasion devices, hypnotic commands and involvement devices
•    Part Six investigated your “basic message” and your “hook”
•    Part Seven looked at the third element of story “conflict”
•    Part Eight, we discussed the Revelation that gives the success element that will be shared only with a select few.
•    Part Nine talked about Conclusion, the final element of telling a “story.”

There are five elements necessary for copy to go viral…

Subliminal persuasion is never a simple project. If it were, everyone would be using it. It is most commonly seen in the form of propaganda put out by governments bent on changing the minds of its own citizens or the citizens of other countries.

For instance, in World War I, the US government put out propaganda that Germans ate babies. This is absolutely ridiculous and unbelievable. But Americans were about to send their children to war and needed a reason to hate Germans. This incredible nonsense was believed by American citizens because they needed to believe there was a justifiable reason for their children to be sacrificed. So they suspended disbelief and subconsciously chose to believe the propaganda.

Here are the five requirements for people to “buy” your propaganda and for them to spread the word for you:

A strong story – You need a strong story that either feeds into people’s existing fears or beliefs or fulfills a need for them to believe it. Or, it must sound like something that could be true.

Powerful storytelling – only a powerful story will play into the existing fears or beliefs of your audience. You have to make the story so detailed and vivid in the minds of readers they almost have no choice but to believe it’s real.

Make it true – every great lie has an element of truth to it. That’s what makes propaganda work. So the person telling the story has to present it as truth (whether it is or not).

Must have the same emotional impact on the listener as the teller – in other words, it has to have such an emotional impact on the listener that it will remain top of mind and when the right context comes up, it will immediately come to mind and be shared.

The viral element – when all these elements are in place and the listener is sufficiently emotionally impacted, they spread the word and the content has gone viral.