Exploring the Role of Emotion in Copywriting

There’s been a lot of talk about the impact that AI is having on copywriters. There is a widespread belief that AI chatbots will replace human beings when it comes to the production of quality content.

However, AI is missing something when it comes to producing content. It lacks feeling. It provides information, but task it with producing a blog that appeals to a human reader and the results are less than captivating.

One of the reasons may be as simple as the fact that AI lacks emotion – and emotion makes human beings take action.

Business writers use emotion in their copy development. After all, their clients want to reach and convert a demographic that is made up of people. And people feel.

A business copywriter can leverage human emotion to motivate an action, the ‘Call to Action’.

However, before examining how emotional terms, phrases, and words can motivate action, it may be instructive to take a look at some theories that attempt to explain why humans strive – ?and what happens when their worldview is upset.

First, let’s turn to Maslow.?

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow theorizes that humans have 5 different types of needs:

·????????Physiological needs: What we need to survive such as food, water, shelter, and clothing

·????????Safety and security, including protection against danger and ill health

·????????Love and a sense of belonging

·????????Self-esteem, confidence, recognition, status, and respect from others

·????????Self-actualization, such as a sense of autonomy, freedom, and creative fulfillment

Maslow suggests we need to fulfill our most basic needs (food and shelter) before we can fulfill the needs higher up the pyramid (self-esteem and self-actualization). The ordering and complexity of this hierarchy are continually being refined, but Maslow’s classic hierarchy is sufficient to illustrate the concept of emotion and the importance of both physiological and emotional fulfillment.

What matters is that Maslow shows us that the individuals in our target audience have different types of needs and desires. It helps us understand what we can do for our clients – and how business writing can be more effective when it takes into account the human need for mental equilibrium.

To understand how the search for mental equilibrium shapes our thoughts and actions we turn to Jean Piaget.

Jean Piaget and Cognitive Disequilibrium

Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development describes cognitive disequilibrium as a state of cognitive imbalance. We experience imbalance when encountering information that requires us to develop new schema or modify existing schema (i.e., accommodate). Disequilibrium is often an uncomfortable state for individuals; therefore we seek to quickly return to a state of equilibrium.

Leveraging Disequilibrium

Words carry emotional weight. Leverage emotions like doubt and fear and your message becomes more urgent. Disrupt an individual’s sense of satisfaction and comfort and your copy becomes more effective in motivating action. That action promises to provide a solution allowing the reader to achieve a new mental equilibrium.

Here’s an example of a (fictitious) male hair loss shampoo (to combat hair loss, not to speed it along).

‘Stop Hair Loss and Change Your Life

According to the American Hair Loss Association, two-thirds of American men will experience some degree of hair loss by the age of 35, and by the age of 50, approximately 85% of men will have significant hair thinning or baldness.

Thinning hair can have devastating consequences for a man’s social life – and can even have negative consequences for his career. A thick and youthful-looking head of hair is a sign of robust health – and can directly influence the opinion of others.

Suffering from thinning hair can be a cause of embarrassment and discomfort, especially in social situations. However, the latest scientific research has led to a breakthrough that is revolutionizing men’s haircare – and promises to make social and professional awkwardness a thing of the past.’

This simple example leverages fear and social anxiety. It starts by comforting (‘you’re not alone) and moves to the experience of social anxiety and exclusion. Then it offers a solution.

The Emotional Matrix

John Caples, in his book?Tested Advertising Methods theorises that for advertising to work it must appeal to emotion – and he identifies 4 core emotions that must underpin that appeal, they are:

Love —?As we all know love is complicated. It can encompass the need for the love of our children, lust, and friendship. We fear loneliness and crave companionship and recognition.

Greed —?No matter how loudly we protest, we all want to find that gold at the end of the rainbow. We want that sports car or that comfortable retirement. We want more.

Fear —?The world can be terrifying. E fear losing our possessions or our job. We fear advancing age, we fear big government, and most of all we fear the unknown.

Duty – A sense of obligation is part and parcel of our lives. We cannot countenance betraying our duty and sacrificing our ‘honor’ when it comes to our culture, our family, our profession, or the wider community. ?

In a nutshell, there is one rule that copywriters need to internalize when they are tasked with business writing aimed at promoting brand loyalty or motivating a purchase – and it is this:

‘People will do almost anything to reduce the amount of anxiety in their lives’.

Somatic Hypothesis Markers and Morality

In his book?Descartes’ Error , Antonio Damasio examines the idea of ‘Somatic Hypothesis markers’.

Damasio maintains that emotions are a critical component of decision-making. He concludes that emotions are essential if we are to make rational decisions. ?

The somatic marker hypothesis (SMH) hypothesises that by creating physiological responses (facial expressions, body posture, etc), emotions can influence future decision-making processes. This influence can occur both consciously and unconsciously and helps us make difficult decisions quickly.

The case studies and research cited by Damasio are extensive, however, his writings do not examine the morality of using emotion to (in essence) manipulate the behavior of others.

So copywriters are faced with a quandary. There is very little question that a copywriting approach leveraging the emotions of the reader is effective – but is it a moral decision to make?

A Copywriting Roadmap

Every business writing task is different, hence the importance of familiarity with an organisation's brand ethos and image, its short, medium, and long-term strategy, target audience, and a variety of other factors. However, if one chooses to use emotional triggers there is a framework/formula that can order the writer's efforts.

That framework consists of four P’s:

Promise:?????????????The promise should be part of the headline and opening paragraph. Grab the reader's attention by scratching at that emotional pain point. ?Appeal to their ‘best interests’ and promise a solution. Make sure that they know the next 5 minutes spent reading will be worth the effort.

Paint a Picture: People’s imaginations can provide them with a vivid picture of what their lives would be like if they acted on the promise of a solution. Tell the story of the retiree who lives on a private island because he diversified his portfolio with precious metals, while his fellow retirees have seen their life savings evaporate. ?Paint a picture of a man confident in social situations because he has access to erectile dysfunction medication. Show a brighter future. You are a storyteller, tell a story.

Prove it:??????????????You’ve leveraged emotions in the two P’s above – now prove that your solution provides a way forward. It’s time to appeal to logic – and for that, you are going to need statistics, studies, and human testimonials.

Push a solution: The reader has all the information he or she needs. It’s time to earn that cup of coffee that is reserved for closers. Make every effort to ensure that the solution suggested dovetails with the readers' current lifestyle and goals.

Tools of the Trade – The Wheel of Emotion

A psychologist named Robert Plutchik came up with the Wheel of Emotion. He theorised that there are base emotions and that we feel different levels of that base emotion - and unconsciously combine feelings, similar to mixing colors, which results in a different emotion. The result of his work is the Wheel of Emotion.

In this model, annoyance has its roots in rage and acceptance has its foundation in admiration. At the root of serenity and joy, we have ecstasy. At the center, we have a powerful combination of emotions. For the most part, there are some negative emotions woven in there. If you can cause someone to feel a negative emotion, they are much more likely to take action or respond to our written words in some way.

Plutchik identified eight primary emotions:

·????????Fear/terror

·????????Anger/rage

·????????Joy/ecstasy

·????????Sadness/grief

·????????Acceptance/trust

·????????Disgust/hate

·????????Anticipation

·????????Surprise

Plutchik also identified several layers of lower degrees.

Annoyance rather than rage. Apprehension versus sheer terror.

The Wheel of Emotion can be leveraged to create content that works, especially in headlines and opening paras.

Here’s an example using Fear and associated terms in a header.

First, consult a thesaurus, or your mental files and produce a list along these lines:

Fear:

Danger, embarrassing, missed, panic, mistake, threat, abuse, distressed, inferior, avoid, dreaded, unexpected, suspect, shun, worry, angst, anxiety, concern, despair, dismay, doubt, horror, scared, terror, uneasy, abusive, forbidden, scam, alarming, scary, frightening, overwhelming, scathing, self-destructive, grim, shocking, beware, brutal, harmful, hideous, crisis, cutthroat, alert, horrifying, lethal, daunting, sinister, unspeakable, reckless, risky, vulnerable, sabotage, wicked, fatal, unsettling, painful, ominous.

The 500-word blog article is about Pool Fencing – and here’s a possible headline that leverages the

‘Pool Fencing and the Horrifying Truth About Childhood Drownings.’

Of course, the writer then reverts to the four P’s to set the stage for a solution.

Conclusion

Emotions play an important part in our decision-making process. Appealing to those emotions is as old as the practice of marketing. Whether or not the decision to manipulate a reader's emotional state is moral is a complex issue. That said, the approach has stood the test of time.

Perhaps the renowned author H. P. Lovecraft said it best when he wrote ‘The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.’

It is the job of the business writer to eliminate fear by providing solutions in the form of client services or products and a concrete Call to Action. Your job is to remove doubt and provide a blueprint for the way forward.

If it is any consolation, as a writer you are not creating fear – you are merely articulating it, and offering a way to eliminate it from the life of the reader. ?