The Hook (Part 2): Weaknesses as Hooks

Einstein never breaks a promise. So, here’s the lesson you’ve all been waiting for: The Hook Part 2. Follow our expert advice to engage your audience, boost your traffic and leave your visitors desperate for more.…

Einstein uses three simple methods to create killer hooks. They are:

1. Specific Messages (LESSON 1)
2. Weaknesses
3. …

We’ll get to number 3 later.

But first, consider this a PROMISE KEPT.

In LESSON 1 we vowed to teach you another awesome hook building strategy, alongside an example of an explosive hook we created.

So, here it is.

Enough Hooks to Floor Ali

If you write content, blogs, social media posts, email marketing campaigns, ad copy, promotional texts or sales scripts…

Yep, you guess it, you NEED hooks for all of them.

We’ve already taken a deep dive into specific messages as hooks in lesson 1, but what if you’re creating a promotion around a product/service?

The answer lies in the product/service’s GREATEST WEAKNESS.

What? Why? A weakness? You’re mad Einstein. Why would we want to reveal our greatest weakness to a potential customer? 

Maybe we are a little mad, but isn’t that the gold-dust trait that makes all geniuses, genius?

Finding a Weakness

Sometimes weaknesses stick out like SORE THUMBS. If that’s the case, you probably need to fix your product/service.

But for now, we’re going to assume you’ve got a rocking product/service to sell, and the flaws aren’t as blinding as an open sunbed in a cinema.

To find your weakness, you’re going to need to grab your spade and start digging. Here’s a few tips:

1. Be OBJECTIVE
2. Put yourself in your customers shoes
3. Use previous customer’s FEEDBACK
4. Think about leads who didn’t convert, and their biggest objections to buying
5. Do you own the product? Have you received the service? If not, WHY?

Plugging the Hole

OMG we found a problem! Our marriages will fail! Our children will hate us!

This is where our hook comes in.

We’re going to create an attention-grabbing leverage point that PLUGS THE HOLEbefore it’s discovered.

This is why weakness hooks KILL IT.

A fix, bonus or perceived add-on that handles an objection before it arises gives leads the AH HA MOMENT we crave. They create a complementary enhancement that makes a customer feel like they’re getting more for their money.

This is when we slip on our shades and find a suitable toothpick to chew, because our COOLNESS RATING is about to go through the roof.

Einstein’s Example 

Maybe an idea hasn’t shot straight into your head. No sweat. This example is sure to give you a few:

We worked for a client who offered IT Consultancy Training.

As I’m sure you know, the IT industry is EVER-EVOLVING, new products and software enter the market on a daily basis, leaving IT consultants with new problems to solve.

Our client was an expert in the industry and offered an AWESOME training program for IT Consultants who needed a refresher on existing and upcoming IT software.

We researched the niche, and discovered there was a huge need for his service, but he was THREATENED by tons of competition.

Every customer that bought his service, loved it, but he wasn’t growing.

So, Einstein did what we do best. We took his business to the next level with a marketing campaign.

But what about the weakness hook?

We went through his competitor’s sales funnels, and discovered that whilst their training programs were cheaper, they offered a whole lot less, especially training about future products.

We also spoke to his leads that had taken their business elsewhere.

The problem? His price.

His service offered more, but priced out a lot of people. The IT consultancy industry is packed full of self-employed individuals, who baulked at the price of his training.

He wasn’t growing because he COULDN’T COMPETE with his competitors.

So, we came in and ripped up the IT training rule book.

You’d think that a campaign based around his service offering more than anyone else in the industry, would be the most effective. But that hook wouldn’t be strong enough when his target market couldn’t afford it anyway.

Einstein ran an ad campaign for his training that centred on his price. Yeah, you’re hearing us correctly, the campaign was all about his service’s greatest weakness.

But the number wasn’t as big anymore. It was a 12th of the size, and literally 10X SMALLER than his nearest competitor.

That’s right, we made a pay monthly plan for his training.

And guess what? If they didn’t cancel at the end of their 12 months, their payments would continue into the next twelve months, and they’d receive his new training, at the exact same price as the previous year.

That’s how customer’s beat inflation rates!

This hook didn’t just SWEEP his competition into a BLACK HOLE. It brought IT professionals in too, who’d always wanted to become consultants but could never afford the training.

Weaknesses as Opportunities

Hooks grab attention and make leads receptive to your message.

Analysing your greatest weakness and using it as a HOOK, will almost always gain massive attention.

Our client created an AH HA MOMENT for people who had always wanted to get into the consultancy game, but couldn’t afford it.

Your weakness HOOK should do this.

It takes SERIOUS BALLS to focus on something that turns customers off and spin it into a killer hook, but when you get results, they’re awesome.

One Last Thing

Remember the three types of hook Einstein mentioned at the start of this post?

Got them? No? 2 out of three ain’t bad, we guess.

Before we blow your heads off with our third method, and another real-world example that killed it for us, we’re going to leave lesson 2 to digest.

It’ll give you the opportunity to put a weakness hook into practice. Being creative isn’t something you can force. Sometimes ideas beat us over the head when we’re brushing our teeth, mashing potatoes or burping the baby.

So, think of a few great weakness hooks and put them to work.

And STAY TUNED for lesson 3.

We’ve got another method that will massively boost your ad campaigns.

See you there. 

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