Do Genetics Affect Successful Headlines?

I came through something very interesting this morning. This time, the pearl of wisdom belong to Bob Serling.

Just in case you don't know, Bob is an extremely successful marketer. He wrote a sales letter that landed an agreement for a $25 million deal on the first try.

Bob make available now a simple copywriting "cheat sheet" that lets anyone write high-profit copy quickly and easily.

So let's hear the story...

Could it be that common traits passed down by our ancestors can make or break your marketing?

Consider these simple questions:

1. What is your favorite color?
2. What time were you born?

The fact is, the way our brains are wired, there's no way you can ignore answering those questions.

They trigger an immediate response whether you like it or not.

Why? Because our lives once depended on it.

How do I start a fire to cook that mastadon? How do I keep the sabre-toothed tiger that's chasing the mastodon from making lunch of me first?

Our brains are wired to answer questions in order to extend the life of the species.

But this same mechanism is automatically triggered whether the question posed to your brain is life-sustaining or something as simple as asking "What is your favorite color?"

That's why headlines like the classic "Which of These Mistakes do You Make in English" are impossible to resist.

Your brain won't rest until it finds the answer. Conveniently, all you have to do is read the ad to get relief.

So if you want to increase the success of any ad, sales letter, or web page, try rewriting your headline as a question.

You'll be surprised by how much this can increase your response.

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