HYPNOTIC WRITING How to Seduce and Persuade Customers with Only Your Words JOE VITALE John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

The principles of hypnosis when applied to copywriting add a new spin to selling. Joe Vitale has taken hypnotic words to set the perfect sales environment and then shows us how to use those words to motivate a prospect to take the action you want. This is truly a new and effective approach to copywriting, which I strongly recommend you learn. It s pure genius. Joseph Sugarman, author, Triggers Wow Hypnotic Writing kept me awake last night! I planned to read for 15 minutes or so before going to sleep and ended up turning out the light when I noticed it was past 3 A.M. That s how powerful this book is. Sure, Joe gives you a world class education in the writing of copy itself, but that s just a start. What you really get is a deep understanding of how people think, feel, and act yourself included. This knowledge is priceless in turning words into power, and ethically using that power to sell more of what you offer. Bob Serling, www.directmarketinginsider.com I ve read countless books on persuasion, but none comes close to this one in showing you exactly how to put your readers into a buying trance that makes whatever you are offering them irresistible. David Garfinkel, author, Advertising Headlines that Make You Rich I am a huge fan of Joe Vitale and his books, and Hypnotic Writing, first published more than 20 years ago, is my absolute favorite. Updated with additional text and fresh examples, especially from e-mail writing, Joe s specialty Hypnotic Writing is the most important book on copywriting (yes, that s really what it is about) to be published in this century. Read it. It will make you a better copywriter, period. Bob Bly, copywriter

I couldn t put this book down. It s eye-opening and filled with genuinely new stuff about writing and persuading better. And it communicates it brilliantly and teaches it brilliantly exemplifying the techniques by the writing of the book itself as you go along. David Deutsch, author, Think Inside the Box (www.thinkinginside.com) Hypnotic Writing is packed with so much great information it s hard to know where to start. The insights, strategies and tactics in the book are easy to apply yet deliver one heck of a punch. And in case there s any question how to apply them, the before and after case studies drive the points home like nothing else can. Hypnotic Writing is not just about hypnotic writing. It IS hypnotic writing. On the count of three, you re going to love it. Just watch and see. Blair Warren, author, The Forbidden Keys to Persuasion Hypnotic Writing has it all. It shows you how to master and accomplish the three things you need from your prospects. Attention! Captivation! Action! Never before has there been such a treasure trove of techniques for writing magnetic copy. Hypnotic Writing can be used immediately. It s an incredible desk reference tool. This is not a book you read and put up on the shelf for 20 years. It s on your desk where you can use it every day. I love Hypnotic Writing and I refer to it more often all the time. Joe Vitale is the world s first true and pure hypnotic marketer and this book will only bolster that fact. You will learn how to write headlines, openings, the power of perception change, and yes even secret laws of persuasion. I love this book. I encourage you to get your copy today and keep it away from your competitors. Kevin Hogan, Psy.D., author, The Psychology of Persuasion and The Science of Influence

HYPNOTIC WRITING

Copyright 2007 by Hypnotic Marketing, Inc. All rights reserved. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. Published simultaneously in Canada. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. The publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services, and you should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. For general information on our other products and services please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at (800) 762-2974, outside the United States at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. For more information about Wiley products, visit our web site at www.wiley.com. Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed by trademarks. In all instances where the author or publisher is aware of a claim, the product names appear in Initial Capital letters. Readers, however, should contact the appropriate companies for more complete information regarding trademarks and registration. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: Vitale, Joe, 1953 Hypnotic writing : how to seduce and persuade customers with only your words / Joe Vitale. p. cm. ISBN-13: 978-0-470-00979-6 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-470-00979-9 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Persuasion (Psychology) 2. Written communication. 3. Influence (Psychology) 4. Business communication. I. Title. BF637.P4V58 2007 659.1 dc22 2006020136 Printed in the United States of America. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To Robert Collier

All successful communication is hypnosis. Milton H. Erickson, M.D. Words were originally magic and to this day words have retained much of their ancient magical power. Sigmund Freud, 1915 In what I call waking hypnosis, however, all four of these features are absent; sleep is not mentioned in the preliminary explanation to the subject; sleep is not suggested, directly or indirectly; the subject experiences neither drowsiness nor sleepiness, if we may trust his introspective account; and there are present none of the objective indications of drowsiness or sleep. Wesley R. Wells, 1924

CONTENTS Author s Warning Acknowledgments Introduction John Burton xxi 1 It s Time to Awaken 1 2 Stop! Do This First 6 3 What Is Impossible? 8 4 A Disclaimer 10 5 A Beginning 12 6 Agatha Christie Proves Hypnotic Writing Exists 15 7 My Secret to Hypnotic Writing 18 8 You Can t Even Bribe Me to Read a Lousy Letter! 22 9 What Is Hypnotic Writing? 26 10 Hypnotic Writing: A Case Study 31 11 The Great Intimacy Secret 38 12 What s More Important than Copy? 40 13 Hypnotic Writing Controlled Study 44 14 How I Learned the Secret of Hypnotic Writing 53 15 What Is Hypnosis? 58 16 Two Ways to Cause Action 60 17 What About Your Web Site? 70 18 How Long Is Too Long? 75 19 What Every Reader Wants to Know 77 20 The Hypnotic Power of Repetition 81 xv xix xi

CONTENTS 21 The Inner Game of Hypnotic Writing 84 22 Imitation Sugar Is Sweet, Too! 91 23 How to Jump-Start the Muse 96 24 How to Nail Your Reader s Attention 99 25 How to Make Your Writing Walk, Talk, and Breathe 103 26 Give Me Some Meat! 109 27 A Writing Lesson from the World s Greatest Hypnotist 112 28 Electrifying Tips for Creating Breakthrough Writing 115 29 A Case against Perfection 118 30 How to Persuade Readers to Your Side 121 31 Warp Speed Editing Secrets Worth Killing For 127 32 How to Make Your Writing Sexy 133 33 How People Think 137 34 How to Create Hypnotic Stories 139 35 How to Control the Command Center in Your Prospect s Mind 144 36 The One Hypnotic Command That Always Works 148 37 What I Learned from The Sea Wolf 152 38 Your Turning Point Message 155 39 What Everyone Will Always Read 158 40 Your Connotation Is Showing 160 41 What Are My Secrets for Writing Hypnotic Selling Stories? 164 42 Hypnotic Blogging 166 43 Reminders as Triggers 174 44 How to Change Average Writing into Hypnotic Writing 176 45 30 Ways to Write a Hypnotic Headline 178 46 Hypnotic Openings 189 47 Hypnotic Quiz 192 48 My Three Biggest Secrets 193 49 How Much Is That Doggie in the Window? 197 50 How to Change Perception 199 51 At Last! The Joe Vitale Hypnotic Writing Formula 205 52 A New Hypnotic Copy Checklist 215 53 The Five Secret Laws of Hypnotic Persuasion 217 xii

Contents 54 The Seven Most Hypnotic Books of All Time 219 55 The Hypnotic Writing Formula 222 56 Your Challenge 224 Appendix: Hypnotic E-Mails 225 Bibliography 246 Index 253 About Dr. Joe Vitale 261 Bonus Offer 262 xiii