Today we’re going to take a deep dive into neuroscience, which is basically the study of how the brain works. Now, deep breath. This is not a med school class. In fact, to the great disappointment of my mother, I never went to med school, and I never will. Sorry, Mom.
No, this is about how the brain works when you’re reading the written word. It’s very specific and it applies to how people take in, and accept or reject, what you’ve written. So it’s narrowly focused, and great for copywriters.
It’s from a book called “Wired for Story: The Writer’s Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence,” by Lisa Cron. She really knows her stuff when it comes to stories. She’s worked with major publishers and movie studios. Plus, she teaches at UCLA Extension in the Writer’s Program.
Again, what she says for novelists and screenwriters is also hugely important for copywriters. Because as writers, we all face the same problems — how to get people to start reading, keep reading, and buy into what you’ve written. We’ll dig into some great details in a moment.
So, let me tell you a little about this book, because it has a strong copywriting connection, right from the start. Eight years ago a big name in copywriting told me about the book, but he made me promise not to tell anyone else about it. I kept my promise and a couple years after that, he said it was OK to share the info with others.
Four years ago, I mentioned it briefly on a podcast in a group of books I was recommending copywriters to read. But we didn’t go into any detail at the time, like we’re going to do today.
Recently I read it again, and there were tons of things I saw in it that I hadn’t seen the first time. The book didn’t change, so, it must have been me.
This isn’t complicated or technical. After all, the neuroscience has already been processed by a writer in a book for writers. But I think it opens up some new possibilities for writing easier and coming up with much better copy.
What today’s show is about is, how the brain processes information when it gets ready for you to buy something. I’ve seen bits and pieces of this info here and there. But this is the first time I’ve seen it all in one place, in a writer-friendly format that’s ready to use.
After you’ve heard the show, you might want to get the book. It’s available on Kindle. Here’s the link:
https://www.amazon.com/Wired-Story-Writers-Science-Sentence-ebook/dp/B005X0JTGIDownload.
Copywriters Podcast