Anne Miller shared a story about renaming a mutual fund to "butterfly fund" to create a simple, memorable metaphor for long-term growth.
The metaphor made the concept vivid and instantly understandable to the brokers, making it stand out among thousands of funds.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Four-Step Metaphor Workout
Use a four-step metaphor workout: identify your point, know your audience, choose a relatable metaphor, and relate it back clearly.
Always complete the metaphor to avoid confusion and make the comparison meaningful.
question_answer ANECDOTE
iPod: Thousand Songs Metaphor
Anne recounted the example of the iPod being described as "a thousand songs in your pocket," which instantly made people visualize and emotionally connect with the product.
This metaphor helped make a complex technological device immediately understood and appealing.
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If you’ve ever wondered what a metaphor is and how to use metaphors in your copy, today you will get your questions answered. Because we have a guest who I consider to be the reigning expert on the question, Anne Miller.
She’s author of “The Tall Lady With The Iceberg.” For my money, it is the best book ever written on how to use metaphors to sell, to explain, and to win people over. Anne understands and teaches this information better than anyone else I’ve ever seen.
She’s also a coach, speaker and seminar leader. Her huge client list ranges from Columbia University and The Wall Street Journal to Revlon, Citibank and Yahoo. As well as clients in Australia, South America, Europe and Asia. Dozens and dozens of household names and major niche organizations.
For us in the copywriting world, Anne’s expertise in creating and using metaphors is what excites me the most. Many copywriters and business owners use metaphors, but not too many people do it all that well. And that’s about to change today.
Anne covers a lot of ground on today’s show. Here’s what I ask her:
1. What is a metaphor, anyway?
2. Why are metaphors so important?
3. You have a very handy four-step metaphor workout. Could you share it with us?
4. What are the main ways we can use metaphors in communication?
5. Could we talk about a few different kinds of metaphors, with examples
6. How about which mistakes you should avoid when using metaphors?
You can get in touch with Anne on her website:
https://www.annemiller.com
Here’s the link to her book, The Tall Lady With The Iceberg:
https://www.amazon.com/Tall-Lady-Iceberg-Metaphor-Metaphorically/dp/0976279444 Download.
