Are You Asking Right Questions in Your Copy? by Karon Thackston © 2004 http://www.copywritingcourse.comIt’s a common approach to writing copy. You begin by asking questions. Why? To evoke thoughts in your readers' minds, to stir up emotions, and to get customers thinking in way you want them to think. But have you ever thought about how you phrase your questions? Are you doing it in a way that will have greatest impact on your readers or are you just throwing questions on a page?
Behaviorally speaking, not everybody responds in same way to same questions. Those with different communications styles will relate in a variety of ways depending on how you phrase your sentence.
Using DISC Behavioral Profile, let me explain what I mean and show you how you can start asking right questions in right way to suit your customers.
D = Dominance
Those who fall in Dominance category of DISC profile are described as: in control, powerful, confident, visionaries, and risk takers. These people can be managers, CEOs, high-ranking military personnel, entrepreneurs, and like.
Those who are considered high in Dominance want to stick to business. They expect facts to be presented logically. They want presentations to be clear, specific, and to point.
This group of people will respond better to specific “what” questions. For example, let’s say we’re developing a headline for an ultra-fast printer. You wouldn’t want to write a headline that asks, “How Do You Cure a Need for Speed?” That question is vague; it’s not specific, and it begins with word “how.”
CEOs, upper management, and others in this category aren’t least bit interested in “how” you do anything. They are visionaries. They look at big picture, not little details. Details are somebody else’s job!
Instead, try rewriting that headline to include word “what” and to be specific, like this: “What Cures a Need for Speed?”
You can see a similar relation in other behavioral styles (I, S, and C) and types of questions people in each prefer.
I = Influence