At-A-Glance Guide To WIIFM

1. Why so many companies get their

copy the wrong way round
2. A handy technique for avoiding
All-About-Me Syndrome
3. A neat copywriting trick based on
an old sales secret

“People aren’t interested in you. They’re interested in themselves”

--Dale Carnegie 

You know those people who just LOVE talking

about themselves? The ones that always turn the
conversation back to them…

Frustrating isn’t it?

I call it All-About-Me syndrome. 
And unfortunately, this is what a lot of 
businesses do when they’re talking to their
customers.

Maybe you do it in your

writing too?
Let’s find out with a quick copy mission.
OK, so I want you to imagine that you own a gym – lets call it Avocado Fitness.

Have a go at writing a couple of

paragraphs of sales copy to promote
it to your customers.
Your goal is to make the gym sound as appealing as
possible…. So, pause the video now and write about
30 to 40 words for your imaginary website.
See you back here in a moment.

If you’re like most people you’ll have
written something a bit like this.
Avocado Fitness is the UK’s leading
gym with a wide range of fitness
classes. We are proud of our
instructors and unrivalled expertise. 
We are passionate about our
revolutionary approach, and we
take great pride in our
state-of-the-art facilities.
How did you get on?
The problem with this, is that it’s all about your company
and not about your customer. So it’s really hard for people
to get excited about joining your gym, because they can’t
visualise what it can do for them.
Notice it uses the word “we“ a lot? 
This is a dead giveaway. And it’s the mistake waaay too
many people make when they’re writing their sales copy.
Let’s take a look at my version..
And by way, don’t worry if your copy isn’t exactly the same
as mine. The key is to shift the focus to your customers
goals. If you’ve done that, you’ve made your copy 100%
more effective already.

When you join Avocado Fitness,
you’ll find only the most
cutting-edge classes. The
instructors you’ll meet know
exercise inside out. So set your
goals as high as you like.  
And when you join our gym, you’ll
find everything is fresh out of the
lab, so you can refresh your workout
as often as you like.
This one knocks the other one out of the
park, doesn’t it? Much more compelling..
See how Instead of talking about the company,
the main focus is on, you the reader and what
you’ll get out of joining?
So there’s more of the word ‘YOU’ in
there.. And less we!
Did you switch the focus too? If so, good job,
you’ve nailed it. If not, don’t worry because you
get another chance to practice in the bonus
mission at the end of this lecture.

So when you’re writing your copy, use less of the

we language, things like ‘we are, we believe, we
will’ and substitute it with more you language, like
“you’ll get, you’ll find, you can”... that kind of thing.

It’s a handy technique that will

transform your copy.

WIIFM?
WIIFM – is an acronym for What's In It For Me.
It’s basically the question EVERYBODY has in their heads when they're reading
your copy.
They’re thinking, hmmmm, what can I get out of this…

And it’s a neat trick based on an old sales secret. You can use it as a shortcut for avoiding all about my syndrome.
What’s In It For Me?
And I say everyone’s thinking WIIFM, I mean it, whether they’re reading about dog treats, bicycle
tyres or online file storage.
They’re wondering what that product or service can do for them on a personal level. And how it can make their
lives better.

WIIFM is a universal truth you can apply to

pretty much everything you will ever write
again.
And if you use it, your writing will be 100% more
interesting to your reader. Which means and you’ll
increase your chances of getting a yes instead of a no.

Applying WIIFM to your copy, puts you in your

customers shoes.

That’s because applying WIIFM to your copy, puts

you directly in your customers shoes. So you can
more easily write for their needs and wants.

Why not try it with your next email? Instead of making it all about you, try reframing it, so it’s using less we
language and more you language. So its less about what you want and more about what your customer wants.
And see what happens. OK, lets recap, you’ve just learned:

1.How to write customer-focused copy by using more “you” language.

2.The importance of switching your mind-set to WIIFM.
3.How to put yourself in your customers’ shoes to write more compelling copy.

BONUS MISSION
Imagine you’re writing some copy for a
swanky London-based web design agency.
 You’ve been asked to
re-write the about page
for their website.

At Blue Tank Web Design, we are Pause the video and have a go at re-writing this very
experienced professionals dedicated company-centric copy.
to providing high quality and affordable
web development. See how you can make it make it more
We have a long history of delivering persuasive by applying the WIIFM principle.
stellar projects to clients all
over the world.
We service a wide range of business Remember, you want to
sectors and we pride ourselves on our
innovative approach to design and
swap the we language for
unparalleled commitment
to customer service.
YOU language.

At Blue Tank Web Design, you can rely

on our skilful team to build you a high
quality website that perfectly fits your
style and budget.  Here’s mine…
And when you work with us, you’ll join
hundreds of happy customers from all
over the world. See I’ve flipped the key points around to
Whatever business you’re in, let us make this copy more customer-centric?
show you our innovative approach to
design. And when it comes to customer Have you done this too? Well done if so.

service… You won’t find a more

committed team.

Now you know that people are motivated by selfish drives, you’re going to learn one of
the most important rules in copywriting. How to turn features into benefits.

THANK YOU