The book emphasizes understanding human psychology and emotions to create effective advertising messages. While written decades ago, the principles discussed remain relevant in today’s marketing landscape.

If you’re interested in marketing or advertising, The Wizard of Ads is definitely worth checking out. Below is a summary of the notes I took while reading the book.

Wizard of Ads Notes

The risk of insult is the price of clarity. Most advertising is flaccid because the business doesn’t want to ruffle any feathers by insulting someone. If you are willing to speak the simple essential truth as plainly as you are able, and support what you say with illustrations and examples, then you can have much better success. Do not allow the dictate of public opinion to hamper your efforts.

Old books contain buried treasure. Five minutes in an old book quickly reveals that most of what is being sold today as new insights into human discovery is merely the rediscovering of knowledge we had for centuries. Example: Influencing Human Behavior, 1925.

Creative thinking doesn’t have to be brand-new ideas thought of from thin air. Take John Gutenberg, for example. In reality, he invented nothing. Coin stamps and winepresses had been around since the time of Christ. John simply saw the connection between a coin maker stamping tool and the winepress. Instead of stamping the image of a king, the stamp could bear a letter of the alphabet. Instead of pressing grapes, there would be paper.

Focus on using better words in marketing; do not make a better mousetrap (product). Words that conjure up a pleasing image in the mind are words that live forever and are persuasive.

“If a man can make a better mousetrap, the world will make a beaten path to his door.” This is a popular concept that drives people to create better things to try to sell but the reality is that people do not buy better mousetraps. The old-fashioned ones, which are cheap, work just as well as the new ones with fancy features. Plus, no one wants to spend more money than they have to for a mousetrap they are going to throw away.

The customer seldom pays attention. While an attention-getter is nice to have in an ad, you have to go deeper than that to keep the attention. You need to entice the customer with a thought that is more interesting than the one they are currently thinking of. 

The common, mundane, average, and predictable are ignored; the unusual, intriguing, and fascinating are spied on and examined. Offer the person a thought more interesting than the thought that currently occupies their mind.

Advertising doesn’t begin the work as quickly as you would like, but it also doesn’t quit working until long after it has been abandoned. Similar to the law of inertia. It’s like trying to push a car. At first it is hard, but once it is moving, you can trot along behind it, giving it a nudge to keep moving.

If you want to write powerful advertising, you must point the movie camera of language to the place in the mind where you want the listener to go. The imagination can be powerful, but only when the listener is a participant in your movie.

In your ads, don’t point the camera at yourself. You’re just not that interesting.

“You” engages the imagination of the listener. It puts the action of your spot in the present tense active. Using the word “you” makes the listener part a participant in the ad.

Ads are either intellectual (information-focused) or emotional (experience-focused).

A well-written intellectual ad begins by delivering a punch line directly to a felt need, then quickly substantiating any claims made during the opening statement. Get to the point. Blurt it out. Tell them plainly what’s in it for the listener. The public also prefers that you back up what you say with proof. 

A well-written emotional ad causes the listener to imagine taking the precise action you would like them to take. Example: As you step across the ancient, tree-filled lawn toward the torch-lit gates of the Plaza, the cares of the day melt away as you anticipate the evening ahead. There is no finer meal to have on earth. This is no place quite like this one.

When writing intellectual ads, close the loopholes. Begin with a frank statement or benefit, then substantiate each claim. Closing the loopholes is the difference between persuading a customer and simply informing them.

Example (customer thoughts in parentheses);

Parkins and Maddock will cut your insurance costs by 10 percent (Or what?) or buy you dinner at the Plaza del Fuego. (I’m not sitting through a sales pitch for a lousy dinner.) All it takes is a three-minute phone call, and there’s no one to meet. (Still too much hassle, and I don’t know the details of my coverage.) So the next time you reach in your mailbox and pull out the insurance renewal, walk to your phone and call Parkins and Maddock. Read them the limits and deductible printed on the notice (That’s right! The renewal notice does have the details.) and they will immediately name the price at which they can give you identical coverage, apples for apples. (Identical coverage? No one to meet? Just three minutes?) If the Parkins and Paddock price isn’t at least 10 percent lower, you’re off the the Plaza del Fuego. (I’ve always wanted to go to the Plaza del Fuego.) You’re going to have to write someone a check. Why not write a smaller one to Parkins and Paddock? (I need to remember to call these people when I get my renewal notice.)

Don’t just tell the truth in advertising. You must cause people to realize the truth.

When ad writers present their client’s information in a predictable manner or use predictable words, they make forgettable ads. The advertiser may like the ad because it is accurate, but such ads are weak. The human mind discounts the predictable. There can be no curiosity where there is no mystery, no delight without surprise.

It’s not who you reach (i.e., target market), it’s what you say. People tend to blame the list or the targeting, when the ad was likely not persuasive or given enough repetition.

Advertisers can easily reach the right people; they just may not be saying the right thing.

It takes 29% longer to understand written words than spoken words. When we memorize written words, it’s the sound of the words we remember, not their appearance. We hear words in our minds.

Well-written, intrusive ads establish echoic retention through the use of a reticular activator, a mental trigger in the unconscious that causes prospective customers to think of your company when they need your product.

Most ads are about the product or the company that makes it. Such ads yield disappointing results. The best ads are about the customer and how the product will change their life. Ads are interruptive. People subconsciously ask, “Why should I care?”

Sell to the imagination.

We all have an internal need to belong. It influences what we drive, where we live, the clothes we wear, the magazines we read, and the cola we drink. Most of our purchases involve self-expression, and we tend to buy things with which we identify.

The most powerful brands are the ones that help customers define their identity. For example, a winery’s tagline is “No wimpy wines.” That claim draws in a particular type of customer who identifies with the desire to avoid wimpiness.

Successful companies don’t spend their advertising dollars training their customers to wait for a sale. Running sales undermines the health of the business. A 20% off sale eventually progresses into 50% off to get similar results, and the customer has been trained to wait for the better deal.

Creating a traffic builder just to get your name out there is not wise. It’s like the car dealership that offers free hot dogs and games. Those attendees are not coming to buy a car but just for the free stuff.

If a traffic builder helps reinforce your market position or communicate your unique selling proposition, it’s much more than a traffic builder: it’s a good ad that just happens to generate immediate traffic. However, this kind of traffic is not predictable. An ad that generates traffic one week may not do so the next.

You have two options for ad writing:

1. Write a meaningful ad that will be remembered when the prospect has a need for your product. (What you should do.)
2. Write an ad that brings in immediate traffic. (What you shouldn’t do.)

If you want your advertising to be productive, you must have a compelling story to tell. Customers can read between the lines and sense false advertising or stretching the truth to get in the door.

Powerful advertising can generate negative fallout. Do you have the courage to defend what is said? Or will you pound your chest like King Kong, then run like Peter Cottontail at the first sign of adversity? Sure, we can soften an ad to appease everyone, say nothing, and sound like every other ad on the air. But please don’t hold the advertising agency responsible when the ad doesn’t work.

Echoic ads (radio) require intense repetition to be effective. If people aren’t complaining about your ads, then you are not repeating them enough.

You know you’ve written a good ad when it doesn’t sound like an ad. Be direct, frank, and believable. Your ad is only believable when the listener agrees with it. Remind him of things you know she has experienced. Tell him his perceptions are accurate. Look at your product through his eyes and speak to felt needs.

No person takes action until he has seen himself taking that action in his mind. We always imagine doing something before we do it.

Do your ads enticingly describe what awaits your customer? Do your words create a series of mental pictures? To be effective, your ads must cause the customer to “see” himself doing what you want him to do.

Press on. Keep repeating your USP. Don’t change it because it doesn’t seem to be working. People need constant repetition for it to stick.

How often does an ad contain new information that leads you to a new conclusion? How often is the ad truly memorable, as opposed to merely clever? Are the writers of these ads persuasive or merely creative? How often are they just “poppin’ the rag?

The public no longer pays attention to advertising that is obviously advertising (e.g., High Quality at Low Prices!). The best Non-Ads clearly communicate the benefit of a product in a style that doesn’t seem like advertising and is written in a way your customer speaks.

Good advertising can’t fix lousy service or products.

There’s a profound difference between what customers say they want and what they really want. Car wash = shiny car. VVS clarity diamond = people’s eyebrows jumping, saying, “Is that real?” Advertising = more customers.

Trying to reach more people than the budget allows. Too often, the media mix is too many people reached without enough repetition. Will you reach 100% of people and persuade them 10% of the way? Or will you reach 10% of the people and persuade them 100% of the way? The cost is the same.

Unsubstantiated claims are nothing more than cliches the prospect is tired of hearing. Do your ads give the prospect new information? Do they provide a new perspective? If not, prepare to be disappointed with the results.

Nonintrusive media, such as newspapers and the Yellow Pages, tend to only reach buyers who are actively looking for the product. They are poor at reaching people when the need arises because they don’t plant a reticular activator or create a predisposition toward your company. The patient, consistent use of intrusive media, such as radio and TV, will win the heart of the customer before they are in the market for your product. Tell them Why; wait for When.

A single ad should focus on a single thing. Got 17 things to say? Create 17 different ads.

Saying the wrong thing has killed far more ad campaigns than reaching the wrong people.

Too many ads today are creative without being persuasive. Slick, clever, funny, creative, and different are poor substitutes for informative, believable, memorable, and persuasive.

The best product will rarely sell without good advertising. How will people know about it? If you build it, they will come is not true.

Most people have no clue what the features of a product or service mean. Train yourself to add “which means” to the end of every statement in an ad or presentation. This forces you to translate intellectual features into meaningful benefits they represent. It also answers the question, “What’s in it for me?”

Examples: 

These sheets have 330 threads per inch, which means they will feel much softer on your skin and last much longer than the standard sheets, which only have 180 threads per inch.

This car has a V-8 engine, which means it will last longer than a smaller engine, has the power to pass traffic, and gives you the acceleration to get out of the way of accidents before they happen.

The post Wizard of Ads Book Summary & Notes first appeared on Stephen Hockman.

As Roy H. Williams, author of Secret Formulas of the Wizard of Ads, explains, memorable ads begin with a vivid First Mental Image (FMI) and close with an equally vivid Last Mental Image (LMI). These mental images, born from words and emotions, guide the viewer’s imagination.

A strong FMI is crucial. It’s the hook that interrupts the viewer’s thoughts and draws them into the ad.

For instance, consider this opening line for a jeweler’s ad pitching engagement rings: “She will kiss you like you’ve never been kissed before.” This language stirs up a strong mental image that’s hard to ignore.

However, while a captivating FMI is essential to a memorable ad, it’s the LMI that truly motivates action in the audience. A good LMI doesn’t merely call the person to action; it visualizes the desired outcome, creating a mental scenario where the action is already completed by the prospect.

Here’s an example of a good LMI based on the previous ad: “At Regal Jewelers, you’ll walk away the engagement ring her heart has been longing for.”

To really drive home this concept, let’s examine this simple ad copy presented by Williams in Secret Formulas of the Wizard of Ads:

“The Brita water filtration system makes tap water taste great.”

Here, the FMI and LMI are reversed, making the ad less interesting. As it’s written, you first envision the Brita filtration system (FMI), and then the great-tasting water (LMI).

Now, consider this revised version:

“Tap water tastes great when you have a Brita water filtration system.”

This approach is much more effective. The FMI, “Tap water tastes great,” immediately piques interest and opens up a vivid mental image, while the LMI, “Brita water filtration system,” delivers the solution to getting great-tasting water (i.e., the product) as the closing mental image.

As you can see, the sequence of mental images you conjure up in your audience’s mind with your ad copy is crucial to their effectiveness.

Remember, the mind precedes action. People are more likely to take a step if they’ve already visualized it mentally. A compelling First Mental Image will capture the attention, while a powerful Last Mental Image will solidify the desired connection and seal the deal.

The post The Secret to Memorable Ads: Sequencing Images first appeared on Stephen Hockman.

It may be due to a mismatch between the actual offer and your audience’s level of threshold resistance.

Threshold resistance in marketing refers to the perceived barriers that prevent potential customers from taking action on your offers.

When you understand the impact threshold resistance can have on converting your audience, you can craft better offers that resonate with your customers based on where they are in the marketing funnel.

The concept of threshold resistance was popularized by Arnold Taubman, a renowned mall developer. He observed that store entrances and window displays could either invite or repel potential customers.

Similarly, in marketing, your offers can either encourage action or discourage it.

Every offer you make falls somewhere on the spectrum between low to high threshold resistance in the consumer.

If you’re not getting the results you expect from your advertising or marketing messages, then you may have a misalignment between the offer and your target audience’s threshold resistance.

Here’s a breakdown of each level of resistance:

High-Threshold Offers

High-threshold offers have the highest resistance among your audience because these offers involve significant commitment or risk by the customer.

A high-threshold offer is best suited for people who are ready to make a purchase. If you’re making these types of offers to an audience who is unaware of your brand, products, or services, then the conversion rate is likely to be low.

Examples of high-threshold offers:

• $29 dental cleaning visit
• 50% off your first month’s bill
• Buy one get one free
• $1 for a 30-day trial

Mid-Threshold Offers

Mid-threshold offers are positioned in the center of the resistance spectrum. A mid-threshold offer is easier for a consumer to take action on than a high-threshold offer but there is still resistance because it puts the person in an uncomfortable position.

Even though you may think the offer seems like a great deal with no strings attached, there is an underlying expectation in the prospect’s mind that a decision will need to be made if the offer is accepted.

Consumers with evolving interest in your brand, products, or services who are not serious about making a purchase will likely not take this step forward. However, those who are getting closer to buying will easily accept it.

Examples of mid-threshold offers:

• Free exam
• Free seminar
• Free estimate
• Free consultation

Low-Threshold Offers

Low-threshold offers have the least resistance in advertising because they are easy to consume and require minimal commitment by the consumer.

A low-threshold offer is a great way to introduce your brand, products, and services to potential customers without scaring them off.

Essentially, the prospect can sample your offer privately without worrying about having to make any type of decision as is expected with mid-threshold and high-threshold offers.

Examples of low-threshold offers:

• Free information kit
• Free webinar
• Free trial
• Discount code

Balancing High to Low-Threshold Offers

The key to successful advertising and marketing is finding the right balance between high and low-threshold offers. You want to build trust and credibility with low-threshold offers while also capturing higher-quality leads with mid-threshold offers and driving sales with high-threshold offers.

There are three ways to do this effectively:

1. Individual Approach: Create advertisements and marketing messages that target each threshold of resistance separately. This strategy casts the widest net to capture consumer interest at every level but also takes the largest investment.
2. Hybrid Approach: Put two levels of offers in the same advertisement or marketing message. For example, offer a free information kit with zero obligation (low-threshold offer) to learn more about your product or service, and a free consultation (mid-threshold offer) for those ready to take the next step. This strategy markets to two types of consumers simultaneously with the same marketing dollars, effectively meeting a larger pool of prospects at their specific level of threshold resistance.
3. Tiered Approach: Start by advertising only low-threshold offers in your market to attract potential leads. Then, introduce mid-threshold offers to those who engage with your low-threshold offers. Finally, market high-threshold offers to those who accept the mid-threshold offers. This tiered approach helps consumers gradually become familiar with your brand, products, and services, building trust and ultimately leading to purchases.

The post Elevate Your Offers by Understanding Threshold Resistance first appeared on Stephen Hockman.

Well-crafted CTAs capitalize on potential leads and sales by capturing attention and motivating people to take a desired action across various platforms, including websites, emails, social media posts, and print advertisements.

Weak CTAs lack substance and fail to motivate action. A strong CTA is clear, specific, and offers a compelling value proposition to the audience.

Bonus points are awarded for adding a sense of urgency to CTAs, as it encourages immediate action when readers are engaged with your marketing message.

Below are examples of weak calls to action that should be avoided in your copy.

Weak CTAs:

• Get Started
• Learn More
• See Details
• Click Here
• Download
• Contact
• Sign Up
• Order
• Buy

These CTAs are vague, lack a value proposition, and do not create a sense of urgency in the reader. CTAs like this will get some type of user interaction but they’re often skipped over or ignored because they do not command attention.

Now, let’s look at some strong calls to action that are written in a way that encourage the audience to take a specific action.

Strong CTAs:

• Buy the Course
• Start Your Free Trial
• Download the Guide
• Book a Call
• Set Up Your Appointment
• Join Our Newsletter
• Contact Us for a Free Consultation
• Dial 515-777-1234 for Assistance
• Scan the QR Code to Unlock Your Prize
• Submit Your Resume for Review
• Go to website.com and Click the Subscribe Button
• Act Now: Only 10 Spots Left
• Limited Time Offer: Save 20% Today
• Claim Your Bonus: Expires on 11/5/25
• Offer Ends Tonight: Call Now (515-777-1234)
• Order by 12 p.m. to Get Same-Day Shipping

These CTAs are highly effective because they provide clear instructions, highlight specific benefits, and, where applicable, create a sense of urgency or scarcity to persuade the audience to take the next step.

When creating your calls to action, remember that they are the driving force behind conversions. Strong CTAs are essential to guide your audience towards desired actions after being exposed to your marketing message.

By using clear, concise language and highlighting the benefits of taking action in your CTAs, you can significantly increase engagement and drive results.

The post Creating Stronger Calls to Action That Convert first appeared on Stephen Hockman.

An effective marketing plan involves a systematic approach that includes four stages:

1. Discovery

The discovery stage is where you lay the groundwork for your marketing strategy.

This involves:

• Market Research: Understanding your target audience, their needs, and preferences.
• Competitive Analysis: Identifying your competitors and analyzing their marketing strengths and weaknesses.
• SWOT Analysis: Assessing your own business’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

2. Strategy

In the strategy stage, you develop a comprehensive marketing strategy based on your discovery phase findings.

Key elements of this stage include:

• Developing a Brand Strategy: Creating a strong brand identity and messaging that positions your business in the marketplace and differentiates it from the competition.
• Selecting Marketing Channels: Choosing the most effective channels to reach your target audience (e.g., social media, email marketing, content marketing, paid advertising, print marketing).
• Allocating Budget: Determining how much to spend on each marketing activity.
• Setting Marketing Objectives: Defining specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals as well as key performance indicators (KPIs) to track.

3. Implementation

The implementation stage involves putting your marketing plan into action.

This includes:

• Creating Marketing Materials: Developing content like blog posts, social media posts, email campaigns, paid advertisements, and printed collateral.
• Executing Marketing Campaigns: Launching campaigns across various channels.

4. Measurement

The measurement stage is crucial for evaluating the effectiveness of your marketing efforts. It involves monitoring and tracking the performance of your marketing activities over the life of the campaign.

Example metrics to track include:

• Website Traffic: Monitoring direct website visits, referral traffic, organic search traffic, and engagement.
• Social Media Metrics: Tracking followers, likes, shares, and comments.
• Email Marketing Metrics: Measuring open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates.
• Paid Ad Metrics: Tracking impressions, clicks, conversions, and return on ad spend (ROAS).
• Phone Call Metrics: Tracking call volume, call duration, and call conversion rates.
• Foot Traffic: Tracking the number of people visiting your physical store or location.
• Sales Data: Analyzing sales figures to measure the impact of your marketing efforts.
• Return on Investment (ROI): Calculating the profitability of individual marketing campaigns.

By following these four stages, you can create a comprehensive marketing plan that helps you achieve your business goals in an efficient and cost-effective way.

The post The 4 Stages of an Effective Marketing Plan first appeared on Stephen Hockman.

Why is a Strong Brand Identity Important?

• Enhanced Brand Recognition: A strong brand identity makes your business more memorable. Consistent branding across all platforms helps customers recognize your brand quickly.
• Increased Brand Loyalty: A strong brand identity fosters emotional connections with customers. Loyal customers are more likely to repeat purchases and recommend your brand to others.
• Improved Brand Reputation: A consistent brand image builds trust and credibility. Positive brand associations lead to a better reputation.
• Higher Perceived Value: A strong brand can command premium prices. Customers are willing to pay more for a brand that portrays value and trust.
• More Effective Marketing Campaigns: A strong brand identity provides a solid foundation for marketing efforts. Consistent messaging and visuals make marketing campaigns more impactful across all channels.

Key Elements of a Strong Brand Identity

• Brand Name: A memorable and relevant name that’s relevant to your business.
• Brand Logo: A visually appealing logo that represents your brand’s personality and helps your business stand out among the competition.
• Brand Messaging: A clear and consistent brand message that resonates with your target audience.
• Brand Voice and Tone: A defined tone and style of communication that makes up your brand’s personality.
• Brand Visual Identity: A cohesive visual style guide, including color palettes, typography, and imagery that is used across all marketing collateral.

By investing in a strong brand identity, you can better position your business in the marketplace and achieve a higher return on investment from your marketing efforts.

The post The Power of a Building a Strong Brand Identity first appeared on Stephen Hockman.

As Donald Miller, author of Building a StoryBrand, explains, people are not interested in your company’s history or accomplishments. They’re focused on their own challenges and desires.

Your role is to be their Guide.

Your target audience faces a specific problem. They’re searching for a Guide – a trusted advisor – to provide a solution. They don’t need another Hero.

Acting like the Hero turns customers off.

To connect with your audience effectively, position your brand as a knowledgeable Guide using these two principles:

1. Empathize with Their Struggle:

• Show that you understand their pain points. What challenges do they face? What obstacles hinder their progress
• Acknowledge their feelings. Let them know you understand their frustrations and concerns.

2. Demonstrate Your Expertise:

• Showcase your knowledge and experience to solve their problem. Highlight your qualifications and achievements.
• Offer practical solutions. Present your product or service as the answer to their problems.

By following these principles, you’ll communicate a powerful message: “I understand your situation, and I can help you overcome it.”

This approach will make your marketing messages more compelling, relevant, and effective in attracting and converting your target audience.

The post Become the Guide, Not the Hero in Your Marketing Messages first appeared on Stephen Hockman.

In his classic work, The Robert Collier Letter Book, he presents six essentials of a good sales letter:

1. The Opening: Grab the reader’s attention immediately with a strong hook or question.
2. The Description or Explanation: Paint a vivid picture of the problem your product or service solves, highlighting the benefits and advantages.
3. The Motive or Reason Why: Appeal to the reader’s emotions and desires, showing how your offer will improve their life.
4. The Proof or Guarantee: Build credibility by providing evidence, testimonials, or guarantees to reassure the reader.
5. The Snapper or Penalty: Create a sense of urgency by emphasizing the potential consequences of not taking action.
6. The Close: Clearly state the desired action and make it easy for the reader to take the next step. Tell them what to do and how to do it.

By effectively utilizing these six elements, Collier’s formula can help create persuasive and effective sales letters that generate a direct response in the reader.

Here’s an example of these six essentials in action:

Headline: Sleep Like Royalty Tonight

Opening: Are you tired of tossing and turning all night long?

Description: Imagine drifting off into a deep, relaxed sleep, waking up refreshed and ready to conquer the day. Our luxurious, cloud-like Gold Line memory foam mattress is designed to provide the ultimate comfort and support to give you that royal experience.

Motive: Say goodbye to back pain, joint aches, and sleepless nights. Our mattress is tailored to your body’s unique contours, ensuring optimal spinal alignment and pressure relief all night long.

Proof: But don’t just take our word for it. Thousands of satisfied customers rave about the transformative power of our Gold Line mattress. It has a 5-star rating on Amazon and Good Housekeeping gave it a 10/10 for side-sleeper comfort. We also give you a risk-free 100-night sleep trial. If you don’t absolutely love it, we’ll take it back—no questions asked.

Snapper: Don’t miss out on our limited-time offer. For this weekend only, we’re offering free delivery and setup, and we’ll even haul away your old mattress at no cost ($199 total value). Offer expires Sunday, October 15th at 8 p.m.

Close: Visit our store today and experience what it’s like to sleep like royalty with our Gold Line mattress. We’re located at 123 North Street, Some Town, VA.

The post Robert Collier’s 6-Step Formula to Writing Irresistible Sales Letters first appeared on Stephen Hockman.

Here’s why:

As legendary copywriter Eugene Schwartz explained in his book “Breakthrough Advertising,” people in every market already have deeply rooted wants and needs they desire to satisfy.

Mass desire is the widespread public yearning for something that individuals in the market privately desire.

Therefore, a copywriter cannot create mass desire in an audience where it does not already exist. Attempting to conjure up human desire for a product that does not appeal to a mass desire is nearly impossible.

Schwartz explains, “Copy cannot create desire for a product. It can only channel the existing hopes, dreams, fears, and desires of millions of people toward a specific product. The copywriter’s task is not to create mass desire but to identify and direct it.”

Schwartz goes on to say that every product appeals to two, three, or four mass desires. But only one desire can be the main focus of the ad; only one desire can be used to attract your ideal customer.

Here’s what to do:

1. Identify the most powerful mass desire within your specific market.
2. Inject that desire into a catchy headline to hook your customer.
3. Position the product in the advertisement as the solution to fulfill that desire.

Ignore mass desire, and nothing you put in the ad will matter.

Regardless of how creative, compelling, or informative your ad is, if it doesn’t speak to what your audience truly wants or needs, it will fall flat.

The post Appealing to Mass Desire: A Copywriter’s Secret Weapon in Advertising first appeared on Stephen Hockman.

There is a lot more going on with homeschoolers that will likely surprise you. Here are some interesting facts about homeschooling every parent should know.

Interesting Facts About Homeschooling

1. Homeschooling Boosts Happiness

Homeschool graduates are happier and more virtuous than public school graduates. (Wall Street Journal)

2. Homeschooling Enhances College Readiness

Homeschool students score above average in the SAT and ACT tests for college admissions. (Cambridge Homeschool Online)

3. Homeschooling Fosters Social and Emotional Well-Being

87% of peer-reviewed studies on social, emotional, and psychological development show homeschooled students perform statistically significantly better than those in conventional schools (National Home Education Research Institute).

4. Homeschooling Encourages Community Engagement

Homeschoolers participate in local community service more frequently than the general population. (National Homeschool Education Research Institute)

5. Homeschooling Offers Diverse Activities

98% of homeschooled students participate in an average of 5 extracurriculars per week. (Brighterly)

6. Homeschooling’s Rapid Growth in Numbers

Homeschooling has grown from 13,000 students in the 1970s to roughly 2.4 million students in 2016. (Journal of School Choice)

7. Homeschooling’s Current Popularity in the US

There were an estimated 3.135 million school-age (K-12) homeschooled students in the United States during the 2021-2022 school year. (National Homeschool Education Research Institute)

8. Homeschooling’s Legal History in Virginia

8. Until 1984, Homeschooling was Illegal in Virginia. (Study.com)

9. Homeschooling’s Legal Status Across the US

Homeschooling is legal in all 50 states. (Homeschool Legal Defense Association)

10. Homeschooling’s Best States to Live In

The best states for homeschooling based on regulations are Alaska, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Texas. (Verywell Family)

11. Homeschooling’s Popularity by State

States having the largest population of homeschooled students are North Carolina (10.6%), Virginia (4.8%), Florida (4.6%), and Georgia (4.6%). (Cross River Therapy)

12. Homeschooling In Louisiana Has the Best Tax Advantage

Louisiana has one of the best tax benefits for homeschool parents. Parents may qualify for a 50% tax deduction for educational expenses up to $5,000 per dependent student. (Louisiana Department of Revenue)

13. Homeschooling’s Famous and Successful Alumni

Many famous people were homeschooled, such as Emma Watson, Justin Bieber, George Washington, Alexander the Great, Albert Einstein, Leonardo Davinci, and Thomas Edison. (Bridgeway Academy)

14. Homeschooling’s Benefits for Parents’ Budgets

Homeschool parents can get many of the same educator discounts as classroom teachers. (ThougtCo.)

15. Homeschooling Is Diverse and Inclusive

Homeschool families come in all shapes and sizes, including homes where both parents work, parents with a single child, parents with many children, homes where not all children are homeschooled, and homes from all socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. (Connections Academy)

16. Homeschooling Saves on Childcare

Homeschooling younger children saves parents from $400 to $1,500 per month on professional childcare costs. (TrustedCare)

17. Homeschooling Is More Affordable Than Private School

The average homeschool cost per student ranges from $700 to $1,800 annually while the average annual tuition of sending a child to a private K-12 school is $23,839. (Investopedia)

Interested In Learning More About Homeschooling Your Children?

These interesting facts about homeschooling are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the positive outcomes of teaching your children at home.

If the idea of homeschooling interests you, then fill out our homeschooling information request form. We will send you complete details about how our homeschooling program works, sample curriculums, and the associated costs to help you make a well-informed decision about homeschooling your children.

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