I was back home in the UK for the summer and most of that time was spent on the London Underground.
Train ads are great - What better way to pass the time and avoid eye contact than reading those ads plus a lot of them are a bit like brain training.
Let me explain.
In his book "Thinking, Fast and Slow" Daniel Kahneman describes two systems that drive the way we think.
System 1 is fast, instinctive, and emotional
System 2 is slower, more deliberative, and more logical.
These systems often compete with each other, resulting in cognitive biases and errors in judgment that shape human behavior.
For those who write and want to make an impact on our reader taking into account these 2 processing systems can be difficult. We either write to 1 (think B2C ads all emotion) or we write to 2 (think B2B data and statistics all features).
That's where this Copywriting Secret comes into play if you want your B2B content to be memorable.
In 1978 Norman Slamecka and Peter Graf at the University of Toronto devised a study to explore whether information is better remembered when actively self-generated (internally) compared to passively consumed (externally).
You can probably guess the answer.
A group of 24 students were shown 100 cards featuring two associated words.
Half of the participants were shown the related words (like “king-crown”)
While the other half were given a stimulus word and the first letter of the second word as a hint.
They were tasked with solving the second word, based on its given association with the first for example, King - Cr____
When tested for recall the group who had to fill in the blanks remembered the words 15% more compared to the participants who had simply read them from the cards.
So what does this mean for copywriting?
The Self-Generation Effect is a memory bias where making someone figure out the answers or solutions, rather than merely reading or listening to them, enhances their memory retention and understanding.
Which makes it an excellent way to tap into both systems of thinking.
It grabs your audience's attention (stop) and then makes them process it (think).
Here's how you can use it in your copy with examples.
Use it as a Hook - made you look
Part of the genius of the self-generation effect is that it interrupts your reader's pattern and often makes them do a double-take.
At first glance, you might think this ad reads “Guess who,” but on closer examination, you realise you're supposed to fill in the brand’s name—Guinness.
Consider the messaging on your website - how can you interrupt their pattern and help them fill in the blanks?
This could simply be in the form of a question or statement - especially if you're able to tap into something they think they know the answer to but get them to see it in a different way.
Make it Interactive and keep them engaged
Mentally filling in letters is not the only way to create engaging content and boost recall.
Self-generated copy should pique our curiosity and make us pause and think. Try using clever wordplay to open and close loops and keep your reader engaged all the way to the end.
The DFS ad does this extremely well firstly by using its audience's knowledge of Tube Station Names and secondly by understanding its (literal) platform.
Provide context: When using self-generated content, ensure that your audience understands the context of the information being shared.
Make sure the puzzle isn’t too challenging. It should be easy enough that people can understand it within a few seconds.
Use it to drive Action and Encourage further engagement:
Let's face it we all enjoy feeling a bit cleverer for figuring them out.
Casper's puzzles may look simple but weren't always easy - in fact the main purpose was to drive traffic to their website as readers checked their answers.
Gamify your content and capitalise on your reader's desire to outsmart their friends.
Create content that challenges customers to think, like quizzes or configurators that help customers find the right product based on their needs.
HubSpot's website grader tests your website for SEO, Speed, and Links with the opportunity to show off your website on their leaderboard.
Use it to reinforce your message
American Red Cross in the #MissingType campaign, removed the letters A, B, and O to highlight the importance of those letters as blood types and the need for blood donations.
NHS Blood and Transplant collaborated with several high-profile brands and persuaded them to remove the letters from their name.
Be clever, clear, and consistent with your messaging to reinforce your key message. Use it in your pre-launches to tease your audience and create anticipation.
Use it to encourage audience self-reflection: Dove's "Real Beauty Sketches" campaign:
Dove invited women to describe their appearance to a forensic artist, who then drew them based on their self-description.
The artist then drew another portrait based on a stranger's description of the same woman.
This campaign would not have hit as hard if the participants weren't involved in the creation of the portraits.
How can you get your audience to self-reflect?
BASF uses questions rather than statements as their subheadings giving the reader an opportunity to figure out their answer before revealing.
And that's a wrap
Because our brains are wired to receive Fast and Slow information using the Self-Generation Effect allows our message to catch our audience's attention instantly as well as generate a slower thought process that enhances memory retention and fosters a stronger connection to your message.
Add the Self-Generation Effect to your content and encourage your audience to put in some cognitive effort.
Like this issue? It took 3 days to research, grab examples, write, and promote can I ask you to share it with your friend, colleague, or team who would like it, too?
Just forward this edition of Why Our Words Work! with an invitation to subscribe
Comments