Channeling 101 (How to download winning copy from the universe)
Last week I wrote an email about channeling, and how I’ve used this skill to write over 17 winning sales letters over the last 4 years.
I briefly touched on the subject…
And a reader sent in this question:
First of all, I appreciate Ryan sending in this message.
Messages of appreciation are always nice to receive.
They help my energy and keep me excited to keep delivering my best content to you.
So let’s dive into this.
First, a recap:
Channeling is a skill.
It’s the ability to switch frequencies… or “channels” if you will… to tap into different modes of thinking, feeling, and behavior.
Let’s use an example that’s easy to understand…
There’s one profession that is purely based 100% on channeling…
And that’s acting.
When Robert Downey Jr. plays Iron Man in a movie…
He has to be able to step outside of his own persona…
Put aside his thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and patterns of thinking…
And “get in the zone” of becoming Tony Stark.
Before every scene…
He has to channel Tony Stark.
What would Tony do in this situation?
What would he think?
How would he react?
Given his past and his character, how might Tony deliver that line?
This is even MORE pronounced when you have to play a character who has thoughts, emotions, and beliefs that are FAR from your own.
7 years ago, I had the pleasure of chatting with Paul Amos, who was the marketing director of New Market Health, a faction of Agora.
He had written 3 HUGE winning VSLs in a row (which is a Godly feat for any copywriter).
If you look up old Agora swipes, you should be able to find these:
- One promo was bashing Hillary Clinton
- Another promo was bashing Obama
- The third promo was about “The Nazi cure for cancer”
Lol, sounds wild, right?
You may notice a common thread - the copy leaned heavily conservative (politically).
Why?
Because their audience was heavily conservative.
Yet when I met Paul Amos (the copywriter), he was the opposite of conservative.
He walked in looking like a hippie, with sandals and a Hawaiian shirt.
When I asked him about his promos, here’s what he had to say (this is me paraphrasing from what I remember from 7 years ago):
“I don’t actually hate Obama or Hillary. I’m actually quite liberal myself. But I spend a lot of time thinking about 80-year old Tom who lives on a farm in Iowa. That’s our avatar. I think about how he got screwed over by ObamaCare. I try to get in his head and ask, what would grab his attention? I mean, a lot of these guys are angry. They’re angry about politics. They wish things could go back to the way things were when they were younger. They think America’s gone to shit, and it’s all the liberals' fault. I found a lot of success in these VSLs just reflecting their opinion back to them and validating their world-view, and feeding into their anger.”
WOW.
That’s some gold right there.
Paul has spent a lot of time channeling his target avatar.
And it played a major role in his success.
Here’s another story to explain channeling… straight from the copywriting GOAT, Gary Bencivenga.
Years ago, there was a fishing competition in New York City.
Over 200 boats competed to see who could catch the most fish.
Most of the boats used nets…
But at the end of the day, the winner out of the entire fishing tournament was a boat with a guy using a fishing pole.
He had out-fished the entire fleet…
Using a fishing pole instead of a net.
Dumbfounded, the media asked him how he did it.
The guy's response?
“The reason I won is because you guys think like fishermen. I think like the fish. If I was the fish, where would I be at 9 am in the morning? What times would I be hungry? Where would I like to swim? When am I resting? That’s how I out-fished you all.”
Did you catch that?
The guy won because he channeled fish.
Now let’s bring this all the way back to copywriting.
The #1 skill you need in copywriting is channeling your target reader.
You need to be able to imagine the world through their eyes…
To read your copy through their eyes…
And predict how they think.
That means if you’re selling candles to women, you need to be able to channel a woman who buys candles.
If you’re selling survival gadgets, you need to be able to channel a doomsday prepper.
If you’re selling dating advice to men, you need to be able to channel a desperate guy who always gets friend zoned.
If you’re like me and you’re selling supplements to old people, you need to be able to channel a 70 year old grandma with 20 years of back pain, swollen ankles, and high cholesterol.
There’s SO much more to say on this subject, including how to get into the flow state, switch channels, etc…
A bit too much to cover all in one email.
I’ll leave you with a few tips on channeling:
- You need to have a curious mind, and a desire to understand other people’s points of view. When I meet someone new and I don’t understand their worldview, I’m always asking questions… setting aside my beliefs and judgments… so I can understand how they think better. If I don’t understand their world-view, I can’t sell to them. And I make it a priority to TALK to someone in my target audience so I DO understand them, before I write a single word of copy. Copywriting is an art that relies heavily on understanding PEOPLE, and what captures their attention, and what drives them to action.
- To be able to channel, you have to set aside your judgment. If you are super judgmental, and feel “better than” when it comes to a certain group of people, you won’t be able to channel them. You will literally not be able to try on their beliefs like putting on a jacket, because of your judgment. So seek to understand, rather than judge. It will make you a better copywriter.
- The easiest way to understand a target audience is to talk to someone in that audience. Extroverts, you have an advantage here. But HEY in today’s world, you have the second best thing: Tell ChatGPT to act like your target avatar, and ask it questions.
- When you think you understand the avatar, try a “day in the life” meditation exercise. Do some breathing or look up a breathwork exercise on YouTube to ground yourself and switch out of any previous channels. Then when you feel clear and empty, imagine waking up and experiencing a “day in the life” of your avatar. How would you wake up? What would you eat? What emotions might you feel? How would you go about your day? Try to visualize it in as complete detail as you can. Congrats, this is the first step in channeling.
Now if you want to get REALLY woo woo…
Here’s some advanced stuff.
You can use channeling for manifestation.
You can channel a rich person.
A poor person.
You can channel someone in perfect health.
Someone in poor health.
Most copywriters when they sit down to write, are channeling one of 2 different states:
- Frustrated writer with perfectionism, writing and deleting the same 2 sentences over and over again for hours
- Terrified of disappointing the client, trying to write through fear
They’re usually unaware they are even channeling these states…
It’s just what they believe is normal.
When it comes to clients, copywriters are usually channeling a state of “hopeless job applicant competing against more experienced copywriters, hoping for a lucky break.”
YIKES.
Imagine if you were able to channel a confident state.
What if you could channel a trusted authority in direct response and marketing?
What if you could channel an experienced, proficient copywriter?
What if you could channel a business owner who hires copywriters, so you can understand how your “fish” thinks and makes choices?
Although it may sound wild or out of the realm of possibility…
It all comes down to how tightly you cling to your beliefs…
How emotionally charged your belief system is (the more intense the emotion, the tighter you are clinging on to your beliefs, and the harder it will be for you to channel)...
And how open you are to trying on new beliefs.
In my experience coaching over 400 copywriters, the better you are channeling, the higher your income.
