The Magic of What If.

The godfather of copywriting, Roy H. Williams once wrote:

“The mind cannot believe in both fear and possibility at the same time.”

Fear –is this good enough?

Fear –will this get the listeners attention?

Fear –I’m out of ideas.

We all have fear. We all have that inner circle of critics that tell us this won’t work, it’s mundane, it sounds no different from anything else, etc.

Because I’m an avid reader and I journal, I answer my inner critics back by bringing up the name Douglas Adams. His most known work is “A Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy.”

It’s not that it’s a work of comedic science fiction that makes it so good. It’s the fact that the premise itself seems impossible. The world is destroyed by a celestial construction company. Earth was slated for demolition to make way for a new intergalactic highway. Turned out, the construction company couldn’t read their own maps. Oops. Yet, Adams made this premise believable, and his other worldly characters relatable.

This is what writing good fiction and writing good copy have in common.

It starts with two words.

What If?

Those two words open a door to endless possibilities.

Let’s say a bank or Credit Union is ready to promote their new banking app.

What if the pen chained to the bank lobby table talked about how lonely it is since the app came along.

Open with sfx of bank lobby ambience.

Hi. It’s me, the sleek ballpoint pen chained to the lobby table at your local First Union Bank. Since First Union’s banking app came along, you don’t need to write out deposit or withdrawal slips anymore. You don’t even have to fill out a paper loan application. It used to be a lot of fun watching the tellers and loan officers squint trying to decipher your handwriting. This branch serves a lot of doctors. So, I’ve seen some real lulu’s. Because of the app, I’m just here, alone, still chained as if I’m doing time for writing bad checks or something. It could be worse. At least I’m not a pencil.

Go ahead and say what if. Sometimes, the more abstract, the better. Then take that abstract approach and make it a reality, just like Douglas Adams.

Oh, spoiler alert. His story has a happy ending when the celestial construction company made amends for its mistake. It replaced earth with a brand new one that was even better.

Respectfully

Mike -The Reel Architect.