Hypnotic Writing E-Book

Joe Vitale

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2010

Seitenzahl: 325

Beschreibung

Discover the secrets of written persuasion! "The principles of hypnosis, when applied to copywriting, add a new spin to selling. Joe Vitale has taken hypnotic words to set the perfect sales environment and then shows us how to use those words to motivate a prospect to take the action you want. This is truly a new and effective approach to copywriting, which I strongly recommend you learn. It's pure genius." -Joseph Sugarman, author of Triggers "I've read countless book on persuasion, but none come close to this one in showing you exactly how to put your readers into a buying trance that makes whatever you are offering them irresistible." -David Garfinkel, author of Advertising Headlines That Make You Rich "I am a huge fan of Vitale and his books, and Hypnotic Writing (first published more than twenty years ago), is my absolute favorite. Updated with additional text and fresh examples, especially from e-mail writing, Joe's specialty, Hypnotic Writing is the most important book on copywriting (yes, that's really what it is about) to be published in this century. Read it. It will make you a better copywriter, period." -Bob Bly, copywriter and author of The Copywriter's Handbook "I couldn't put this book down. It's eye opening and filled with genuinely new stuff about writing and persuading better. And it communicates it brilliantly and teaches it brilliantly-exemplifying the techniques by the writing of the book itself as you go along." -David Deutsch, author of Think Inside the Box, www.thinkinginside.com "Hypnotic Writing is packed with so much great information it's hard to know where to start. The insights, strategies, and tactics in the book are easy to apply yet deliver one heck of a punch. And in case there's any question how to apply them, the before-and-after case studies drive the points home like nothing else can. Hypnotic Writing is not just about hypnotic writing. It is hypnotic writing. On the count of three, you're going to love it. Just watch and see." -Blair Warren, author of The Forbidden Keys to Persuasion

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Praise

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Epigraph

AUTHOR’S WARNING

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1 - IT’S TIME TO AWAKEN

IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE TRANCE

HYPNOTIC WRITING

Chapter 2 - STOP! DO THIS FIRST

Chapter 3 - WHAT IS IMPOSSIBLE?

Chapter 4 - A DISCLAIMER

Chapter 5 - A BEGINNING

PULL UP A CHAIR AND

Chapter 6 - AGATHA CHRISTIE PROVES HYPNOTIC WRITING EXISTS

Chapter 7 - MY SECRET TO HYPNOTIC WRITING

Chapter 8 - YOU CAN’T EVEN BRIBE ME TO READ A LOUSY LETTER!

Chapter 9 - WHAT IS HYPNOTIC WRITING?

Chapter 10 - HYPNOTIC WRITING: A CASE STUDY

Chapter 11 - THE GREAT INTIMACY SECRET

Chapter 12 - WHAT’S MORE IMPORTANT THAN COPY?

Chapter 13 - HYPNOTIC WRITING CONTROLLED STUDY

Chapter 14 - HOW I LEARNED THE SECRET OF HYPNOTIC WRITING

Chapter 15 - WHAT IS HYPNOSIS?

Chapter 16 - TWO WAYS TO CAUSE ACTION

PROBLEM

PROMISE

PROOF

PRICE

MY UPDATED FORMULA

MOTIVATION WITHOUT PAIN

Chapter 17 - WHAT ABOUT YOUR WEB SITE?

PROMISE

PROOF

PRICE

Chapter 18 - HOW LONG IS TOO LONG?

Chapter 19 - WHAT EVERY READER WANTS TO KNOW

Chapter 20 - THE HYPNOTIC POWER OF REPETITION

SCENE ONE

SCENE TWO

Chapter 21 - THE INNER GAME OF HYPNOTIC WRITING

SELF ONE: THE CRITIC

SELF TWO: THE MASTER WRITER

Chapter 22 - IMITATION SUGAR IS SWEET, TOO!

Chapter 23 - HOW TO JUMP-START THE MUSE

Chapter 24 - HOW TO NAIL YOUR READER’S ATTENTION

Chapter 25 - HOW TO MAKE YOUR WRITING WALK, TALK, AND BREATHE

USE A THESAURUS

USE A SIMILE BOOK

USE A BOOK OF ANALOGIES

USE A BOOK OF QUOTES

Chapter 26 - GIVE ME SOME MEAT!

Chapter 27 - A WRITING LESSON FROM THE WORLD’S GREATEST HYPNOTIST

Chapter 28 - ELECTRIFYING TIPS FOR CREATING BREAKTHROUGH WRITING

SEE THE EVENTS

WRITE TO ONE PERSON

GET EXCITED

GET TO THE POINT

DON’T JUDGE

Chapter 29 - A CASE AGAINST PERFECTION

Chapter 30 - HOW TO PERSUADE READERS TO YOUR SIDE

KNOW WHAT YOU WANT

EMOTIONAL APPEAL

GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT

ASK QUESTIONS THAT LEAD TO YOUR SIDE

USE WORD PICTURES

USE TESTIMONIALS

REMIND THEM OF THE PROBLEM AND YOUR SOLUTION

ADD A P.S.

BE VISUALLY ATTRACTIVE

BE SOLD ON WHAT YOU’RE SELLING

Chapter 31 - WARP SPEED EDITING SECRETS WORTH KILLING FOR

CUT OFF THEIR HEADS

CUT OFF THEIR FEET

CUT OUT EVERY SIXTH WORD

TAKE STEPHEN KING’S ADVICE

GET SOMEONE TO READ IT OUT LOUD TO YOU

READ IT OUT LOUD

GET FREE HELP

TAKE A BREAK

CUT AND PASTE

REMEMBER KISSINGER

ONE LAST WORD

Chapter 32 - HOW TO MAKE YOUR WRITING SEXY

FOUR WAYS TO MAKE YOUR WRITING MORE INVITING

Chapter 33 - HOW PEOPLE THINK

Chapter 34 - HOW TO CREATE HYPNOTIC STORIES

Chapter 35 - HOW TO CONTROL THE “COMMAND CENTER” INYOUR PROSPECT’S MIND

Chapter 36 - THE ONE HYPNOTIC COMMAND THAT ALWAYS WORKS

Chapter 37 - WHAT I LEARNED FROM THE SEA WOLF

Chapter 38 - YOUR TURNING POINT MESSAGE

Chapter 39 - WHAT EVERYONE WILL ALWAYS READ

Chapter 40 - YOUR CONNOTATION IS SHOWING

Chapter 41 - WHAT ARE MY SECRETS FOR WRITING HYPNOTIC SELLING STORIES?

Chapter 42 - HYPNOTIC BLOGGING

Chapter 43 - REMINDERS AS TRIGGERS

Chapter 44 - HOW TO CHANGE AVERAGE WRITING INTO HYPNOTIC WRITING

Chapter 45 - 30 WAYS TO WRITE A HYPNOTIC HEADLINE

HOW TO TEST YOUR HEADLINE

Chapter 46 - HYPNOTIC OPENINGS

13 PSYCHOLOGICAL COPY CONNECTORS

USING THE TIPS

Chapter 47 - HYPNOTIC QUIZ

Chapter 48 - MY THREE BIGGEST SECRETS

I DON’T DO THE WRITING

I DIALOGUE IN MY MIND

I PLUG IN HYPNOTIC LANGUAGE

Chapter 49 - HOW MUCH IS THAT DOGGIE IN THE WINDOW?

Chapter 50 - HOW TO CHANGE PERCEPTION

THE MIND IS EASILY TRICKED

Chapter 51 - AT LAST! THE JOE VITALE HYPNOTIC WRITING FORMULA

INTENTION

RESEARCH

CREATION

REWRITE

TESTING

Chapter 52 - A NEW HYPNOTIC COPY CHECKLIST

Chapter 53 - THE FIVE SECRET LAWS OF HYPNOTIC PERSUASION

Chapter 54 - THE SEVEN MOST HYPNOTIC BOOKS OF ALL TIME

Chapter 55 - THE HYPNOTIC WRITING FORMULA

Chapter 56 - YOUR CHALLENGE

Appendix - HYPNOTIC E-MAILS

BIBLIOGRAPHY

INDEX

ABOUT DR. JOE VITALE

HOW CAN YOU EASILY BECOME A MORE POWERFUL HYPNOTIC WRITER?

“The principles of hypnosis when applied to copywriting add a new spin to selling. Joe Vitale has taken hypnotic words to set the perfect sales environment and then shows us how to use those words to motivate a prospect to take the action you want. This is truly a new and effective approach to copywriting, which I strongly recommend you learn. It’s pure genius.”

—Joseph Sugarman, author, Triggers

“Wow—Hypnotic Writing kept me awake last night! I planned to read for 15 minutes or so before going to sleep and ended up turning out the light when I noticed it was past 3 A.M. That’s how powerful this book is. Sure, Joe gives you a world class education in the writing of copy itself, but that’s just a start. What you really get is a deep understanding of how people think, feel, and act—yourself included. This knowledge is priceless in turning words into power, and ethically using that power to sell more of what you offer.”

—Bob Serling, www.DirectMarketingInsider.com

“I’ve read countless books on persuasion, but none comes close to this one in showing you exactly how to put your readers into a buying trance that makes whatever you are offering them irresistible.”

—David Garfinkel, author, Advertising Headlines that Make You Rich

“I am a huge fan of Joe Vitale and his books, and Hypnotic Writing , first published more than 20 years ago, is my absolute favorite. Updated with additional text and fresh examples, especially from e-mail writing, Joe’s specialty Hypnotic Writing is the most important book on copywriting (yes, that’s really what it is about) to be published in this century. Read it. It will make you a better copywriter, period.”

—Bob Bly, copywriter

“I couldn’t put this book down. It’s eye-opening and filled with genuinely new stuff about writing and persuading better. And it communicates it brilliantly and teaches it brilliantly—exemplifying the techniques by the writing of the book itself as you go along.”

—David Deutsch, author, Think Inside the Box (www.thinkinginside.com)

“Hypnotic Writing is packed with so much great information it’s hard to know where to start. The insights, strategies and tactics in the book are easy to apply yet deliver one heck of a punch. And in case there’s any question how to apply them, the before and after case studies drive the points home like nothing else can. Hypnotic Writing is not just about hypnotic writing. It IS hypnotic writing. On the count of three, you’re going to love it. Just watch and see.”

—Blair Warren, author, The Forbidden Keys to Persuasion

“Hypnotic Writing has it all. It shows you how to master and accomplish the three things you need from your prospects. Attention! Captivation! Action! Never before has there been such a treasure trove of techniques for writing magnetic copy. Hypnotic Writing can be used immediately. It’s an incredible desk reference tool. This is not a book you read and put up on the shelf for 20 years. It’s on your desk where you can use it every day. I love Hypnotic Writing and I refer to it more often all the time. Joe Vitale is the world’s first true and pure hypnotic marketer and this book will only bolster that fact. You will learn how to write headlines, openings, the power of perception change, and yes even secret laws of persuasion. I love this book. I encourage you to get your copy today and keep it away from your competitors.”

—Kevin Hogan, Psy.D., author, The Psychology of Persuasion and The Science of Influence

Copyright © 2007 by Hypnotic Marketing, Inc. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

Published simultaneously in Canada.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Vitale, Joe, 1953-

Hypnotic writing : how to seduce and persuade customers with only your words / Joe Vitale.

p. cm.

ISBN-13: 978-0-470-00979-6 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-470-00979-9 (pbk. : alk. paper)

1. Persuasion (Psychology) 2. Written communication. 3. Influence (Psychology) 4. Business communication. I. Title.

BF637.P4V58 2007

659.1—dc22

2006020136

To Robert Collier

All successful communication is hypnosis.

—Milton H. Erickson, M.D.

Words were originally magic and to this day words have re tained much of their ancient magical power.

—Sigmund Freud, 1915

In what I call waking hypnosis, however, all four of these features are absent; sleep is not mentioned in the preliminary explanation to the subject; sleep is not suggested, directly or indirectly; the subject experiences neither drowsiness nor sleepiness, if we may trust his introspective account; and there are present none of the objective indications of drowsiness or sleep.

—Wesley R. Wells, 1924

AUTHOR’S WARNING

The material you are about to read is based on a privately published book I sold to seminar attendees in 1985. I later updated and released the material in 1995, as my first e-book. It became an instant online bestseller. In 2004 I taught a private seminar based on the principles in this book. Attendees paid $5,000 each to sit at my feet and hear the secrets you are about to read. This book in your hands is an enlarged, revised, and updated edition of all my previous works on the subject.

Hypnotic Writing is powerful. Anyone who uses it will increase their ability to communicate and persuade, which can obviously lead to more sales.

But there are other reasons to use Hypnotic Writing than immediate sales. For example, a friend of mine is a medical doctor. He can’t get everyone to follow his advice. Smokers keep smoking. Overeaters keep eating. If he knew some of the principles of persuasion that you’ll learn in this book, he would be better able to up his success rate at getting people to do what is in their best interest to do. Whether he writes or speaks, he could use words in a more hypnotic way to get better results.

Also novelists, journalists, romance writers, e-mail writers, web site creators, and even blog writers can use Hypnotic Writing to capture more readers and keep them longer. The secrets in this book will help you make your writing stand out in the crowd. In this age of information overload, you need an edge. Hypnotic Writing is it.

This book itself is an example of Hypnotic Writing. Throughout this book you will find yourself going into a light hypnotic trance. Better stated, you will not notice you were in a trance until you wake up from it. In other words, you will become aware that you hadn’t been aware. That’s fine, as it means you were in a “waking trance” (which I explain later).

Obviously, this will not cause you any harm. I’m mentioning it so you become alert to the hidden mechanism of Hypnotic Writing at work, even in this very book, so you can begin to use it in your own writings later.

Please use this material for good. You cannot make anyone do anything against their will, so don’t even try. Hypnotic Writing is for ethical businesspeople (or anyone else) who want to better state their case to their prospects.

Someone wrote me a nice letter, thanking me for my books but also taking the time to tell me she was “put off ” by my use of hypnosis in marketing. She said it removed choice from people. She thought it was evil.

Since you may be thinking the same thing, let me point out a few facts:

• Hypnosis never removes choice. You can’t be made to do something under hypnosis that you didn’t already want to do while fully awake. For proof, just ask yourself if you buy everything I offer. Probably not. Yet I’m the father of Hypnotic Writing. Obviously, you used your power of choice to buy or not, despite any “hypnosis” in my marketing.

• Hypnosis is not evil. It is used by dentists, doctors, and psychologists to help people get more of what they want out of life. It’s been sanctioned by the American Medical Association since the 1950s. Anyone still thinking hypnosis is evil is caught up in a cultural myth, which is a kind of trance all by itself.

So what is hypnosis?

My definition of hypnosis is anything that holds your attention. A good movie, or book, is a type of hypnosis. So is a good sales letter, or sales pitch, or infomercial. I’m not talking about manipulating minds; I’m talking about entertaining them. For example:

• Britney Spears is pretty hypnotic. But not everyone buys her music. (I don’t.)

• Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code, is pretty hypnotic. But not everyone buys his books. (I don’t.)

• Harry Potter has much of the world in a trance. But not everyone buys the books. (I don’t.)

Bottom line: Hypnosis is another tool. It does not control people and it does not give godlike powers to anyone. In marketing, it gives you an edge, but if you use it to try to sell a lousy product, it won’t help you at all.

Kevin Hogan, hypnosis trainer and author of several books, including The Psychology of Persuasion, says, “Hypnosis makes life better in most every way. It gives a salesperson or marketer a decided advantage over the competition but not over the client.”

You want to learn Hypnotic Writing because it helps you get and hold attention. It also makes you a much better communicator.

After all, if you aren’t getting attention and you aren’t holding it, you aren’t doing any selling, are you?

—Joe Vitale, www.mrfire.com

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I want to thank everyone involved in creating this book, many of whom I’ll forget to mention by name, so forgive me. Nerissa, my love, is my main support person and best friend. Matt Holt and my friends at Wiley are terrific people to know and work with. Blair Warren and David Deutsch are best friends and lovers of books. Suzanne Burns is my key assistant and publicist, and a positive influence in my life. Kevin Hogan helped me become a better hypnotist. David Garfinkel and everyone in my mastermind group supported me in this project, including Jillian Coleman-Wheeler, Cindy Cashman, Craig Perrine, Pat O’Bryan, Bill Hibbler, and Nerissa Oden. Mark Joyner was the first to believe in this book over 10 years ago, when it was a skinny e-book that made history online. Elsom Eldridge has shown his support of me and this material every year by asking me to speak about Hypnotic Writing at the annual National Guild of Hypnotists convention. Thank you, one and all.

INTRODUCTION

John Burton

Wow! Multilayered goodness in each piece. You think the outer layer is wonderful but then, as you delve deeper, you go to the center and find the most satisfying textures, savoring each uniquely flavored nugget. A new candy bar? No, no, no. Joe’s new book, Hypnotic Writing, a “how to” manual, is just that and so much more. Joe not only describes how to do Hypnotic Writing with great details and guidance, he also explains what it is and why to use it along with countless examples of successful applications. You get to glimpse behind the scenes into the creation of Hypnotic Writing. And you get to learn how to do Hypnotic Writing for yourself as Joe guides and supports you through the whole learning process.

Just who am I to make such claims about Joe’s book, Hypnotic Writing? I come from a field, not so far away, a field where I also explore, develop, and utilize hypnotic language. But I use hypnotic language differently from Joe. I hold a doctorate from Vanderbilt University in human development counseling and a master’s in clinical psychology. I’m a licensed counselor and supervisor in Greenville, South Carolina, running my own private counseling practice. I’ve been a practicing counselor for over 20 years and a practicing human being for 51 years. I’m also certified as a clinical hypnotherapist. I co-wrote Hypnotic Language: Its Structure and Use and was the sole author of States of Equilibrium. My next hypnotic language book is due for publishing this autumn. Now we find the convergence.

I hold a great fascination and appreciation for language and its amazing power. Words exist like winged energy, transporting us to places high and wide. Words link each of us together as human beings. Words can paint pictures, move us to tears or to joy. Words can expand our consciousness until there are no words for the experience. I have read and studied, practiced, and been in trainings with experts in hypnosis. Language is the vehicle that transports us to that wonderful otherworld, hypnotic trance. Here, we can do anything as everything is available.

Joe Vitale is an expert in his field. He has studied, read countless books and articles, and practiced and received trainings from linguistic and marketing experts. He uses this expertise to persuade consumers to purchase particular products or services. Some might say that the category of marketing or sales and the category of psychotherapy exist in a mutually exclusive way. But I can safely say that while sales is not therapy, therapy is sales. So I am familiar with this interesting process and its dynamics.

Perception, motivation, and values combine to create choice. Language in general and hypnotic language in particular, written or spoken, can provide the necessary perceptual shifts, access motivation, and lead toward satisfying choices. Choice may exist as the way our free will manifests. Joe skillfully and effectively identifies and works with these principles and dynamics that exist within each of us. And he does it with love, yes love! Joe does not stoop to low-level and transparent tricks in his work. He rises to higher levels of being in order to bring love into the equation. I believe this element of love provides the difference in what works over the long haul with consistency. After all, love is what we each seek. Love rules. As William Law stated, “Love is infallible, it has no errors, for all errors are the want of love.”

Joe accomplishes many feats in this book. He does not make you meet him where he is; he meets you where you are. This makes it so much easier for the reader, you. Joe does what good teachers do. He helps you identify your current style, ways of thinking, and beliefs. He provides exercises to encourage getting in touch with your thoughts, perceptions, and goals. And imagine this: He induces a trance in the process! Throughout this whole work, Joe masterfully invokes trance after trance so that you will gain insight and more deeply understand Hypnotic Writing. Experience is not just the best teacher. It may be the only teacher. Reading this book gives you the experience of Hypnotic Writing. This all leads to your mastery of Hypnotic Writing. But this process of gaining mastery includes more than just writing hypnotically.

Another significant quality of this book is that you don’t just learn Joe’s Hypnotic Writing. You learn how to do this for yourself, how to make Hypnotic Writing your own. Joe does not suggest you mimic him. He does not want you to write from rote! He shows you how to launch off in your own direction, drawing on your inner creativity. How does Joe do it? Well, this brings us to another powerful dynamic recurring throughout this book.

The book presents the material in such a way as to makes the unconscious conscious. Hmmm, now that’s an interesting notion. Just what the heck is that, the unconscious becoming conscious? Some of you may have experienced your conscious mind becoming unconscious. But with Joe’s book, he writes in a way that increases your awareness, not just by providing you with more information. Joe lifts the cover off the unconscious processes used in Hypnotic Writing. Now you can see, understand, and utilize these potent principles in your own writing.

The genius of the master hypnotherapist, Milton Erickson, was apparently so natural to him that Erickson himself could not or would not fully explain the processes he used in hypnotherapy. Many experts studied Erickson’s hypnotherapeutic ways so that others could understand the processes and utilize them as therapists. In this book, Joe identifies and illuminates the many attributes of effective Hypnotic Writing. You don’t have to wonder what qualities are present in Hypnotic Writing. He lists them clearly. Joe provides examples and practice exercises for you to gain familiarity with them.

Yet another accomplishment happens in this book. Joe not only shows you how to write hypnotically, not only shows you how he does it, not only helps you develop your own style, but (whew!) he provides you with references to numerous experts who know Hypnotic Writing and the mental-behavioral principles driving it from within. He shows you, trains you, and then points you toward resources that you can use to further enlighten and train yourself. The result is that you gain the knowledge and master the know-how to become an accomplished hypnotic writer. Oh, and one more thing. You must practice. Only practice as much as you want to get good at Hypnotic Writing.

John J. Burton, Ed.D.

Author, Hypnotic Language

and States of Equilibrium

www.DrJohnBurton.com

1

IT’S TIME TO AWAKEN

“You are getting sleepier . . . sleepier. . . . As I count backward from 10 to 1, you will feel your eyelids getting heavier . . . and heavier. . . .”

That’s the image you probably get when you think of hypnosis. And you’re right. Hypnosis is about getting you so relaxed that your mind, especially your subconscious, is more receptive to commands. Hypnosis is controversial but effective. It’s been around since 4 B.C., and for good reason. It works. To understand Hypnotic Writing better, let’s begin with a little history.

IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE TRANCE

According to William Edmonston in The Induction of Hypnosis, trance states and the seeds for hypnosis began with the ancient Hindus. Later, ancient Greeks in the fifth century B.C. used “sleep temples” to help cure people. Most of the other ancients, including the Romans, used words to create spells. They also usually placed their hands on or over people to move the “magnetic energy” within them.

In 1765 Franz Anton Mesmer, generally (and inaccurately) considered the father of “mesmerism,” opened salons where patients applied magnets to afflicted parts of their bodies. Later Mesmer moved to Paris where he further developed his theory. He became very popular. He wasn’t using hypnotism per se, but he was using words to create suggestion, probably unknowingly, to influence his patients.

In 1784 Louis XVI set up a commission to investigate Mesmer. It included Benjamin Franklin, M. La Guillotin, and Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier. They concluded that magnetism with imagination had some effect, but Mesmer’s magnetism and magnet healing theories were discredited.

Le Marquis de Puysegur believed magnetic power was produced in his own mind and was transferred to the patient via his fingertips. He found that he could produce a sleep in which the patient would follow his commands.

In 1841 the British doctor James Braid saw a demonstration of mesmerism by a Frenchman named La Fontaine. He was impressed, and started using the mesmerism techniques in his practice. He used a shiny bright lancet case to induce his patients to enter a deep “hypnotic sleep.” In that state his patients would accept his suggestions. He coined the word Neurypnology (literally ‘nervous sleep’), from Hypnos, the Greek god of sleep. This was the first use of the word hypnosis.

Dr. Braid didn’t care for magnetism, believing rather in “fascination” (fixation) and verbal suggestion. He also instituted the use of hypnosis as anesthesia for both minor and major operations.

In 1884 Dr. Ambroise-August Liebeault of France proclaimed that he could cure people in a hypnotic state by suggestion. In 1886 he was joined by Professor Bernheim from Paris, and together they published De La Suggestion, which further rejected the concept of magnetism.

During World War I, between 1914 and 1918, the Germans realized that hypnosis could help treat victims of shell-shock. It allowed soldiers to return to the trenches almost immediately. A formularized version of hypnosis, called Autogenic Training, was devised by Dr. Wilhem Schultz.

After World War II, Milton Erickson—arguably the most famous hypnotist of all time—had a major impact on the practice and understanding of hypnosis and the mind. He theorized that hypnosis is a state of mind that all of us are normally entering spontaneously and frequently. As you’ll soon see, this has enormous implications for your ability to influence people through your written words.

On the heels of Erickson’s work, hypnosis evolved into a well-respected practice, used by doctors, psychologists, business and law enforcement personnel, and even by people in sales and marketing. It’s also used for self help and self improvement. With the development of self-hypnosis, one doesn’t even need to rely on a therapist any longer.

Hypnosis is a tool, not a cure in and of itself. It is used for stress management, stress related disorders, dental and medical anxiety, and anesthesia, even in obstetrics. It is also used for pain management, as an adjunct to psychotherapy, and in the management of a wide range of phobic, anxiety, and other medical and psychological problems.

It’s being used by dentists, doctors, and therapists as well as stage hypnotists. It’s been sanctioned by the American Medical Association since the 1950s. It’s been used to help people with a variety of problems, from psychological to physical ones.

HYPNOTIC WRITING

But none of the above is Hypnotic Writing.

You don’t want your readers to fall asleep and neither do I. By “Hypnotic Writing” I mean writing that is irresistible. Writing that rivets your eyes to the page. Writing that is so clear and concise and effective that you can’t resist reading all of it. And more than that, Hypnotic Writing gets you to remember—and act—on what you’ve read. Hypnotic Writing is spellbinding, unforgettable, and filled with embedded commands.

That’s a lot better than putting your reader to sleep, isn’t it? I believe you’ve come across Hypnotic Writing at one time or another. Think back to the last time you were totally focused on a letter or a book. Did you lose track of time? Did someone call you, but you didn’t hear them yell out? Were you so absorbed in your reading that nothing else mattered?

Face it. You were hypnotized.

Even Shakespeare used Hypnotic Writing, though of course he would never have called it that. According to Peter Brown, in his book, The Hypnotic Brain, Shakespeare’s The Tempest uses hypnotic induction to get readers captivated. The play begins with a shipwreck, causing people to sit up and take notice. That’s a key element in hypnosis: Get attention. Shakespeare did it. The play then moves into a dialogue where the audience is told to sit still and listen. That’s a hypnotic command. Brown adds, “The story is as absorbing and moving today as it was nearly four hundred years ago.”

One of the readers of my books wrote me one day to tell me a book he had read hypnotized him to stop smoking. He said Allen Carr’s book, The Easy Way to Stop Smoking, actually awakens people from their trance of addiction. By the time they finish reading the book, they are nonsmokers. Apparently Carr’s Hypnotic Writing works, as he has now helped millions of people stop smoking. Many people said just reading the book will help you stop smoking.

Friends told me the same thing happened when they read Healing Back Pain by John Sarno. Again, apparently just reading the book helped them awaken from the “pain trance” and actually alleviated and in many cases cured their back pain. I had a similar experience while reading Sarno’s latest book, The Divided Mind. It seemed to take me from one trance—believing in the power of traditional medicine—and to put me in another trance—believing in the power of the unconscious mind. This is the power of Hypnotic Writing. (I explore this trance state in my next book, Buying Trances.)

In fact, in a few pages I prove how one of the greatest mystery writers of all time actually used hypnotic techniques in her books to make her readers buy more of them. In short, she made readers addicted to her novels.

I love Hypnotic Writing. I long to read books that capture my attention and won’t let go. Actually, I don’t see enough writing of that caliber. Do you?

If you want to hold your reader’s attention, then you have to learn how to create Hypnotic Writing. That’s what this book is all about. My intention is to reveal—for the first time anywhere—the principles and strategies that will transform your writings. In an age when radio, television, computer games, videos, and movies are screeching for our attention—and when there is more information than you can possibly read—you must learn to write material your readers can’t avoid. You don’t have any other choice.

With these Hypnotic Writing concepts in mind, you’ll begin to write memos, letters, ads, reports, and yes—even books—that few can resist. You will be able to create mesmerizing writing. You will become a superwriter! You will be equipped to develop writing that outshines the competition and dazzles your readers!

And with your new ability, you’ll be able to get more results and command higher pay for your work. “Hypnotic Writing,” in short, will give you the edge you need to create successful and powerful writing.

Hypnotic Writing isn’t about manipulation; it’s about communication. You won’t put your prospects or buyers into trance states where they do your bidding. People will never do what they don’t have a latent desire to already do. The idea behind Hypnotic Writing is to help you better communicate, and thus better persuade people.

All of this will become clear as you move through this book.

Are you ready?

You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself.

—Galileo

2

STOP! DO THIS FIRST

How do you currently write your sales letters, e-mails, ads, or web site copy?

You already have a strategy for writing. For this book to make the most sense to you, you need to know where you’re at right now. In short, become aware of your current writing method. From there, it will be easier to adapt what you are about to learn.

On the lines following, write a brief explanation of how you currently go about your writing. Explain your process. What do you do just before you write? What do you do as you write? What do you do after you write? Write your answers here:

3

WHAT IS IMPOSSIBLE?

A few minutes ago I read about a woman who has 6 children, 35 grandchildren, 75 great-grandchildren and 10 great, greatgrandchildren—who jumped from an airplane to celebrate her ninety-third birthday. That’s a woman who thinks big.

I believe in the impossible. I think you can have, do, or be anything you can imagine. That’s the subject of one of my earlier books, titled The Attractor Factor. It’s also, for the most part, the way I live my life.

I love to think big. I also love to read about people who set “impossible” goals, and then achieve them. Whether it’s Roger Bannister breaking the four-minute mile, NASA sending a man to the moon, Bruce Barton writing a fundraising letter that pulls a 100% response, or a 93-year-old woman skydiving, all of it proves we have no known limits. None.

What we have, instead, are mind-sets, or mental models. Yoram Wind and Colin Crook, writing in their mind expanding book, The Power of Impossible Thinking, declare, “Mental models shape every aspect of our lives.”

For example, I am currently reading C.K. Prahalad’s book, The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid, and love the true stories of people and companies helping the poor in places like Brazil and India. These people are not thinking small.

For example, Aravind Eye Hospital in India grew from an 11-bed facility to the largest eye care facility in the world. They see over 1.4 million patients and perform over 200,000 sight-restoring surgeries each year. Two-thirds of their patients are served at no cost, and those who pay, pay an average of just $75. The hospital was modeled on the management style of McDonald’s—only it gives fast care for low (or no) money.

Here’s another example:

Casas Bahia grew from one man selling blankets and bed linens door-to-door to the largest retail chain in Brazil. They sell electronics, appliances, and furniture. With its emphasis on serving the poor customer, its low prices and credit determined by payment history rather than formal income—70% of Casas Bahia customers have no formal or consistent income—Casas Bahia grosses over US $1 billion and has invoked total loyalty in its customers.

I feel most of us don’t think big enough. Not even close. To help s-t-r-e-t-c-h your mind, read Prahalad’s book just mentioned and read The Power of Impossible Thinking by Wind and Crook.

Wind and Crook explain that our mental models of the world are what stop us or help us. Thinking there is no profit in helping the poor is a limited mental model. The people in Prahalad’s book have moved beyond limited thinking.

With all of this in mind, what do you want to accomplish from studying this material? What’s your “impossible” dream? What would you want, if you knew you could not fail? Whatever it is, write it down here:

4

A DISCLAIMER

I’ve been writing for almost 40 years. I’ve been teaching writing for over 30 years. I’ve read hundreds of books on writing, written a dozen or so myself, and have taught and spoken about writing for decades.

Still, I don’t know it all. Neither can I put everything you need to know into one book, even if it is a book I’ve worked on night and day for months, that’s based on my entire life’s education and experience to date.

That said, please know that I strongly advise you to read other books on writing. A few treasured classics are listed in the back of this book. Many of my articles can be found on my main web site at www.mrfire.com. A search for books on writing at www.Amazon.com will keep you busy for years with the pages and pages of titles it will return to you.

If all you want to know is Hypnotic Writing, then by all means read this book, the books listed in the Bibliography, and invest in two other key sources:

1. My Hypnotic Writing Wizard software. See http://www.HypnoticWritingWizard.com.

2. My entire library of hypnotic e-books. See http://www.HypnoticLibrary.com/g.o/10386.

I’ve made this book as easy to follow as is humanly possible. I’ve distilled the Hypnotic Writing method into something you can understand and implement.

The rest is up to you.

Ready to get started?

5

A BEGINNING

My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way.

—Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)

PULL UP A CHAIR AND

I’m considered the creator of Hypnotic Writing. While it’s true that I wrote the first book on the subject (okay and the next seven e-books on the subject), I have to confess that I learned how to write “hypnotically” from two unusual sources.

I used to read Jack London, Mark Twain, Shirley Jackson, and Ernest Hemingway and marvel at their ability to weave words in such a way that they moved me to laughter, fear, or tears.

How did they do that? We have access to the same alphabet and same vocabulary as those masters, yet they wrote classics and most of the rest of us write garbage.

What’s up here?

Then, I would read sales letters by Robert Collier, or Bruce Barton, or John Caples and wonder how they used the same language but caused people to shell out their hard-earned money—often during tough economic times.

How did those famous copywriters do that? How did they write to persuade?