Before the solution… comes → The Belief Shift 

The big a-ha moment that sparks the reader’s interest …

That kicks off their journey learning about your offers…

That turns ‘potential clients’ to ‘actual clients’ to ‘repeat clients’

And it all starts with that single thing → The Belief Shift.

But how do you actually change someone’s internal beliefs with the words in your copy?

How do you get them to realize “the truth”?

Think about this…

Whenever we go into anything: A new job, relationship, season of life, we have preconceived ideas and beliefs about what it’ll be like.

They inform all of our decisions (or lack thereof) and dictate what we choose in life.

Even something as simple as deciding whether or not to try a new dish at your favorite Thai restaurant is based on your past experience, your risk tolerance + your internal predictions (true or false) about what the experience will be like. 

This same set of beliefs and thought patterns are going to dictate how your ideal customer interacts with you and whatever you are offering. 

Beliefs like:

I’m not ready for that solution yet.

OR

I don’t think this solution would work for me.

OR 

I don’t trust that you ACTUALLY know what I need.

All of which protect them from harm, but also keep them trapped in their existing circumstances, fearful of change but unhappy with the present.

Your job as a copywriter is to identify the beliefs that your ICA needs to shift, so that you can break their limiting belief patterns with clear, intentional messaging, thereby initiating the snowball effect as they realize that your offer truly is the solution to their problems.

Everybody is searching for the Truth – You just need to be the guide.

It looks a little like this:

STEP 1: Meet Them Where They Are 

Let’s have a little creative thinking moment, shall we?

Imagine a scenario where you are pitching a VA service to a busy mompreneur. 

She’s recently started her own business, trying to get everything done and struggling to balance all of that with getting the kids to school, cooking, keeping the house clean, being a personal Uber (where my moms at?) and feeling like she barely has anything left to give. 

So what she thinks (her current mindset) is that in order to grow her business she has to start working evenings between 8 pm, when the kids go to bed, and 2 am, when she finally tuckers out. 

If time is her only setback, she’ll just have to generate more of it by opting out on sleep. 

This isn’t sustainable, we know, but it’s the only option she sees to scale her business. 

Maybe that belief is informed by an industry myth or something that someone else has been telling her (Hustle culture!). This isn’t her fault, it just happens to be the only information she has encountered…

…so far.  

Your angle and solution is the thing she NEEDS to move forward with a little more ease. You just need to show her that her old beliefs need to change.

To do this, your copy needs to:

1. Show her you understand her struggles
2. Show her it’s not her fault for not knowing the better way (More on that in Step 2)
3. Educate on the better way i.e. Your solution

However, despite your honest intentions, she’ll never trust what you’re saying until she knows, first and foremost, that you understand her life, her mindset and her problems..

(If you’re ever unsure about how to know and speak to where your ICA is, always pull from VOC and structure your messaging based on the Phases of Awareness, two things I walk you through in detail in Elevated Brand Accelerator.)

STEP 2: Create “Problem Distinction” 

Now that she knows you empathize with and understand her needs,  you’re going to create a distinction in what she perceives the problem to be. 

This is the core of the belief shift.

Educating her with “Your problem isn’t actually  X, it’s Y” brings her further along on the buyer journey by illustrating the distinction between what she thought was the problem and what you can show it actually is.

For example:

“Despite what you’ve been told, you CAN get more time out of your day without sacrificing sleep or precious time with your family – by outsourcing. With the low-cost, easy-to-implement support of a Virtual Assistant, you can spend your time on the things that matter and delegate everything else.” 

This establishes your authority on the matter and creates trust with your reader as they are moving out of previously held opinions and into awareness of the new (and better) belief patterns you’re providing.

STEP 3: Throw Rocks at Competitors 

(Only figuratively, please.)

The final step in shifting belief patterns is throwing rocks at your competitors.

When you’ve finally managed to create a belief shift in your potential customer, the last thing you want them doing is taking this newfound confidence and deciding to opt for your competitor.

Your messaging needs to clearly convey why your offer is not only superior, but the ONLY option that can help her achieve her solution.

When there are 10,000 options for the service or product you’re offering, what is it that makes yours stand out?

This is where understanding your UVP is so crucial. 

Sure, you may honestly believe you’re her best option, but how do you prove it?

And hey, refrain from being unethical here and never fight dirty. It’ll end up making you look worse.

Just clarify exactly what you do that’s unique and more ethical or more (fill in the blank) than your competitors…

And remember that “Benefits get buyers”, not pain point prodding or bad mouthing your competition.

To recap:

• You HAVE TO create a belief shift before you can offer a solution 

• Start by meeting your audience where they are by addressing their current mindset and building trust through empathy

• Establish authority by showing them that you know their problem (and that it isn’t actually caused by what they think it is.) 

• Throw rocks at competitors and set yourself apart 

Don’t want the hassle of doing it yourself? Come find out how the KC Copy Studio crafts high-converting, belief-shifting copy that’ll have your ICA clamoring to buy from you. And we can prove it too…