An Unexpected Content Marketing & Copywriting Lesson from A Quiet Place II

A few weeks ago, I went to see The Quiet Place 2 with my sons. It was one of the first movies I’ve seen since the pandemic started.

It was awesome. If you’ve seen the first movie, I’d say that the sequel was as good as the first one, if not better.

It’s such an intense and powerful movie. The crazy thing about this movie is that the intensity comes from the silence.

In fact, It’s so quiet at times that you feel like if you make a sound during that moment of the film, either you or one of the people on the screen are going to die. 🙂

Have you ever wondered why or how you can feel so connected to what’s happening on the big screen?

Well, I’ve been thinking about that and I’ve come to realize that there is a neurological explanation for why horror films work.

Why should you care about how horror films work?

Because it reveals the same reason that powerful content marketing or copywriting works.

The Neurological Reason Horror Films Work

Many years ago, I read a great book by Daniel Goleman called, “Social Intelligence.”

In the book, he talked about a then relatively recent discovery of brain cells that sort of act like a neural WiFi.

You might’ve heard of these cells. They’re called “mirror neurons.” What do these cells have to do with the way horror films work?

And, more importantly for us, what do these cells have to do with the force behind powerful content marketing or copywriting?

Let’s see if you figure it out from what I reveal to you next…

Mirror neurons are what allow us to pick up on, feel, and mirror what others are feeling.

Have you ever watched one person telling an exciting story and see their friend’s face and body begin to respond with similar signs of excitement? That’s the mirror neurons in action!

The way Goleman describes this phenomenon is very powerful.  He simply says…

“Emotions are contagious.” 

Did you catch that?

The only reason that horror films work is because of mirror neurons! If our brains weren’t designed in a way to cause us to feel what others are feeling, horror films wouldn’t work!

Without them, content marketing and copywriting wouldn’t work either.

Powerful Content Marketing & Copywriting Lessons from A Quiet Place II

Really think about what Daniel Goleman is saying. 

The most powerful type of influence is when a person shares emotions, actions, and feelings with another. It influences us on a deep, even subconscious, level.

When John Krasinski wrote and directed A Quiet Place and A Quiet Place II, he didn’t try to tell us what the characters were feeling

He wrote the stories in a way that would powerfully show the audience the emotions and feelings of the characters.

By showing us these emotions and feelings, he tapped into the audiences’ mirror neurons. This caused us to connect with the characters so that we felt what they felt.

The secret behind powerful content marketing and copywriting is to make sure that you show your audience the feelings and emotions that you want them to experience.

That’s the way you draw them into your content or copy and really influence them.

*SIDE NOTE: Just to be clear. I’m NOT talking about manipulating or deceiving people. I’m talking about motivating people in an honest way. But I am suggesting that you do this in a way that many people overlook or never think of.

How to Create Content or Copy That Powerfully Influences People

Have you ever wondered…?

Why is it that when you as a content marketer, copywriter, or business owner tell people about your product, service, or business, they aren’t influenced like they’d normally be?

In other words, why aren’t their mirror neurons activated?
It’s because you aren’t harnessing the secret that John Krasinski knows.

YOUR ERROR: You are telling people things that you want them to feel.

Instead, you need to show them what you want them to feel and experience.

• Telling people what you want them to feel won’t help them see, hear, and experience the problems that others like them have had.
• Telling people what you want them to feel won’t help them see, hear, and experience the solution that your product or service has provided for others like them.
• And telling them these things will never activate their mirror neurons!

If they don’t feel and experience these problems and your solution, you will have little hope of influencing them.

What is the solution? Again, take a cue from John Krasinski.

THE SOLUTION: Start showing people what you want them to feel through others’ stories.

Another key reason that your content or copy doesn’t influence people is because it’s coming from you.

You see, when you tell others these things, they know you want to sell them something and this causes them to put up their guard. It blocks (or at the least somewhat dulls) the natural influence that happens between two people.

It stops the mirror neurons from doing their thing. What’s the solution?

Many years ago, I read another great book called, “Grouped: How Small Groups of Friends are the Key to Influence on the Social Web”  by Paul Adams.

In it, he explains exactly why this type of content is so powerful. He says…

“When people are unsure about how they should act or feel, they observe people around them. This is known as social proof. Research shows that when we observe others, our brains simulate what they are feeling.”  

Later, Adams explains, “Social proof can be used to show people the preferred course of action or appropriate behavior.”

– Grouped: How Small Groups of Friends Are the Key to Influence People by Paul Adams

Let me take what Paul said and put it into the context of what I’ve been talking about here…

In the same way, we begin to act like the people on the screen in A Quiet Place II (i.e. we become very quiet and afraid), people look to others for social proof.

Through that proof, they begin to act the way that they see others acting. They emulate them.

YOUR SECRET WEAPON: Social Proof

What I’m trying to get you to see is that top content marketers and copywriters know what John Krasinski knows.

They understand the power of stories that are packed with feelings and emotions that they want their audience to feel.

IMPORTANT: You don’t have to create fictional, false, or fake stories to do this. Instead, you can simply use the real-life stories of your customers.

• Share their testimonials
• Share their stories
• Share their case studies

TIP: When do all of this, make sure that you share these things with a focus on the emotions of these stories and not just the facts of the stories. Why? Because emotions are what will make the mirror neurons kick in!

Think about it.

• When you share testimonials, you are having others tell the truth about your product or service through their experience. Their words have a much greater chance of being felt than yours alone.
• When you share case studies, you are allowing prospects to vicariously go through the experience that someone else has had. They get to “feel” the same process and results.
• When you ask customers to submit testimonials and then share them with your prospects, it will have a much greater impact than your own words about your business ever will. This provides the social proof your prospect is looking for.

What you have just learned about mirror neurons and the neurological reason powerful content marketing or copywriting works is something that most content marketers and copywriters don’t know.

That’s why I used the word “secret” in the title of this article. (It wasn’t just a marketing trick.) For that reason, I would encourage you to read this article again.

And this time write down a couple of takeaways you can apply right away to your content or copy. Then begin actually applying them.

Over time, you will become better at creating content and copy that taps into the mirror neurons in a natural way. The end result will be that your content or copy will have a greater impact than it ever has before.

When that happens, reach out and let me know about it. I’d love to hear how this secret impacts your results.

If you liked this article, can you do me a favor and share it? I’d really appreciate it.

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