I’m finishing up my read through of “The Art & Business Of Ghostwriting” by Nicolas Cole.
The best chapter is Chapter. 16: Crafting Your Irresistible Ghostwriting Offer(3 Key Components).
It’s a great book. I don’t want to ghostwrite, but there’s really good advice in there and it’s well written.
Anyway, Chapter 16 has a framework for crafting an offer. Not new, much like the material from Russell Brunson and Alex Hormozi, but it’s well presented.
There’s three steps: 1) positioning, 2) problem-solution, and 3) exchange (or something).
I believe all Irresistible Offers (intentionally or unintentionally) are actually built from these combined skill sets, consisting of the following 3 components:
- A new, named & claimed category
- An articulate, specific list of problems, solutions, benefits, and outcomes
- And a no-brainer exchange of either value for money, problem for effort, or outcome for time”
It’s all explained quickly. My engineering brain wants more framework/templates and less stories.
Anyway, here’s my grasp of the steps:
Step 1: Positioning
I’ve read the Al Ries and Jack Trout book on positioning, but Cole and his “category pirates” do a damn fine job of presenting the concept (e.g. Snow Leopard).
They did positioning on “positioning”, calling it “category design”, a term they invented and are experts in, they “named and claimed”. Win!
This chapter has a terse summary of these ideas.
The starting point is the rules of ones:
- 1 Specific Problem
- 1 Specific Person
- 1 Specific Way
Take this triad and give it a simple descriptive name.
This will be your positioning, your “category of one”.
The great example in the book is “health benefit marketing” for a writer who helps brand educate customers on the health benefits of their products".
I love it! The specificity of the name.
Step 2: Problem-Solution
This is classic copywriting.
Define the problem and the negative impact, then define the solution and positive impact.
There are two “narratives” the client needs to understand (and be able to clearly & viscerally imagine) in order to believe your Irresistible Offer works:
- Specific Problem » Reason Why » Consequence of Problem » Ultimate Negative Outcome
- Specific Solution » Reason Why » Benefit of Solution » Ultimate Positive Outcome
This is not persuasion.
This is educating the client/reader.
No persuasion. No comparison conversation. No having to convince the client that you’re better or faster or cheaper than the next person. Just a helpful articulation of the problem and the benefits of solving it.”
It’s too compact, there’s a lot to unpack here.
Maybe a table (via gpt4o) will help:
| Narrative | Step | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Problem Narrative | Specific Problem | Clearly define the exact issue the client faces. |
| Reason Why | Explain why this problem exists and persists. | |
| Consequence of Problem | Detail the direct negative effects of the problem. | |
| Ultimate Negative Outcome | Show the worst-case scenario if the problem is not solved. | |
| Solution Narrative | Specific Solution | Present the exact solution you provide. |
| Reason Why | Explain why your solution works effectively. | |
| Benefit of Solution | Highlight the immediate positive impact of using the solution. | |
| Ultimate Positive Outcome | Paint the picture of the best possible outcome for the client. |
Step 3: Exchange
This is about the exchange of value in the offer.
I give you this, you give me that.
Here’s the quote:
There are 3 “trades” all customers and clients on planet earth want:
- Insane value for a minimal relative cost
- Urgent & painful problem solved for minimal effort
- Highly desirable outcome, generated instantly”
Here’s my paraphrase:
- I give you insane value and it’s well prices compared to the alternative of you doing it manually.
- I solve this problem for and you don’t have to do much.
- I give you the thing you want badly right now.
Let’s try and male this a table (with our gpt friend):
| What I Offer | What You Get |
|---|---|
| Insane value at a well-priced cost | High value without overspending |
| Problem solved with minimal effort | Issue resolved with ease |
| Instant access to a desirable outcome | What you want, right now |
This is a great framework.
My favorite part is the positioning.
No one does this, or if they do, they don’t do it well.
It’s hard I guess.
I need to re-read the category pirates books, e.g. “The 22 Laws of Category Design”.
Maybe I should read “Becoming a Category of One” by Joe Calloway.
From his book:
Don’t strive to be a leader in your category. Create a differ- ent category, and be the only one in it. That’s the idea behind Becoming a Category of One.