I was reading a fly fishing blog about a “local rural legend” – a story about an animal you know doesn’t exist, but has managed to survive in myth for the better part of a century.

Every region has one – the animal/man/whatever that’s been spotted numerous times over the years, but never actually seen or photographed.

And while we know there simply isn’t any such animal, we still lean forward in our seats when the story is told.

The Art of Mystery

Typically, you’d think copywriting wasn’t much for mystery. Get in the door, throw the benefits on the table, and tell ‘em what to do next.

But how do you get in the door? A little mystery can help.

With so much of my experience focused on B2B direct response, I know the strength of mystery. It’s often played out on the outside of an envelope in a headline – one that promises much, but reveals little.

What’s He Talking About?

There’s an element of mystery in even simple questions. Questions move the reader along, prime them for what’s next, and engages their brains. Ask a good question, and you invite your reader into your conversation.

Consider these two similar questions:

  1. Do you want to make millions?
  2. Do millionaires possess a money-making secret you don’t?

See the difference? The first is direct, but lacks mystery. It’s a throwaway.

The second involves an element of mystery – a “secret” that you might just learn. If you keep reading, of course.

Delayed Gratification

Mystery opens envelopes, e-mails, and even Web sites for you.
But it plays a role in copy too. How many times has a writer lead you to the brink of a discovery – promising you important information – and then set it all aside by saying “But I’ll get to that in a minute. First, I want to…”

I find it irritating. But testing suggests it’s damned effective.

Editorial Mystery? Sure.

One of the most effective article leads I ever read chronicled a years-old unsolved crime. It left us hanging right at the edge of the mystery, and then plunged into the meat of the article (the modern consequences).

Brilliant. Effective. Informative.

The writer set the stage, and then got on with the business of his article.

Mysteries can be sensational (the Lindbergh baby or Loch Ness monster) or they can be small and personal. But they’re almost always engrossing.

People want answers. And when they don’t get them, it’s like taking a rattle away from a baby – they get extremely focused on getting what they want.

So use a little mystery in your next project. Wonder what will happen? I’m not telling…

[tags]mystery, copy, copywriter, marketing, headlines[/tags]

Posted in Copywriting, Writing and tagged .