A research-backed way to make everything you write more persuasive

Blame Maslow.

You've probably seen his "hierarchy of needs". The phrase has become a staple in marketing circles. The problem is, it's not founded on any actual research. Maslow created it from what he believed.

Fine. It's the way that many theories start, but ultimately they'll need to be examined. Maslow's theory has been around for a while, as well, and the results were inconsistent at best.

That's why psychologists like Henry Murray and David McClelland kept advancing Maslow's original ideas.

McClelland particularly has conducted numerous studies with the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT). The TAT isn't an ideal test, but as ScienceDirect puts it that it "is effective in helping to identify an individual's primary motivations, emotions, and core personality conflict".

McClelland employed it to refine Maslow's theory of needs.

What did he discover?

In reality, it's really only three needs that dominate human behaviour. Three needs that animate 90% of how and why we act the way we perform. Useful for those (like me and you) looking to spur others into taking action?

Uh, yeah.

Then, what exactly are these "three needs"?

1. The Demand for Power
2. The Need for Achievement
3. The need for affiliation

McClelland discovered that, of the diverse needs identified by Maslow and Murray McLelland, 86% those who were dominant were with one or more of these three requirements. The evidence, the data, that you can trust.

What exactly is all of these requirements?

The Demand for Power

When someone hears "power" when they hear the word "power," they immediately envision the control of evil dictators such as Stalin and Hitler. This is a an element however, it's really about impact. This is the power to impact your surroundings -- people, objects, etc. Imagine a baby throwing a ball then giggles in uncontrollable ways. It's her capacity to control something outside of herself that causes her to light up. That's the Need for Power.

Phrases you might employ in your message to target this desire include:

• "more control..."
• "change the world ..."
• "have tremendous impact ..."
• "dominate..."
• "greater influence..."

It's about their desire to impact and influence their environment as, for people who rank with a high Need for Power it is the reason that drives their actions.

The need for Achievement

This need is more like it sounds -- that desire to succeed. Create a target and work towards it and ultimately achieve it. The people who are high on the Need for Achievement want to follow that easy routine over and over.

There's a little nuance to it, however. If a goal is too easy, it won't give them the fulfillment they're looking for and they won't be motivated by it. If the goal is too challenging, they'll conclude they can't achieve it and this, in turn, won't inspire them.

The goal needs to be "just just" for motivating individuals who have this ability. Put challenging, and realistic goals before them and they'll grind them out one after another like an engine.

A phrase you can use for your message to address this issue are things like:

• "mastery"
• "achieve your objectives"
• "challenge yourself"
• "show what your made from"
• "be everything you are"

The most important thing, now, is...

The necessity of affiliating

In the words of McClelland says, this is "The necessity to feel a sense of involvement and being part of a group." This is more well-known. Social media has highlighted the needs for belonging and connection.

Today, many offerings and services offer communities, Facebook group, live events, virtual events and many more.

However, it's essential to include in your messaging. Phrases you might use include:

• "join an organization of people who are similar to you"
• "connect with other"
• "we're one of you."
• "welcome to our family"

So, how do you use all this?

Think about it this way: nearly every (good) copywriting can be "reason-why" founded. The purpose of your copywriting is to provide reasons for that they need to consider taking the action you're asking them to (subscribe to your mailing list purchase your product, join your community, etc).

Thus, any argument could be broken down into two distinct parts:

1. Make this move
2. The reason is the same.

The three needs tell you the "reasons to" ought to be. They should speak to the three needs because they are what drive people to act. It's the reason why your speaking, writing or whatever type of communication that you're sending out... more persuasive.

You still need to be able to demonstrate these claimswith proof, draw attention and so on... But making the right appeal in the first place is crucial. In the absence of that, people will just smile and say "Eh what's the point?" It doesn't animate the people.

So, the next time you're sitting down to type out a piece of copy or create video scripts, don't take a moment to forget Maslow and remember McClelland. Your copy will thank you for it.

That said, this is just one of many marketing secrets we've learned working alongside over 100,000 other business owners like you.

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