My paid 1 on 1 with a "cult leader"

If you haven’t read my post “Influence Trick 1 of 3,” please start there and come back.

But to recap, I was illustrating the power of ethos (~ reputation).

With strong ethos, followers subordinate their decision making to you.

Sounds crazy, but it happens all the time.

It’s why Oprah, Tim Ferris, and Joe Rogan are such powerful product sponsors.

Their recommendations carry a lot of weight with their followers.

One of my early mentors shared a brilliant insight, prompting me to book a very expensive 1 on 1 with him to dig deeper.

The Rev. Dr. Sir Colin Theriot runs a Facebook community called the Cult of Copy, and is a (tongue-in-cheek) self-proclaimed cult leader.

(You should join.)

In his desire to be a devastating copywriter and harness all the powers of persuasion he could muster, Colin studied many unconventional and ethically questionable modes of influence.

And now shares them with his followers- for a fee.

Here’s the million-dollar insight I gleaned:

Most marketers use emotion and logic to drive someone towards a sale.

But elite audience leaders use emotion and logic to drive people towards themselves.

Then they ask for a sale later.

See the difference?

One generates quick cash, the other creates lifelong fans and customers.

Now I’m not telling you to start or join a cult.

But your content should be designed to draw people closer.

Then, the eventual sale is easy, IF they are able to buy.

Next week, I’ll share the golden nugget handed to me by Sam Parr that relates to this very thing- what kind of audience are you building?

Don’t sleep on this, it’s the difference between driving the struggle bus or cruising down Easy Street.

See you then,

Greg

P.S. Last week I met with some fellow early-stage newsletter creators using Beehiiv, and had a great idea:

Let’s collab to grow and monetize faster.

Therefore, I’m starting the Honeycomb Mastermind, and all you need to do to join is sign up for a paid Beehiiv subscription through my affiliate link.

(Thank you Sue, for shooting down the names “honeypot” and “honey wagon.” You saved me from myself.)

At this time there is no additional fee to join. Just email me after you’ve signed up for a paid Beehiiv plan through my link and I’ll get you added to the group.

We will meet monthly on Zoom, share what’s working, and find ways to help one another grow and profit.

If you want to build with some community support, click the link when you’re ready and email me to let me know you’re in.