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Since 2018, my copy has generated more than $18,000,000 in sales in niches from fitness to travel and from survival to health.
A lot of that revenue has been thanks to one single thing. This “thing” isn’t a certain phrase, a particular template or even a headline structure. This one thing is the so-called “big idea”. If you follow the tips I share in this article on how to come up with big ideas, you might be able to craft marketing campaigns that perform two times, three times or even five times better than your current ones.
While a big idea might sound obvious, many business owners and marketers miss the mark. So, let’s first define a big idea.
What is a big idea?
A big idea makes your offer stand out from the rest. It’s something no one’s ever heard of or used before in their marketing.
For example, around a decade ago, the weight loss industry was disrupted by a big idea that promised people could indulge in chocolate while still shedding pounds. You might remember this concept often marketed as a “diet revolution.” It capitalized on the growing popularity of dark chocolate and its potential health benefits.
Proponents claimed that certain compounds in dark chocolate, such as flavonoids and antioxidants, could boost metabolism, curb cravings and even aid in weight loss when consumed in moderation as part of a balanced diet. While nutritionists and medical experts met these claims with skepticism, the appealing notion of “having your cake and eating it, too” resonated with millions of consumers. This resulted in increased sales of specialized chocolate products and diet plans promising guilt-free indulgence.
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However, if you try this same idea today, it won’t work well. Why? Because it’s not big, new or disruptive anymore. Which means it won’t have the same or even similar results.
Can you write marketing copy without a big idea?
Now, you might be wondering, “Can I write marketing copy that makes sales without a big idea?”
Sure, you can. Many marketers and entrepreneurs make sales without a game-changing concept. But they’ll never hit a true marketing home run — an offer generating eight or more figures in sales.
A big idea is what takes a campaign from so-so to stratospheric success. Solid copy can move the needle. But a disruptive concept is the catalyst for those once-in-a-blue-moon blockbuster launches that captivate the masses. Without that big idea driving insane demand, your results will likely top out at pretty good rather than smash hit.
Related: Disrupt a Business-As-Usual Industry in 6 Steps
Understanding the big idea better
In the next section of this article, I’ll share examples of big ideas. But before that, I wanted to show you something that will help you understand the big idea better.
This is from Evaldo Albuquerque’s book, “The 16-Word Sales Letter.” Now, if you haven’t heard of Evaldo, he’s one of the most successful non-native English-speaking copywriters in the world.
Before he started crafting home run after home run for various companies, his success ratio was 20-30%. However, after he began following his 16-word sales method, the success ratio skyrocketed to 60-80%, which is very high for even the world’s top copywriters. So, what’s this 16-word method?
According to Albuquerque, the single most important thing you can do when you’re crafting a new campaign is to make the reader believe the following: “This new opportunity is the key to their desire, and it’s only attainable through my new mechanism.”
In other words, this one belief is the big idea of your campaign. When you focus on the one (big) idea, you get rid of everything else that’s not important. This big idea drives your sales copy — be it a sales letter, an email, an advertorial or a Facebook ad.
Examples of high-converting big ideas
To help you understand the big idea even better, let’s look at some examples.
A few years ago, I had to rewrite a sales letter for a video course on alleviating back pain. The previous sales letter focused on a specific “Kratos” technique that was the only way to deal with back pain. It was not a bad idea, but it was too complicated to follow.
So, I came up with the big idea for the new sales letter while reading James Clear’s “Atomic Habits.” In one of the chapters, Clear talked about how if you get better by 1% daily, you’ll be 37 times better at the end of the year. How did I connect this idea to the back pain product?
Well, I explained that if a person is facing severe discomfort, it might be hard for them to imagine doing sets of long exercises or 30 minutes of stretching every day. That’s why the videos are broken down into dozens of quick yet effective 10-second exercises. And since those exercises are so quick and simple, the person can start with just a couple and slowly increase their number. In that way, they’ll be getting 1% every day.
Do you see how this is really simple to follow and understand? That’s how your big ideas should look and sound like.
Related: How to Make Small Life Changes That Develop Into Atomic Habits
Well, this new big idea beat the previous control and made 20% more sales, which is a big profit bump for an eight-figure brand.
Let’s look at another example to really drive this point home. Let’s say I was hired to rewrite the sales page of a supplement company selling a new joint health formula. The page highlighted the ingredients, touted the benefits of improved flexibility and reduced inflammation and made the usual promises you’d expect. Not a bad offer, but nothing too groundbreaking either. Sales were decent but nothing spectacular.
That’s why they hired me to come up with a big idea to revitalize their offer. Instead of just listing the ingredients, I’d position the supplement as the “Liquid Repair Crew” that goes to work overnight, flushing out built-up gunk and lubricating your joints while you sleep.
Suddenly, the product has an attention-grabbing story that customers can visualize. It’s not just another joint pill. Instead, it’s a team of hardworking repair crews getting to work on your body’s hinges after clocking out for the day.
Related: 5 Steps to Craft a Story That Hooks Your Audience Every Time
This fresh concept resonates much more powerfully and creates real demand. As a result, the new “Liquid Repair Crew” big idea crushes the old control and significantly increases the company’s profits.
As you can see from this hypothetical example, the first version was just okay—a fair offer but nothing special. However, the big idea version could capture people’s imagination and build urgency around the unique night-time repair benefits. That’s the difference a great concept can make.
How to come up with strong big ideas?
To help you nail the big idea for your promo, here’s a list of five questions you need to answer every time before you start working on your campaign:
- What is the deep-seated want or problem my target audience is struggling with?
- How can I position my product as the fresh, NEW solution in a way no one else has done before?
- What vivid analogy, story or mental picture can I paint to make my big idea more tangible and desirable?
- Does my big idea make my offer stand out compared to the competition?
- Am I consistently driving home the big idea across all my messaging to create a feeling of urgency and exclusivity?
Answering these five questions will help you create a high-converting big idea that will sell more of your product or service.
Bottom line
Now that you know what a big idea is, you can start focusing your effort on creating one for your marketing campaigns.
Just remember that the big idea has to be both new and easy to do. No fancy solutions or complicated mechanisms.