There’s a reason why diets fail; our self-control burns out and we can’t keep it up forever. As copywriters, is it possible that we can help our prospects use their own self-control to buy more?  The article discussed in today’s episode focuses on self-control and the simulation theory. Researchers analyzed two groups of participants’ self-control and ability to complete a simple task; one group was invited to imagine themselves in a scenario where self-control was involved and the other group was to read the scenario. The results revealed that taking the perspective of others depleted participants’ self-control and exhausted their mental capacity. Participants who were tasked with reading were inspired by the self-control demonstrated in the scenarios.  These research findings are relevant to us as copywriters in many ways but can be so easily manipulated. When we’re aiming to target our prospects’ self-control mechanisms, we must ensure we maintain integrity and that we truly believe in the product or service our clients offer. Similar to the findings of the article, we can also focus on providing our prospects with a target to chase or something to aspire to by speaking to the ‘after’ state of our prospects.  What To Look For In This Episode: How to effectively use your prospects’ self-control as a tool in your copy. How to maintain integrity when targeting your prospects’ self-control. Why you should speak to the ‘after’ state of your prospect. Journal Article: You wear me out: the vicarious depletion of self-control https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2714914/ Ackerman, J. M., Goldstein, N. J., Shapiro, J. R., & Bargh, J. A. (2009). You wear me out: the vicarious depletion of self-control. Psychological science, 20(3), 326–332. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02290.x Resources: Grab a free resource on my site to join my email list How To Write Your Own 6-Figure Sales Page Brand Voice Template Got a question you want answered on the podcast? Awesome! Send it to podcast@geoffkullman.com. Connect with Geoff: Instagram: @geoffkullman Twitter: @geoffkullman Inquiries: geoffkullman.com