Writing Copy With The 8 Primal Human Psychological Triggers That SELL + Bonus
By: Pedro S.
Tags: Copywriter, Sell, Psychological, Copywriting, Copywriting Tips

Sure, you can go ahead and read everything and try it all out for yourself to see what works and what doesn’t.

OR…

You could simply forget everything else and focus on what the PRIMAL human needs are.

Everyone wants to know what are the magic words to persuade prospects to buy what they’re selling. But it’s not that simple — you need to learn what emotions and needs to tap into when you’re writing copy that sells.

I’m talking about what even cavemen would want. Because, believe it or not, humans haven’t evolved that much past primal needs. That is why so many people nowadays are unable to find true happiness — they have their priorities and motivations all wrong. They cannot understand what it is that makes them happy.

But enough digressing — let’s get to what people TRULY want.

Everything that I‘m going to talk about is the result of consumer research done by actual psychologists (you know, those guys that spend their whole lives trying to comprehend the human mind, how it works and how it impacts all human behavior).

Now, I won’t be going over the thousands of studies that have been done on the subject.

Why? Well, of course — like anything else in life — all studies are not unanimous. Which is why I will only be explaining the eight FOUNDATIONAL desires that are literally common to everyone.

Drew Eric Whitman, author of the book Cashadvertising(which you should read), called them the “Life-Force 8”.

What are these so-called “Life-Force 8”? Allow me to explain.

They are the eight most powerful innate human desires shared by everyone, because they stem from basic human nature. I’m positive that YOU (whoever you may be) will be able to relate to ALL eight of them.

The 8 Primal Triggers Guaranteed To Make You Sell

We are all biologically programmed to have the same eight needs:

1. Survival

This is obviously the most basic and primal need there is.

Even all animals have this instinct. If there is a living being, odds are it will have a survival instinct as the main priority.

When it comes to humans, this can also extend to enjoyment of life (this is crucial to keep you going and to want to survive) and life extension (the desire to live a long — and happy — life).

2. Enjoyment of food and beverages

One thing you will notice all of these triggers will have in common is that they’re extremely basic and can always be related to our evolutionary ancestors. Everyone nowadays feels like we’re so much more evolved, but the truth is that evolution is a process that takes thousands of years (or longer) and we are still just Homo sapiens.

So, the enjoyment of food and beverages only comes as a natural trigger for us. Everyone wants this, which is why fast food chains are so popular. If you ponder on it for a second, it doesn’t really make sense at first, right?

Here are these restaurant chains who EVERYONE knows are not healthy. Nobody cares that they’re not healthy, not the customers nor the fast food chains.

Fast food companies only focus on the taste of the food. They KNOW that’s what makes people keep going back — we can’t help ourselves. Even if logically nobody should go eat fast food, it’s insanely popular.

The only possible conclusion is that most of us are mostly focused on short-term instant gratification.

3. Freedom from fear, pain and danger

If you know a thing or two about marketing or sales, you probably saw this coming from a mile (or 1.6 kilometres for my European mates) away. It is no secret that fear sells. And, of course, fear of pain and danger is also super effective.

However, there is one very important aspect that you need to take into account:

Most of the time, people make the huge mistake of trying to sell a product or service that acts as a PREVENTION to fear.

Now, in theory this should work — and it kind of will. It just won’t be as effective as it could.

Why is that? Well, the truth is that between a preventive solution and a CURE like solution, people will ALWAYS want the cure. Let me explain.

If you create a miraculous fail-proof burglar alarm and try to sell it around, most people will just tell you off.

Of course it depends on the area they live in. But mostly, they’ll just think to themselves “Why in the world would I need that right now? I’ve never had a burglar in my house before. Besides, I can take care of my family. I have my own preventive measures”.

They wouldn’t be too wrong in their logic. If they see no burglars, why buy an anti-burglar device?

You see, you’re trying to sell that product as a prevention. If you go back to the same person after they’ve been robbed (and it doesn’t even need to be right after it has happened), guess what? They will be VERY willing to spend their hard-earned money on what you’re selling — the cure for their new found problem.

Just apply this logic to any situation and you’ll see it makes sense.

Even imagine it with the current world pandemic.

If there was a Covid-19 vaccine back in the 1st of December 2019, do you think anyone would want it? Do you think anyone would pay for something just because there COULD be a global pandemic? Nobody would. But right now, the vaccine is seen as the cure, so the ENTIRE WORLD wants it.

4. Sexual companionship

This one had to be here. After all, sex sells and it always will.

But don’t misinterpret this like many 90’s and 00’s marketers did and just use sex to get attention to your product that really has NOTHING to do with it. That will just confuse or anger your potential leads.

If you capture my attention with sex and then try to sell me christmas sweaters or whatever the hell it is that you would try to sell, guess what?

I’m going to trust you less due to your shady marketing tactics. If your product was actually good, would you still need to resort to cheap strategies to get people to buy it? Always be honest in your advertising — I cannot stress this enough.

If your product CAN be related to sex, then you’re in luck. It’s one of the most powerful psychological triggers out there. Why else would prostitution be oldest profession in the world?

Just go for it.

5. Comfortable living conditions

If you’ve ever lived under poor conditions, then you know from experience just how important this is for our happiness. Nobody enjoys living in a place that is just terrible and sad to live in.

Biologically, this makes sense. Mother Nature’s goal is always to survive and, back then, survival was also very directly linked with living conditions. Out there in the wild, during primitive times, you HAD to find a nice, safe and (hopefully) warm spot to rest at. It greatly improved your survival chances.

This is why so many people are quick to pull the trigger on getting a LIFE-LONG bank loan in order to get their dream home. It is absolutely no coincidence that in the U.S. the biggest debt market is from real estate loans.

6. To be superior and winning (Feeling like you’re better than others)

You’ve heard of the expression “Keeping up with the Joneses”, right? There’s even a movie with that name.

Regardless of what you tell yourself, you would feel DAMN good if you knew you were doing better and being more successful than everyone else you know.

Thousands of years ago, those who hunted best or were the bravest were seen as the heroes of their tribes. Now the factors are different of course, but the logic still sticks.

Why do you think so many people spend more than they can’t afford to?

Next time you see someone you know with a Ferrari, it doesn’t mean that person started a drug empire. They may have just indebted themselves, that’s all.

Why else would social media be so popular?

After all, it’s essentially a bragging contest where everyone tries to depict their lives as something more successful than it really is. People actually go out of their way to rent studios that seem like the interior of private jets, just to take some photos for the ‘Gram.

It’s innate human nature to seek superiority.

7. Care and protection of loved ones

If you yourself have children, then I do not need to explain any further. If you don’t, I’m positive you’ve heard a recent father express the feeling he had when he saw his child for the very first time. I’m also sure you’re aware of how strong a mother’s love can be.

Never underestimate the power of care and protection for one’s loved ones. If what you sell can be related to that, or use this factor as a motivator to buy… You will do just fine, as long as you properly communicate that to your potential customers.

Obviously this is Mother Nature, once again, ensuring the continuous survival of our species. When we’re born we’re about as harmless as a roasted pig. So, every baby needs the love (this being the motivator to protect) and protection of adult humans.

8. Social approval

Social status MATTERS.

Read that again and don’t forget it.

Even if someone claims they don’t care about it, on some level they still do. They have just rationalized that it’s not that important and they won’t ever achieve greatness on that level, so it’s really just a self-defense mechanism at work (and it’s okay to have that mechanism).

The truth is, we would all welcome being a respected member of our neighborhood/community.

Now, don’t think the more the better, because I’m not talking about celebrity social status. That’s a whole different spectrum (that actually ends up being overwhelming and incredibly negative).

Going, once again, back to our ancestors, we used to live in small communities. So, of course it would make us feel good to be one of the most respected members of our own group.

This is also related to the innate human characteristic of seeking belonging — we all want to feel like there is some kind of group we belong to. No matter what we tell ourselves.