A Gentle Suggestion

Joel Howe - October 24, 2021

I was surprised to visit TP’s homepage (like the old man that I am) and see the following promo for your courses (of which I have purchased two):

May I suggest a different tagline?  First, it comes across as fairly hyperbolic, clickbait-y, and almost aggressive — even more so considering the site’s reputation for rational, level-headed, evidence-based articles and reviews. 

Second, do you genuinely believe this is the path to higher sales?  Are you laser-focused on targeting people who see themselves as helpless victims or is there content in these courses that might be useful to a broader audience?

Being the savvy experts that you are, it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that you had done A/B testing to arrive at this tagline.  Even in this case, I would suggest that the line is incongruous with your brand as a “cool headed site” offering “non-alarmist advice”. 

It’s a very minor thing, to be sure, but you may want to consider removing it nonetheless.  I hope you all are doing well!

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Thanks for taking the time to give this feedback Joel! It’s helpful to hear. You’re correct that some basic A/B testing has supported the “don’t be a victim” language — it’s an example of the constant tension between how most people act/think vs. how we wish the world worked.

Notice on the first aid course sales page, for example, it says “learn how to be a hero.” I think of prepping in that kind of positive light. But not everyone does.

Sometimes we’ve felt it was the greater-good to use a fear hook (for the masses who only respond to such hooks) and then show them the positive/rational light once they’re paying attention — rather than those people just moving on to the next fear hook at the wrong source. Tough calls.

That said, you’re the second person to give this exact feedback, so I’m going to change that language regardless of what the A/B says. 

We’re redesigning the whole website now, targeting launch in Q1, and once we’re no longer constrained by the old version, I hope to do more work on this kind of copy and testing.

Thanks again 🙂

 

Hi John,

I appreciate your response.  While I obviously think that preparing is important, I haven’t found many other sites to be a good fit for my disposition, which is generally more measured.  TP has become my first stop whenever I’m considering purchases or have a moment to read up on the latest articles. 

I appreciate the rational approach you take in those articles and the fact that your newsletter isn’t filling up my inbox but rather is an infrequent yet can’t-miss collection of new articles and conversations.  I purchased the courses to support the excellent work that you do, and I’m happy to see your response to such minor feedback is in keeping with the tone I’ve seen elsewhere on the site.

Good luck with the redesign!

 

Thank you so much Joel. It’s harder doing things “the right way”, but we’re trying, and the direct support from people like you is the only way this will work!