The Process for Creating an Irresistible Offer: The CIRCA Method

How to Create an Offer Your ICA Can’t Stop Drooling Over

An excerpt from my book, The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Writing Wildly Effective Copy.

The CIRCA method is an acronym for capture, identify, resonate, compel, and assure. The CIRCA method  is my method for ensuring that every aspect of an irresistible offer is hit. This method is primarily for longer-form copy such as sales pages and video sales letters, but its concepts can be applied to virtually every type of copy.

The CIRCA Method: The Components

Let’s take a look at each component of the CIRCA method and how to apply them:

Capture

It’s not enough to pique your audience’s attention—you need to capture it and keep it. 

Your audience is reading your copy because they want something from you: a shift. Let’s look at how to create a power phrase that tempts your audience with a transformation.

Here’s a simple formula you can follow:

[Transformative verb] [pain point] into/and [a result of your offer] with [name of offer].

For example: 

Radically change low conversion rates into life-changing revenue with the Ultimate Sales Page Kit.

Or

Level-up poor sales page performance and experience rapid improvements in your conversions with the Ultimate Sales Page Kit.

Below are some transformative power verbs to help you get started.

Transform	Radically change	Overhaul	Ramp up
Turn	Create	Energize	Drastically shift
Level-up	Shift	Electrify	See a 180-degree change in
Elevate	Morph	Activate	Massively change
Revive	Recharge	Reverse	Take control of
Amp up	Revolutionize	Mobilize	Boost
Transform	Revamp	Revitalize	Stop
Turn	Reinvigorate	Reanimate	Take charge of
Catapult	Evolve	Rejuvenate	Destroy
Blast Off	Dominate	Modernize	Decimate

Take this a step further and add urgency: 

For example, in 60 days or less, instantly, or within the next six months.

Level-up poor sales page performance and experience rapid improvements in your conversions INSTANTLY with the Ultimate Sales Page Kit.

Identify

No product or service on Earth is for everyone. None. Even commonly used items like toilet paper have an ideal audience. This is because not every item is the same.

If you sell luxury toilet paper, your ideal customer may be less worried about budget and more concerned about comfort. Your copy would be written very differently from that of a budget-brand toilet paper.

An identifying statement declares who, specifically, your offer is for. And the more specific you get, the more likely it is that your copy will resonate with your target audience.

For example:

If you’re a future copywriter looking to jumpstart your career, you’re in the right place.

Or:

Are you an aspiring copywriter looking for expert guidance on how to launch, grow, and build your copywriting career?

The purpose of your identifying statement is to leave your audience saying “Yes! That’s me!”

Resonate

The goal of making your copy resonate is to make your audience feel like you “get them” on a cellular level, and aren’t just trying to sell them something.

When writing copy that really resonates with your audience, you want to pull the pain to the surface. 

Remember when we talked about fear being the core of all pain points? You can resonate with your audience by either touching on pain points, pleasure points, or both.

But first, let’s look at pleasure points. 

Pleasure points are what your audience is seeking, and that pleasure is what you offer.

For example, let’s say your ideal customer’s most significant pain point is that they can’t sleep at night. Their pleasure point is a restful night’s sleep.

You can show this transformation by posing a question to your audience or by comparing pain points and pleasure points side-by-side.

Using our example above of our restless sleeper:

Imagine: How would a night of truly restful sleep make you feel?

These resonating statements serve the reader their pain and then deliver their relief, having them mentally answer “Yes! That’s what I want!”

Compel

Compelling your audience is, by and large, the “meat” of your job as a copywriter. To compel your audience is to influence them to take action by introducing them to their future.

You can do this by negative future pacing or positive future pacing.

Future pacing comes from Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), and sets the stage for your audience to envision what possibilities lie ahead if they do or do not set the stage for your offer.

For example, positive future pacing shows how your offer will enhance their life.

For example, if i was trying to sell you this book and I was using positive future pacing, I might write,

Imagine how it will feel when your copy is so compelling that your programs are sold out on the day of your launch.

This positive future pacing touches on the emotions that come with purchasing the book. 

If I were to use negative future pacing, I might write something like:

What will happen if you don’t learn how to connect with your audience and your copy stays weak and ineffective?

This negative future pacing touches on the audience’s fear and leaves them to envision a negative outcome if they don’t buy the book.

Both positive and negative future pacing sell your offers because they touch on emotion, and emotion is what influences a purchasing decision.

One common struggle new copywriters face is not focusing on future pacing and instead focusing on the features of an offer instead.

So let’s talk about benefits vs. features.

In short, your customers don’t care about the features of your products;in fact,most consumers don’t fully comprehend why you chose the features you did or why they matter. What matters to your customers is what those features do.

For example, a chair isn’t just “built for back support.” It’s ergonomic, allowing for all day support and comfort.

A bike doesn’t just have “sturdy tires,”  it’s ready for you to take on adventures with even the rockiest terrain.

Think: WHY were the features created, and why would someone want them?

Showing your customers why and how your offer impacts their life is what compels them to buy.

Assure

Your offer could be the best offer in the world. Your ideal customer may be salivating over their future by the time they read through all of the benefits. 

But, there’s a key component that takes offers from nice-to-have to must-have.That shift comes from ensuring your audience.

Assuring your audience involves offering them proof that you can deliver on your promises. 

The best way to provide this assurance to your audience is by using social proof.

Social proof is a psychological phenomenon wherein we mimic the behaviors of peers. In marketing, advertising, and sales, social proof is used to show your potential customers that other people are seeing results from your offer.

Consider the following call to action on a website pop up that urges the visitor to sign up for an email list.

Version 1: Join our mailing list for tips on boosting your conversion rates.

Version 2: Join 12K+ business owners boosting their conversion rates.

Even though calls to action convey the same concept, one is far more likely to lead to conversion.

In version 2, the mention of 12k+ communicates the idea that if other people are doing it, it must be working. 

Additionally, the mention that all of those other people are already boosting their engagement rates makes the reader feel as if they are missing out. 

These minor shifts in language make a significant difference.

Other ways to use social proof are case studies, reviews, and testimonials. If you have screenshots of testimonials, these appear more genuine to consumers than typed up reviews.

The CIRCA Method: Proven to Pack a Punch

I developed this method primarily for your sales pages, but the CIRCA method can be applied to your sales emails, social media ads, and other platforms where you’re pushing for that credit card swipe.

Using the CIRCA method? Screenshot your rad sales pages and tag me on IG @letstalkcopy.