My little brother lives in Los Angeles, so I’m lucky enough to visit once a year, and when I’m there, I like to check up on one of my marketing heroes.

Let me introduce you to Dr Kenneth K Lee, aka the genius behind Total Sleep Dentistry.

I’ve never met the man, no idea who he is really, but when it comes to marketing, he’s killing it with his billboards all over LA.

“I need to be sedated.com”

Dr Kenneth – just take my freaking money.

Why does this work? Because he is saying the unsayable.

And when you’re brave enough to do this, it kills all other competition.

Even better, it presents us with a problem that we didn’t even know we had and sharpens it so that we feel compelled to act.

It’s the ultimate ‘hook’.

Your hook is your scroll-stopping big idea that ideally makes people say ‘WTF?’ and then feel compelled to dig deeper.

It’s the reason we smash a big red heart on Insta or TikTok when we see a fresh take on something. 

The problem is that creating free content that really grabs attention has got way harder over the past 5 years.

Why? More social networks, declining organic reach and spammy email marketers who have ruined it for the rest of us.

So, my friends, if you’re going to create a lead magnet that feels like a ‘must-have’, you’re going to need to dig really deep to find your ‘hook’ or special angle.

‘Most People Think’

I know that some people struggle to believe that they have something unique to say, so in this post, I’m going to give you some tips that you can use to discover your unique selling point or ‘special sauce’.

How do you find your original take on something? 

Start with asking yourself what most people think, state the opposite and provide the evidence. 

For example, ‘most people think’ that WordPress involves a lot of coding. 

The opposite? 

Modern drag and drop page builders mean that you can edit right on the front end and see the changes visually as you edit the page. 

Call to action / evidence: Try the free demo or watch this video demo etc.

Another example. Let’s think about wedding photography.

‘Most people think’ that rain on your wedding is bad news.

The opposite? Not you. You’re a skilled professional and that means you love rainy days because it gives you the opportunity to create breathtaking images of raindrops, elegant umbrella shots and kids splashing in puddles.

The evidence is of course a selection of your beautiful rainy day images. 

Understanding what ‘most people think’ is crucial because these are the objections that you’ll need to handle before your audience is ready to buy from you. 

‘It’s Not Working’

If your audience has a problem they need to solve, and your product is the answer, then you can ask yourself the following questions…

What isn’t working for them right now?

Why can’t they solve this problem on their own?

What would it look or feel like for them if they could wave a magic wand and get the result they need or want?

What do I have to offer that can help them get that result?

Successful advertising campaigns do this brilliantly. Have a look at these classic ads promoting dog adoption, a collaboration between Pedigree and a dog adoption agency. 

See how both paint a picture of what isn’t working, how life could change and the product that can make all the difference?

‘My Superpower Is’

​​​We become so good at what we do that we start to take our super powers for granted and stop seeing the value in what we do.​​​​​​​​

And when we stop doing that, we also stop telling people just why we’re so special. 

We assume everyone just knows.​​​​​​​​

But they absolutely don’t know.​​​​​​​​

This next exercise is easy. Document what you do.

Take some time to lay out your workflow in detail. 

In particular, think about all of those little things you do, almost unconsciously to make sure that your client has a truly wonderful experience and avoids a negative outcome. 

Explain your ‘why’ and explain your ‘how’.

Let me give you an example. I see a lot of wedding photographers posting stunning images with really ‘nice’ captions about how lovely everything was.

But looking at those images, I know just how much work, skill and attention to detail went into those shots.

From understanding the relationships of the people in the photo, to knowing when the light would fall from a window at a particular time or how to pose that couple in that pool of light.

Those are the real stories and they need to be told. By you.

Don’t take your skill and years of experience for granted.

If you’d like to join an inspiring online community, you can find out more about Melissa’s online membership, The Marketing Fix, at www.themarketingfix.co.