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qxd 11/6/06 3:30 PM Page v

HYPNOTIC
WRITING
How to Seduce and
Persuade Customers
with Only Your Words

JOE VITALE

John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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“The principles of hypnosis when applied to copywriting add a

new spin to selling. Joe Vitale has taken hypnotic words to set the
perfect sales environment and then shows us how to use those
words to motivate a prospect to take the action you want. This is
truly a new and effective approach to copywriting, which I strongly
recommend you learn. It’s pure genius.”
—Joseph Sugarman, author, Triggers

“Wow—Hypnotic Writing kept me awake last night! I planned to

read for 15 minutes or so before going to sleep and ended up
turning out the light when I noticed it was past 3 A.M. That’s how
powerful this book is. Sure, Joe gives you a world class education
in the writing of copy itself, but that’s just a start. What you really
get is a deep understanding of how people think, feel, and act—
yourself included. This knowledge is priceless in turning words
into power, and ethically using that power to sell more of what
you offer.”
—Bob Serling, www.DirectMarketingInsider.com

“I’ve read countless books on persuasion, but none comes close

to this one in showing you exactly how to put your readers into
a buying trance that makes whatever you are offering them
irresistible.”
—David Garfinkel, author, Advertising Headlines
that Make You Rich

“I am a huge fan of Joe Vitale and his books, and Hypnotic Writ-
ing, first published more than 20 years ago, is my absolute favorite.
Updated with additional text and fresh examples, especially from
e-mail writing, Joe’s specialty Hypnotic Writing is the most impor-
tant book on copywriting (yes, that’s really what it is about) to be
published in this century. Read it. It will make you a better copy-
writer, period.”
—Bob Bly, copywriter
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“I couldn’t put this book down. It’s eye-opening and filled with
genuinely new stuff about writing and persuading better. And it
communicates it brilliantly and teaches it brilliantly—exemplify-
ing the techniques by the writing of the book itself as you go
along.”
—David Deutsch, author, Think Inside the Box
(www.thinkinginside.com)

“Hypnotic Writing is packed with so much great information it’s

hard to know where to start. The insights, strategies and tactics
in the book are easy to apply yet deliver one heck of a punch.
And in case there’s any question how to apply them, the before
and after case studies drive the points home like nothing else
can. Hypnotic Writing is not just about hypnotic writing. It IS
hypnotic writing. On the count of three, you’re going to love it.
Just watch and see.”
—Blair Warren, author, The Forbidden Keys to
Persuasion

“Hypnotic Writing has it all. It shows you how to master and ac-
complish the three things you need from your prospects. Atten-
tion! Captivation! Action! Never before has there been such a
treasure trove of techniques for writing magnetic copy. Hypnotic
Writing can be used immediately. It’s an incredible desk reference
tool. This is not a book you read and put up on the shelf for 20
years. It’s on your desk where you can use it every day. I love Hyp-
notic Writing and I refer to it more often all the time. Joe Vitale is
the world’s first true and pure hypnotic marketer and this book
will only bolster that fact. You will learn how to write headlines,
openings, the power of perception change, and yes even secret laws
of persuasion. I love this book. I encourage you to get your copy
today and keep it away from your competitors.”
—Kevin Hogan, Psy.D., author, The Psychology of
Persuasion and The Science of Influence
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HYPNOTIC
WRITING
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HYPNOTIC
WRITING
How to Seduce and
Persuade Customers
with Only Your Words

JOE VITALE

John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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Copyright © 2007 by Hypnotic Marketing, Inc. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning,
or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States
Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or
authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright
Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400,
fax (978) 646-8600, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for
permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.,
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online
at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their
best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect
to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any
implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may
be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and
strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. The publisher is not
engaged in rendering professional services, and you should consult with a professional
where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or
other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential,
or other damages.
For general information on our other products and services please contact our
Customer Care Department within the U.S. at (800) 762-2974, outside the United States
at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002.
Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears
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Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed by
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names appear in Initial Capital letters. Readers, however, should contact the appropriate
companies for more complete information regarding trademarks and registration.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Vitale, Joe, 1953–
Hypnotic writing : how to seduce and persuade customers with only your words /
Joe Vitale.
p. cm.
ISBN-13: 978-0-470-00979-6 (pbk. : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-470-00979-9 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Persuasion (Psychology) 2. Written communication. 3. Influence
(Psychology) 4. Business communication. I. Title.
BF637.P4V58 2007
659.1—dc22
2006020136
Printed in the United States of America.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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To Robert Collier
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All successful communication is hypnosis.

—Milton H. Erickson, M.D.

Words were originally magic and to this day words have re-
tained much of their ancient magical power.
—Sigmund Freud, 1915

In what I call waking hypnosis, however, all four of these fea-

tures are absent; sleep is not mentioned in the preliminary
explanation to the subject; sleep is not suggested, directly or
indirectly; the subject experiences neither drowsiness nor
sleepiness, if we may trust his introspective account; and
there are present none of the objective indications of
drowsiness or sleep.
—Wesley R. Wells, 1924
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CONTENTS

Author’s Warning xv
Acknowledgments xix
Introduction John Burton xxi

1 It’s Time to Awaken 1

2 Stop! Do This First 6
3 What Is Impossible? 8
4 A Disclaimer 10
5 A Beginning 12
6 Agatha Christie Proves Hypnotic Writing Exists 15
7 My Secret to Hypnotic Writing 18
8 You Can’t Even Bribe Me to Read a Lousy Letter! 22
9 What Is Hypnotic Writing? 26
10 Hypnotic Writing: A Case Study 31
11 The Great Intimacy Secret 38
12 What’s More Important than Copy? 40
13 Hypnotic Writing Controlled Study 44
14 How I Learned the Secret of Hypnotic Writing 53
15 What Is Hypnosis? 58
16 Two Ways to Cause Action 60
17 What About Your Web Site? 70
18 How Long Is Too Long? 75
19 What Every Reader Wants to Know 77
20 The Hypnotic Power of Repetition 81

xi
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CONTENTS

21 The Inner Game of Hypnotic Writing 84

22 Imitation Sugar Is Sweet, Too! 91
23 How to Jump-Start the Muse 96
24 How to Nail Your Reader’s Attention 99
25 How to Make Your Writing Walk, Talk, and Breathe 103
26 Give Me Some Meat! 109
27 A Writing Lesson from the World’s Greatest Hypnotist 112
28 Electrifying Tips for Creating Breakthrough Writing 115
29 A Case against Perfection 118
30 How to Persuade Readers to Your Side 121
31 Warp Speed Editing Secrets Worth Killing For 127
32 How to Make Your Writing Sexy 133
33 How People Think 137
34 How to Create Hypnotic Stories 139
35 How to Control the “Command Center” in Your
Prospect’s Mind 144
36 The One Hypnotic Command That Always Works 148
37 What I Learned from The Sea Wolf 152
38 Your Turning Point Message 155
39 What Everyone Will Always Read 158
40 Your Connotation Is Showing 160
41 What Are My Secrets for Writing Hypnotic
Selling Stories? 164
42 Hypnotic Blogging 166
43 Reminders as Triggers 174
44 How to Change Average Writing into
Hypnotic Writing 176
45 30 Ways to Write a Hypnotic Headline 178
46 Hypnotic Openings 189
47 Hypnotic Quiz 192
48 My Three Biggest Secrets 193
49 How Much Is That Doggie in the Window? 197
50 How to Change Perception 199
51 At Last! The Joe Vitale Hypnotic Writing Formula 205
52 A New Hypnotic Copy Checklist 215
53 The Five Secret Laws of Hypnotic Persuasion 217

xii
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Contents

54 The Seven Most Hypnotic Books of All Time 219

55 The Hypnotic Writing Formula 222
56 Your Challenge 224

Appendix: Hypnotic E-Mails 225

Bibliography 246
Index 253
About Dr. Joe Vitale 261
Bonus Offer 262

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