I read an interesting story today about a notorious text scam ring that originated in China recently.

As I read the story (which I will link at the end), I realized that I myself have been approached by this scamming ring.

And maybe you have too.

Let me tell you how it happened to me — and see if you’ve had something similar happen to you.

A few years back, I got a seemingly “incorrect” text message from a number I didn’t have saved in my phone.

The person on the other end sent me a photo of an attractive woman in nothing but a bra.

The photo was accompanied by some words.

“Hi Mark, it’s Vivian i miss u So much .. it was good to spend Nite with you on the last trip. Back in town, can we get together <3.”

“Uhhh. What the hell is this? And who is MARK?” I exclaimed to my wife, showing her the … lewd photo.

Lol.

At the time, my naivety led me to believe it was actually just a wrong number from a would-be romance.

I deleted the text and thought nothing of it … until I came across the article about the text scamming ring, which I now know is called Sha Zu Pan.

Sha Zu Pan translates roughly to “pig-butchering,” and references the way a victim is strung along for weeks until they are figuratively “slaughtered” by being scammed.

So how does this relate to copywriting?

While it’s true that these scams are effective because they prey on a vulnerable human’s need for love and affection, it goes further than that.

Sha Zu Pan is a scam that requires the scammer to build a relationship with their victim.

And although it’s really messed up, it works.

Good copywriting isn’t any different.

A company or a brand that builds a relationship — through regular communication with their audience and good, clear writing — is going to do MUCH better financially than a company that just relies on one-off, occasional emails or social media updates to do the heavy lifting.

Good copy is only half the battle. The other half is just building that relationship with your audience.

Sharing stories.

Talking about their problems.

Relating to them.

And providing them solutions.

Show up every day, put your message out there, and you too can reap the benefits of Sha Zu Pan.

… in a totally ethical way, of course.

Here’s the full story if you want to read: stealthiscopy.com/max-read-sha-zu-pan

David Patrick