1 … 2 … 3 … DRAW!
Today, I learned about the “Gunslinger effect.”
It’s a psychophysical theory that says an intentional movement is slower than a reactive movement.
The theory is named after Niels Bohr, a physicist who theorized that a person who draws their gun second in a gunfight ends up winning the shootout.
He first came up with this idea after going down a rabbit hole watching westerns.
Then he staged fake gun fights using cap guns with students to further test his theory.
And he found that — surprise, surprise — he was correct.
The second person to draw was typically the winner. Very counterintuitive.
Now … how can you apply this concept to copywriting?
Maybe it’s too much of a stretch.
Technically, the Gunslinger effect has been studied only with physical movements.
But I think … if you use your imagination … there is certainly an analogy here.
So here’s my theory.
Sometimes, the best copy I write takes me no time at all to complete.
20, maybe 30 minutes.
In these moments, I’m writing fast because I typically have experience in a certain industry.
But also because I’m lacking time.
So I just “react” to the brief I am given.
I “react” to the land page my copy will point to.
And I “react” to the base knowledge I have of a specific market.
The result is that I end up writing a lot faster than I normally would.
And often (with no quantifiable data I can share, sorry) the copy performs better than if I’d scraped away at it over the course of days or weeks.
This is the problem with copywriting.
It’s very easy to overthink things.
Yet doing so typically leads to heavy handed sentences, choppy editing, and weird, clunky wording.
Readers pick up on this stuff. And they move right along.
But if you want to get faster at your writing — and make your copy perform better — I can help.
You can get a 20-minute recorded video critique of your copy from me (it’s more than you think, trust me) for free.
I typically charge $250 for this, but right now I’m growing my email list and I’m willing to forgo a little cash for more exposure to my list.
You can find all the details here: www.stealthiscopy.com/steal.
David Patrick
