A Saudi Prince’s Hidden Copywriting Trick
I’m halfway through a piping hot cup of coffee this morning when I meet eyes with the following headline:
Saudi Prince Plans To Construct 105-Mile-Long ‘Skyscraper’
You see … according to the Google Discovery link I clicked (when I should have been working, don’t tell my boss), Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is building the world’s first “horizontal skyscraper.”
It’s called The Line Neom. And it’s one of the most ambitious city planning projects ever conceived.
Total cost: $500 billion.
Total length: 170 km.
Total number of people that believe it will actually be constructed: 0 (there’s even a Snopes article about it).
Still, their website touts the features:
“No roads, cars or emissions, it will run on 100% renewable energy and 95% of land will be preserved for nature.”
“People's health and wellbeing will be prioritized over transportation and infrastructure, unlike traditional cities.”
“Only 200 meters wide, but 170 kilometers long and 500 meters above sea level.”
Okay, okay … it *does* sound like that dystopian society from Lois Lowry’s The Giver.
But whether or not it’ll actually get built is besides the point.
What I love is that it’s a totally unique “angle” on the otherwise boring concept of a city.
It’s a horizontal-freaking-skyscraper for crying out loud! That’s never been done!
This level of novelty draws people to ideas like moths to a candle.
And in my opinion, I’ve found the same is true of copywriting.
I’m rarely impressed when I see ads in hyper competitive markets like make money online, health, or even copywriting.
“Earn a million dollars from your couch! Lose weight without dieting!”
Barf. 🤮
But eeeevery great once in a while, an ad will catch my eye with a truly unique angle … and swallow my attention whole.
I love when this happens.
But … this email is not about finding those angles. Not today at least.
What I can help you with is a sneaky method I use to “stress test” angles I come up without ever spending a dime on ads.
It sometimes even gives me ideas for new angles when I’m stuck.
Here’s the secret skyscraper sauce:
I use Facebook’s ad library to check my angle against the angles my competitor is running.
If my copy says something that A) isn’t being said or B) is saying it better or stronger than the other ads … it passes!
Ie, it’s the “horizontal skyscraper” of the ads I’ll be competing against. And it stands out as unique.
And if it just blends in like every other lame vErTiCaL skyscraper?
Well … comment arbitrage becomes my best friend. More on that about halfway through this article:
stealthiscopy.com/comment-arbitrage
David Patrick
