Just a few years ago the global wellness market hit a $4.2 trillion market size.
Yes, you heard that right.
Most importantly, nutrition and weight loss made up $595 billion of the market share.
A part of that is mens health.
It’s one of the most iconic niches for copywriters, advertisers, and marketers.
And, it’s not going away any time soon.
With fitness continuing to boom, knowing how to write epic health sales copy will be a fruitful endeavour.
That’s why today I’ll save you months of research by elaborating on five uber effective mens health copywriting strategies.
1. Get deep. Get scientific.
Health is very serious.
Naturally, consumers are going to want to know every nook and cranny about the health product you’re selling.
Consider Google’s algorithm update called EAT.
They reworked their system to prioritize expert, authoritative, and trustworthy websites.
Those without credentials?
They sank to the bottom of the SERPs.
Hence why it’s more important than ever from both a sales and marketing perspective to be credible.
Sure, a product may have 50 vitamins, minerals, and all of that jazz.
But, what science is to back it up?
Raw data creates authority, trust, and moves the reader one step closer to the sale.
The best part is, you don’t have to invest six figures in hiring researchers or getting a laboratory, either.
Do you know why? You have Google.
Here’s how to find studies that back up your product:
Step 1: Search for relevant studies
Begin by searching Google Scholar for product-related keywords.
These include:
- Vitamins
- Minerals
- Herbs
- Exercises
- Etc.
The goal here is to find scientific studies and clinical trials that support the claims you make.
Let’s imagine that you’re selling a product with yohimbine.
There are studies that prove it’s great for weight loss.
That brings me to my next point.
Step 2: Organize findings
You want to create a swipe file of studies to use for sales copy and future projects.
That’s where a handy-dandy spreadsheet comes into the picture!
Visit Google Drive, click the “New” button, and choose the spreadsheet option.
Enter the URLs of any study that you believe you could source data, stats, or quotes from like this:
That brings me to my next point.
Step 3: Integrate it into copy
Now for the fun part.
This is the time where you begin adding the findings from studies into copy to make it more powerful and trustworthy.
It doesn’t have to be overly complex, either.
Take this elderberry supplement, for example:
Adding the “boosts natural killer cell activity by up to 437%” sentence instantly makes the product much more interesting.
Heck, I don’t even know what that sentence means and I’m sold! 😂
Make sure to clearly list the references so you’re not making false claims like SixPackAbs.com does below each product page.
Lastly, some health copywriters will clearly mention the name of a study and its researchers if they want it to be a big part of the page.
Doing so provides further proof and comfort as readers can see the true value in what you’re speaking about.
Look how Agora Financial directly mentions The American Medical Association and a specific physician’s name in this sales letter:
Next, lets talk about the second strategy in today’s article.
What do they want deep down?
When someone purchases a product—any product—there are two components.
First, the face value reason.
Second, the emotional and primal purpose.
Perhaps they want a men’s health supplement to, as you could guess, improve their health.
Nonetheless, that’s not entirely the case.
Take this anti-aging supplement for illustration:
Notice how the copy reads “Be the man you want to be.”
It wouldn’t be a stretch to say older gentlemen would be vivid to have the energy and prowess they had in their 20’s, right?
Ageless Male gets this. They’re speaking to the consumer’s deeper wants and needs.
…Someone that wants to slim down yearns for confidence, self-esteem, and not feeling self-conscious when taking off their shirt.
…A man that wants muscles desires to feel strong, masculine, and capable of protecting loved ones.
See where I’m going with this?
Watch the recent writing webinar I did to learn more about how to research customers to determine these traits.
What’s in it for them, really?
If you’ve read my blog before, you know that I can sound like a broken record when it comes to one particular copywriting axiom.
Do you know what it is?
Features versus benefits.
It’s the one tactic I’ll continue to rave about because it’s so important yet underutilized.
Let’s look at in the context of mens health and fitness copywriting.
You’re selling a multivitamin or similar product.
Great. What’s that actually going to do beyond the obvious? (I.e what vitamins/minerals are in it, the price, etc.)
The direct and in-direct benefits.
Check out how Vshred positions their custom workout plans to understand what I mean:
Customers aren’t just recieving a tailored workout plan, they’re really:
- Having the luxury of being told what to do and eat without having to research it themselves.
- Savings months to years of time by using a proven expert’s knowledge.
- Being held accountable by having to check in once per week to guage their progress.
You can replicate this approach by not only speaking about features and specifications but the underlying benefits, too.
Think deep.
Become a psychologist. (Or reader my emotional copywriting guide!)
Health products can save time, boost confidence, give energy, increase self-esteem; you get my point.
Pique their interest with a “secret”
Everyone wants to know a secret.
It implies there’s something special they don’t know.
And, as a result, that creates urgency and scarcity.
Check out this famous sales letter written by the legend himself, Gary Halbert.
The headline reads “At last! China reveals her 1,300 year old stay-young health secret.”
Many readers would be dying to know what it is, right?
And, as we know, headlines are 80% of any advertisement.
If the headline doesn’t get people jumping out of their seats in excitement, they won’t read the rest of the copy.
Try mixing in some of the following power words to achieve this effect:
- Astonishing
- Illusive
- Insider
- Little-known
- Myth
- Classified
- Bizarre
- Behind the scenes
- Be the first
- Secret
- Backdoor
- Confession
- Confidential
- Cover-up
- Covert
- Forgotten
- Hidden
- Private
- Off the record
- Withheld
- Unexplained
- Unexplored
- Unconvential
- Under the tabel
- Spoiler
Visuals are MASSIVE in mens health copywriting
Think about health and fitness for a moment.
…Fit bodies.
…Six pack abs.
…Big muscles.
These are mostly visual goals, right?
That’s why showing consumers what they could potentially achieve is so powerful.
It gets their attention, makes them excited, and gives them hope.
Think about all of the weight loss commercials you’ve ever seen.
They almost always show before and after photos of customers to not only act as social proof, but to sell the results of the product further.
Images can be used in one of two ways.
In neuro-linguistic programming, it’s called framing.
This is the process of purposely positioning something as positive or negative to create that emotion in the reader.
For instance, consider an advertorial like this:
Notice how the man is ripped, vascular, and lean. This gives readers hope that any products shown later will net similar results.
Oppositely, an image of an overweight individual can resonate with the consumer’s current state and see a product as a solution.
It depends on your branding, buyer persona, and often images are tested in controls.
Final thoughts on mens health copywriting
Men’s health is an invigorating but hyper-competitive space.
Unless you want to get left in the dust, you need sharp copy.
I suggest beginning by researching into studies, clinical trials, and similar research that back up your product.
Use these to potentiate major points and build trust with readers. Exact numbers, institutions, and researcher’s names are ideal.
Then, press their primal buttons. What do customers really want from you?
Is it more confidence? Reliving their youth? Promise this within the copy to resonate with them more than competitors.
Similarly you must clearly explain the benefits of the product.
This includes energy, vitality, mental clarity, muscle gain; you name it.
Position the product as secret or new to create a veil of mystery and intrigue if possible.
Finally, leverage images to paint a mental picture of the outcome a product will generate for readers.
But, enough reading. Go out there and write some epic health sales copy!
Feel free to reach out to me if you require a health copywriter to do it for you, as well.
