Welcome to Chapter #4 of "Csaba's Copy Memoirs".

In the last chapter…

I revealed the story of how I discovered the breakthrough “Neuroplastic Belief-Shifting” concept while dissecting the work of OG copywriters…

And in this chapter I'm going to show you the deeper science behind this unconventional method.

(Missed any of the previous Chapters? If so… Chapter #1 , Chapter #2 , Chapter #3)

Now…

As I said before…

Virtually ALL the old-school TITANS of direct response have used Neuroplastic Belief-Shifting in one way, shape, or form…

…they just didn’t explicitly know the science behind it.

But today, we do 😁

And since I have a background in Cognitive Psychology…

I went deep down the rabbit hole to understand how changing BELIEFS actually works.

Are you ready for it?

Good.

Because what I’m about to reveal to you today is probably going to be a monumental “AHA-Moment” for you.

(it certainly was for me!)

However…

Before we dive in, first you need to know what Neuroplasticity is.

According to Encyclopedia Britannica:

“Neuroplasticity is the capacity of neurons and neural networks in the brain to change their connections and behavior in response to new information, sensory stimulation, development, damage, or dysfunction.”

Or in simpler terms, the brain’s ability to change and adapt.

So why is this so important when it comes to persuasion and converting people into customers?

Because…

Without This Mechanism, It’s Almost Impossible For People To Learn And Internalize New Concepts

Which means… 

Their likelihood of trying out new things in life – like new experiences, products, services, etc – is drastically diminished.

Which is BAD news for us marketers and copywriters…

Because if your target audience isn’t interested in your product…

(Or WORSE: they’re actively dis-interested since they’ve already tried something similar before… but were disappointed)

They’re NOT gonna wanna buy it – no matter how hard you try to sell them with your “slick” pitch.

This is most certainly a losing battle…

And the ONLY way to circumvent this is to change their beliefs BEFORE you give them your pitch…

So that – by the time they’re presented with the offer – they’re already “warmed up” and pre-suaded.

Or in other words…

1. By kickstarting neuroplasticity, people can let go of their old “false” beliefs…
2. They can adopt NEW beliefs we’d like them to have instead…
3. And awaken a deep sense of “intrinsic” motivation to try something new and act NOW.

(all while feeling as if this whole process comes from within them)

THAT’S why this method is so incredibly powerful:

Because Neuroplastic Belief-Shifting Evokes DEEP Changes In Someone

Now…

If you think about it for a second, this is just like the movie “Inception”... but in real life!

And it’s ridiculously effective at converting non-buyers into buyers too.

In fact – based on my years-long research – it seems like THIS was the OG copywriters’ biggest “secret weapon”.

Problem is… 

Reliably inducing neuroplasticity ain’t the easiest thing in the world!

(especially over the age of 25!)

You might have heard the phrase “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” before.

Well.. unfortunately, this is (mostly) true.

Because it’s MUCH harder for someone over the age of 25 to change their brain.

But not impossible... IF you know a simple "trick"!

You see...

IF you’re 25 years old or younger, your brain is still quite “malleable”, and it’s usually easy for you to automatically learn new things.

However…

If You (Or Your Prospect) Are 25 Or Older, Proper Neuroplasticity Must Be ACTIVELY Triggered

(FUN FACT: until the 1990s, it was believed people above 25 can’t really form new neural connections. But this was later debunked by newer research)

So how can you actively trigger Neuroplasticity?

Well…

To successfully trigger it, you need to have a “Trio” of Brain Chemicals released in certain parts of your brain at the same time.

These are:

1. Epinephrine (also called Adrenaline)
2. Acetylcholine
3. Dopamine

ONLY if you trigger all 3 of these at the same time do you stand a chance of building new neural connections…

Which are crucial for people to form new Beliefs and Behaviors.

(like buying your offer, for example)

OK OK… 

But HOW do you actually trigger these trio of brain chemicals at the same time?

Well…

According to Dr. Andrew Huberman, a leading neuroscientist at Stanford University (and well-respected life-hacking expert)...

You need to satisfy 3 very specific requirements in rapid succession:

1. Get Alert
2. Get Focused
3. Generate Repetitions

So let’s unpack these 3 requirements one-by-one…

…and see how they relate to the copywriting strategies of OG copywriters.

Requirement #1: Get Alert

According to Dr. Huberman, the 1st thing we must do to trigger neuroplasticity is to get Alert.

To feel high levels of engagement… curiosity… interest… excitement… and physical arousal.

When you’re alert, your focus increases, your pupils dilate, and you often lose your sense of time…

…which is very similar to what Cal Newport calls “Deep Work”…

…as well as Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s concept of “Flow”.

So when you’re Alert, your brain releases lots of Epinephrine (our first Brain Chemical)...

Which creates the conditions for...

Requirement #2: Get Focused

Once you have all that extra energy from Epinephrine, you need to FOCUS it correctly.

And that’s where our 2nd neurochemical, Acetylcholine comes in.

Now, I know it has a pretty intimidating name…

But the important thing to understand is that Acetylcholine’s main job is to “mark” which neurons / brain regions need to change… and which ones don’t!

Now…

It’s very important to understand that the brain DOES NOT want to change too many of its connections all at once…

Because that would wreak all kinds of havoc! 😅

Instead, the brain is VERY specific with where it allows changes to take place.

And guess which regions will be “marked” as the most likely to change?

Yepp…

The same ones triggered during the “Get Alert” phase.

In other words… 

Together, Epinephrine + Acetylcholine set your brain up for neuroplastic changes.

HOWEVER…

This doesn’t automatically mean learning will actually take place.

For that, you also need…

Requirement #3: Generate Repetitions

It’s true…

To create neuroplastic changes in the brain, you need lots of repetition.

You need to expose the brain to the same input multiple times – often from different “angles”.

For example…

• If you want to hit consistent home runs, you need to practice hitting the ball a lot
• If you want to be good at chess, you need to play lots and lots of games
• And if you want to get good at writing copy, you need to write lots of copy

You get the idea.

But how do you make sure you keep on repeating whatever you’re doing and don’t “give up”? 🤔

Well, that’s where our 3rd neurotransmitter, Dopamine comes in.

You see...

Dopamine plays a role in many important body functions…

Including movement, memory, pleasurable rewards, and – of course – motivation. 

So if you make your repetitions exciting and enjoyable, this releases Dopamine.

This gives you energy. 

It convinces you to follow the path you’re on.

Even better, Dopamine also pushes down your levels of "Noradrenaline" (a chemical which is basically the ANTI-adrenaline)...

And raises your threshold for quitting. 

So cracking a joke…

Using humor in your learning…

Or buttery smooth copy will give you a sense that you’re on the right track.

And That Brings Us Back To OG Copywriters Like Eugene Schwartz And Gary Halbert…

Because...

Even though they didn't explicitly understand the “Brain Chemical Trio of Epinephrine, Acetylcholine, and Dopamine needed for effective Neuroplastic Belief-Shifting…

They STILL instinctively wrote copy that satisfied ALL 3 of the requirements above 😮

For example…

>>> To trigger the release of Epinephrine & Get Alert…

They came up with “Big Ideas” that teased a new solution DIFFERENT and SUPERIOR compared to anything else their readers have seen before.

They engineered Headlines that – according to John Carlton – “shocked people out of their zombie, half-asleep state”.

And they wrote “Leads” that evoked feelings like:

• "WOW, I haven't heard that before"
  
• “Holy sh*t, this could change everything!”
  
• "Interesting... tell me more"
  
• "No way!!! That can't be possible!"
  

>>> To trigger the release of Acetylcholine & Get Focused…

They conjured vivid mental pictures in their prospect’s minds.

They used lots of specific details in their copy, creating new mental representations of how prospects see the world (and themselves)

And they made DAMN SURE NOT to try to “invent” new problems and desires… 

But to tap into an already-existing problem/desire of their Ideal Customer Avatar – and channel it in a personal, emotional way.

>>> And finally, to trigger the release of Dopamine & Generate Repetitions…

OG copywriters spared no expense trying to make sure their copy was easy to read, enjoyable, and relevant to the reader.

And that’s also why they routinely used Engaging STORIES to build an emotional connection with their prospects…

…and get them invested in consuming their marketing material!

Not only that…

They also used lots and lots of repetition.

But not just *any* type of repetition…

"Easy-to-understand-and-remember" -type of repetition.

Because once you start doing that...

It's quite easy to "hijack" someone's mind…

And insert your idea into the conversation that's already happening in their head!

(as Robert Collier said in his magnum opus, "The Robert Collier Letter Book")

I mean...

Just look around you to see how incredibly effective these types of repetitions are...

• "Nobody does it better than me" (Trump)
• "It's true" (Trump)
• "It's HOT" (Paris Hilton)
• "Hold the door!" (Hodor from Game of Thrones)
• "We will we will rock you" (Freddie Mercury)
• "We are the champions" (Freddie Mercury)
• "YMCA" (Village People - disco band)

These types of repetitions easily STICK in the minds of people.

And the list goes on and on and on.

THAT’s how the “old guard” of copywriting TITANS invoked Neuroplasticity in their prospects.

Now…

I don’t know about you…

But when I first discovered this, my MIND WAS BLOWN!

And I sincerely hope that – at this point – you also understand and appreciate the incredible power of this method.

Because when used well, it’s a complete GAME-CHANGER!

BUT ONLY IF you indeed use it well!

Because...

Unsurprisingly, it's pretty easy to mess this whole thing up if you don't know what you're doing 😅

Fortunately for you...

The NEXT Chapter reveals exactly how pretty much anyone can use it well.

Click on the orange button below to discover how...

Cheers,

-Csaba