Category Archives for Lead Generation

The Wisdom of Crowds – Advice for Copywriters

The UK has never been more divided since the British Civil War, and the US since the American Civil War.

In James Surowiecki’s book The Wisdom of Crowds, it has plenty of evidence that crowds know what’s right, but just like any broad statement, there’s more to it.

There are heterogeneous crowds and there are homogeneous crowds (at this point, as a copywriter, start thinking ‘audiences’ and you’ll know where I’m coming from).

A heterogeneous crowd is made up of everyone. It’s as broad a crowd as possible. A homogeneous crowd is the opposite. A crowd of experts on the topic being discussed is one example of homogeneity.

Guess which crowd has the wisdom? Hint: It’s not the experts.

Surowiecki shows that the more broad a crowd is, the more accurate their collective wisdom.

Imagine selling to that kind of crowd? You have no idea what their collective wisdom will be until they make a move.

But choose an homogeneous crowd, and you already know what they like and dislike. They wear it everyday on their sleeves.

This is the single most important reason to specialise as a copywriter. The wisdom of a homogeneous crowd is heavily biased in your favour.

PS. Feel free to join my free copywriting group on Facebook – The Science of Copywriting: https://www.facebook.com/groups/scienceofcopywriting/