I went to Weather.com to look for examples of native ads. When I got there though, the homepage had reports about a powerful and “deadly” derecho that hit South Dakota the day before. My first thought was, “What’s a derecho?”🤔
I went to the website of the National Weather Service and read their explanation of derechos…🤓
Then I went to YouTube to see footage and understand these storms better.
I ended up watching a chunk of this hour long documentary of a derecho that struck Iowa back in 2020. Turns out, it was the costliest thunderstorm in U.S. history, which makes sense when you watch the footage.📽
Anyways, after that I went to a few more websites to really understand how a derecho forms.
So what is a derecho?
It’s a severe thunderstorm that produces extremely powerful “straight-line” winds of over 58 mph and has a path of damage of at least 240 miles.
Now this might not sound that crazy, but take a look at this picture of the front side of a derecho:
Basically it’s like a tornado but without rotation…
Though people also describe being in one as similar to a hurricane.
So yeah, that’s a derecho…
And I’m sure you’re wondering, “why are you sharing this with me, Stefan?”
1. A major key to being a successful copywriter and entrepreneur is being curious.
This is a habit of mine I’m quite proud of – when I see something new, I don’t ignore it. I either make a note to research it more in the future, or I take time to learn more about it immediately.
2. What I’ve realized over time is that you’ll find inspiration and ideas for your copy in very diverse places.
For example, with a derecho…it’s related to something called a “downburst.”
A downburst happens when the wet air in a thunderstorm meets the drier air surrounding it.
When they meet, the storm “sucks” dry air in…
And in turn, this makes the air in the storm denser…
So it sinks to the ground and then bursts outward.
Meanwhile, this downburst can actually suck even more dry air into the storm…
Leading to even stronger downbursts of wind, or even clusters.
Now, me just being able to explain that to you in a very simple way is an exercise in good copywriting…
Because that’s often our job with unique mechanisms, etc: to take complex concepts and explain them in a way that anyone can understand.
Also, if you understand Derechos and downbursts…
Your mind can start to create metaphors.
For example, say you’re selling a law of attraction offer…
You could talk about “The Derecho Effect” that propels your intentions out into the universe at lightning-fast speed…overcoming every obstacle in your path along the way.
Or maybe in coaching, you could warn people to stay away from “Derecho Dave”…
He's always trying to “suck” other people into his crappy headspace…
And if you get too close to people like Dave…
Next thing you know, you’ll see there’s a path of destruction and that countless lives are in shambles…
Which is why, when you meet a person like Derecho Dave, it’s best to run the other way immediately.
Making sense?
This isn’t really about Derechos…
It’s about curiosity…🤔
And then when you do learn about something new…
Asking yourself how you can use that idea in unique and interesting ways.💡
– SPG
P.S. This post originally came from an email I sent to my private list. If you want to see more stuff like this from me, you can apply to join my list using this link
