Latest / The Copywriting Podcast with Fexingo: Sales Letters, Headlines, and Persuasive Writing / How a Fictional Character Sold a Million Books
Transcript
- Lucas: So last week we talked about how a fictional testimonial outperformed real customer quotes. That episode got me thinking about a related technique a lot of direct-response copywriters swear by, and it's one where the line between fiction and reality gets even blurrier. Luna: You're talking about creating a fictional character, right? Not just a quote, but an entire persona? Lucas: Exactly. And there's a classic example I've been digging into — a case study from a financial services company. They were selling a pretty dry product, a debt consolidation loan. Flat copy, low response. So the copywriter invented a character named Larry the Loan Officer. Luna: Larry the Loan Officer — that's so specific. What was his deal? Lucas: Larry was portrayed as a friendly, slightly disheveled guy who'd been in the business for thirty years. He had a soft spot for people who got into trouble, and he'd bend the rules a little to help them out. The sales letter was written from Larry's perspective, like he was writing a personal note to the reader. Luna: And it worked? People bought from a made-up person? Lucas: Response rates jumped by over 340 percent. And the average loan size increased. People trusted Larry more than they trusted a faceless bank. The copy gave the company a human voice, and that voice felt authentic, even though Larry never existed. Luna: But wait — wasn't that deceptive? I mean, if someone found out Larry wasn't real, wouldn't that damage trust? Lucas: That's the key question, and it's one every copywriter has to wrestle with. In this case, the company was upfront in the fine print — 'Larry is a fictional character representing our team.' And the tone was so consistent and helpful that customers didn't feel tricked. They felt like they understood who they were dealing with. Luna: So the fiction wasn't about hiding anything. It was about creating a relatable face for an otherwise abstract service. Lucas: Right. And that's the sweet spot for this technique. You're not lying about the product or the terms. You're just packaging the message in a way that makes it easier for the reader to connect emotionally. Luna: I remember reading about a famous insurance ad from the 1950s that featured a character named Miss — wait, no, it was Mr. Friendly or something like that. Similar idea. Lucas: Yeah, the good old 'Mr. Friendly' campaign for Liberty Mutual went on for decades. And more recently, you've got characters like Flo from Progressive or the Geico Gecko. But those are brand mascots for TV ads. What I'm talking about is different — it's a fictional voice for direct-response copy, usually in long-form sales letters or email sequences. Luna: How do you build a character like Larry without it feeling gimmicky? Because I've seen some attempts that are just cringe. Lucas: The best ones start with a deep understanding of the actual customer service team. The copywriter for Larry spent a week listening to calls. He noticed that the most effective loan officers used a lot of empathy — they'd say things like 'I know how that feels' and 'Let's figure this out together.' So Larry became the embodiment of that helpful attitude. Luna: So the character isn't arbitrary. It's distilled from real interactions. Lucas: Exactly. And that's why it works. The personality feels true, even if the name is made up. Another example I love is from a software company that created a fictional support rep named 'Dave.' Every email from Dave had a distinct voice — he used phrases like 'Alrighty, here's the deal' and signed off with a smiley face. Customers started writing back to Dave personally, asking about his weekend. Luna: That's wild. Did they ever reveal that Dave wasn't a real person? Lucas: They did eventually, in a blog post. And most customers said they didn't care — Dave's personality had made the product feel more human. Of course, there were a few who felt a little deceived, but the overall sentiment was positive. The key was that the company was honest when asked. Luna: So transparency matters. You can't maintain the fiction forever, especially if someone calls and asks for Larry. Lucas: Right. And that leads to a crucial rule: never let the character promise something the company can't deliver. If Larry says, 'I'll personally review your application,' someone better be doing that. Otherwise, you've crossed into real deception. Luna: You know, this technique reminds me of how some authors use pseudonyms to write in different genres. It's a persona that lets them connect with a specific audience. Lucas: Yes, and that's exactly the parallel. A copywriter using a fictional character is like a ghostwriter stepping into a voice. It's a tool. And when used well, it can break through the skepticism that people naturally have about corporate communications. Luna: If this topic is sparking ideas for your own marketing, that's exactly why we keep this show ad-free. The way you can help keep that going is simple — buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Just a buck or two, no obligation, and it directly supports more episodes like this. Lucas: Yeah, listener support is what lets us avoid ads and stay focused on what works in real copy. So if today's episode was useful, that's the place. Now, back to Larry — one more thing I want to highlight about his letter. Luna: What's that? Lucas: The letter used a lot of specific, concrete details about Larry's life. He mentioned his dog, a golden retriever named Buster. He talked about his favorite coffee mug. Those small touches made him feel real, and they also served as memory anchors. Readers remembered 'the loan officer with the golden retriever.' Luna: So the details aren't just flavor. They're part of the persuasion architecture. Lucas: Exactly. And they do something else: they signal that the writer knows you as a person. When Larry says, 'I know you're probably stressed about your debt,' it feels like he gets it. But if the letter just said 'we understand,' it would feel generic. Luna: There's a risk though — what if the character's voice doesn't match the brand? Like, if a luxury brand tried to use a folksy character. Lucas: Then it would feel forced, and it would hurt the brand. The character has to be an extension of the brand's actual personality. If you sell high-end watches, your fictional character should sound refined, not like a car salesman. If you sell organic baby food, the character should be warm and parental. Luna: So it's about congruence. The character amplifies the brand voice instead of contradicting it. Lucas: Right. And that's why the best characters often come from inside the company. The copywriter interviews the top salespeople, the customer service reps, and distills their language into a composite. That way, the character is a synthesis of the real people who are already successful with customers. Luna: I'm thinking about how this applies to email sequences. Could you have a character who writes a series of emails over several weeks? Lucas: Absolutely. In fact, that's where the technique shines. You can develop a narrative arc — the character shares a problem, then a solution, then a success story. Each email builds on the last. One of the most famous examples is the 'Million Dollar Email Series' from a marketer named John — I forget his last name — where the character was a struggling entrepreneur who discovered a secret system. Luna: And that series generated millions in sales. But it's a fine line — if the character is too obviously a sales persona, people feel manipulated. Lucas: That's why the voice has to be genuinely helpful, not pushy. The character should sound like a mentor, not a hustler. If you read Larry's letter, he never says 'buy now.' He says 'if this sounds like it might help, give me a call.' That low-pressure approach is key. Luna: What about legal considerations? If you're in a regulated industry like finance or healthcare, can you use a fictional character? Lucas: You can, but you have to be careful. The character can't give advice that violates regulations. And if the character is presented as a specific person with credentials, those credentials have to be real or clearly fictional. The SEC and FTC have guidelines about misleading advertising, so always run it by legal. Luna: But in a lot of B2B contexts, a fictional character might feel too informal. Would you ever use one for corporate sales? Lucas: It's rarer, but it can work. I've seen a case where a B2B software company created a fictional 'implementation specialist' named Rachel who guided users through onboarding emails. The character was professional but approachable, and it reduced churn. The key was that Rachel's advice was always accurate and consistent with the product's actual capabilities. Luna: So the character is a delivery mechanism for real value. The fiction is just the packaging. Lucas: Exactly. And when the packaging is well-designed, people engage with it more readily. There's a psychological concept called 'personification bias' — we naturally respond more warmly to things that seem human. A fictional character triggers that response without the variability of using a real employee, who might leave or have a bad day. Luna: That's a good point. A fictional character is consistent. They're always on brand, always in the right mood. Lucas: And you can scale them. You can have one character interacting with thousands of customers through automated emails, and it feels personal because the voice is consistent. Real people can't maintain that level of consistency at scale. Luna: But what about authenticity? Some people argue that any fiction in marketing is inherently dishonest. Lucas: I think there's a difference between fiction that clarifies and fiction that deceives. If you're using a character to illustrate a truth about your service — like 'our team is empathetic and helpful' — then the fiction is a tool for communication. It's not fundamentally different from using a metaphor or an analogy. But if you're using a character to lie about what your product does, that's fraud. Luna: So the intent matters. And the execution has to be transparent when people dig deeper. Lucas: Exactly. And I think that's why the best examples come from companies that are already customer-focused. The character isn't a cover for bad service; it's a spotlight for good service. Luna: Alright, so if a listener wants to try this technique, where do they start? Lucas: Step one: listen to your own customer interactions. Record calls, read support tickets. Find the most common phrases and the most helpful tones. Step two: create a character profile — name, age, background, favorite phrases, pet peeves. Step three: write a single email or letter from that character's perspective, addressing a common customer pain point. Test it against your control. See if the character lifts engagement. Luna: And if it works, you can expand into a whole series. But if it doesn't, you can pivot quickly because it's just a test. Lucas: Right. And one more tip: give the character a flaw. Larry was a bit disorganized — he mentioned losing his reading glasses. That made him endearing. A perfect character is less believable and less likeable. Luna: Flaws build trust. It's counterintuitive but true. Lucas: So if you're thinking about trying a fictional character in your copy, start small, be transparent, and always tie the voice back to real customer values. That's the difference between a gimmick and a genuine connection. Luna: And when it works, it can transform a flat sales letter into a conversation that people actually want to continue. Lucas: Exactly. Next time, I want to look at a case where a real person's name was used, but the story was slightly fictionalized — and how that backfired. Because not every experiment ends well. Luna: I'm looking forward to that. There's a lot to learn from failures too.