Ever notice that nearly everything you see on the news or read in the papers is something BAD that’s happening?

Do you know why these companies do it?

I can tell you one thing, it’s not because they think the story is interesting or that stuff like that happens all the time.

It’s simply because…fear in advertising sells.

For example, believe it or not crime went down about 40% or so throughout the 1990's and continues to stay lower now than it used to be, but because of the media you probably still think crime is running rampant don't you?

Many people in today's society are afraid they're children will get stolen if they walk 10 feet away from them.

I hate to tell you, but it’s not that more people are getting abducted today…it’s that more stories are covering these abductions.

Here's another example that's making headlines - the swine flu.

The entire country (I’m referring to the U.S.) has been in horror for the past few weeks, sitting back and waiting for something to happen with this new strain of flu.

Ummm…the last time I checked, one person died. And it was a 2 year old cute little baby who had an immune system which wasn't fully developed.

But wait…did they forget to mention that over 3,000 people die every single year from the regular flu, and that only 1 person died so far from this “horrific” flu?

Hmmmm…

Here’s some homework for you

The next time you’re watching the news, do me a favor and count how many fear based stories their are compared to how many inspirational, uplifting stories.

I can guarantee you, there’s going to be a minimum of 5 negative stories to every 1 good story.

I haven't read the paper in years or ever watch the news because of this. You know, I honestly don’t want to hear about a 7 year old getting shot.

That’s not my idea of an interesting story to read because it makes me sick. I realize life is life and things like this happen all over the world, but I don't want my brain to be filled with stories like this all day long.

And THIS Is Why Fear In Advertising Works

The reason the news is so negative is for one simple reason: human beings LOVE to hear bad things happening.

I know it sounds cruel but it’s 100% true.

When we’re scared we enter the “fight or flight” response which triggers a whole slew of hormones to be released  in our bodies, and over time you can actually learn to become kind of addicted to these hormones.

While this may or may not be the actual reason why fear advertising works, it’s certainly a plausible one. After all, many things in advertising are things we can't explain.

The question is – do you want to scare people into buying the product you’re writing about, or do you want to give them a little love and tell them the benefits instead?

Both ways work, although many people say fear is the ultimate motivator.

But I honestly don't like to use the fear emotion TOO much, simply because I feel a little morally guilty. That’s just me. Maybe I'm a little too sensitive or moral.

After all, we have fear based advertising all over the place and the last thing we need is more of it.