“We love in others what we lack in ourselves, and would be everything, but what we are.” – Richard H. Stoddard, Born Jul. 2, 1825.

You can drive a lot of human behavior very easily if you know who and what your mark wants to be instead of who and what they currently are.

Envy. Jealousy. Covetousness. What does your audience crave to possess and to embody?

Do they want to lose weight? No, they want to be a skinny person. For health maybe and sexiness for sure.

Do they want to make money? No, they want to be a rich person who can buy what they want, when they want.

Do they want to look younger? No, they want to be younger person with their younger body, but their older wisdom and resources.

But how do you hook them in? How do you entice people to follow figure like these – the people they want to be like?

First, make a list of all the positive human behaviors and attributes you can think of. Physical, intellectual, spiritual ones.

Then find a way to embody and show off those virtues and disciplines. Or as a writer, tell stories in which they come across.

Whether it's humility, or a “don't give a fuck” punk attitude – whatever your audience is into – or whatever kind of audience you want to attract.

Display what they lack, and they will want it.

Be who they want to be, and they will follow you.

Be the mirror that reflects back the future self they imagine they are deep inside – the self they would be now already if not for the problems that plague them…

Problems that you, of course, can help them overcome, avoid, or eliminate. After all, you embody the self they long for. So obviously, you must know how to reach that destination.

You know the path, and can lead the way…

It works eerily well, and you can spot examples of it everywhere, I bet.

Do any come to mind?

(Oprah, Kardashians, Trump, Branson, Musk, Beyoncé, etc.)