How to Use Dan Koe’s Anti-Vision Concept in Your Copywriting
If you’re in the online business space, chances are you’ve heard of Dan Koe.
His videos center on lifestyle design, the creator economy, solopreneurship, and philosophy, and he often ties these topics into his main focus: helping people build a “one-person business.”
Alas, he found his target audience because his videos started showing up on my YouTube homepage!
Dan challenges many societal norms around creating the life you want. He never shies away from past failures and never tells you to take his word for it; he just shares what’s been on his mind. I always appreciate that in a content creator!
But there is one concept Dan introduced to me that I can’t stop thinking about: the anti-vision.
In this post, I’ll cover what an anti-vision is, how I apply it in my own life, and how it applies to email (or any!) copywriting.
What Is An Anti-Vision?
Dan Koe’s anti-vision is a description of the life you don’t want to live. Instead of only imagining your ideal future, you identify the circumstances, experiences, and ways of living you want to avoid, and use them to clarify what you actually want.
I first discovered the concept in this video:
Most people relate to a vision: visualizing what you want.
But they rarely think about what they don’t want. That’s the power of an “anti-vision,” and it can drive you towards making more informed next steps toward the future you want.
How I Use Dan Koe’s “Anti-Vision” Concept
Not only do I use this concept in my own life; I also use it in audience research when I write content (more on that later!)
Dan encourages you to look at society and your past experiences and using those as a way to propel yourself forward.
In short, here is part of my anti-vision:
I no longer want to work a 9-5, endlessly building someone else’s dream when I could be building my own. There is nothing wrong with a 9-5, but the constant job search for salaries that don’t meet today’s cost of living no longer makes sense to me. Being forced into a work schedule that doesn’t suit the things I want to do in this short life moves me to generate an income on my own terms.
Honestly, you can include anything in this.
But notice something: it’s a good way to do audience & ideal client research.
That brings me to my next point…
Using the Anti-Vision Concept in Email Copywriting
Copywriting is the art of writing words that sell. But before you can write a single word, you have to know who you’re selling to.
The best copywriters do that research and write for the exact person who needs the product or service a business is offering.
Since I’m an email copywriter/marketer, I’m writing in that context. But this is helpful for ANY copywriting you might have to do!
Ideal Customer Avatar
Your ideal customer avatar is a detailed profile of your ideal customer. This helps you market to them better by talking to “one” person: your ideal customer!
The best marketing messaging begins with this fictional person.
You can probably see where I’m going with this, but creating an anti-vision for your ideal customer avatar is a powerful way to market to them.
Here are some questions you can answer:
👉 What life are they running away from? (Describe it in detail. How does it make them feel?)
👉 How does your product/service prevent or relieve them from living the life they don’t want?
👉 What kind of transformation is your ideal client running toward? (Their “before” is part of their anti-vision.)
So, in addition to the demographics, traits, and positive visions your ideal customer has, start thinking about the vision and life they don’t want.
Hooks/Content Angles
In the content creation world, people constantly talk about “hooks:” the word, sentence, image, etc that “hooks” viewers in and encourages them to keep reading.
In emails, subject lines and the opening sentence of an email are the most important hooks.
When you know your ideal client’s anti-vision, you can use it to create deeper hooks.
Take this example:
My ideal client dreads the thought of having to create and post an Instagram reel. They’re tired of having to create content because they’re busy running their business! They wish they could more effectively sell through email so they don’t have to rely on social media.
I can touch on their anti-vision in subject lines:
Tired of relying on Instagram for sales? 👀
How I went from [before transformation] to [after transformation]
3 ways to feel better about your emails 😌
These touch on the emotions my ideal client feels when living the life they don’t want.
(PS: because anti-vision is a broad concept, that’s how I describe it. An anti-vision can also include things you don’t want to do or feel out of alignment. But I like the definition that says “the life you don’t want” because it’s easier to picture.)
You can also use the anti-vision to inform content angles. Blog posts, social media content, and emails can all touch on your ideal customer’s anti-vision.
And as for anti-visions in email content…
Email Newsletter Content
I write my weekly newsletter in 20 minutes or less because I’ve systemized it.
Essentially, I have a list of my ideal client’s problems and goals, and I use it to create content quickly every week.
Because I understand my ideal client’s anti-vision, I can write emails that hit those deeper points. Sure, my ideal client wants more sales from their email list, but that’s the surface-level issue.
Their real issue? They feel like they don’t have enough capacity to run their business and market effectively. They’re burnt out by it, which then starts affecting other areas of their lives.
Because I know this, my messaging is more effective, and my email newsletters are easier to write.
In short, the “anti-vision” is a useful concept for writing marketing copy and setting your goals.
If you like creating a vision board every year, I encourage you to briefly think about your “anti-vision” too.
Remember: an anti-vision is powerful and can drive meaningful, positive action. It’s not negative; it’s a catalyst that pushes you to the next step.
👉 That’s exactly why it’s a powerful marketing tool.
Next time you sit down to write an email to your email list, think of your reader’s anti-vision and how you can be their solution.
…And if you need to hire an email copywriter to do this for you? Let’s work together!
In case we haven’t met…
👋 I’m Dom—an email marketing strategist who believes email can be simple & profitable for your business!
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