The Superhero Solution PR strategy is simple yet powerful.
The strategy is inspired by Derek Halpern, former blogger on marketing psychology at Social Triggers.
The general idea: By introducing (and naming) a specific solution to a common problem, online searchers will come to you in droves.
The challenge, of course, is to devise a solution potent enough to attract potential customers.
Here we go:
What Is a Superhero Solution?
The basic premise of a Superhero Solution is simple: 1Indeed, the “Superhero Solution” concept is itself a Superhero Solution!
Derek Halpern, the marketing psychology blogger at Social Triggers, called this approach the Superhero Solution. To demonstrate its use, he identified that the most valuable real estate on a website is above the fold (i.e. the part of a website front page visible without scrolling).
Halpern argued that all businesses should push their existing front page content down and insert a “Feature Box” (the name he gave his Superhero Solution) according to a few easy-to-follow guiding principles.
Conversions would skyrocket by inserting a high-converting Feature Box containing the organisation’s most critical CTA (call-to-action) above the fold.
Halpern then offered a series of high-profile YouTubers (who often neglect their websites to focus on their channels) to do a live review to improve their conversions. As a guest on their channels, he walked them (and their audiences) through inserting a Feature Box.
The concept of a “Feature Box” is today the widespread naming convention of this pervasive feature that almost all websites use.
Case Study: Inbox Zero
The origin of Inbox Zero can be traced back to Merlin Mann, a productivity expert and creator of the popular blog 43 Folders.
2006 Mann introduced the Inbox Zero concept during a Google Tech Talk. The talk, titled “Inbox Zero: Action-Based Email,” was aimed at helping people reclaim control of their inboxes by implementing a series of habits that would enable them to process and organise their emails more efficiently.
Inbox Zero gained popularity as many individuals and organisations recognised the negative impact a cluttered email inbox could have on productivity and overall well-being. Inbox Zero provided a practical solution to this problem, helping users regain control of their inboxes by implementing a series of best practices focused on efficient email processing and organisation.
Many software applications, such as Gmail, Outlook, and various task management systems, have integrated features that support the Inbox Zero methodology. This widespread adoption has made it easier for individuals and organisations to put the principles of Inbox Zero into practice, resulting in an increased focus on email management as a critical component of overall productivity and time management strategies. As a result, Inbox Zero has become synonymous with effective email handling and continues to be a popular approach for managing digital communication.
As such, Inbox Zero was Mann’s “Superhero Solution” that awarded him massive traffic and inbound links for an extended period.
The Challenges of Devising a Superhero Solution
A superhero solution can be many things:
And so on.
A Superhero Solution can offer complex technical services, such as Pingdom’s Website Speed Test or OpenAI’s free version of ChatGPT.
Or it can be a simple organising system such as Inbox Zero.
Whatever the Superhero Solution should be for your industry or niche, it must represent a simple and rewarding fix for an actual challenge that exists in the real world. 2Many websites focused on content marketing use lead magnets and content upgrades (also known as “opt-in bribes” to boost conversions, and these can often be mistaken for superhero solutions. But the … Continue reading
While a Superhero Solution should be able to promote itself via word-of-mouth (and sometimes built-in viral loops), it typically needs to be heavily promoted initially to gain the necessary traction.
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PR Resource: The 1‑Page Strategy
The 1‑Page PR Strategy
My inspiration for writing “no-bullshit” strategies comes from the classic “Good Strategy, Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters” by Richard Rumelt. 3Rumelt, R. P. (2011). Good Strategy, Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters. Crown Business.
“The most basic idea of strategy is the application of strength against weakness. Or, if you prefer, strength applied to the most promising opportunity.”
Source: Good Strategy, Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters 4Rumelt, R. P. (2011). Good Strategy, Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters. Crown Business.
By applying strength against weakness, the 1‑page PR strategy focuses on how to win.
The magical PR question: Do we know how to win and defeat our competitors?
It’s asymmetric warfare.
Asymmetric warfare (mental model). This refers to conflict between parties of unequal strength, where the weaker party uses unconventional tactics to exploit the vulnerabilities of the stronger opponent. It’s often discussed in military and business contexts.
How To Write a 1‑Page PR Strategy
Here’s how you can write a 1‑page PR strategy that fits one page — using the mythical battle between David and Goliath as an analogy:
1. Diagnosis
2. Guiding Policy
3. Coherent Actions
If you write 1 – 2 clear sentences per bullet, your strategy should fit nicely on one page.
“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”
— Albert Einstein
Learn more: The 1‑Page PR Strategy
Annotations
| 1 | Indeed, the “Superhero Solution” concept is itself a Superhero Solution! |
|---|---|
| 2 | Many websites focused on content marketing use lead magnets and content upgrades (also known as “opt-in bribes” to boost conversions, and these can often be mistaken for superhero solutions. But the difference between superhero solutions and opt-in bribes is that the former will attract new users by itself and propagate outside your website’s confines. |
| 3, 4 | Rumelt, R. P. (2011). Good Strategy, Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters. Crown Business. |
