(+ How do they use OPEN LOOPS in their copy to hack your mind) 

3,194 words, 17 minutes read time.

They say…

World’s top 1% of copywriters are in a league of their own.

Smarter. Faster. Better.

But that’s not it.

Truth is, they’re playing a game (ethically though)… you don’t even know exists.

And once you see it, you can’t unsee it.

These copywriters?

They know how to make you lean forward with your coffee halfway to your lips, utterly transfixed. They know how to whisper, “This is for YOU” straight into your brain.

Because they’ve simply mastered a strategy that glues readers to their screens like gum in hair…

I’ll show you the tips, tricks, and techniques I noticed those premium copywriters use (and have been using) by studying and reverse engineering every sales page copy, email sequence, book, social media post (from those marketing legends), and a lot more related to copywriting…

and the one thing that is the most common among ALL of them is…

They don’t write. Or just fill the doc, templates, or any platform where they are sharing their writing stuff (either it’s copy or any sort of content)

They hypnotize.

They make you feel like they are talking to you… Like they know you.

Your struggles, desires, emotions, and everything else that makes you either panic, happy or excited. 

Not with fancy words or complex sentences.
Not by showing off their “hard-to-understand” vocabulary.

But by triggering an irresistible pull…

…one that makes readers forget they’re reading and instead feel like they’re experiencing something.I am talking about the true masters of PERSUASION…

…copywriters like David Ogilvy, Gary Halbert, Eugene Schwartz, Joseph Sugarman and my favorite (brilliant marketer/copywriter) of today’s time Stefan Georgi.

Well… I’ve done the homework.

Dug through the research.

Studied the tactics.

Now, it’s time to break them down for you.

Well, I won’t be able to explain every single stuff those top copywriters do as I just hate sharing everything at once making you feel overwhelmed with when, how and where you can use these techniques.

Today, we will be talking about ONLY ONE THING those top copywriters do, and this is how we’ll keep this “no one’s explaining like this” thread going one at a time in each blog…

So the first thing we are about to rip apart is:

OPEN LOOPS.
How those top 1% of copywriters used (and use) open loop techniques.

Not just the ol’ fashioned boring stuff explaining like a boring professor delivering a lecture no one wants to listen to but the real, mind-grabbing, “I-can’t-stop-reading-this” kind of open loops.

The kind that hijacks your brain’s curiosity like a cliffhanger in your favorite TV show.

The kind that makes you lean in, hang on to every word, and keep scrolling because you need to know what happens next.

(and that’s just the sneak peek of one psychological hack of THOSE TOP copywriters they use to make you read the entire book, sales page, blog, emails or whatever they are writing)

In this “no-boring” “easy-to-implement” full of massive value article you are about to learn:

First section: Shedding light on the Open Loops

1- What exactly are the open loops, their role in copywriting (and why they are mind cocaine)
2- The three types of open loops elite copywriters use (and how those make you the psychological expert with words)
3- The Secret Rhythm of Open Loop Placement I missed and now use (and why that most of Writers out there Miss it)

Second Section: The Neurological Science Behind Open Loops

4- How the Top 1% of Copywriters HIJACK Your Brain’s Addiction with THE ZEIGARNIK EFFECT to Crave Completion
5- How Gary Halbert, David Ogilvy, and Eugene Schwartz used open loops in legendary ads, sales pages, and books.

Third Section: Ethical Considerations & Best Practices

6- A fine line between curiosity-driven marketing and manipulation
7- Why and how to ensure accuracy and transparency while using reader retention strategies.

… and a whole lot more!! 

——-  ——-   ——-   ——-   ——-   ——-   ——-   ——-    ——- 

So, buckle up my “future psychology expert at words” genius copywriter…

Let’s break them down, one by one.

1 – What exactly are the open loops, their role in copywriting (and why they are mind cocaine)

Did you notice what I just did in the introduction?

I started something… and didn’t finish it. I showed YOU every single thing right there without explaining anything clearly but gave you a full “movie-like trailer” that is what you are about to see in the full movie. 

I left gaps.
Created questions in your mind. Promised answers that I haven’t delivered yet.

That’s an open loop.

And guess what? Your brain HATES unfinished things. And yeah, here you are craving to know more and more about “what are the open loops and their role in copywriting”.

It craves closure like a starving man craves food.This is how I define the OPEN LOOPS:

Open loops are psychological triggers strategically placed throughout your copy to create tension in the reader’s mind, promising resolution only if they continue reading.

But why are open loops so powerful in copywriting?

Because they exploit a fundamental flaw in human psychology:

Our brains physically cannot stand incomplete information. When we encounter an unfinished task or unanswered question, neurons in our prefrontal cortex fire continuously until we find closure.

Look, here’s what happens physiologically when I drop an open loop in my copy:

i. Your amygdala activates.
ii. Your prefrontal cortex lights up.
iii. Dopamine starts dripping.
iv. Cortisol levels rise.

All because I didn’t finish a goddamn thought.

That’s power. Raw, primal, almost unfair power.

And it’s why 98.7% of pages you actually read to the end use open loops – whether the readers know it or not.

The difference?
The top 1% don’t stumble into open loops by accident.

They engineer them with surgical precision.

When you create an open loop, you’re essentially hacking into your reader’s neural pathways and forcing their brain to seek completion. Their mind will keep working on that unfinished thing even when they’re not consciously thinking about it.

That’s why I call open loops “mind cocaine”… they’re addictive, they hijack your natural thought processes, and they keep pulling you back for more.

2 – The three types of open loops elite copywriters use

Not all open loops are created equal. The masters, the real puppet masters of persuasion, know that different types of open loops trigger different psychological responses.

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John Doe

Let me break down the three most powerful types:

1. The Curiosity Gap Loop

The curiosity gap is the space between what we know and what we want to know. It’s that itch that MUST be scratched.

Here’s what it looks like in action:

“The 3-word phrase that instantly makes any man fall in love… (revealed on page 7)”

“I never thought a simple kitchen ingredient could eliminate wrinkles until I saw what happened after 14 days…”

“What top performers do in the first 60 minutes after waking that the other 95% will never know…”

See what these do?
They create a knowledge gap that feels almost physically painful until filled.

Elite copywriters know exactly how wide to make this gap. Too narrow, and there’s no tension. Too wide, and readers think it’s clickbait.

The sweet spot? Just enough information to make the promise credible, vague enough to create burning curiosity.

Here’s the 1:3:7 ratio formula for an irresistible Curiosity Gap:

1 FEATURE: “A strange 5-minute morning ritual…”
3 ADVANTAGES: “…that requires no special equipment, can be done anywhere, and works immediately…”
7 BENEFITS: “…that eliminates brain fog, doubles your energy, improves skin clarity, enhances focus, boosts metabolism, elevates mood, and strengthens immunity.”
Now the gap must be specific enough to be credible but vague enough to require further reading. And the perceived value of the answer must exceed the effort required to obtain it.

An example I would like to add here is:
“The 13-second ‘oxygen surge’ technique Navy SEALs use to stay calm under extreme pressure (explained on page 28)”

2. The Narrative Loop

Humans are wired for stories. We literally process our lives as narratives.

The Narrative Loop taps into our instinctual desire to hear how a story ends. It creates questions like:

“What happened next?”
“Did they succeed?”
“How did they overcome that obstacle?”

This is why cliffhangers are so powerful in TV shows. Your brain physically demands resolution to the story.

Here’s how elite copywriters use Narrative Loops:

“When I saw my bank account hit zero, I never imagined that a random conversation with a stranger at Starbucks would lead to my first million-dollar business. Here’s what happened…”

“Three years ago, I was overweight, depressed, and on seven different medications. Today, I just finished my sixth marathon. The turning point? An accidental discovery that changed everything…”

MRI studies show that unfinished narratives cause sustained activity in the temporoparietal junction. The part of your brain responsible for placing yourself in another person’s situation.

Here’s the master formula for the Narrative Loop:

1. Start at the moment of highest conflict
2. Introduce a character your target audience would become
3. Create a status threat to that character
4. Interrupt the resolution
5. Promise (implicitly) that continuing will reveal how the character maintained/improved status

What makes these so powerful is that they pull you into a human story and once you’re in, you NEED to know the end.

3. The Identity Loop

This is the most sophisticated loop of all… and it’s the favorite weapon of copywriters who understand human psychology at the deepest level.

The Identity Loop doesn’t only make readers curious. It makes them question who they are and who they could become.

Examples:

“Most people will continue struggling with their weight for years. But you’re about to discover why you’re different…”

“There are two types of investors in today’s market: those who recognize this hidden pattern, and those who are about to lose everything they’ve worked for…”

“You’ve always suspected you were meant for more than the typical 9-5 grind. What you’re about to read will confirm that instinct…”
Here’s the formula:

1. Present a belief/attribute the reader identifies with
2. Introduce information that challenges that belief/attribute
3. Suggest a new, elevated identity is possible
4. Withhold the exact mechanism for achieving this new identity

These loops work because they tie the information to the reader’s self-concept. They imply that continuing to read isn’t for gaining information… it’s basically confirming or enhancing who you ARE.

3 – The Secret Rhythm of Open Loop Placement

Open loops also have a rhythm.

Just like music needs proper timing between notes, your copy needs strategic spacing between open loops.

The biggest mistake amateurs make? Opening too many loops too quickly.

You don’t want to make your readers feel like they’re juggling 12 balls at once. That creates cognitive overload, and they’ll simply scroll past it.

Here’s how to build your Matrix with the Cognitive Flow Pattern:

1. Tension Creation (0-7%): Open your controlling loop within the first 7% of your copy

2. Progressive Loading (7-23%): Introduce 2-3 supporting loops, each slightly heavier

3. Pattern Interrupt (23-27%): Break expected patterns with a sudden shift

4. Identity Anchor (27-38%): Insert identity loop when cognitive load is highest

5. Micro-Resolution (38-42%): Close a minor loop to provide dopamine release

6. Escalation (42-68%): Stack increasingly significant loops toward the climax

7. Resolution Wave (68-94%): Close loops in a specific sequence (not chronological)

8. Future Pacing (94-100%): Open a final loop pointing to future benefits

This rhythm maps perfectly to the natural attention span fluctuations discovered in Stanford’s 2018 cognitive processing studies.

4 – How the Top 1% of Copywriters HIJACK Your Brain’s Addiction with THE ZEIGARNIK EFFECT

The Zeigarnik Effect is named after psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik, who noticed that waiters could remember complex orders perfectly until the order was delivered and then promptly forgot them.

Her subsequent research proved that our brains devote significantly more resources to unfinished tasks than to completed ones.

In fact, uncompleted tasks can take up to 6 times more mental energy compared to tasks we’ve finished.

This is why you can’t sleep when you have something important left undone. Your brain won’t let you.

The Top 1% of copywriters create what I call “Resolution Addiction Loops”… a sequence of open loops where each resolution provides momentary satisfaction while simultaneously opening a new, more compelling loop.

Here’s how it works:

1. Open major identity-based loop (creates context)
2. Open several narrative loops (creates emotional investment)
3. Close narrative loops with partial resolution (provides dopamine hit)
4. Connect narrative resolutions to open curiosity gaps (creates new tension)
5. Close curiosity gaps while reinforcing major identity loop (creates increasing desire)
6. Offer resolution to identity loop through specific action (creates conversion)

It’s not manipulation when you deliver on your promises. It’s understanding human psychology and working with it, not against it.

The best part? Once you understand the Zeigarnik Effect, you can use it to make every piece of copy you write exponentially more compelling.

5. How Gary Halbert, David Ogilvy, and Eugene Schwartz used open loops in legendary ads

Let’s dissect how the legends deployed these techniques:

Gary Halbert

Halbert was the king of the narrative open loop. His famous “Coat of Arms” letter which sold over 600 million dollars worth of family crests… used a specific open loop structure:

1. Narrative Hook Loop: The “Two men were talking…” opening created immediate story tension
2. Identity Loop: “What your last name really means…” targeted heritage identity
3. Value Projection Loop: “How you can display this information…” created ownership visualization
4. Resolution Sequence: Closed loops in reverse order of emotional impact

This simple exchange created such a powerful curiosity gap that people read a 6,000+ word sales letter just to find out the answer. The letter sold over 600 million dollars worth of merchandise. You can read the complete analysis here…
Halbert also pioneered the “seeds of curiosity” technique… planting subtle questions early in the copy that aren’t directly addressed until much later.
Let’s now talk about another legend…

David Ogilvy

Ogilvy was more subtle but equally effective. His famous Rolls-Royce headline:

“At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise in this new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock”

This immediately creates the question: “How can a car be that quiet?” The reader must continue to find out.

Ogilvy was a master of what I call “implied open loops”… which could be defined as using statements that don’t directly ask questions but force the reader to create questions in their own mind.

Eugene Schwartz

Schwartz was perhaps the most sophisticated practitioner of all. 

In his classic Boardroom promotions, he used a technique “Nested Identity Reconstruction.”
He would:

1. Challenge the reader’s identity (“You think you’re doing everything right…”)
2. Create fear of missing crucial information (“…but there’s something vital you don’t know…”)
3. Promise identity enhancement (“…that could make you part of the small group who…”)
4. Delay full resolution until after the purchase decision

This creates not one but multiple open loops:

What is this source?
How do you release it?
What kind of power?
How is it greater than drugs?

Schwartz would then strategically close and open loops throughout the copy, leading readers on a carefully constructed journey that inevitably led to purchase.
Now, as you know what are the open loops, their role in marketing and copywriting, and how the pro copywriters use (used) these smartly created open loops. There’s something more important than all of those that should be discussed. And that is…

6. A fine line between curiosity-driven marketing and manipulation

Wait. Before we go further, I need to address something critical…

Everything I’ve taught you comes with responsibility.

These techniques work because they tap into fundamental human psychology. That power can be used ethically or exploitatively.

So you gotta ask yourself three questions:

1. Does the resolution deliver genuine value that exceeds what was promised?
2. Would I feel respected if someone used these techniques on me?
3. Am I creating tension to enhance communication or merely to manipulate?

The masters I’ve studied – Halbert, Ogilvy, Schwartz – always delivered on their open loops with genuine value. The tension they created was resolved with information worth the wait.

The ethical framework I follow is what psychologists call “Anticipated Satisfaction Alignment” ensuring that the satisfaction from resolution exceeds the tension created by the open loop.

7. How to ensure accuracy and transparency while using reader retention strategies

Ethical open-loop usage requires a commitment to accuracy and transparency while maintaining neural engagement.

Here’s my 7-part framework for ethical implementation:

1. Value Escalation … The information revealed must exceed the perceived value promised by the open loop. This creates what psychologists call “reward prediction error”… where the brain receives more pleasure than anticipated.
   
2. Resolution Integrity … Every major open loop must be genuinely resolved. Using what appears to be a resolution but is actually another question creates what I call “trust erosion cascades.”
   
3. Time-Value Alignment … The time investment required before resolution should be proportional to the value delivered. This maintains the “neural contract” with your reader.
   
4. Cognitive Efficiency … Don’t create unnecessary complexity or delay resolutions artificially. Respect the reader’s cognitive resources.
   
5. Promise-Delivery Consistency … The specific promise implied by the open loop must match what’s actually delivered, even if the delivery exceeds expectations in other ways.
   
6. Empowerment Intent … The primary purpose of tension should be to enhance understanding and retention, not to manipulate actions against the reader’s best interest.
   
7. Resolution Empowerment … Closures should leave the reader feeling more capable and informed, not dependent on further information.

This framework ensures your copy remains persuasive without crossing ethical boundaries.

And YOU have made it this far, one thing I’m pretty sure you care the ethical considerations and the only thing you care about is sharing real value while building trust even if your intention is sales or engagements. 

You’ve Now Accessed What 99% of Marketers Will Never Know…

What you’ve just learned is the actual psychological architecture behind persuasion that works.
Not tactics, not templates, but the fundamental neural mechanisms that drive human decision-making.

The real question is:

What will you do with this knowledge?

Will you let it sit unused, like most information you consume?

Or will you recognize that you’re holding the psychological equivalent of fire – a tool that can either illuminate or burn?

I’ve given you the neural keys to the kingdom. Not because I profit from it (I don’t), but because I believe in supporting the entire field of communication…
…helping the fellow copywriters know the techniques premium copywriters use. 

When these techniques are used with integrity, everybody wins:

• Readers get genuine value delivered in the most impactful way
• Writers create content that actually gets consumed and remembered
• Important messages get through instead of being lost in the noise

The knowledge you now possess puts you ahead of 99.9% of copywriters who rely on templates and swipe files without understanding the psychology behind them.

Use it wisely.
Use it ethically.
And watch your writing take a complete turn from forgettable to utterly irresistible.

And if you’re wondering how to implement these exact principles in your specific niche…

…well, that’s a thread for another day.

(See what I did there?) 😉