Pick An Online Program Name That Avoids Legal Drama & Is Profitable.
First things first. I am definitely NOT any sort of legal advisor, I am a copywriter who has helped health practitioners like you name their programs, books, and products including supplements.
That is to say, I’ve put more than my fair share of copy in front of brilliant legal minds, in-house legal teams, and strict private attorneys. I am happy to do that because I advise ALL my practitioner clients to have rock solid legal back up on EVERYTHING they put out in the online space.
Rules for what you can and cannot say are DIFFERENT online than they are on other mediums like books for example. Very different.
Start sketching out your program now.
You'll see this more clearly using a real life example. I remember working on the campaigns for JJ Virgin‘s books. Prior to starting with her, she had already released her first bestselling book called “The Virgin Diet: Drop 7 Foods, Lose 7 Pounds, In just 7 Days”.
Great title! In the book medium, she’s protected by freedom of speech. She can say “Drop 7 Foods, Lose 7 Pounds, In just 7 Days”.
BUT… in the online environment, the Federal Trade Commission has strict rules that require you to avoid making any such claims. Brands cannot state anything that might be false or misleading to consumers.
So consequently, putting the full title of that book in a headline or just showing the book cover in such a way that the subtitle was readable would land you a Google smack down (A.K.A being blacklisted) and put you at risk for warning messages on your sites and your ads being shut down.
Do not catch the attention of Google or the FTC if you can avoid it. It’s the beginning of a whole mess of scrutiny.
I’d very much like to protect you from that nasty mess because I’ve seen multiple clients struggling to unwind these types of lingering marketing challenges. Google is about as unforgiving as a woman scorned and heaven help you if you upset the FTC. That’s even more challenging.
Rightfully so. None of us have any right to mislead people or risk dashing their hopes by making outlandish or unrealistic claims. I’m all for protecting people AND finding program names that bring profits, not punishment.
Here's how you can come up with names for your programs or products that will sell like hotcakes and keep you out of the hot seat.
FIRST, you cannot use the words HEAL, TREAT or CURE.
Your program name and its marketing should inspire feelings that the avatar’s problem can be addressed, alleviated or resolved.
Notice that I did not use the words HEAL, TREAT or CURE.
I’ve eliminated those words from my health-focused copywriting vocabulary unless I’m referring to the HEEL of one’s foot or a sweet TREAT, or how to CURE a ham for the holidays. Got it? When it comes to interacting online – even if you do find the cure for cancer – you can’t call it that without landing yourself in prison. Enough said. Moving on.
SECOND, you cannot make a CLAIM.
As in claiming that anyone who drops 7 particular foods will lose exactly 7 pounds over the course of just 7 days. That’s pretty much the definition of a claim. So, No! We don’t get to say stuff like that online. We’d have to omit those claims altogether.
THIRD, you must make the BENEFIT clear.
Your online program or course name needs to convey the benefits clearly without crossing the lines we just mentioned. No using HEAL, TREAT or CURE and no making claims. But we need a title that inspires action, right?
Naming your online offer well is not easy, but it is doable. Here are a few examples:
Hopefully, you’re starting to see a pattern. You want titles for your online programs or courses that attract and resonate with the people your offer can help (the avatar), while staying safely outside the realm of claims or professing to have cures.
What about testimonials?
One last thing worth mentioning while we’re on this topic of staying out of legal trouble is about testimonials from people you’ve helped.
While I certainly want to see testimonials as social proof on the sales page for your online program, you'd be smart to avoid those same words; HEAL, TREAT & CURE. And, be careful not to position testimonials as claims.
For example…
Even if you cured me from a miserable case of – let’s say psoriasis. You’d want to include a quote or video of me talking about how my confidence is back and I'm wearing tank tops instead of long sleeves to hide my rash.
That would be fine because I’d be going on about the emotional impact on my life as a result of your help. But you can’t use a testimonial from me that says Dr. Awesome cured my psoriasis. Got it?
START BRAINSTORMING YOUR ONLINE PROGRAM NAMES NOW!
Start by doing some freeform writing and edit later. List all the benefits, emotional upsides, and positive things that people would get out of doing your protocol or treatment plan as an online program. Then bust out a thesaurus if you need word inspiration to avoid the words heal, treat or cure. Sound good?
You'd be smart to go grab the FREE Program Accelerator in the private Heal At Scale Facebook group for some help and some feedback on your ideas. You got this! We can help.
Get started sketching out your program using the FREE Program Accelerator available in the Heal At Scale Facebook Group.
