After hearing he had a torn ligament and a double stress fracture of his left tibia two weeks before the U.S. Open, Tiger Woods looked at the doctor and said, “I’m playing in the U.S. Open, and I’m going to win.”

Win he did, which is amazing in its own right. Even more remarkable is the level of dedication and focus Tiger had to play 91 holes over five days on a severely injured knee that was getting worse.

But the thing that truly demonstrates the man’s character is he never mentioned the torn ACL or the stress fractures. Some talking-head pundits were speculating as recently as yesterday that the knee wasn’t all that bad.

Tiger may have used his golf club as a cane, but he refused to use his injury as a crutch. It would be easy to let the media know how bad the knee was as an easy advance excuse for losing.

His silence makes for a more legendary story, right?

It’s a lot easier to succeed online than it is to become the greatest golfer who ever lived. But to succeed, you do have to have dedication and focus.

And when you encounter obstacles, you make adjustments, investments, and even sacrifices. But never excuses.

About the Author: Brian Clark is the founding editor of Copyblogger, and co-founder of Teaching Sells and Lateral Action. Get to know Brian better by following him on Twitter.

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Last week’s post talked about why emotional benefits are critical to persuasive copy. But it’s one thing to talk about general concepts like “connection” or “fear,” and another to actually get these ideas into your writing.

In honor of Friday the 13th, I thought I’d give you 13 actual examples of emotional benefits you can use to persuade your readers. These emotional triggers have been used effectively in countless promotions, because they speak to underlying desires and fears that nearly all of us have.

I’ve paired each benefit with a sample headline to give you an idea of how the benefit might be used in context. Feel free to tweak, bend or just steal these headlines, or use them as jumping-off points for your own angle.

These aren’t the only effective emotional benefits by any means, but they include some of the most widely successful. (Don’t see your favorite benefit here? Share it with us in the comments.)

1. When’s the Last Time a Cute Girl Checked You Out?

   Emotional benefit: feeling attractive and sexy

2. Learn How to Stand Up to Your Boss (and Force Him to See What You’re Really Worth)

   Emotional benefit: feeling assertive and confident

3. Your Grandkids Will Be Struggling to Keep Up with You

   Emotional benefit: feeling vital and energetic

4. You’ve Worked Hard All Week–Now Indulge Yourself

   Emotional benefit: feeling pampered, justified entitlement

5. A Limited Number of Spaces Are Still Available for Founders’ Circle Membership

   Emotional benefit: sense of belonging, exclusivity

6. Are You Working Harder than Ever, but Still Worried About Downsizing and Layoffs?

   Emotional benefit: feeling in control of one’s own destiny

7. The 20-Minute Read that Will Make You a Financial Genius

   Emotional benefit: feeling wealthy and powerful (also feeling smart)

8. They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Keyboard–But Then I Began to Blog!

   Emotional benefit: feeling proud, sense of accomplishment (also being gigantic dork)

9. How to Take Command of Any Meeting

   Emotional benefit: feeling respected

10. The SecureWidget Alert System Keeps Tireless Watch Over Your Family

    Emotional benefit: feeling safe

11. Is Your Child Emotionally Intelligent? Take This Test and Find Out

    Emotional benefit: feeling like a good parent

12. Reconnect With Your Friends and Family on this Incredible Three-Day Retreat

    Emotional benefit: feeling of loving connection

13. How to Survive (and Yes, Even Thrive) in a Recession

    Emotional benefit: feeling financially secure (note that this is subtly different from feeling wealthy and powerful)

You might notice that there’s a lot of potential for overlap. A headline can speak to “feeling in control of one’s own destiny” at the same time it helps your reader “feel like a good parent.”

In your copy, take the time to address each benefit fully. Hit the one you think is most important first, then move on to the next. You’ll create a powerful one-two punch to the gut–and when you’re putting together persuasive copy, that’s a great thing.

Feel free to bookmark this page at del.icio.us for future reference.

About the Author: Get more online marketing advice from Sonia Simone by subscribing to her blog today.

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Today is the first day of the rest of your lives. Carpe diem. Spread your wings. Oh, the places you’ll go. Congradulations. Avoid swimming after Death Eating.

OK, J.K. Rowling was…