Eben Pagan teaches how naming your content, concepts, and products can increase their perceived value by 10x to 100x. He explains the difference between power words and non-power words, and shares proven naming strategies including the use of alliteration, rhythm, and result-focused language.
Naming Content Increase Value
Eben opens by establishing that consciously naming concepts increases their perceived value by 10x to 100x. He demonstrates this principle with the 'Perfect Cake Method' example, showing how naming transforms ordinary instruction into something with psychological elevation and perceived expertise.
Despite knowing we shouldn't judge books by covers, everyone does exactly that. Names function as headlines and opening lines that determine initial value perception. Without names, concepts are perceived as just another idea rather than valuable, distinct entities.
Eben introduces his collaboration with Dean Jackson on distinguishing power words (emotional, distinctive, result-oriented) from non-power words (logical, common, uninteresting). He provides specific examples like 'cash' vs 'currency' and teaches an emotion value scoring system from 1-100.
He shares five of his most successful naming examples: the Kiss Test, Mental Money Maps, Double Your Dating, Wake Up Productive, and Self Made Wealth. Each demonstrates different principles while showing how proper naming created massive perceived value and market success.
The episode concludes with technical elements that increase recall: alliteration, rhyme, and natural rhythm. Eben reveals how David D'Angelo and Double Your Dating share identical rhythm patterns, demonstrating the sophisticated attention to detail that separates good names from great ones.
“A good name automatically increases value 10 x to a 100 x. Naming my ideas, naming my concepts, naming my techniques, naming my products. This is probably one of the most important things that I've done in my own businesses to dramatically get that perceived value way up”
— Eben Pagan▶ 1:31
According to Eben Pagan, consciously naming your concepts and content can increase perceived value by 10x to 100x compared to unnamed ideas.
“Power words are emotional, they're distinctive, and they're result oriented. Non power words are logical, common, and uninteresting.”
— Eben Pagan▶ 6:42
Power words are emotional, distinctive, and result-oriented, while non-power words are logical, common, and uninteresting. Examples include 'cash' vs 'currency' and 'burn fat' vs 'lose weight.'
“I'll write down all my different name ideas, and then next to it, I'll just write down an emotion value. And usually I give it a value of one to a 100.”
— Eben Pagan▶ 8:15
Eben Pagan recommends writing down name ideas and rating their emotion value on a scale of 1-100, comparing options to find the most emotionally impactful choice.
“Remember, focus on results. The only thing your customer is thinking is, how do I get the result that I want? So promise a powerful result in your name or, at a minimum, your subtitle.”
— Eben Pagan▶ 15:57
Names should focus on results, not process or theory. Customers only think about how to get the result they want, so promise a powerful result in your name or subtitle.
“Alliteration is highly memorable. If you use alliteration when you're naming, it'll make it so that it's much more difficult to forget your name.”
— Eben Pagan▶ 21:51
Alliteration and rhyme increase memorability, plus natural rhythm when spoken. Examples include Mental Money Maps (three M's) and the rhythm pattern shared between David D'Angelo and Double Your Dating.
“The name is the headline. It's the opening line. It's the introduction. It's the thing that we hear first. And when we first hear about something, we usually judge its value based on that.”
— Eben Pagan▶ 3:22
The name is the headline, opening line, and introduction - it's what people hear first. Despite knowing we shouldn't judge books by covers, everyone actually does this unconsciously.
“When naming your concepts, content and products, it's important to avoid cute or catchy names. Remember, people are serious about what they want and and they're serious about what they want to avoid.”
— Eben Pagan▶ 4:03
Cute or catchy names don't work because people are serious about what they want. Instead, create names that grab attention, promise benefits, trigger powerful feelings, and stick in the mind.
Eben Pagan's systematic approach to creating names that multiply perceived value by 10x-100x
Identify what to name
Choose concepts, techniques, methods, products, or any content that needs naming
Brainstorm multiple options
Write down various name ideas without filtering initially
Score emotion value
Rate each name option on a scale of 1-100 for emotional impact
Use power words
Choose emotional, distinctive, result-oriented words over logical, common ones
Focus on results
Promise powerful results in the name rather than describing process or theory
Add memorability techniques
Incorporate alliteration, rhyme, or natural rhythm to increase recall
Test the name
Ensure it grabs attention, promises benefits, triggers feelings, and sticks in mind
Naming your concepts increases their perceived value by 10x to 100x compared to unnamed ideas
Eben demonstrates with the 'Perfect Cake Method' example - teaching three steps to baking sounds like just another idea, but naming it the 'Perfect Cake Method' creates psychological elevation and perceived value
The name is the headline, opening line, and introduction - people judge value based on what they hear first
Despite the saying 'don't judge a book by its cover,' everyone actually does - which is why significant time, effort, and money is spent on book titles, cover designs, and endorsement quotes
Create names that are impossible to ignore or forget, not cute or catchy names
People are serious about what they want and want to avoid. Names should grab attention, promise benefits, trigger powerful feelings, and stick in the mind rather than make people smile or laugh
Power words are emotional, distinctive, and result-oriented, while non-power words are logical, common, and uninteresting
Examples: 'Cash' vs 'Currency' (cash is more visceral), 'Sex' vs 'Mating' (sex is more personal), 'Death' vs 'Expiration' (death is more emotional), 'Burn Fat' vs 'Lose Weight' (burn fat is more specific)
Use an emotion value scale from 1-100 when evaluating potential names for concepts or products
For a weight loss product, 'Total Health' might score 7/100 (abstract and conceptual), while 'Lose Fat Fast' might score 75/100 (specific and addresses exactly what customers want)
Focus on results in your naming, not process or theory - customers only think about how to get the result they want
Teachers love to zoom out and get conceptual, but customers want brass tacks and action steps. Promise a powerful result in your name or at minimum in your subtitle
The Kiss Test demonstrates how naming creates perceived value - men didn't know a test for readiness to kiss existed
Used on Double Your Dating website as an opt-in incentive. Without the name 'Kiss Test,' teaching how to know if a woman's ready to be kissed would be valued at 1/10th or 1/100th because it's not named as a distinct entity
Mental Money Maps concept leverages abstract psychological concepts by making them concrete and nameable
Combines Alfred Korzybski's work on language and brain mapping with money psychology for the Wake Up Productive program. Naming these internal maps makes the concept sound more valuable than just explaining money psychology
Double Your Dating works as a name because it's specific and uses the word 'dates' that men use to describe what they want
The promise is specific (doubling) and uses customer language. This became Eben's first book title and established his authority in the dating advice market
Wake Up Productive addresses the specific desire to be immediately productive upon waking rather than getting distracted
Created during Guru Mastermind launch when people requested time management help. Pairs with promise that completing the 13-week course will make you literally wake up twice as productive, getting twice as much done
Self Made Wealth uses a high emotion value word 'wealth' and explains itself clearly for psychology of money course
The name has both emotional impact and clear meaning, teaching how to create self-made wealth. Uses rhyme (Self Made Wealth) which increases recall like alliteration
Alliteration makes names highly memorable and difficult to forget
Mental Money Maps has three M's, Double Your Dating has two D's. David D'Angelo pen name also uses double D alliteration and has the same rhythm as Double Your Dating
Rhythm in naming creates memorability - names should have a natural flow when spoken
David D'Angelo and Double Your Dating have identical rhythm patterns. Wake Up Productive has natural rhythm, while 'Wake Up More Productive' doesn't sound right. Self Made Wealth sounds like counting 'one two three'
Naming your concepts increases their perceived value by 10x to 100x compared to unnamed ideas
▶ 1:31The name is the headline, opening line, and introduction - people judge value based on what they hear first
▶ 3:22Create names that are impossible to ignore or forget, not cute or catchy names
▶ 4:03Power words are emotional, distinctive, and result-oriented, while non-power words are logical, common, and uninteresting
▶ 6:42Use an emotion value scale from 1-100 when evaluating potential names for concepts or products
▶ 8:15Focus on results in your naming, not process or theory - customers only think about how to get the result they want
▶ 15:57The Kiss Test demonstrates how naming creates perceived value - men didn't know a test for readiness to kiss existed
▶ 16:39Mental Money Maps concept leverages abstract psychological concepts by making them concrete and nameable
▶ 17:44Double Your Dating works as a name because it's specific and uses the word 'dates' that men use to describe what they want
▶ 18:16Wake Up Productive addresses the specific desire to be immediately productive upon waking rather than getting distracted
▶ 18:52Self Made Wealth uses a high emotion value word 'wealth' and explains itself clearly for psychology of money course
▶ 21:07Alliteration makes names highly memorable and difficult to forget
▶ 21:51Rhythm in naming creates memorability - names should have a natural flow when spoken
▶ 22:36Scroll for more
Claim: “You shouldn't judge a book by its cover”
Reframe: Everyone actually judges books by their covers, and you should optimize for this reality
Claim: “Names should be catchy or cute to be memorable”
Reframe: Names should be impossible to ignore or forget through emotional power, not humor or cleverness
Claim: “Abstract, sophisticated language makes you sound more credible”
Reframe: Specific, visceral power words create more emotional impact and perceived value
“A good name automatically increases value 10 x to a 100 x.”
“We judge books by their cover. We judge ideas by their names. And if they're not named, then they're just perceived as not being very valuable.”
“Power words are emotional, they're distinctive, and they're result oriented.”
“The only thing your customer is thinking is, how do I get the result that I want?”
Naming Concepts Products
Discover the naming strategies behind multi-million dollar brands and why one well-chosen name can be your ultimate business leverage point.
Content Marketing Tips
Discover the content marketing formula that generated millions in sales through 35-page email newsletters that customers actually devoured.
Motivating Prospects Buy
Discover why customers will pay twice as much to escape pain as they will to gain pleasure, and how to ethically use this knowledge to create irresistible offers.
Coaching Strategies
Business Frameworks
Common Mistakes
Naming is the ultimate leverage point in business - nowhere do you get more bang for your buck than choosing the right name for your concepts, products, and business
Eben built multi-million dollar businesses with products like 'Double Your Dating' and emphasizes he spent weeks to months perfecting these names that became highly successful brands
Create names that are impossible to forget, not just nice or easy to remember - focus on the sound primarily since the mind remembers names by sound, not by sight
Names are sounds before they're printed words, and the phonological loop acts as an auditory buffer that keeps sounds bouncing around in the brain for about 5 seconds
Content marketing merges education, editorial content, and marketing into one unified approach, replacing the old model where content was just bait for separate advertisements
David Ogilvy discovered that five times as many people read editorial articles compared to advertisements, leading to the development of advertorials that look like magazine articles but are actually marketing
People have developed 'advertisement radar' that makes them automatically skip over obvious marketing content, so successful marketing must look like valuable editorial content
When TV ads come on, people skip them; when reading magazines, people skip over advertisements but read articles five times more frequently according to David Ogilvy's research
