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6 Psychological Principles to Improve Your Copywriting

Guest post by: Karen Scharf

Article Overview: I have a minor in Psychology, and I always assumed that would make me an excellent copywriter. But the truth is, people are complex creatures, and trying to motivate an entire group of individuals by manipulating a headline and tweaking a word here or there is a lot more difficult than it might seem.

6 Psychological Principles to Improve Your Copywriting

I have a minor in Psychology, and I always assumed that would make me an excellent copywriter. But the truth is, people are complex creatures, and trying to motivate an entire group of individuals by manipulating a headline and tweaking a word here or there is a lot more difficult than it might seem. There are, however, a few general psychological principles that can be used to improve almost any copywriting project or sales presentation.

We all want to know "What's In It For Me?"

Every single one of us will read your sales copy looking for an answer to that underlying question. We all want to know how we, personally, are going to benefit. Don't assume that your prospects are going to read between the lines and figure out on their own how their lives will be better after using your services. Spell it out in great, elaborate detail and make sure your prospects understand it fully.

We all buy based on emotion.

No matter what your product or service is, your customers will buy it based on emotion. Your job, as a copywriter, is to identify what emotional hot buttons your products push. How can any of your product's benefits touch on any of these common emotions:

• Anger

• Boredom

• Curiosity

• Desperation

• Envy

• Fear

• Greed

• Happiness

• Insecurity

• Laziness

• Optimism

• Passion

• Revenge

• Sympathy

• Vanity

What other emotions does your product or service stir? How can you stimulate your prospect's emotions to create a desire to buy?

We back up our decisions with logic.

Once we've made the emotional decision to make a purchase, we look for facts to support that decision. It's important that your sales copy contains enough facts - usually in the way of features, statistics, technical information, numbers, even specific testimonials - to combat buyer's remorse before it even occurs. While the initial purchase frenzy is created through emotion, it's rare that an actual purchase is made without the supporting evidence to justify it.

We all relate to stories.

There's a reason that fables and folklore and fairy tales are so powerful. Our human brains are wired to relate to and learn from stories. Including stories in the form of customer testimonials, case studies, endorsements and analogies can make your sales copy extremely powerful.

For the most part, when your prospects read your sales letter, they won't remember the facts and figures and features that you present. But they will remember the stories you tell.

We all have insecurities.

It's hard to look at an extremely successful, well-liked, financially sound individual and think he or she has anything to be insecure about. But the truth is, we're all insecure about something. If the majority of your audience members share a common insecurity, your job as a copywriter will be so much easier.

Use your target market profile to pinpoint your prospects' insecurities, doubts, fears, etc and then match it up with an emotional hot button.

We all want to feel special.

Maybe it's because we all have insecurities that we all want to feel special. Maybe feeling special is what helps us overcome our doubts and fears. Whatever the case may be, an extremely effective sales technique is to create exclusivity around your product or service.

Stress the fact that your services aren't for everyone. Create a qualification process for becoming your client. Let your prospects know that they will be getting something that the "average Joe" can't get, and you're sure to see an increase in your bottom line.

You can't force the sale.

In the long run, people are going to do what they do, and sometimes there's just no accounting for the decisions they make, or predicting the actions they take. While you'll never be able to force your prospects into a purchase, understanding these general psychological principles should help you improve your overall copywriting and increase your sales.

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