How to counterbalance hype for more effective sales copy….
“It’s too hypey…”
Think that’s not a legitimate concern with sales copy?
Think your client doesn’t know what they’re talking about — that all good sales copy is that way?
Think again.
What a lot of novice copywriters miss in seeing copy full of bold promises is what’s going on just underneath the surface.
The hype counterweight — believability.
Let’s break down some terms here.
At its very core, “hype” — as understood in advertising — is simply big, bold promises or promotion of something.
There is nothing wrong with big, bold promises and promotion!
In fact, they are a very important part of getting noticed, and getting an emotional reaction out of your prospect today.
However, I want you to think of a scale. The old kind, with two suspended trays used with counterweights. Put whatever you want to weigh in one side, and in the other side you start stacking weights. Once everything is in balance, you simply add up your weights to figure out what the item weighs.
The counterweight of hype is believability.
Believability is proof elements, credibility items, voice, stories, and anything else that convince the prospect that you’re telling the truth.
The heavier you pile on believability (and the prospect is the final judge of your believability), the stronger you can hype whatever it is you’re selling.
How to strike the perfect balance between hype and believability…
As you’re putting together a piece of copy, your challenge is to walk the fine line. You’ve heard that people buy with emotions, and justify their purchase with logic? Well, it’s true.
Here’s what you can do to walk them down that garden path…
— First make a bold promise. This excites the emotions and gets them salivating for what you’re going to offer.
— Then, acknowledge in some way that your promise was bold. You have to preempt their “BS” filter that’s trained to rein in the emotions after a compelling promise.
— Finally, back up your promise with something to justify its truth.
This doesn’t have to happen 1-2-3. It can actually happen in one fell swoop. Or it can be a 1-2 punch of promise-believability.
The key is that the bolder your promises are, the more you have to work to ensure everything you’re saying comes across as believable.
Here’s a handful of very powerful believability elements you can use right away…
— The reason why your claim is true…
— Specificity of details…
— A logical argument…
— Strong and compelling examples that demonstrate the truth…
— Have an important or inherently credible spokesperson…
— Be likable…
— Show your prospect how you are like them…
— Testimonials and case studies…
— Have a strong guarantee…
— Show before and after to demonstrate…
— Share your track record…
— Show your product or service in action…
— Give a visual demonstration…
— Show the unique mechanism…
— Use just enough jargon or scientific language (but not too much)…
— Share the process behind it…
— Cite relevant scientific studies…
— List media appearances…
— List prestigious publications you or your product have been featured in…
— Get expert and celebrity endorsements…
— Share your certifications on the subject matter…
— Use charts and graphs and other relevant images…
Remember to keep the balance right…
The list I’ve just shared with you is an incredible collection of different proof, credibility, and believability elements you can use in your marketing and sales copy.
Be mindful though of going too heavy on the proof. Nobody will stand to be lectured to buy. If you go too heavy on the facts and figures and proof elements without getting them in a stir from compelling promises, they won’t care about the proof.
I like to work these elements in as conversationally as possible. Think about how you would actually say them, not how you would cite them in an academic paper. That’s how you want to use them in sales copy. Especially if you’re writing for video, where the spokesperson does in fact have to say them.
Done well, this will shut down the “too hypey” objection from any experienced marketer…
Here’s the thing. A marketer with significant experience (especially in testing ads) realizes that you have to make big promises to get big response. But they are still wary of those promises feeling like too much to their market and readers.
However, if you very quickly pull your prospect’s hand back from the “BS” alarm using believability elements, you will be able to use much stronger “hype” to get them excited.
We all understand this on a gut level. If we subconsciously respond to a big promise with a “prove it,” and the person does… Well, we start to become much less wary of their promises. We start believing them. And we eventually buy.
If that’s what you want your prospects to do, this lesson is a keeper!
Yours for bigger breakthroughs,
Roy Furr
