Posts on the art and science of persuading with words.
Two recent ads that both try ‘negging’ the reader, with mixed results.
To reach your reader, you need to get inside their head and feel what they feel.
Choose your words carefully, because your reader will picture whatever you describe.
Cake, war, game of poker, prison, Holy Grail… how do metaphors shape our thoughts about Brexit?
Psychologists picture us making decisions alone, but we hear many other voices when we decide to buy.
Four proven cognitive biases that distort our view of customers.
Persuasive copywriting is a matter of exploiting a number of proven, well-established principles. The principle of scarcity states that people value something more if it is in short supply.
The principle of authority states that people defer to experts, and are more likely to accept a suggestion if it is backed up by authority.
The principle of consistency states that people align their actions with their clear commitments. Once they’ve made a public or explicit commitment, they tend to stick to it, since they want to appear consistent and honest.
Buy this, you fool
