The purpose of copywriting is to persuade through writing. To do So, you must follow a series of steps and rules so that people buy what you sell. “People care the most about themselves, Your ad should be a summary of what your product will do for them, People’s deep desires are: i] People buy because of emotions and justify their purchase with logic. Eg? Aure bought a watch because he wanted to feel more Sophisticated. After he bought it, Aure told himself “it will be more practical to know what time it is than my phone”, which is obvious BS, Aure bought the watch due to his emotions. 17 foundational principles of consumer psychology Fear createws stress (tension) which demands something to be done about it Gap taneatieem rma mnintesnictiony or > fearful situation, Fear appeal is most effective whensWhen your (luxury industry). Transfer is a strategy that finvolvesiusing peoples groupsyior institutions tolpersuade your) “prospect that your product or service is acceptably endorsed. Eg? 90% of dentists would recommend this toothpaste. Humans are lazy and will avoid thinking at all costs. If someone they respect has already done the thinking for them, they'll simply make the same decision. Principle 4 The Bandwagon Effect—Give Them Something to Jump On Membership in some groups is still critically important for our happiness. We often wear shirts and caps proclaiming our associations, which makes us feel accepted, valuable, and important. There are three types of groups you identify with: + Aspiratfonal-groups you want to belong to + Associative=groups you feel you are part of because you have Something in common + Dissoctative—groups to which you do not want to belong. By linking products to one of these three groups, you can persuade your prospects to make decisions based upon the group with which they identify. Successfully gaining associative group influence is complex. This can be done in two ways: + (Associating your product With’ thé target group through advertising + Disassociating your product from other groups within society, in order to make tt ‘appear more accepted, or, in the cases of younger audiences, simply more “cool thelkidiclothesindictrvidoes bathe bularatnalkidsttolbel partion chelcoclikidslanotpishtle}rejecting the adults. “Don't buy my product for what it does for you today—buy it for what it will do for you tomorrow!” ‘The strategy Is based on the theory that many consumer decisions are:takennot to satisfy» The formula for activating the Means-End Chain mindset is simple. Your copy and images should aluiays represent the positive end results. In this way your prospect is less likely to critically analyze the pros and cons of the actual product, and base their purchase decision on the ultimate benefit it will provide them, People don't buy the drill. They buy the hole. Tf clients don’t know what a hamburger is, you can't sell them McDonald's. This is what the model helps withs/ititakes clients #romicomplete ignorance to regular purchases. + Precontemplations People in this stage are either ignorant or unaware they need your product. = Contemplation: Prospects in this stage are aware of your product and have thought about using it. * Preparation: Your prospect wants to buy but needs more information. ‘© Action: Your prospect buys. = Maintenance: Your prospect regularly buys your product. The challenge is to deal simultaneously with consumers at different stages. For that, you can whether create ads that address the five stages, or a series of ads over time that progress from one stage to another. The Inoculation Theory is used'to relnforce aiconsumer’s existing attitudes toward a) The three steps are?. One way advertisers use inoculation is by publicizing their competitors’ criticisms of their company and turning them to their advantage in the form of weak attacks that serve to reinforce and ensure their consumers’ loyalty. Inoculation is a favorite among politicians: “my opponent will tell you there's no way to bring down skyrocketing oil prices. But I tell you this is definitely not the case, and here is whyosse” People hate changing their minds, appearance, or anything. Fortunately, there are ways to change people's beliefs when they don't believe they need your product. ~> switch the focus auiay from the attitudes and onto the underlying beliefs. Eg? “there is the idea in society that baking soda is bad...however, recent studies outline that there are plenty of benefits to baking Soda toothpaste...” Another approach is to change the importance of beliefs, rather than the beliefs themselves. But manipulating beliefs either through reinforcement or undermining is easier and more likely to succeed than attempting a change. Exz cereals brands will highlight how they contain x, yz vitamins, They will talk about the positive side of the product, not the negative one. Regardless of what technique you use, your prospects must remain unaware that you're attempting to influence them. You want them to think they've made their own decision, You do it by removing your prospects’ need for cognitive (critical) thinking, like the following technique. There are two routes to attitude change: * Thecentral routes use facts, evidence, stats, testimonials, case studies. Works better in the long term.* The peripheral routes Persuading using the association of thoughts, images, colors, emotions, The one you use depends on your product. If your product is important (insurance, a school, a.ccar), you'll take longer to decide and use logic. In that case, take the central route to advertise. If you're selling food, use the peripheral route. * Comparison: If everyone is doing it, we want to doit too. © Likings You buy from people you like. © Authority: You buy from people you trust. + Reciprocation: when you receive something for free, you are compelled to give back. © Commitment/consistency? The commitment/consistency cue says that if you take a stand on an issue, you must remain consistent with your beliefs, “Do you care about the environment? Then buy xyz". © Scarcity’ We want what we cannot have. i However, it also depends on your product. If you sell beer, forget about the facts. For example, Microsoft could Say “the Phone has revolutionized blablab, but now, it's time to i It's a statement disguised fn a question.“Aren't you glad to use Windows? Don't you wish everyone did the same? ‘Princtple 16: Evidence—Quck! Sell Me the Facts! Evidence can be facts, figures, testimonials, endorsements, research, charts, videos—you name it—as long as you, the advertiser, didn't create it yourself, Research concludes that evidence works, and works well, Make sure you present your evidence in aclear and easy=to-grasp manner, Use feature colorful charts and graphs, and facts, figures, and quotes from respected intellectuals and professionals. (Principle 175 Heuristics—Serving Billions of Lazy Bratns Dally) Heuristics is the science of making a decision based on acquiring knowledge. It reveals that humans think as little as possible because it takes energy. This explains why long-copy works better than short copy. “If this is this long, whatever is written must be true”.