No matter how sassy your words are, if your copy lacks credibility then products will stay on the shelves. And fishy copy can mean a long recovery time for a damaged reputation.

Just in case you are expecting apocalyptic revelations please remember, it is the small, frequently overlooked, mundane details which make the difference…

1. Be the expert.

You have the power to become an expert in any field. Truly you do. I am a 45 year old woman who is 5 feet tall with an arthritic spine. No amount of prompting would ever generate my friends to comment on my physical prowess. Yet I could become an expert on boxing by:

❐ reading 30 books
❐ reviewing sports pages
❐ visiting websites associated with boxing – no matter how tenuous the link
❐ finding out what boxing enthusiasts search for on the internet and buy on ebay
❐ researching boxing related keywords and niche markets
❐ chasing out affiliate products
❐ visiting boxing gyms and specialist retailers
❐ reviewing boxing publications
❐ reading medical journals for boxing related injuries and treatments

Say I contacted the peripheral professionals who specialise in boxing, such as, personal trainers; coaches; gym owners; masseurs; agents; medics; promoters; boxing club managers; and, of course the boxers themselves and asked them for an interview, or to send me their ‘Top 5 Personal Training Tips For Boxers’….etc….?

Because many readers often assume celebrity endorsements are fee earning, sactioning by an an expert generally means more to the spending public than by a celebrity. Which is good because it is much easier to become an expert than persuade Elton John to endorse your e-book about The Nastier Manifestations Of Nasal Polyps. This means you are in control of your marketing momentum.

2. Writing And Submitting Articles On Issues Surrounding Your Product.

This establishes expert status but be wary of overt selling and ensure they deliver quality information. The place for your URL link is in the author resource box.

3. Testimonials And Interesting Stories.

The human brain perks up when a story is promised and so they whet the reader’s appetite for the offer and strengthen the selling position. But make sure they are relevant and verified.

4. Always Deliver On Your Promises.

If you draw your readers in with an enticing snippet such as ‘when you read this article you will discover the secret ingredient for turning your dry hands smooth, soft and silky….’, then for goodness sake tell them a secret worth knowing. In case they miss it then remind them in the concluding paragraph of what you promised and have revealed.

5. Be The First.

Even if you are selling an established product you can position yourself as ‘the first’. Being first is usually more memorable than being the best. Do you know who was third to fly solo across the Atlantic? No? Do you know who was the first woman to fly it solo? Amelia Earhart is the answer for both questions. If you are selling a tent which is easy to put up then try pitching it as the first ever tent erectable in ten minutes by a one-armed camper – as long as it is true of course.

Having built credibility, then you need to keep it. So…

1. Sort Out The Spelling And Grammar.

You do not have to understand grammar and be able to win the Spelling B to be a copywriter, but if your finished copy has serious gaffs then your credibility will suffer. Your audience may not be English teachers but readers become accustomed to seeing certain grammar conventions, even if they could not recite them, and they spot it when these rules are broken.

2. 100% Correct Facts.

There is no excuse for wrong information and unbelievable claims. If the benefits of your product are truly astonishing then deliver the proof in the copy, or convince your reader that proof is available and be prepared to deliver.

3. Edit for Conflicting Information.

If you tell your reader “send no money now” then do not offer them a cast iron money back guarantee farther down. This is unprofessional and confuses your offer.

Be honest.

Best wishes to you
Sian

Sian Murphy
—————–
100% Results Writer
sian@sianmurphycopywriter.com
0800 0086464
01634 251079
07515 951354

We love to get comments on articles and suggestions for future topics so please click through or email me directly. Regards, Sian

 

 

We Human Beings are a naturally sceptical bunch.

Use an excited tone to tell a dog it’s time for their daily walk and they’ll be celebrating within seconds.

If you’re mean enough to cancel that walk it’ll take considerable time for Rocky to calm down and forget you ever mentioned it.

Tell them "walk" again and they’ll be right back in the excitement as if it’s the first time you suggested it.

Play the same trick on your 4 year old niece in offering a trip to the zoo and it might work once or twice but before long you’d be lucky to get her even looking up from her game.

She no longer believes your promise.

Humans learn to be sceptical pretty quickly.

This makes the job of an ad man or woman tricky (but that’s good for business, right?)

So, how can we deal with scepticism?

How do we get our material to "ring true"?

As the illustration above demonstrates, we only have faith in a promise as long as there is nothing in our experience to dispute it.

We’re sold "perfection" thousands of times a day – we’re fed up with it.  Fed up with being taken for a ride.  Fed up with overstatement.  Where’s the respect?

So here’s one way to portray credibility.

Admit to relatively minor faults in your product or service.

Let’s use an example.

You’re a kitchen fitter by trade advertising in the local paper.  You could use something along the lines of…

"Thinking About Updating Your Kitchen?

If you’re looking for a £30,000 kitchen to boast about to your friends, then you’re probably NOT the sort of customer I’m interested in.  On the otherhand, if you dream of the look of a £30,000 beautifully crafted kitchen with a budget as low as £5,000, then you might like to know just how easily I can help you get exactly that.  With 523 satisfied customers in Sussex alone, nothing beats 20 years expert kitchen fitting experience to get the results you want.

My name’s Peter Davies – why not pick my brains and see what I can come up with?  Call me on xxxxx xxxxxx now for an informal chat about your kitchen needs"

So what’s the promise? 

A beautiful quality kitchen on a budget.

Is it believable? 

Would the ad slink past a reader’s natural scepticism?

The prices are implied.  The quality is implied.  The sincerity is clear and the tone friendly.

Rachel Goodall
———————-
Clear Passionate Copywriting

www.rachelgoodall.com
skype rachel.goodall
rachel@rachelgoodall.com

Want to use this article?  Be my guest! You can share or reprint it – all I ask is that you give me full attribution and a link to my homepage.

Just copy and paste this statement:

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