Top

Copywriting – 3 Psychological Motivating Techniques

February 8, 2008

Top copywriters often use elements of psychology to motivate people to buy.  While it may seem unfair to tap into psychological triggers to convince people to buy, the truth is that no copy will work well with or without psychological motivators if the product or service doesn’t speak to people and really offer a benefit. 

Honestly, you won’t buy a pair of super duper knives unless you want to no matter how appealing the offer.  Psychological motivators simply help you as a copywriter put to use the understanding of human nature.   

Here are three commonly used psychological motivating techniques. 

The Reason Why Device 

Remember when you were young and you’d ask your mom for a cookie.  She’d say ‘no.’  You’d ask ‘why’ and she’d say ‘because.’  Not very satisfying.  However, if she said, ‘because you’ll ruin your dinner,’ then at least you had a reason why. 

The same holds true for buying decisions.  Buy my product is significantly less satisfying than ‘buy my product because it’s the best.’ Or ‘buy now because we only have 10 left.’ Always tell your readers why they must buy your product or service. 

The Cliffhanger Principle 

This is a fun one.  The easiest way to grasp this principle is to think about the previews you see on television for upcoming programs.  They tease by showing you 30 seconds of a dramatic scene and ending the promo right before you find out what happens. They leave you hanging.  In copywriting you see it with an ellipsis…click here to find out the secret cure for diabetes…. 

Embedded Commands 

Embedded commands are intended to have a hypnotic effect, to subliminally encourage your reader to take action.  They’re written in the imperative voice – you are going to buy this product.  To write an embedded command, first write the command. 

For example, call and order now.  Now embed the command into a sentence.  For example, I wonder how long it will take you to call and order now. Now offset the command from the rest of the sentence by placing it in italics or bold type.  “I wonder how long it will take you to call and order now. 

There are many more psychological motivating techniques.  These are the easiest to master and include in your next sales letter or order page.  Have fun with them, experiment and explore and the next time you’re reading someone else’s sales copy take a look and see if you can spot any psychological motivating techniques.

Last 5 posts by mila

Written by mila · Filed Under Annette Elton 

Comments

Got something to say?





Bottom