Money Making Tips for Copywriters: How to Sell Using Less Words

Good copywriting is writing that sells by using the least amount of words possible. Of course, there are times when you need a few thousand words to sell a product (or even several thousand), but even then your copy should be as lean as possible. Wordiness comes off as being needy or pleading, and anyone who has sold anything knows that neediness does not build value. In this article, we’ll be looking at a proven method for achieving persuasion without excessive word usage...

Subtlety: The 8th Law of Persuasion

Subtlety is a powerful force for persuasion because it suggests things without coming out and saying them directly. The law of subtlety is based on the principle that people will be more easily convinced by the conclusions which they arrive at on their own than those which are imposed upon them. When it comes to copywriting, the law of subtlety is applied by suggesting things and creating impressions rather than using word explanations.

For example, let’s look at two copywriting passages, one which uses wordy explanations to tell you how easy to use a product is and one which tells you how easy it is using the law of subtlety:

Example #1: “Once you discover how simple and easy this accounting software is to use, you’ll feel great about having invested in it.”

Example #2: “By using this software, you’ll breeze through your accounting tasks in no time.”

Notice that in the first example, you’re telling your prospect that the accounting software is easy to use and that they’ll feel great about buying it. Oh yeah? Says who? Everyone is in such a hurry to tell you how great their product is, but it’s those who PROVE how great it is that make the sale. Can you prove this with only your sales copy?

Well, take a lot at the second example and notice that the words “breeze” and “in no time” create an experience within the imagination of the reader. In other words, it creates a “synthetic experience” which communicates how easy the product is on a more subtle and subliminal level...and using less words than the first example.

If you can create synthetic experiences like this and create an impression of what using your product will be like, you stand a much better chance of persuading the customer. Best yet, you do it without overselling the product or coming off as needy. Try it, and you’ll see that this simple law of persuasion really does produce results.