Describe Benefits Indirectly

Compare these sentences:

• Tim was sitting in a soft chair.
• Tim sank endlessly in his soft chair.

Each sentence has a different meaning:

• Tim was sitting in a soft chair. This statement asserts that the chair is soft. In order to trust this statement, you need to trust the source of the message.
• Tim sank endlessly in his soft chair. This statement implies that the chair is soft. Skeptical readers might assume that Tim didn’t sink endlessly into his chair, but they are no longer questioning the softness of the chair.

Smart customers consider reciprocals of statements. Read this sentence:

• Our product is safe

Many customers will be skeptical of the source of this statement — i.e., the marketer.

But if customers see a safety certification, they will infer safety. Customers now become the source of this information. Not the marketer.

When possible, don't make a direct claim. Instead, help customers indirectly conclude the intended meaning so that they become the source of the message.

Another example:

• Tide will clean your clothes really well. Customers think: Hmm, does it clean clothes really well? Can I trust this person?
• The freshness of the outdoors. Now in liquid form. Customers think: Hmm, freshness of the outdoors? What does that mean? Must be brisk and refreshing.

In the second example, readers generate the meaning. And naturally, they trust themselves more than marketers.