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Copywriting
Tactic

Offer Relevant Applications of a Product

Concrete examples (e.g., leftovers) are more persuasive than broad examples (e.g., food).

Storage container. Instead of saying store "food," it lists concrete examples (e.g., leftovers, fruit, veggies)

Overview

Compare these two insurance plans:

  • Death by terrorism
  • Death by any reason

The second plan is economically better, but people preferred the first plan because they could imagine this scenario (Johnson, Hershey, Meszaros, & Kunreuther, 1993).

Selling food containers? Don’t force customers to think of applications. Replace “food” with concrete examples: soups, sauces, stews, meats, fruits, veggies.

Selling copywriting services? You might list broad services - landing pages, product descriptions, emails – but these applications are insufficient because customers still need to think of examples. Mention specific types of emails: product launches, onboarding sequences, promotional discounts, newsletters.

  • Johnson, E. J., Hershey, J., Meszaros, J., & Kunreuther, H. (1993). Framing, probability distortions, and insurance decisions. Journal of risk and uncertainty, 7(1), 35-51.