Offer Relevant Applications of a Product
Concrete examples (e.g., leftovers) are more persuasive than broad examples (e.g., food).
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.