Make Me a Believable Promise
Some advertisers make promises so huge that you shake your head and click away or turn the page. Sometimes our kids do that too! (I promise I’ll take care of this puppy, Mom!) Luckily for our kids we give them the benefit of good intentions and usually go along with the plan.
But we don’t give the advertisers that benefit of the doubt. When the promise is ridiculous, most of us will ignore it.
While over done promises send you running the other way, there has to be some kind of promise, either stated or implied, or you still aren’t going to buy.
Promises are important. Without them, no one is interested. You don’t buy something or support a cause or a candidate just because they’re there. You have to have a reason, and the big promise conveys the reason.
Do you see how that works? None of us are just going to say “Yes” to something without a great promise first. We all need reasons.
We all need the answer to that age-old question “What’s in it for me?” before we’ll consider buying your product, using your service, or donating to your cause. Your promise has to offer the answer to that question.
You can use promises in your personal life, too. For instance, if you’re selling a couch and you promise to deliver it, that’s a great selling point. If the kids want to go to the mall, but promise to mow the lawn if you’ll take them, you might say yes.
Whatever you’re selling, decide on the biggest (true) promise you can make. Then put it in the headline or the first sentence of your ad.
And in your daily life… when you want something from someone else, first decide what you can give in return and promise it.
I promise you’ll get better results than you would by merely asking.
Marte Cliff is a Freelance Copywriter who specializes in making people feel good about buying your products or services.
She has extensive experience in writing search engine optimized web copy, e-mail campaigns, direct sales letters, postcards, newsletters, press releases, and more. She is also available for marketing plan creation and editing services.
