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Small Copywriting Tweaks and Buyer Psychology

May 12, 2020 Copywriting Psychology

We assume one needs to make massive changes to move the conversion needle. This is probably why companies redesign websites every three (3) years on average (source).

But there is a lot of risk of making massive changes:

When you change tons of variables it’s ~~hard~~ impossible to know what change hurt and which helped.
It takes a lot of time and consensus to make big changes. You have to get the management team involved, you have to get your designers involved, copywriters too, and don’t forget the development team. A camel is a horse designed by a committee.
It takes more time. Time = money.
It trains us to do what’s easy. It’s easy to say “let’s change it all”. Skill develops when you do more with less.

So, what’s the solution?

To understand online shopper psychology. By understanding how shoppers behave you’ll be able to make small changes that still pack a massive punch.

Examples

Word tweak

This example is from LuckyOrange.com. What makes this statement powerful are the 4 letters the copywriter decided to add:

Lucky orange one word + buyer psychology — Just one word can influence buyer psychology

When I think about “Just $10 a month.” versus “Still just $10 a month” I feel more drawn to the second statement. Why? Because it evokes the feeling of: we could have charged more but we haven’t yet.

And it’s that last part that creates a sense of urgency to take action now.

Here is another example

Molekule makes room air purifiers. Their machines purify the air.

Screenshot from their site below. They had a choice between purification and destruction to describe their machine’s ability. Pay attention to the energy of each word:

Molekule. Notice how one word (small copywriting tweak) can change the buyer psychology. — Molekule

One more example

Bakblade.com is a product for dudes with hairy backs.

I love the title their founder uses for himself (click image to zoom):

Bakblade small copywriting buyer psychology — One word change can alter buyer psychology

Letter tweak

Context: Currently the world is paralyzed by COVID-19. It’s what everyone is talking about. Global economy has come to a grinding halt. This is likely the biggest global phenomenon of the last 30 years. People are wondering when life will return to normal. When will restaurants and stores reopen?

To communicate this sentiment Time magazine designed this cover:

Great example of small copywriting change that can have a big buyer psychology impact. — Great example of how one small copywriting tweak can transform buyer psychology.

A good copywriter can drive conversions by rewriting the whole page.

A great one will make a small copywriting tweak and still manage to change buyer psychology.

Summary

Next time when you have the urge to shake things around ask yourself, “how can I use subtle tactics to nudge buyer psychology?” You might be amazed by your insights.

Interested in more buyer psychology and copywriting nuggets?

We’ve spent the last 12 years thinking about one question, “what small tweaks can we make to improve conversions 10%?”

We’ve had amazing insights. You can learn more about them on our homepage.