According to Webster’s dictionary:

“Persuasion is the act of influencing or convincing others through communication to adopt a particular belief, attitude, or behavior.”

Persuasion in copywriting is simply convincing your readers to take a specific action.

What type of action?

It depends on your client’s objective.

The most common actions include:

Over the last 100+ years, copywriters have studied, tested and discovered smart ways to persuade their readers.

Now that you know what persuasive copywriting is…

Here are the 10 most persuasive copywriting techniques that have helped me boost my income and can do the same for you too.

In Sean D’Souza’s brilliant book – Brain Audit – he clearly explained how problems grab our attention and spur us to action 10x more effectively than solutions.

This is proven by psychologists.

And, this concept is why Dan Kennedy favors the PAS copywriting technique (which he’s made millions from in dozens of his sales letters).

Listen good:

One of the most persuasive ways to write copy is to start with a problem.

But not any problem.

Uncover your market’s most urgent, biggest problem.

And feature it in your headline and intro.

Then, agitate the problem.

Make your reader’s problem larger than life, and worse than death.

Get them frustrated enough to punch metaphorical holes in their wall like a rowdy teen named Kyle.

Quick tips to agitate your market’s problem:

Paint a bright vision of your reader’s problem inside their noggin.

The easiest way to paint this painful (emotional) vision is to talk about their problems using specific details and word images.

Get as specific as possible when talking about their problems.

Cover all the bases.

Plus:

Play an HD mental motion picture of their problems by using word images.

Word images are words that touch on our 5 senses – taste, touch, sight, smell, hear.

When you create a clear vision of your reader’s problems, it’s almost impossible for them to NOT take action to relieve their pain.
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The more specific you are, the more persuasive your writing will become.

Include specific details in your writing:

I learned this persuasive copywriting secret from Eugene Schwartz.

This is my favorite way to tell persuasive stories in my writing.

Stories are one of the most persuasive tools in your copywriting toolshed.

We are naturally influenced and persuaded by them. Stories have been the main way we have communicated with each other since the dawn of hooman.

Anyway…

The goal of the “hell to heaven” story is to talk about someone in your market who your audience can relate to.

Someone that has gone from “hell to heaven”.

Meaning…

They have faced incredible challenges (in hell) but overcame their nightmarish experience and are now living a great life (in heaven).

This works best for markets that solve big problems like Health & wellness.

However, it can work for any market, if you use a lil creativity.
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The easier it is for readers to grasp your message, the easier it is for you to persuade them.
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Nobody takes action without deadlines.

Humans are natural procrastinators.

So…

Persuade your readers to respond NOW by powdering your copy with urgency and scarcity.

3 bullet-proof ways to add urgency:

Readers only care about themselves.

They constantly think in terms of “what’s in it for me.”

So…

For every feature and benefit you write, ask yourself what does this DO for my reader?

What is the main emotional benefit they get from using your product?

My favorite way to uncover this is to apply the feature, benefit, real benefit copywriting practice exercise.

Write down the features of your product. Then the benefits. And finally, the ultimate benefit.

Here’s a quick example:

Product: Lipstick

Feature: Shiny gloss coating

Benefit: Stunning lips

Ultimate benefit: Make cute guys head’s turn as you walk

If you want to persuade your readers, you must always think in terms of what your product DOES for them.
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To get readers to respond, they must BELIEVE your claims.

This is harder than ever before.

Because today we are bombarded with thousands of ads filled with vomit-inducing hype and over-exaggerated claims.

How do you bypass people’s natural skepticism and persuade them to respond?

Stuff proof elements into EVERY claim you make.

Good rule of thumb:

Never make your claim bigger than your proof.

Surround your claims with stronger, bolder proof.

Ways to add proof to claims:

1. Social proof: testimonials, reviews, case studies.
2.  Avoid hype trigger words & phrases – “get rich quick”, “become a millionaire”, “FREE”
3. Use the “If…Then” technique. If readers meet a specific requirement, then they can experience a big benefit. Example: “If you have 5 minutes per day, then you can lose 10 pounds this month.”
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