A Short Primer on How to Write Copy (Part 4: Proof of Benefits)

Okay, so you've got the benefits of your product/service listed in a way that tells the prospect how you can help him. Now what?

Well, if your next step is to move your copy into how your prospect can buy the product, you're taking a huge leap that could lead to zero conversions.

The fact is, even the most reasonably stated benefits require proof. If your prospect is to believe that your benefits truly exist, you have to show him a couple things, the first of which we will discuss today:

Thing One: Proof of the Benefits

Just saying that your product can help won't go far to convince anyone to buy. Before your prospects give you money, they want to know that what you say is true.

If you're just hitting the market and have no previous customers, you won't have much proof to give. However, you should be able to find a way to display the credentials of even new products and services.

First are testimonials.

I'm a huge anti-fan of testimonials. Testimonials are anecdotal evidence. Ever hear people spouting off their own personal experiences in an argument as if to say that personal experience is some sort of proof?

"I know China has the strongest soldiers because my cousin is in the Chinese army!"

"Book names that begin with the letter A sell the best; I know because my book starts with the letter A!"

"Sending via Fed Ex is safer than the post office. I send via Fed Ex all the time and I've never lost a package."

Any reasonable person would dismiss testimonials. However, most prospects are not using logic to decide on whether to buy your product. So, give out your product to a few people, ask for some quick testimonials and you've got proof!

When choosing testimonials, cut out the fluff of each one and leave the meat. Highlight the main point of each in bold or in another color to make it stand out. Try to have at least one testimonial for each benefit you list in your copy. Also make sure that each testimonial only emphasizes a single benefit (prospects are not likely to read testimonials that are vague or a bunch of testimonials that repeat the same benefit).

Testimonials are a whole topic on their own, but the above should give you the basics. Check out my other post on choosing testimonials if you're interested.

Second are statistics.

If you have statistics, great! Use them!

If you don't have statistics, begin accumulating them via surveys. Ask the right questions, questions that will get you numbers supporting your benefits. Even questions that yield subjective answers can make good statistics; e.g.:

• How faster have your customers been performing after taking your course?
• How much more energy do your customers feel after taking your supplements?
• How many less times have your customers' dogs chewed something up after undergoing your dog training course?

Take these answers and turn them into percentages (e.g., "The average dog destroys 310% fewer household objects after attending Acme Obedience Training"). Now you've got some decent proof.

Now let's say you don't have time to do such surveys (an excuse, really... but let's assume). In this case you can look for similar statistics and use the power of association to make them yours.

Say you have an electrical product that is installed into a circuit breaker or something. Said product prevents electrical fires and power outages. Now, since this is a new product, you don't have any real stats on the subject. So what do you do?

You peruse the literature. Just like a good scholar, start poring over the related literature, whether it be academic journals, government statistics, or Wikipedia. Find those statistics that relate to your product and state them.

"Studies have shown that unprotected circuit breakers are 13 times more likely to cause an electrical fire than circuit breakers with [product type] installed."

This type of statistics usage also lends you the ability to add citations to your copy--an act rarely seen, but remarkably effective.

Click for part 5 of How to Write Copy.