10 Psychological Principles That Will Make Your Writing More Persuasive

Understanding psychological principles can help make your copywriting more engaging and persuasive. Whether you’re selling a product or promoting an idea, as a copywriter, you’ll often need to make an impression with just a few words. In this article, we’ll look at 10 key psychological principles that can help you achieve this. Although the terminology may be unfamiliar, you will doubtless have seen these techniques in action. We’ve also included real-life examples for each so you can recognize and learn how to use them in your own work.

1. Emotional Triggering

The first of the psychological principles on our list involves connecting with your audience by appealing to their emotions, including:

• Joy (a combination of happiness and surprise)
• Anger
• Disgust
• Sadness
• Fear

You may want to trigger just one or many of those emotions. This one, from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, combines emotions (sadness and fear with “vulnerable,” “disaster,” and “urgent” and then joy with “lifesaving” and “gift”) to persuade its readers to make a donation.

2. Social Proof: If Everyone Else Is Doing It, It Must Be Good

Peer pressure isn’t something we grow out of when we leave school. Social proof relies, at least in part, on our tendency to follow what others are doing, especially when we’re uncertain. This principle also taps into our fear of missing out (better known as FOMO).

This principle isn’t necessarily a bad thing: If you’re committing to something, it’s only logical to look for proof that it’ll be worth it.

To include this in your copywriting, use star ratings, statistics, testimonials, and celebrity endorsements (if available for your product or service). But make sure you’re able to back up anything you use. For instance, if you can’t prove that eight out of ten cats love your product, you could find yourself in trouble.

This example from Headspace encourages its readers to follow a huge crowd: “Join millions.” Its use of specific numbers – “4.9 Stars” and “611.9K Ratings” – also creates convincing proof.

3. Reciprocity: Give a Little to Get a Lot

One of the better aspects of human behavior is that we feel obliged to return favors. By offering something of value first, you can inspire your audience to respond generously.

If you’ve ever been to a food fair or a grocery store that’s promoting a new line, you’ll recognize the lure of the free sample. Giving away a little bit of your work for free is also a great way to prove its value – particularly useful if you don’t yet have any testimonials or statistics to use in your copy.

In the example below, Purina highlights what it offers for free in return for the reader’s contact details (you may also spot other techniques from our list).

4. Scarcity: Make It Seem Exclusive

The scarcer something is, the more we seem to want it. This might seem at odds with the second principle on our list, but who said that all humans are the same – or logical?

If you’re wavering on a decision, knowing that there’s low stock or that the reduced price is for a limited time only might just tip the balance.

In the following example, Expedia uses two instances of exclusivity: a limited-time deal (“book by”) and being part of a select group (“Member Prices”).

5. Authority: Trust the Experts

The pull of the crowd or lure of exclusivity may be strong, but one of these alone might not be enough to make us take the plunge. However, we are more likely to trust someone whom we consider to be an expert. Even Google’s search engine looks for expertise when ranking its results. Therefore, referencing experts or positioning yourself as an authority can make your copy more convincing.

This copy from the IAMS website combines the use of scientific terms (“prebiotics,” “carbohydrates,” and “omega-6 fatty acids”) with an expert endorsement (“Veterinarians recommend”) to persuade you to trust their product.

6. Confirmation: This Is the Right Choice

However much we try to kid ourselves that we search online with an open mind, we have to admit that what we’re really looking for is confirmation that we were right all along. Using the confirmation principle in your copywriting taps into this very human trait.

Think about what your audience is searching for, and look to answer that in your copy, but lead with some reassurance that your reader is on the right track.

To show that copywriting doesn’t always have to sell something, look at this example from the charity Breast Cancer Now, which cleverly informs while flattering the reader about what they already know.

7. Framing: How You Say It Matters

The way information is presented – its “frame” – can affect how we interpret it. For example, we’re more likely to be attracted to something that works in 90% of cases rather than if it fails in 10%.

You can use this principle to make your copy more persuasive by reframing a potential negative in a positive light. For example, by describing the cost of a product as an investment. Or you might want to use negative framing to trigger some of the emotions we covered in the first principle on our list (e.g., “Stop wasting” or “Don’t miss”).

The following example of framing is from UK grocery store, Marks and Spencer, which is well known for framing its not inexpensive products as “not just food.”

8. Anchoring: First Impressions Stick

Anchoring is the idea that we rely heavily on the first piece of information we receive when making decisions. Once that anchor is set, we compare everything else to it.

Therefore, if you are writing web copy for a product that has been reduced in price, you would start with the original cost to highlight how great the saving is.

This doesn’t just apply to price comparisons. And just to show that this principle isn’t new, the following example from Anadin is from 1953. Pain is the anchor here, allowing the potential customer to better appreciate the product’s main benefit.

9. Curiosity: Tease, Don’t Tell

If you’ve been to a movie recently, it’s likely because it had a great trailer. But even movie trailers have trailers – these are known as teasers.

In copywriting, when you hint at something, you create an irresistible desire for your reader to know more.

How about this example from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals? You’ve probably never even wondered what life might be like for animals in 2050, but after reading this copy, you may be tempted to click that button and find out.

10. The Endowment Effect: Once It’s Yours, You Value It More

This principle is based on the way we place more value on things we already own or feel connected to.

In copywriting, making your audience feel a sense of ownership over an idea or product can make them more likely to commit to it. You could achieve this with free samples or trials, like those we discussed for the reciprocity principle, but it could be as simple as using language like “your” and “imagine yourself” in your copy.

In this festive campaign, Coca-Cola embraced the endowment effect with personalized cans.

Becoming A Copywriter

Now that you’ve been introduced to a few psychological principles – and seen how they work – it’s time for you to use them to make your own copywriting more persuasive.

For a more in-depth look at how to implement psychological principles and other copywriting techniques, why not try our Becoming A Copywriter course? You can even try two lessons for free.