Emotional copywriting is one of the things you must master if you want to increase conversion in your copy.
Why?
Because people make purchases with emotions and justify them using logic.
But when writing copy for your business, make sure you pick the necessary emotion.
Without emotions, your sales copy will suck hard.
Why Emotional Marketing?
We know that emotions drive sales.
But let’s talk about other reasons why you should use emotions in your marketing.
It humanizes your business
According to research, people perceive the same personality traits in brands as they do humans.
This is based on emotions, not logic.
And as people avoid emotionless people like Sheldon Cooper, emotionless brands too are avoided.
That’s why brands need to represent themselves in a colorful way.
Emotional words and phrases turn your brand into a character with a personality that people can relate to and connect with.
Builds a community
By creating content that speaks to the emotions of your audience, you’re not only showing them that you understand them, but you also show that you’re behind them.
You have their back.
People who feel validated by your brand will tell others about it too. This helps to build a cult-like following around your brand.
Make an impact
People are bombarded with 10,000 ads daily, and most of them have learned to tune them out.
But studies have shown that emotional experiences stay with the customer for long periods of time.
This means that the more emotional your copy is, the higher your chances that they will remember you.
Says more with less
Emotional copywriting helps your brand say more with less.
Long-form content is alright. But for some platforms, you only have a few spaces to say your mind.
Using emotional words helps you say more with less.
This basically means that you write less because you write best.
They last
Change is constant.
Promotions, offers, and pain points change from time to time. But do you know what will always remain… at least until the robots make us extinct?
Emotions. Forever.
People will still be angry, sad, scared, and happy.
As long as we have brains and can still be called humans, marketers and copywriters can always write copy that sells, no matter what changes.
The Emotion and Feeling Wheel
Emotions are powerful.
They get people to do things without thinking.
Have you ever heard the phrase; A crime of passion?
Yes, emotions caused it.
The six emotions in this wheel are extremely effective in getting customers to whip out their wallets.
Here are some emotional copywriting power words for different emotions.
Emotional copywriting words for fear
Use the words and phrases to trigger a healthy level of fear in your prospect:
Alone
Are you ready/prepared/equipped?
Avoid
Befall
Before it’s too late
Beware
Caution
Cost you
Danger
Decline
Drop
Fail
Fall victim too
Fooled
Helpless
Hurting
Jeopardize
Killing (A bit harsh. But it’s alright)
Lose
Loss
Miss
Mistake
Neglect
Never
Not enough
Pitfalls
Plummet
Prevent [bad outcome]
Preventing | Could your habits be preventing you from achieving [desired outcome]?
Protect your
Powerless
[Don’t] realize
Really | But are you really moving the needle?
Regret
Rejection
Risk
Sabotage
Scary
Should | X scary stats every [target customer persona] should be aware of.
Suffer
Steal
Threat
Too late
Tragic
Trapped
Vulnerable
Waste | Are you wasting your time on strategies that don’t work?
Worry
What NOT to do
Why you need to [stop/get rid of] right now
Will you survive
This emotion of fear can only be effective if you place your brand as the solution. Stating a problem is not the same as fixing it.
But you must understand that you’re not trying to make your customers feel bad. What you’re trying to do is show them that there’s an opportunity for improvement.
By showing that your brand can help, you improve the customers’ reliance on you.
Copywriting words for anger
Research shows that copy that evokes anger in your prospect is 38% more likely to be shared.
Anger is also a major component in one of the best copywriting formulas out there, PAS (Problem-Agitate-Solution).
With this strategy, you can vividly paint a picture that describes the problem your prospect is facing, agitate the problem, and present your offer as the solution.
Here are some words to evoke the feeling of anger in your reader:
Atrocious
Burned
Can’t seem to
Driving you mad
Disappoint
Deal with
Endless
Envy
Fed up with
Fleeced
Frustrated
Greedy
Had enough of
Had it with
Hassle
Hidden
Irritated by
Jealous
Maddening
Ruthless
Never-ending
Reached your limit
Relentless
Misleading
Infuriating
Pointless
Reclaim
Sick and tired
Sick of
Swindled
Trigger
Unacceptable
Victim | Even with consumer protection laws, many still fall victim to false advertising practices.
Violate
Emotional copywriting words for curiosity
Here are some words you can use to pique the curiosity of your reader:
Bonus
Brilliant
Change your mind
Choose your own adventure
Confessions of a
Confidential
Different
Discover
Dramatic
Eye-opening
Fascinating
Favorite
Find out/Find out why
Game-changing
Hidden/hidden gems
It’s not what you think
Jaw-dropping
Lesser-known
Little-known
Life-changing
Mind-blowing
Mind-bending
Must-know
Must-read
Myths
New
No one talks about
Odd
Overlooked
Remarkable
Rethink
Revealed
Revolutionary
Secret
Secret Weapon
Shocking
Spoiler
Strange
Teaser
That you didn’t know you needed
That you’ve been waiting for
The last one is our favorite
Things nobody tells you
Truth
Unconventional
Unusual
Wait and see
What we found
What do you have to lose?
You’ll wish you knew/created/learned sooner
You will never guess
You won’t believe
How to Use Emotional Copywriting on Your Sales Pages?
Here are some tips you should use when trying to invoke emotions in your copy.
Help the prospect imagine using the product.
Paint a vivid picture of what your product or service will do for him when he gets the product.
Imagination is kinda crazy.
You can smell, see, taste, and hear whatever at the snap of a finger.
Help the customer visualize the product and this is a great way to create emotion.
This is simply because what we visualize creates the associated feelings.
Imagine something good and you get good feelings.
Imagine something bad and you get sad feelings.
But to help your customers imagine and visualize these things, you have to paint a vivid picture full of details that the customer can’t help but smile and imagine using the product.
Create a sense of fear
Fear is one of the major emotions that has been built into our reptilian brain.
All of us.
And this is good because it stops us from doing stupid things and keeps us safe.
Use this when writing copy.
Most people usually buy things because of fear.
Fear of missing out, losing money, being alone forever… and so on.
You get it, right?
Using this emotion of fear is a solid way to increase conversion.
Make them want the product
You may have the best product in the world but if there’s no desire to buy it, you will make no sale.
Therefore, your customers have to want your product with their souls.
They should think they can’t live without it.
And that they need it immediately.
And you can achieve this by clearly letting them know the life-changing benefits of the product.
Because here’s the thing…
Most companies only focus on the features of their products and that is a huge mistake.
If you’re selling a TV…
Don’t talk about the Bluetooth or the fact that it is 60″ and in high definition.
These are good and all but it means nothing.
Instead of saying all of that, say these instead:
- The 60″ screen allows viewers to enjoy their favorite movies and shows more than smaller models.
- They can watch TV with friends and family and enjoy spending time together.
- Bluetooth connectivity makes it quick and easy to watch YouTube videos or media from a smartphone.
These are the benefits of those features.
This way, you reach deep into the heart of the potential customer and increase their chances of making a purchase.
Include urgency and scarcity
It works all the time.
And it oftentimes works hand in hand with fear,
Urgency and scarcity are two techniques one can use to elicit a sense of fear which are urgency and scarcity.
They’re similar, so listen closely:
Urgency is what makes the customer feel they need to act quickly.
While scarcity is the belief there’s a lack of supply of the product.
They can be used together or alone.
One way to leverage these strategies is to create emotions through limited-time offers.
If you want to buy something online and notice they have a 50% off sale but it only lasts for 24 hours…
You might feel compelled to buy it before time runs out.
That’s urgency.
Storytelling
Stories are emotional, captivating, and fascinating and they create deep connections.
And this is why they’re incredible tools to use in emotional copywriting.
Here are some awesome benefits of using storytelling in your copy:
- Increased attention and focus.
- Neurotransmitters release serotonin and dopamine.
- Readers see themselves in the story.
- The cortex becomes much more active.
How can you use storytelling in your copy?
By first telling a story about yourself.
We all want to connect with other humans. Not robots.
It makes your writing unique.
And this builds trust and transparency.
Secondly, don’t underestimate reviews and testimonials.
After all, they’re stories!
It’s a customer explaining their experience with a problem, finding a solution, and overcoming obstacles.
It also helps increase conversions which is never a bad thing.
Emotional Words for Confidence
Here are emotional words you can use to instill confidence in your business and reader:
Confidence in your business
Best-in-class
Caliber
Capable
Count on
Data-backed
Definitive
Deliver | We deliver on our promise of ______.
Depend
[Eliminate problem] for good
Equipped
Every single time
Evidence-based
Experts
Focused
Fool-proof
Forefront
Founded on
Hands-down
Market leader
Most reliable
Only
Pioneers
Proven
Recommended
Rely | [X] small businesses rely on our solutions to [reach desired goal].
Rooted
See who we’ve helped so far
Specialty
Swear by | See why our clients swear by our [solution].
The [company name] difference/advantage
Thorough
Top tier
Top trusted
Tried and true
Trusted by over X [brands, businesses, designers, etc].
Vetted
Why choose us? [then answer that]
Why [your product/service] beats [a larger competitor’s]
World-class
Confidence in your customers
Achieve
Available
Become the ____ you’ve always wanted to be.
Belong
Clarity
Compassionate
Doubt no longer
Eliminate the guesswork
Every step
Fear not
From start to finish
Guide
Got your back
Got you covered
In good hands
If you’re like most [members of niche]… (This is better than saying “It’s obvious that” or “Clearly”).
Informed decisions
Master
Meet you where you are
Move the needle
No matter where you’re at
Own your ______
Pull the trigger
Rest assured
Results you want
Say goodbye to
Secure
Sound decisions
Surefooted
Tackle
Take charge of
Take control
The support you need
Tips we swear by
Together we can [accomplish the client’s vision]
Under our wing
Uncover the [ability/desired entity] you didn’t know you had
Walk you through
We’ll find a way
You hold the power
You’re not alone
Final thoughts on emotional copywriting
A good sales copy is emotional.
Everybody is buying something to solve certain problems.
Aligning with this feeling makes your copy irresistible, money-producing, and entertaining.
It starts with helping the customer imagine the products in their hands by explaining them in vivid pictures.
Then you should create a sense of fear. And this is done through scarcity and urgency.
Defining the benefits of a product allows them to feel the associated emotions it would create, too.
Lastly, be a storyteller.
Use stories to connect with readers and help them see themselves within the tale.
Try these techniques in your next promotion and see the rights for yourself!
Grow Your Business with Emotional Copywriting
Emotional copywriting is the best way to sell. Why?
Because it touches the primitive part of our brains, the part that never evolves. The lizard brain.
And if you want to increase your sales, use emotions in all your marketing materials. If your product/market fit is on point, you’ll always make money online.