Write Copy That Is Easy to Imagine

Help readers imagine using your product.

Stronger simulations wil induce stronger emotions (and desire).

Therefore, replace vague copy with concreteness:

• Features. Replace ounces or grams with bags or pieces (Monnier & Thomas, 2022).
• Actions. Replace sign up for an account with create a username and password.
• Benefits. Replace easy to use with a specific reason. Minimal features? Beautiful interface? Quick 2-min onboarding? Automates tasks? Same with durable: Can drop it? No tearing? Heavy? Long-lasting? Other vague culprits: quality, powerful, high-performance, fast, reliable, premier, best.

If a customer is trying a shirt, a salesperson could say:

• THAT looks great!
• That TOP looks great!
• That SHIRT looks great!
• That GREEN T-SHIRT looks great!

Each subsequent example is more concrete.

And this imagery is persuasive. Customers imagine themselves using your product, so this imagery intensifies their emotional response because they can simulate the benefits (Packard & Berger, 2021).

Replace any vague placeholders:

• This service can…
• This makeover can…

Or consider support messages.

• I can’t add a new product to your order. But you can cancel the current order, then add a new item.
• I can’t add those jeans to your order. But you can cancel the shoes, then add the jeans.

How to Apply

• Fill Sentences With Semantically Related Words. Your brain is a web of knowledge. Reading the words DEEP, SALTY, FOAM will activate the related concept SEA because of spreading activation (Collins & Loftus, 1975; Topolinski & Strack, 2008). Try fueling these flames of activation. Selling a coffee brewer? Replace make coffee with brew coffee so that these related words — brew and coffee — merge their activation into a stronger burst, resulting in more vivid imagery.
• Suggest Relevant Ideas For Your Product. A life insurance plan was preferred when it covered death by terrorism compared to death by any reason. Even though any reason was objectively better, people struggled to imagine possible scenarios (Johnson et al., 1993). Help people imagine buying food containers by providing specific examples of food they can store: soups, sauces, stews, meats, fruits, veggies. Sell copywriting services? Replace broad services of marketing or emails with specific applications of product launches, newsletters, etc.

• Monnier, A., & Thomas, M. (2022). Experiential and analytical price evaluations: How experiential product description affects prices. Journal of Consumer Research, 49(4), 574-594.
• Packard, G., & Berger, J. (2021). How concrete language shapes customer satisfaction. Journal of Consumer Research, 47(5), 787-806.