How to Convince Someone to Buy Your Product (No Trickery)

Click through and see how to convince someone to buy your product (without trickery or manipulation). Use the psychology of persuasion and copywriting.

COPYWRITING

Shane Curry

9/14/20247 min read

colourful image of a woman copywriting with a smaller image of a woman buying a product

Shane Curry

Let’s get this out of the way first:

Convincing someone to buy your product with copywriting isn't about manipulating or tricking them.

I notice heaps of people have this misconception - worryingly, many of them are copywriters.

The best copywriting comes from a place of empathy.

Understand your audience’s needs
Craft a compelling pitch
Build genuine trust
Exchange value

There’s no manipulation.

Understanding basic concepts of persuasion helps you clearly showcase your value to potential buyers. But it’s not an underhanded trick.

Table of Contents

Understanding the Psychology of Persuasion

5 Techniques for Crafting Compelling Copy

Understanding the Psychology of Persuasion

Want to convince someone to buy your product? Grasp the underlying principles of persuasion.

In his bestselling book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, renowned Psychologist Robert Cialdini identified six key principles of influence.

Reciprocity
Commitment/consistency
Social proof
Authority
Liking
Scarcity

Applying these to your business copy helps convince people to buy your product.

1. Reciprocity

The principle of reciprocity suggests that people are more likely to say "yes" if you give them something valuable first.

In a sales context, this could mean offering…

A free trial
A valuable resource
A personalised consultation

…before asking for the sale.

Giving value before you ask creates a sense of obligation and increases the likelihood of a positive response.

2. Commitment/Consistency

Unconsciously, people want consistency in their actions, beliefs, and commitments. You act in line with your previous choices.

Part of this is small initial commitments leading to larger ones later.

But how can you apply it to convince someone to buy your product with copywriting?

Businesses do it all the time.

Say you're a personal trainer. Your high-ticket offer is $5000 per month.

Getting people to pay that straight-up on your website is a big ask.

What if you use the commitment/consistency principle, though?

Breaking it up into smaller commitments could go something like this:

Sign up for a free training session
Buy a 4-week program (one weekly check-in)
Get a bronze-level membership ($1000 per month)
Sign up for the platinum package ($5000 per month)

This is just a quick example. But you get the idea.

3. Social Proof

People look to others for guidance when making decisions. How many reviews do you read before buying something?

I read heaps before making a decision - probably too many. But I’m not alone in trusting reviews.

According to a BrightLocal study, 50% of consumers trust reviews as much as personal recommendations from friends and family.

Leveraging social proof in copywriting helps you convince people to buy.

Use customer testimonials that show how others have benefited from your product. The more you can point to, the better.

They tell a story, showing a successful outcome for others. This increases the chances they’ll invest in it themselves.

4. Authority

People tend to trust and follow the lead of those they perceive as experts or authority figures.

Establishing industry authority in your copywriting helps build trust. And people buy from businesses they trust.

Highlight your expertise
Display credentials
Show recognition

Share insights and knowledge about your industry. Include any certifications or awards on your website. Display results.

Show a deep understanding of your customer's challenges
Address their problems with empathy
Prove your product can help

5. Liking

Buying from people we like is easier. A few business coaches on LinkedIn rub me the wrong way.

Their services could probably help me. But they’ll have a tough time convincing me to buy from them because I don’t like them.

These feelings are conscious. But a lot of the time, “liking” is subconscious, and we’re unaware of it.

This is one of the reasons the best copywriting is empathetic. Because people like being seen and understood.

And I’m not talking about the fake empathy I see all the time in copywriting:

“Is your back sore from driving? We’ve been there and feel your pain.”

Yeah, right.

I’m on about showing genuine empathy. Because you know and understand your potential customers inside out.

You don’t need to fake it.

People immediately notice that you understand them, even if it’s subconscious. You build rapport and make it easier to convince them to buy.

And it’s not manipulation or trickery. Because you can solve their problem, and they need your help.

6. Scarcity

Supply and demand, baby.

The less of a product, the more people like and want it. Or need it.

Here in Australia, residential construction isn’t keeping up with the population growth. You’ll see 100s of people showing up for a house auction.

This is scarcity in action. Buyers are prompted to act, even though house prices are through the roof - no pun intended.

Businesses use scarcity all the time. They display messages such as “only 1 left at this price” like the example below.

Now, say the missus had her heart set on getting this place for two nights. I’d be jumping on it and booking.

An example of scarcity in copywriting from booking.com

5 Techniques for Crafting Compelling Copy

Understanding the psychology of persuasion helps you craft effective copy. You can communicate the value of your product, using Cialdini’s principles to encourage action.

Here are five copywriting techniques to keep you on track.

1. Focus on Benefits

Features describe what your product does. Benefits explain how it improves your customer's life or business.

In your copy, emphasise the tangible outcomes and value your product delivers.

Say you’re selling a SaaS product. Think about it like this:

Feature - Advanced automation
Benefits - saves time and reduces errors

You might ask yourself, so what?

Allows teams to focus on higher-value tasks

You can keep drilling down with this question until you uncover the core benefit.

2. Address Objections Proactively

Objections are a natural part of the sales process. The dreaded:

Your offer sounds good, but…

You can overcome objections with the right approach. Addressing them early in the copy is your best bet.

This shows that you understand the customer's concerns and builds trust in your solution.

Identify Common Objections

Before writing your copy, identify the most common objections your target audience may have. These could include concerns about:

Time
Price
Trust

Understand these objections in advance. Why are they coming up?

Prepare responses to ease concerns and highlight the value of your offer.

Reframe Objections as Opportunities

Addressing objections also allows you to reframe them. Get your audience to think about the objections in a different light.

This helps you reframe objections as opportunities. Showcase the unique advantages of your product.

For example, say a potential buyer raises concerns about price.

Highlight the long-term return on investment and cost savings of choosing your solution.

3. Tell a Story

Stories make buying decisions easier. They let us see the world through someone else’s eyes.

You’re in a group standing on a hilltop 10,000 years ago, all gazing out over a vast valley. The whiff of damp moss wafts by on the breeze.

A forest looms on the horizon, a mist hanging over the treetops like a giant spider’s web, and a wolf howls in the distance.

Your group wants to explore the forest. But what possible dangers lurk in the unknown? The potential risk breeds fear, stalls action.

Then, two brave souls offer to scout ahead and report back.

When they return, they tell a tale of unbounded resources. And the risk evaporates like mist on a sunny spring morning.

The decision to explore the forest becomes easier.

Weave stories into your copy to help mitigate risk for new customers. Testimonials are a perfect way to tell a success story.

Existing customers are the scouts who headed out into the unknown. They took the risk on your product.

Turn their experiences into stories
Let people see your business through their eyes
Allay the fear of stepping into the dark

4. Use Emotional Triggers

Emotions play a significant role in decision-making, including buying decisions.

Up to 95% of our buying decisions are subconscious, driven by emotions rather than logic.

Identify the emotional triggers that motivate your target audience. Incorporate these into your copy.

Common emotional triggers include:

Fear of missing out (FOMO)
Desire for success
Need for recognition
Avoidance of pain points

Tap into these emotions, create a stronger connection with your potential buyers, and increase the chances of a sale.

5. Use Powerful Calls to Action (CTAs)

Scarcity and urgency are useful for writing powerful CTAs. These persuasion techniques often motivate potential buyers to take action.

Limited availability or time-sensitive opportunities encourage prospects to act quickly. Otherwise, they might miss out - you’re tapping into FOMO, too.