Rule #1 for an effective piece of persuasive writing is really simple: It must attract and hold the interest of the reader. If it fails, there won’t be a reader.
As copywriters, we already know this. We study the likely prospect in detail, seeking to motivate him or her to take a specific action. We search for an inherent benefit capable of enticing the prospect to keep reading. We hone our skills to write targeted, persuasive content.
And for the highest level of success, the process of developing these skills involves study, practice, and — science?
Indeed, neuroscience can both support our efforts to write persuasively — and guide the approaches we should use.
Brain-mapping allows direct observation of how various areas work, separately and together. The brain literally lights up and becomes more active when it’s stimulated.
Brains love to be stimulated, and knowing how to “keep the lights on” is the one of the most important inherent benefits of utilizing scientific information to create attention-getting, interesting, persuasive copy.
Let’s take a deeper look …
KEEPING THE LIGHTS ON: REPETITION vs. BOREDOM
What Science Adds to Our Understanding of Sequencing and Placement
Scientists can see that repetition enhances memory and familiarity.
They can also see that repetition becomes boring very quickly. So while your most important point (the Big Idea) should definitely be repeated multiple times, it needs to be varied. You need a clear statement the first time, then reinforcing quotes, stories, and testimonials, and another clear presentation at the end. You don’t want to let the lights dim!
This is good use of standard writing formulas. But if you’re aware of how those formulas relate to actual learning/receptivity in the brain, you’ll probably use them with greater perception, sensitivity, and success.
You’ll choose your testimonials and quotes with greater insight into how they interact with each other and with your prospect’s needs. The timing of your restatements will be more precise, and your reinforcing material will be sequenced for maximum effect.
For example, if neuroscience tells you that in any succession of ideas, bullet points, or reasons that create a kind of “list,” the brain will be more active at the beginning and at the end of the succession, will that help you?
Will you list your points of proof in order of apparent importance, putting the least likely to impress at the end — or will you begin and end with the best ones? Now you know!
And the same principle might affect your repetitions. If your prospect is most likely to forget what you say in the middle of the proof, you might consider placing your most striking or “different” story or quote there to hold the prospect’s attention.
Or you could make that point bold. Or short.
Or — if your points really DO have an order of importance — just number them. The brain tends to see a numbered list as a “pecking order.”
You can read more on this approach here.
KEEPING THE LIGHTS ON: SENSORY and MUSCULAR ENGAGEMENT
The Right Vocabulary Optimizes Many Levels of Attention
Neuroscience reinforces the psychology of word choice too. It’s easy to document the effect of specific sensory-oriented words on the brain: paint a verbal picture and the visual cortex lights up like a meteor shower! Describe the aromas and tastes of your favorite Asian market and corresponding areas of the brain will go crazy.
Don’t underestimate the power of sensory references. Everyone has seen a “relaxing getaway” travel piece, filled with descriptive copy. Yet the phrase “you’ll have nice breezes from the ocean” won’t attract the same response “as your cares will vanish at the gentle caress of a warm ocean breeze, perfumed by the colorful blossoms cascading over your balcony … ”
They may seem somewhat similar, but actually, where the first phrase offers just a bit of touch, the second phrase activates touch, smell, and visual areas. (Not to mention the raised eyebrows!)
The same holds true for action words — if you read about walking, there will be brain activity that results in a reaction (slight, but measureable) in your leg muscles. So which is going to make your brain/leg muscle connections more active: he walked, he strode, he moseyed along, or he sprinted? Each of those conjures up a visual image as well, some more interesting than others.
Finding ways to activate multiple sensory centers — without sounding as overly dramatic as the above getaway example! — will definitely help keep your prospect engaged. An interesting case study from Millward Brown suggests that this is even more significant in a physical campaign than a virtual one.
This study will also refer the reader to articles on Neuromarketing and Engaging Consumer’s Brains.
KEEPING THE LIGHTS ON: RHYTHM and COLOR
Advance Rhythm to Enhance Memory
There are two more brain-related elements you can add to your writing arsenal without much study. The first is rhythm! This is not about rapping in the midst of a sales letter. But the human body does operate rhythmically — the heart beats at a given rate, our brain waves move in a specific tempo — and the rhythm of one’s copy can make a big difference in how it’s received. Think of it as flow.
This is why you should read copy out loud — you’ll notice if it seems stuck or complicated. You don’t want anything singsong, but you don’t want mile-long sentences either. By the way — even throwing in an occasional rhyme can be a positive, the brain responds favorably to this approach as long as it’s reasonably subtle.
We often attract attention by establishing a regular rhythm — and then changing it up with a bulleted list or a super-short sentence. It’s worth working on this because when rhythmic elements are advanced, memory is usually enhanced (in addition to attention).
Finally, color has long been recognized as a persuasive element, and there is a lot of information available on the properties of different colors. Have you noticed that the “Click Here” or “Subscribe Now” button is almost always orange? This has been tested and proven to elicit more clicks than any other color.
You can also experiment with color as part of your formatting in a picture, as background, for a headline, or maybe a page border. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of lists available to help you determine which hue might help put your reader in the mood for a particular campaign.
CAVEAT: No Substitute for the Basics
There is an underlying qualifier here — no cheating! These neuroscience-based “tweaks” don’t mean you can skip the basic demographic and psychographic research. It will always be important to understand the prospect in those terms first.
But let’s keep an eye on the progress brain research is making and look for ways to incorporate some of the results into what we already use. This field is just beginning to explode and it promises to affect our work significantly from now on.
For more information, check out this Nielsen report.