Copywriting Tips - Are You Crossing the Line of Believability?

Believability...It's probably the single most important part of your sales letter. If the prospect reading it doesn't believe what you are saying, you're not going to make the sale. It's that simple. The problem is, how do you know when you've crossed that line? Take my word for it, it's a very fine line. See, in today's world of copywriting, you need to sell your product. There is a lot of competition out there and the low key approach isn't going to cut it in most cases. So pouring it on, as we say, is almost a requirement. But when is it too much? This article is going to take a look at this issue and try to shed some light on it.

The best way to tackle this problem is with some examples. Let's take this line of copy from a sales letter.

"Make a 6 figure income from home even if you've never turned on a computer before."

Now, how many of us would look at a line like this and say, "Yeah, right...sure I can." It's almost ridiculous when you take it at face value. However, what if the rest of the letter went on to tell the person's story? What if he talked about how he knew nothing about computers and yet when he discovered this system, he was able to make a good income within weeks of using it? You might be more inclined to believe it, especially if he backed it up with income proof. Still, in the back of your mind, you'd be thinking that the "never turned on a computer before" line was a bit of a stretch.

As a copywriter, I try to avoid lines like these because I feel they stretch credibility. I'd prefer to say something like, "Make a 6 figure income from home no matter what your skill level is." At least that's more believable. I'm not saying that you can do this even if you never turned on a computer. I mean let's face it, that line is a little bit out there. And yet, we see lines like it so often in salescopy. Makes me wonder who's writing this stuff.

Here is my rule of thumb. Take it for what it's worth to you. If I read the copy and it doesn't sound believable to me, I don't use it. It's that simple.

To YOUR Success,

Steven Wagenheim

Want to write copy just like the pros? Visit my site at http://www.bcipe.com/ and discover killer copywriting tips that have allowed me to write my own copy for years and earn myself a 6 figure a year income selling my own products.