How Does Copywriting Use Psychology to Hack Our Brains?
When you see an ad that really captures your attention, have you ever thought about why it speaks to you? Chances are, it resonates with you for a few different reasons:
1) It activates one of your instinctual responses
2) It evokes one or more emotions
3) It connects with one of your core desires
Most people don’t like to admit that they can be influenced by marketing ads. But the truth? We’re all susceptible to having our brains hijacked by our instincts, desires, and emotions. And honestly, it’s not the worst thing in the world. To feel is to be human, after all.
This humanness is exactly what effective copywriters tap into. A good piece of copy uses psychological tools to connect with the audience.
Activating Instinctual Responses
One of the most basic psychological marketing tactics is activating an instinctual response. So, how do we do that? Activating a human instinctual response means targeting the reptilian part of the brain. Neuroscience Marketing does a great job breaking down this concept:
“The oldest part of the brain is the reptilian area. It is responsible for instinct and survival. Its main focus is to avoid pain. This area is what makes our decisions.
It takes a lot of energy to run the brain. It’s 2% of our body mass, but it burns 20% of our energy. Our brain is optimized to conserve energy. Hence, it is not going to waste expensive energy by involving other brain regions to process things if that isn’t necessarily for survival.
If you can prove you are worthy of attention, then and only then, will the other parts of the brain to get involved.”
Essentially, to save mental energy, our reptilian brains are doing a lot of decision-making behind the scenes. If it comes across something essential to survival, this ancient “lizard brain” takes the reins. For example, if you see an ad for a new vitamin stating, “your body is probably deficient in these 3 vital nutrients,” it would get your attention, right? Your reptilian brain has been activated because the messaging directly relates to survival.
Similarly, if you hear about a service claiming to help you avoid pain, it will trigger your instinctive decision-making. In the modern world, a relationship coaching program could activate this instinct. The claim: “find compatible partners and avoid rejection in your dating life.” This is appealing for a few reasons. It taps into a human desire for connection and romance, as well as an instinct to avoid the pain of rejection.
Evoking Emotions
Tapping into the instinctive part of the human brain is just one way to drive engagement. The psychology of copywriting also heavily relies on the power of emotions. In this case, we are targeting a different part of the brain, known as the limbic system. The limbic system plays a significant role in emotional regulation, motivation, and memory. In fact, it even plays a role in regulating cognitive attention.
Copywriters who evoke powerful emotions, not only grab their audience’s attention, but lead them on an emotional journey. Some of the most compelling emotions are frustration, doubt, jealousy, and hope. Bringing these types of feelings to the surface can be very effective with marketing. So, what does this look like?
Here’s an example of an emotional technique called “Emotional Downfall to Emotional Uplift”:
You worked so hard, Mama. You fed, burped, changed your little one. You rocked them for what seemed like an eternity, and you finally got your baby to go down for a nap.
Then, the dog barks. “Oh, no.” You flinch, bracing yourself for the inevitable cries coming from the nursery. Sure enough, your grumpy baby is now awake. And you have to start all over.
Aren’t you tired of dealing with these nap disruptions? It’s costing you precious time and precious rest.
If only you could better control your child’s sleeping environment. If only their naps consistently went uninterrupted. Then, you could take that coveted break, enjoy a shower, or do whatever hands-free thing you’ve been waiting to do!
Guess what, Mama? There is a reliable way to ensure your little one gets better sleep (during the day and night!) It’s called Hatch, an all-in-one sound machine that allows you to create the perfect sleep environment for your child.
In this mock ad I wrote for Hatch, I intentionally brought out feelings of frustration and exhaustion many new moms experience. I used empathy to relate to their situation and storytelling to engage them. But, I didn’t stop there.
After hooking the reader with a relatable, negative emotion, I take a turn to something positive. By presenting Hatch a solution to their problem, I’m instilling hope. In this case, hope comes in the form of uninterrupted naps for their baby and a much-deserved break for them.
“Emotional Downfall to Emotional Uplift” is a technique that David Garfinkel outlines in his book, Breakthrough Copywriting. David has been described as “the world’s greatest copywriting coach,” and it’s no wonder. His strategies just work.
Connecting with Core Desires
The third way to reel in an audience is by connecting to one or more of their core desires. In a theory developed by Steven Reiss, he outlines 16 basic human desires:
Power
Independence
Curiosity
Acceptance
Order
Saving
Honor
Idealism
Social Contact
Family
Status
Vengeance
Romance
Eating
Physical Exercise
Tranquility
These desires all have one thing in common: they motivate behavior. Which is exactly what copywriters want to do — influence their reader to action! You’ve probably noticed that business marketing strategies count on these core desires. Fast food chains rely on our human desire to eat — that one is pretty straightforward. Physical exercise is another one that almost sells itself. Ever felt that endorphin high after working out? Then you’re likely to pay attention to an ad depicting a similar experience.
Now, there is definitely more nuance when it comes to the other, less tangible desires. One of those nuances is the fact that everyone ranks their core desires differently. Someone might hold independence as their strongest desire, while another might place social contact at the top of their list.
Regardless of the specific ranking of desires, a target audience will usually have 1-2 of their top desires in common. You might be wondering, how can this information be put into practice? Let's use an imaginary ecommerce business as an example. Their ideal customer is looking for deals on name brand clothing and accessories. With this information, a copywriter can focus on a few core desires: status and saving. An ad they write for this ecommerce business might sound something like this:
Shopping is an art. You know this.
You’re the queen of finding luxury brands at prices that don’t break the bank.
Steve Madden shoes? You got 'em.
Coach handbag? Check!
But then there’s that one, illusive item you can never seem to find on sale…until now.
At BuyLuxe, we carry the top name brands at the lowest prices.
Come see what you’ve been missing, fashionista! CLICK HERE to see our newest arrivals.
You may have noticed that this ad utilized another psychological technique. In addition to addressing the audience's desires, it also brings out a very specific emotion: FOMO (fear of missing out). Layering on an emotional technique creates an almost irresistible piece of copy. Any time an ad uses one or more of these psychological tools, it's sure to spark interest in your ideal customer.
Bottom line, if you want your business’ marketing to be highly effective, it’s a good idea to hire a copywriter. It pays off to have someone skilled at implementing these psychological techniques.
Are you ready to elevate your marketing efforts? Let's give your target audience the extra push they need to choose you!
