Friend,

A few weeks ago I wrote about cognitive biases.

I had so many great responses that I thought I'd give you 3 more to add to your copy.

Let's jump right in.

Loss Aversion

In 1979 a study, psychologists found that people prefer not to lose something they already have to acquire something of the same value.

This means most people would rather not lose £10 than gain £10.

You can implement this into your writing by remembering that readers will go out of their way to avoid risking a loss.

In fact, it's already used by international corporations.

For example, MyProtein and Gymshark commonly use limited-time discounts to get people to buy.

Here's how you can apply it:

> Limited time discount (Gymshark and MyProtein)

> Countdown timers on your website (Holiday providers)

> Highlight a pain point of missing out without the product (Life insurance providers)

Confirmation bias

Confirmation bias is commonly used by social media algorithms. It focuses on the human tendency to search for information that confirms their beliefs.

It's also used in elections where people look for positive (or negative) information that will reinforce their beliefs.

This bias is completely natural in humans which makes it difficult to combat.

But guess what?

As a copywriter, that benefits you. Here's how you can use it:

> Confirm the beliefs of a group with your product (MAGA products)

> Retarget your campaigns to confirm biases (Grammarly)

> Create consistency in your ads & landing pages (Apple)

Hyperbolic Discounting Bias

Despite the fancy name, this bias refers to people preferring an immediate payoff relative to a later payoff.

It's referred to in business as the “buy now – pay later” model.

A great example of this is Amazon. You can get Prime free for 30 days.

And let's be honest, most of us have done so.

However, data suggests that around 48% of people that buy never cancel.

That's a HUGE bonus for your business.

Here's how you can apply it:

> Offer a free trial period (Amazon)

> Let customers pay less over a period of time (Phone contracts)

> Build a loyalty programme around rewards (Supermarket loyalty cards)

Challenge

Implement 1 of these biases into your copy this week and see what results you get.

Let me know how it goes!

Speak to you next week,

Copy Mav