When your prospects read your copy, you would like to make certain they believe any claims that you establish about your product or service. Because if there’s any doubt in their minds, they won’t bite, irrespective of how good the deal is. As a matter of fact, the “too good to be true” mentality will virtually guarantee a missed sale…even if your claims are all actually true.

So what can you do to increase the perceptual experience of believability? After all, it’s the perception you need to address up front. But naturally you also must make certain your copy is accurate and honest.

Here are some well-tried and tested methods that will help:

• If you’re dealing with existing customers who already know you deliver as promised, emphasise that trust. Don’t leave it up to them to figure it out.

• Include testimonials of satisfied customers. Be sure to put full names and locations, where possible. Remember, “D.P.” is a lot less believable than “Doug Parsons, Berkshire, England.” If you can also include a picture of the customer and/or a professional title, that’s even better. It doesn’t matter that your testimonials aren’t from somebody famous or that your prospect does not know these people personally. If you have enough compelling testimonials, and they’re believable, you’re much better off than not including them at all.

• Pepper your copy with facts and research findings to support your claims. Be sure to credit all sources, even if the fact is common knowledge, because a neutral source goes a long way towards credibility.

• For a direct mail letter or certain space ads where the copy is in the form of a letter from a specific individual, including a picture of that person helps. But unlike “traditional” real estate letters and other similar ads, I’d put the picture at the end near your signature, or midway through the copy, rather than at the top where it will detract from your headline. And…if your sales letter is from a specific individual, be sure to include his credentials to establish him as an expert in his field (relating to your product or service, of course).

• If applicable, cite any awards or third-party reviews the product or service has received.

• If you’ve sold a lot of widgets, tell them. It’s the old “10 million people can’t be wrong” adage (they can be, but your prospect will likely take your side on the matter).

• Include a reasonable returns policy and stand by it! This is just good business policy. Many times, offering a double refund guarantee for certain products will result in higher profits. Yes, you’ll dish out more refunds, but if you sell three times as many widgets as before, and only have to refund twice as much as before, it may be worth it, depending on your offer and return on investment. Crunch the numbers and see what makes sense. More importantly, test! Make them think, “Wow, they wouldn’t be so generous with returns if they didn’t stand behind their product!”

• If you can swing it, adding a celebrity endorsement will always help to establish credibility.

• When it makes sense, use 3rd party testimonials. Take quotes from experts in their respective fields and turn them to your side. Be sure to get consent or permission from the copyright holder if there’s ever any question about copyrighted materials as your source.

• Reveal a flaw about your product. This helps alleviate the “too good to be true” syndrome. You reveal a flaw that isn’t really a flaw. Or reveal a flaw that is minor, just to show that you’re being “up front” about your product’s shortcomings.

• Use “lift notes.” These are a brief note or letter from a person of authority. Not necessarily a celebrity, although that can add credibility. A person of authority is someone well recognised in their field (which is related to your product) that they are qualified to talk about. Lift notes may be distributed as inserts, a separate page altogether, or even as part of the copy itself. As always, test!

• If you are limiting an offer with a deadline “order by” date, make sure the deadline is real and doesn’t change. Deadline dates that change every day are sure to reduce credibility. Your prospective customers will suspect, “if the deadline date keeps changing, they’re not telling the truth about it…I wonder what else they’re not telling the truth about.”

• Avoid groundless “hype.”

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