Studies Show Specificity Increases Response Rate

It seems that people have a tendency to over-simplify things when it comes to writing sales copy. 

Take the title of this article, for instance: by including the exact percentage, you can increase your ad’s effectiveness. The headline immediately grabs your attention, taking on additional credibility.

Think about the difference between these two headlines:

Foreclosures on the Rise
vs.
Foreclosures Rise by 2.3%

Isn’t the second headline more compelling? But can we make it even more specific?

How about this…

Northern Colorado Home Foreclosures Rise by 2.3% since January 2008

This one headline contains several specific things:

• Specifically, what area are we talking about? Northern Colorado
• Specifically, what type of foreclosures? Home foreclosures
• Specifically, how much did they increase? 2.3%
• Specifically, in what time period? Since January 2008

One short headline can pack a punch and deliver some meat when it’s specific.

What’s more believable: round numbers or specific, exact numbers?

Often times, we have a tendency to round numbers (i.e. 40% rather than 39.6%). Don’t be tempted to round off your numbers because specific numbers appear to be more accurate than round numbers. Which one sounds like it’s based on actual facts? The specific number will always sound more realistic and will lend credibility because it’s assumed that a specific number has to be pulled from some sort of study.

Use specific facts and figures throughout your ad copy and you’ll notice a significant increase in your ad’s effectiveness – perhaps even as high as 39.6%.