5 quick copy swaps for more ethical messaging in 2023
While it’s true that many of the (even good!) tenets of copywriting are based on human psychology and can actually be used responsibly… so many of today’s popular practices revolve around shaming, pressuring, and even manipulating people into buying something.
If you’re here, I’d bet you’re looking to communicate the value of your offers and grow your business without resorting to the sort of sales tactics that make you feel like you need to take a hot shower afterward.
The whole point of copywriting is to connect with your readers, earn their trust, and effectively show them how your offer might genuinely benefit them.
So, how do you write copy that gets your readers’ attention, makes them feel seen and understood and interested in your offer… without all the slimy marketing tactics you see everywhere these days? It’s actually easier than you’d think—there are a few quick swaps you can make in your copy pretty quickly!
Enter: 5 conscious copywriting techniques you can implement this week.
1. Make your prices transparent and clear.
Ever wonder why so many products and services are offered at weird, non-round numbers? You know, like the subscription meal service that costs $39.99 rather than $40?
These are called charm prices, and they’re really no bueno if your goal is ethical, transparent copy.
Charm prices come from an outdated psychological principle that says people are more likely to buy in because it “tricks” peoples’ brains into thinking the offer is cheaper than it really is.
But let’s be real—this just isn’t true anymore. I know when I see a price like $39.99, my brain automatically thinks $40. Charm prices have been around too long to be effective anymore. And these days, it’s more likely to make your offer look like part of some overly sales-y infomercial rather than a quality product or service offered by a trustworthy person.
Another pricing tactic to leave with the marketers of days’ past? Fake discounts. For example, a business coach who only ever runs her signature offer at 60% off and never at “full price,” but she insists it’s a limited-time offer. Nope, no thank you. That just isn’t honest or authentic.
What to do instead:
Quit the charm pricing and offer round prices instead. And if you’re going to run a time-sensitive discount—go for it! Just make sure to clearly tell your audience when the discount starts and ends, and honor it.
2. Ditch the false urgency.
“Act now!”
“Don’t miss this deal!”
Or, my favorite, “Only 1 seat left—grab the last one!” on an unlimited offer like a webinar.
Phrases like this create a false sense of urgency for your audience.
Rather than inviting people to make an informed decision rooted in a sense of security and joy, you’re pressuring them to act from a place of scarcity, fear, and potential regret.
If you’re reading this, I’d bet that’s not how you want to make the people you serve feel. Not to mention, urging people to make a decision before they’re ready to make it increases the chance of disgruntled customers—people who buy in because they think they have to before a certain timeline, only to regret their decision once they process what they’ve done.
What to do instead:
Sometimes you really do have to let people know that an offer or deal is almost up, so how do you do it ethically? Give them plenty of heads’ up when offers are going to come to an end, so they have enough time to make an informed decision. And where you can, use gentler language. Consider telling your audience when you’ll next offer whatever is on sale. No need to freak your folks out, my friend.
3. Use first and second person pronouns.
This one is pretty simple: speaking from your own perspective and directly to the people you’re trying to connect with is one of the fastest ways to write authentic copy.
Ever read an about page written in the third person (“Janet is a world-renowned social media expert with ten years of experience…”) that was clearly written by the person themselves (oh, Janet!).
Not only is it kind of alienating, it’s also usually obvious you wrote it anyway.
What to do instead:
People are reading your stuff because they want to connect with you and your business. So let’s get down to the “you”s and “I”s, baby.
Cut the corporate speak, place yourself on your customer’s level, anchor yourself in who you are and what you uniquely have to offer, and show your people your human side. Don’t worry about sounding perfect, focus on sounding like yourself.
This puts a sense of authorship to your copy, which is easier to connect with than the stiff copy that happens when you write in the third person.
4. Go for possibilities over promises.
Traditional copywriting is built around a few tried-and-true formulas that are aching for an update.
Generally, the old advice is to present a problem to your audience, agitate the problem, and then make a bold promise on how your offer is going to rid them of their pain and make all their dreams come true. If you know your stuff, you might even know this as the copywriting formula ‘PAS.’ Stuff like:
“Lose 40 pounds in 2 weeks with the No Fun Diet.”
“Double your Instagram following using these boring-ass templates.”
“Triple your income by taking mind-numbing online surveys from your couch all day.”
While you might think reading a promise like this will fill your readers with an expansive sense of hope and joy… there’s a better chance you’re going to trigger old fears, anxieties, and feelings of inadequacy instead. And even more so, you’re likely to be saying things that you really shouldn’t be promising in the first place.
With all three of the examples listed above, there’s just no way someone can verifiably promise any of them. No matter what diet you start, Instagram templates you use, or online surveys you take, no one can guarantee that you’ll enjoy the outcomes these statements lead you to believe. And that’s just not cool.
What to do instead:
Focus on the possibilities your readers may experience rather than throwing out outrageous promises you can’t keep. This is nuanced and will depend on the products or services you offer, but in a lot of cases you’ll find your copy will start to revolve around more emotional benefits or daydreams rather than concrete outcomes. Such as:
“Imagine feeling better in your body and more energized in your day-to-day. With the Intuitive Eating Plan, that dream is a possibility.”
“Feel more connected to your audience and gain the insights to grow your following with my social media templates.”
“Want the chance to make more money on your own time? Consider becoming one of our newest survey experts.”
5. Back up what you say.
Ever find yourself, maybe, just a little bit… sugarcoating the benefits of your products or services? Oof. You’re not alone. It’s becoming standard practice to make even the most banal offer sound absolutely life-changing (“this toilet plunger will create pure bliss in every aspect of your life!”).
But the dangerous slippery slope of this tactic is that you become inauthentic or begin to completely lie to your audience.
If you ever find yourself making bold claims about the efficacy of your offers that you can’t actually back up, it’s time to reconsider your marketing tactics.
I’m not here to shame or blame you—again, you wouldn’t be the first person to realize the things you say about your offers aren’t exactly truthful. But I am here to remind you that the best way to earn people’s trust and build an audience of people who genuinely love what you do is to be honest with them.
What to do instead:
Back up any claims with evidence: whether that’s statistics, client reviews, or something else. Grounding your copy in facts and data will show that you’re credible and trustworthy. Plus, it could make you feel a lot more confident because you’ll know what you’re telling people is the truth.
I hope you gained something useful from this quick’n’dirty list of 5 conscious copy techniques you can implement this week.