Copywriting isn’t just pretty words on paper or a screen. It’s selling with words. And to sell, you have to be believable and credible. Tough to do in this cynical age! But there’s an easy way to be more credible: be more specific.

We’ve been stricken with a dreaded teenage syndrome at my house. Yes, acne. My poor son, he’s such a good sport about it! But I’ve been buying all kinds of stuff to help and it’s frustrating because I have no idea which claims are truthful and which aren’t. So I don’t believe any of them, but I could if they’d be more specific in their copy. For example, last night I was looking at an acne cleanser that claims it keeps working even after you wash it off. Huh? How can that be? I don’t believe it. But if they explained how in their copy, I would believe them. And be more likely to buy that brand a second time.

Or consider the client this week who didn’t want proprietary information about their product included in the copy. I understand why they don’t want to give out that much detail, but on the other hand, we can’t make a blanket statement (or promise) without what I call a “proof point.” Otherwise it’s just a claim that anyone could make. We compromised, using their generic statement combined with my addition of some wording in parentheses that explained that it’s proprietary, etc.). But my first choice would be to give the prospect the facts because that makes the copy more credible.