In writing copy, everything counts. Down to each individual word you choose to use.
For example, you can use words to “stretch” or “shrink” time, depending on what you wish to convey.
You’ll want to “shrink” time if you wish to express how quickly you respond to a service call… But to express how long your guarantee is, you want to “stretch” time and make it seem as long as possible.
Consider the words we use to express time: seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, etc.
Words that express shorter duration time periods “feel” shorter than words that express longer time periods. For example, 60 seconds “feels” shorter than 1 minute, even though logically, they’re the same duration.
In the same way, 60 minutes “feels” shorter than 1 hour. 24 hours “feels” shorter than 1 day. 7 days “feels” shorter than 1 week. Etc.
If you have a 1-hour response time, it sounds much better to say “We’ll be there within 60 minutes.” If you’ll get back to a customer in about a day, it’s better to say “I’ll be in touch with you within 24 hours.”
Conversely, a 90-day guarantee “feels” longer if you express it as “a full 3 months”. A “one week trial” sounds longer than “7 days”.
You can also add diminutive or additive adjectives to further shrink or expand the perception of time. These include words like “just”, “only”, “less than”, “full”, “entire”, “complete”, etc.
- “In less than 24 hours.”
- “Just 60 minutes.”
- “Take an entire month to decide.”
- “Try it for a full week.”
In less than 60 seconds, your copy could pack an extra punch of persuasive power. Try it for a full month, and see for yourself the power of mere words to “stretch” and “shrink” time.
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Aaron – this is such great marketing info – different from the typical lessons I’ve heard from others in the past. Either I personally missed it, or it just wasn’t in front of me prior to now. I will use these “time” theories for sure – thanks so much!