Writing to Sell: Six Secrets

How can you move people to act? In “Influence: Science & Practice,” Robert Cialdini shared these six principles:

Reciprocation: We feel obligated to return favors performed for us.
Authority: We look to experts to show us the way.
Commitment: We want to act consistently with our commitments and values.
Scarcity: The less available the resource, the more we want it.
Likeability: The more we like people, the more we want to say yes to them.
Social proof: We look to what others do to guide our behavior.

Which of these principles do you use to move your audience members to act? Which could you use?
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Source: Noah J. Goldstein, Steve J. Martin and Robert B. Cialdini, “Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive,” Free Press, 2008.

Write Copy That Sells

Would you like to learn more techniques for writing copy that sells? If so, please join me at PRSA’s August 28 workshop, “Writing That Sells — Products, Services and Ideas.” Whether you’re writing a tweet or a treatise, you’ll learn how to make all your copy more persuasive.

By Ann Wylie, president, Wylie Communications, works with communicators who want to reach more readers and with organizations that want to get the word out. She travels from Hollywood to Helsinki, helping communicators at such organizations as NASA, AT&T and H&R Block polish their skills and find new inspiration for their work. For PRSA, she presents programs like “Writing That Sells — Products, Services and Ideas” in on-site sessions across the country. Ann is the author of more than a dozen learning tools, including RevUpReadership.com, a toolbox for writers. In addition to writing and editing, Ann helps organizations launch or revitalize their Web sites and publications. She has served as a public relations professional in an agency, corporate communicator for Hallmark Cards, editor of an executive magazine and consultant in her own firm. Her work has earned more than 60 communication awards, including two IABC Gold Quills.