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“I’m sorry. My mistake.”
How to use mistakes to your advantage in your copywriting.
Joe Portsmouth
April 17, 2024
Sponsored by
Welcome to the 65th issue of Write On!
The newsletter that wonders why there aren’t any sit-down comedians out there. Seems easier.
In today’s issue I’ll be covering:
HubSpot’s 2024 State of Marketing Report
Write engaging stories that motivate your readers to take action
“I’m sorry. My mistake.”
Estimated read time: 2 minutes 5 seconds
HubSpot’s 2024 State of Marketing Report
Dive into the future with HubSpot's State of Marketing Report for 2024! Uncover the latest trends from AI integration to privacy-first strategies. Perfect for marketers aiming to stay ahead, this report offers a deep dive into evolving consumer behaviors, innovative marketing tactics, and the rise of personalized, data-driven campaigns.
How to create a compelling story that moves people:
The free 3-day email course that will help you write engaging stories that motivate your readers to take action should be live by the end of this week!
Click below, and I’ll send it to you as soon as it’s ready.
“I’m sorry. My mistake.”
People are biased and irrational, and their decisions often don’t make sense.
All people, including me and you.
One of our biases is that we like people who we consider highly competent even more when they’re open about a mistake.
Because we tend to see highly competent people as “superhuman.”
When they make a small mistake, others can humanize them and thus like them more.
This is valuable in copywriting because people buy from people they like, trust, and resonate with.
Because if they’re open about their mistakes, they can be open about other things, too.
We can resonate with them because EVERYONE makes mistakes.
So let’s walk through 2 effective marketing examples that utilize honest communication about mistakes 👇
(1) Highlight the flaws:
In a world where everyone shouts how great their product is…
“too good to be true”
“breakthrough”
“innovative”
Think of how much you stand out when you’re doing the opposite.
When you openly confess and even highlight your product’s flaws:
(2) Negative reviews:
When I first read this stat, I couldn’t believe it….
But negative reviews are good for business: 52% of consumers say they are more likely to trust a product if they have a few negative reviews.
No product or service is flawless.
If there are no negative reviews, then something must be wrong.
Don’t hide your negative reviews. Show them.
💥 How to take action: Write down all your mistakes, all the reasons why people wouldn’t buy your product, and collect all your negative reviews. Then if you truly believe in the aspect of your product it’s negative about, share it. Sounds crazy, but it works.
That’s all for this week! See you next Wednesday.
Cheers,
Want more copywriting tactics?
I’ve got you covered.
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