4 Smart Ways to Power Your Copywriting With Neuro-Linguistic Programming

Writing isn’t an easy job, writers have to learn the nitty-gritty of branding, tone, audience’s needs, and a lot of other parts to create something that is attention-grabbing.

That’s why seasoned copywriters know that it’s not about how intellectual you sound, it’s more about being clear and compelling.

That’s where neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) can be a trump card up your sleeve to craft an effective and epic copy that subtly influences readers.

Let’s understand what exactly NLP is and how you can use it to level up your writing.

What is NLP?

Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) is a framework that was introduced by Richard Bandler and John Grinder in the 1970s. According to Bandler and Grinder, there is a relationship between neurological processes, languages, and experiences that ultimately shape the way our minds work and influence the actions that we take.

Let’s take a look at what an NLP communication model looks like.

When an external event occurs, such as reading a copy in our case, it is filtered by the brain through the reader’s:

• Values
• Beliefs
• Decisions
• Memories

This either results in the information being stored, deleted, or distorted in the brain.

So, when you write a copy that aligns with your reader’s values, beliefs, or memories, it helps them take an action, which can be as simple as clicking a link or filling a form on your landing page.

4 Smart Ways to Implement NLP Into Your Copy

Now that you know what NLP is, let’s understand some effective NLP copywriting strategies that you can implement in your copy. Here are 4 smart ways to create an emotional connection with readers and help them move along the buyer’s journey:

1. Use a Positive Bias in Your Headlines

Your headline is the first thing that your reader lays their eyes on. The way you write your headline frames their experience and sets the tone for how people read your copy and remember it. This is why you must use a positive bias in your headline to make them stop and pay attention. Positive language stimulates the frontal lobe and improves cognitive function. You can use positive framing to focus on how you can help your audience do something better or highlight what they’ll gain.

When your audience sees ‘what’s in it for them’, they are likely to be intrigued. Here’s an example – This positive headline by HubSpot, talks about unique ways to improve your SEO strategy with backlinks.

2. Embrace the Power of Storytelling

We’ve used stories since the dawn of time and things haven’t changed much. We all love a good story because it evokes emotion, don’t we? Stories are a great way to capture people’s attention, motivate them to read more of your content, and ultimately, get them closer to the action point. In fact, stories are more memorable than just facts.

You can use storytelling in your writing, for instance, you can show success and failure. This means instead of telling readers what to do point blank, you can create a story to show what a successful and unsuccessful individual would look like in that story.

You could create a story of how an amateur writer doesn’t do keyword research and then you can highlight how seasoned writers do thorough research and planning for their content piece.

3. Add Power Words to Your Copy

Using power words can trigger a psychological response from your audience’s emotions and increase engagement. Such words hold the power of persuasion to influence readers. With a dash of power words in your copy, you can make it more compelling for readers and boost your conversion rates. Here’s a list of some research-backed power words you can use:

• You
• Instantly
• Experience
• Best
• Free

Make sure you A/B test different power words for your headline and CTA copies to ensure you are using the right one.

4. Use Priming

Priming is the practice of placing ideas in the reader’s head for later. Yes, something similar to what Leonardo Di Caprio did in the movie – Inception. But think of it like planting a seed that sprouts later.

The concept is that you subtly mention some key facts early on so that readers subconsciously know them and when they get to that part, it doesn’t feel like new information and they are more open to you guiding them.

Here’s how you can do this:

• Develop buyer personas so that you write like they speak and make your audience feel more comfortable when they read your copy.
• Subtly mention the pain-point, payoff, or benefit you’ll reveal later on in your piece. This keeps the reader hooked in order to get to the punch line. You can use some phrases like:

– Next, we’ll unlock an easy way out of this challenge.
– I’ll explain more about the benefits later.

This helps your reader to slide all the way to the bottom of your piece and enjoy every bit of that engaging ride.

Infusing NLP in your copy is a great way to get people’s attention, build trust, and ultimately, boost conversions.

Want to take your copy up a notch with NLP? Talk to us!