Emotion is a powerful tool in copywriting.

The best businesses/brands use it to make you feel, well, whatever they bloody well want you to feel.

From sadness and empathy to happiness and everything in between, we want to feel a connection with the people we’re buying from and the very best will use it in spades to make sure you feel something before you make that decision.

People make decisions based on an emotional connection before they double back and justify their decision with logic. That emotional engagement, however, will instantly bond you to that company or brand increasing your loyalty to them and of course, the ever-important conversion.

Think of some of your favourite brands. Now think how their advertising and marketing messages make you feel. How do they inspire you to take action (buy something, sign a petition, or share on social media.)

It will always be an emotional connection of some kind, making you feel something, that then makes you want to do something off the back of it.

So, how do companies weave emotion into their writing? I worked with a business recently where I helped to create a new tone of voice before they went away and executed it through their new website.

The amount of passion that the client had for their business, and the utter belief that they were the best at what they do was infectious, and it shone through in their copy. Never underestimate passion when you’re looking to build a connection with your audience. Whether you’re writing a LinkedIn update, a blog post, or an ‘About Us’ section on your website, write from the heart and you won’t go far wrong.

Six key emotions will inspire people to take action when they read something. Joy, fear, surprise, anger, trust and sadness (sounds like a popular Disney film) are the key areas people will connect with, and I’ll briefly break them down below.

• Joy – creating a positive association with a brand. It could be consistently posting positive content surrounding your brand or ways that you can affect people with your product or service – and how you provide it.
• Fear – ‘Are you prepared for what happens in the event of your death?’ An insurance or will writing company may use this or a similar line in their content to spark fear that you’re not prepared for the future, inspiring you to take action.
• Surprise – A surprise sale, or an unexpected flash mob, can grab people’s attention and knock them off their feet a little bit. This will help with your organic growth as people will be talking about it, and they’ll also remember it.
• Anger – this doesn’t mean stirring up emotion for no reason, but rather sparking a movement, and getting people to support your cause. Think of people telling others about unsustainable practices while promoting how sustainable their goods/services are.
• Trust – people need to trust you to work with you. Think reviews and testimonials, because, let’s face it, we’ve all dived into the reviews section before spending money.
• Sadness – just like anger, this isn’t about making people feel sad, but rather evoking empathy and inspiring action from readers. Think charity appeals, that cause sadness in an attempt to make people take action.

The best and most effective way of doing this is to use emotion without being manipulative. Be authentic because your regular clients will notice if something is different, so make sure you stay consistent. Tell a story that resonates and relates to people, choose powerful words, and back it up with real experiences – and hey, adding in a perfect pic or two won’t hurt.

Give it a go on your next LinkedIn post, blog, or marketing campaign, and let me know how you got on. Any questions, feel free to come and have a chat – I love chatting with people, especially about writing.