Five unethical copywriting tactics (and how to avoid the used car salesman sleaze)

As copywriters, it's our job to help showcase and sell our client's products and services. We need to position things to shine, to speak to people, to solve problems. We need to connect. But we also need to make it our business to write ethically.

Unethical copy doesn't do you any favours when it comes to nurturing trust. And as we all know, if we don't have trust, we don't have connection. And if we don't have a connection, we may as well kiss sales goodbye.

Here are five common unethical strategies you should avoid:

Manufacturing a sense of urgency

I follow the mantra: use figures to sell, not to scare which means I think it's okay to use numbers as a way of authentically communicating to your audience. For example, if you are running an online course and cap the numbers at 20, it's fine to include that in your copy. It creates a sense of intimacy and feels natural and authentic. Scarcity tactics on the other hand, like data used to incite panic buying ( think countdowns on evergreen content) are plain old manipulative. 

Fabricating testimonials

Editing testimonials for grammar or typos is absolutely fine, but using them out of context or editing them so much that they bear no semblance of the truth, is in my humble opinion, a big no-no. If you can't source a testimonial that offers the proof you need, reach out again or find another purchaser to help.

Using jargon

Unless it's technical copy or very specific industry talk that needs to be included, it doesn't bode well if your copy is littered with all the big words. Using misleading or intimidating jargon not only complicates copy but it can actually alienate the very audience you are trying to connect with. Strip things back, keep it real.

Vanity Pricing

I'll be honest, I've fed into the whole pricing psychology movement and avoided round numbers and been strategic about pricing placement, but the more I read about ethical copy, the more I felt uneasy about it. It's not fair play if you make someone think your prices are lower than they are.

Manipulative headlines

You know the ones, the headers that don't relate to the body copy? The ones that are there purely to rouse buy-in, but in the tackiest of ways. Instead of using trigger words to cause panic or fear, connect with your audience on an empathetic level. Perhaps offer them a solution to their problem if they buy in, not a consequence if they don't.