Edit Your Copy for Zero Risk

Edit your copy to reduce the perceived risk.

What is the main risk preventing your One Reader from moving forward?

Start by measuring risk for the prospect on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being incredible risk.

Then, assess your copy against what you know your One Reader worries about:

• Risk of performance: Will it work like you say? — Level (1–10)____
• Risk of value: Is it worth what I’m going to pay? (Even if we are talking about the prospect giving you his email address) — Level (1–10)___
• Risk of design: Will it cause harm or introduce friction into my life? — Level (1–10)___
• Risk of social success: Will the people who matter to me approve? — Level (1–10)___
• Risk of joy: Will I be satisfied/improved personally by it? — Level (1–10)___

Focus on one of these risks when editing your copy. Choose the risk that is closer to 10.

Let’s say you are writing copy for a product for teams. The person responsible for buying the product will feel the risk of social success and performance the most. Edit your copy to nail that risk.

The last thing to do is try to neutralize the risk. As a starting point, you can use the following:

• Specific names of influential (to your One Reader) users.
• Specific testimonials that directly neutralize identified risks.
• Quantities of the right kinds of users.
• Quantities of users in general.
• Data points about user success.
• Data points about new user success in X time.
• Data points about social success.
• Info about what happens next.
• Info about guarantees.

Most of the time, the reduction of risk happens around the point of conversion (your call to action). Start there.