- The inSSIDer ad on the right looks got fewer clicks because the styling is outdated and obnoxious, whereas the one on the left is on-trend.
- The "control sweat" ad is worse because the word "sweat" is right there in big letters, and that's distasteful.
- The buttons with "free" got fewer clicks because they talk about money, not about the benefit of the product. Talking about money up-front is a warning sign to people, like they're overeager to prove the wrong thing to you.
The more successful alternative had "my armpits are always wet" in the equivalent location.
It is pretty transparent when somebody is writting to me to sell something and I care less about that text instinctively. I don't care what the copywriter wants, I care about what I want. I don't care about your sales or conversion rates, I'm solving my problems. Going through all the desperate fluff is just too bothersome.
Oh what's that, you've figured out how to put my first name into the first sentence? We know how templates work, that doesn't make it more personal.
Oh you use fancy designs and flashy graphics? How does that bring me closer to my goals?
Etc., etc.
A short, valuable, plain text is more important to me than all the fancy vacuous copy in the world.
Isn't that exactly what she's saying? Seems like you're not an outlier after all.
Alternatively, subscribe to the BoS newsletter and we will email you when it is live. http://businessofsoftware.org/updates/
