With the rise of the zero-click search, making our products stand out online is becoming harder than ever. Smart use of language is essential for persuading users to click on our ads. But using proven psychological techniques, we can writing scroll-stopping text ads for maximum engagement from our target audience.

1. How To Use Language
Psychology To Supercharge
Your PPC Campaigns
Helen Freeman | @Digital_Helen

2. Who am I?
● 5 years in digital (PPC, SEO, social
media)
● Background in languages and
communication
● Likes:
○ Dogs
○ Anything competitive
○ Skipping slides nobody cares about

3. In this session, I’ll be walking you through the following techniques…
● The Swiss Army Knife Method
● Emotional Triggers
● The Serial-Position Effect
● Social Proof
● Loss Aversion
● Power Words
Session Outcomes

4. BUT FIRST...

5. What is language psychology?

7. How to write a good ad (according to Google)
Quality Score
● Ad relevance
● Landing page experience
● Expected click-through rate

8. To attract
and draw in
as much
attention as
possible
Why do we write ads?
1

9. To attract
and draw in
as much
attention as
possible
Why do we write ads?
1
Stand out
2

10. To attract
and draw in
as much
attention as
possible
Why do we write ads?
1
Stand out
2
Appeal to
the target
audience
3

11. To attract
and draw in
as much
attention as
possible
Why do we write ads?
1
Stand out
2
Appeal to
the target
audience
3
Convince
people to
choose you
4

12. The ad copywriter’s toolkit

13. Who your
audience is
The ad copywriter’s toolkit

14. Who your
audience is
The ad copywriter’s toolkit
What they
want

15. Who your
audience is
The ad copywriter’s toolkit
What they
want
How your
product
meets their
needs

16. Who your
audience is
The ad copywriter’s toolkit
What they
want
How your
product
meets their
needs
How they
want to be
spoken to

17. The 6 Techniques
Helen Freeman | @Digital_Helen

18. 1

19. The Swiss Army
Knife Method
(Blade #1)

20. The Swiss Army Knife Method
UNDERSTANDING YOUR CUSTOMER

21. The Swiss Army Knife Method
UNDERSTANDING YOUR CUSTOMER

22. The Swiss Army Knife Method
UNDERSTANDING YOUR CUSTOMER

23. The Swiss Army Knife Method
UNDERSTANDING YOUR CUSTOMER

24. The Swiss Army Knife Method
UNDERSTANDING YOUR CUSTOMER

25. The Swiss Army Knife Method
UNDERSTANDING YOUR CUSTOMER

26. The Swiss Army Knife Method
● Confident, outgoing and about to start
university
● Loves getting together with his mates
● Hates studying
● His best friend is contactless payment
● His worst enemy is his bank balance
● He wants advertisers to give him information
quickly and easily
PETER

27. The Swiss Army Knife Method

28. Tip: Check competitor reviews!

29. The Swiss Army Knife Method

30. The Swiss Army Knife Method

31. 2

32. People are
self-obsessed.

33. We want our ads to
make people feel
something.

34. Emotional Triggers

37. Build a story
Emotional Triggers
1

38. Build a story
Emotional Triggers
1
Play to users’
emotions
2

39. Build a story
Emotional Triggers
1
Play to users’
emotions
2
It’s all about them,
not you
3

40. Emotional Triggers

42. 3

45. The Serial-Position
Effect

46. The Serial-Position Effect
Users are more likely to recall
the first and last pieces of
information they see.

48. The Serial-Position Effect

49. The Serial-Position Effect

50. 4

53. Social Proof

54. Social Proof
People copy the actions of
others in an attempt to
undertake a behaviour in a
given situation.

55. Social Proof
91%
read online reviews when searching for
local businesses
https://www.inc.com/craig-bloem/84-percent-of-people-trust-online-
reviews-as-much-.html

56. Social Proof
70%
trust peer recommendations more than
professionally written content
https://econsultancy.com/how-user-generated-content-is-changing-
content-marketing/

57. Social Proof
84%
trust online reviews as much as
personal recommendations
https://www.inc.com/craig-bloem/84-percent-of-people-trust-online-
reviews-as-much-.html

58. Things to highlight: Awards

59. Things to highlight: Accreditations

60. Things to highlight: Customer Feedback

61. Things to highlight: Ratings

62. Things to highlight: Endorsements

63. 5

64. Loss Aversion

65. Loss Aversion
Most people would
rather avoid loss than
acquire gain.

66. Loss Aversion

67. Loss Aversion

68. Loss Aversion

69. Loss Aversion

70. 6

71. Power Words

72. Power Words
We can break down power words into different domains...
Greed Sloth Lust Vanity
Trust Anger Fear

73. Power Words: Greed
Best Cheapest Exclusive Savings
Bargain Don’t miss out Expires Giveaway
Last chance Now Reduced Sale ends soon
Ultimate While stocks last

75. Power Words: Greed

76. Power Words: Sloth
Efficient Instant Simple
No nonsense
Accessible All-inclusive Kickstart
MereTemplate

78. Power Words: Sloth

79. Power Words: Lust
Engaging Fascinating Mind-blowing
Thrilling
Uncensored Naughty Obsession
RivetingUrge

81. Power Words: Lust

82. Power Words: Anger
Brutal Force-fed Sick and tired
Fed up WorstAnnoy

84. Power Words: Anger

85. Power Words: Fear
Beware Fooled Nightmare Pitfall
Backlash Blinded Caution Embarrassing
Fooled Mistake

87. Power Words: Fear

88. Power Words: Vanity
Ahead of the game Effective Hero
Remarkable Ultimate Jaw-dropping
Smart Staggering Kick-ass

90. Power Words: Vanity

91. Power Words: Trust
Authentic Expert Guaranteed No obligation
Certified Worldwide Official Accredited
Bestselling
Scientifically
-proven

93. Power Words: Trust

94. Key Takeaways
1. Know your customer: The Swiss Army Knife Method
2. Resonate with them: Emotional Triggers
3. Catch their eye: The Serial-Position Effect
4. Convince them: Social Proof
5. Get their click NOW: Loss Aversion
6. Provoke a response: Power Words

95. Helen Freeman | @Digital_Helen
Slides: impression.co.uk/language-psychology
Questions: helen.freeman@impression.co.uk
Twitter: @Digital_Helen