Writing · Marketing / Copy / Brand
Did you know that simply changing statements to questions can dramatically impact behavior for up to six months? 🤯
I was reading Steven Bartlett's "The Diary of a CEO" where he shares this fascinating insight:
"This means, for instance, that a sign that says, 'Please recycle' is much less likely to increase its viewers' chance of recycling than a sign that says, 'Will you recycle?' Telling yourself 'I will eat vegetables today' is less likely to increase your chances of eating vegetables than asking yourself the question, 'Will I eat vegetables today?' Astonishingly, researchers found that turning a statement into a question could influence a person's behaviour for up to six months."
This completely changes how I think about marketing copy and calls to action!
Instead of "Download our guide" → "Will you download our guide?"
Instead of "Join our webinar" → "Are you joining our webinar?"
Instead of "Follow us for more tips" → "Will you follow us for more tips?"
The psychology is brilliant. Questions create a moment of self-reflection that statements don't. They invite the brain to actually consider the action rather than just processing information.
Have you tried question-based CTAs in your marketing? What results did you see?