In copywriting, assumptions can end up costing you a lot of money. That’s not good.
In my latest report with Michel Fortin, Tapping Michel Fortin’s Brain: Volume 2, he discusses an interesting test result he couldn’t figure out. An unprofessional picture of the product creator was generating more sales than a professional picture. This shocked Michel.
If he wasn’t such an avid tester, he never would have discovered that his assumption was unprofitable.
I’m pretty sure all copywriters will relate to this: when I deliver copy to a client, they often make changes to the copy before publishing it to the web. When I challenge them on it, the response is usually “I just changed a few things to make it more (something), but it shouldn’t effect conversion.”
Why would anyone assume that?
Of course, testing is the best assumption killer. Are you testing?
It’s not just copywriting where assumptions can have negative consequences. I suggest dropping as many assumptions as you can, from all aspects of life.
Many people assume minimum wage laws mean the poor will receive a “fair” wage. Most economists (nearly 80% in one study I know of) believe minimum wage laws keep low skilled workers from finding a job… because they’re not worth a “fair” wage to the employer. In fact, it was this issue that helped turn my favorite economist, Thomas Sowell, in to a capitalist (from a Marxist).