Bullet Points With Extra Umph!

We spend a lot of time talking headlines here, but here are some tips for making your bullet points more effective.

Of course, your bullets should contain benefits for your potential customer.

Next, it's important to have an emotional hook to your bullets.

Let's say we're writing copy for a product that prevents bad breath.

Don't just say, "Prevents bad breath."

Instead, try, "You'll never be self-conscious while speaking to somebody, even if they're inches from your face."

You can also say more with your bullet points by first listing the benefit, and then extending the idea with parenthesis, like this:

- Be confident on dates (you won't be nervous giving that late-night kiss)

- Works for hours (you can relax knowing your mouth is clean and fresh)

Notice all of my examples contain words that illicit emotions such as: self-conscious, confident, nervous, and relax.

Lastly, there are what I call conflict/agreement bullets.

You write these by combining both a positive and a negative statement in your bullet. Either one can be first.

For example:

- Never be embarrassed by bad breath again (you'll be comfortable in any social situation because you know your mouth doesn't reek).

- Your breath won't smell like rotten eggs (you can relax, even while whispering close to your partner).

You'll notice that the first statement riles the person up and the following parenthetical statement calms them down. This works very well.

That's it for now. I hope this helps some of you!