Do math

I absolutely hated math in high school — and even got a D- in one of my algebra classes — which makes what I’m about to tell you even funnier.

Because I genuinely believe that if you want to write better copy, you should try to do more math. Where it makes sense, and where applicable.

Now … I do not mean “do math” in the sense that you list a bunch of “valuable bonuses” that are worth “$10,000+” and then give them away “for free.”

Come ooooooon, buddy.

What I mean by “do math” is that whenever you’re writing for a product or service has a direct and quantifiable impact on the financial, emotional, or mental well being of your prospect, spell it out in detail.

The best example, of course, would be financial copy (which is most of what I write).

Take a product that allows the reader to earn, say, a 5.00% APY on their money. Then spell out an exact scenario where they deposit a certain $ amount into an account that earns that APY.

Then — and this is the kicker — show the reader, over time, how much they could earn after holding that money in that account at that APY, and compare it against a lower amount or an average amount earned over the same time.

Okay, you know what … maybe that’s a little heady. So here’s are two real examples:

A high-yield savings account:

Imagine, dear reader, that you put $50,000 into an account earning 5.00% APY, and keep it in that account for 10 years — and you don’t touch it. After 10 years, you’d walk away with $82,350.47 … compare that to just letting that same money sit in your checking account. That’s a difference of over $30,000!*

An app that helps reduce screen time:

Imagine, dear phone-addicted reader, that you spend 4 hours a day on your phone, every day, for the next 20 years. That’s 29,200 hours — or over 3 YEARS spent looking down at your phone over the next 20.

Now … imagine that you cut your screen time down to just 1 hour (this is the average we see after users install our app). That would cut your screen time down to approximately 10 months. Much better, right?

See? Math.

There are lots more examples that I could come up with, but these two jumped out at me immediately and are pretty easy to grasp. I’m sure, with a little thinking, you could translate this same idea to other industries too.

And if you happen to work in an industry that gives people more of their free time back, well, let me know.

Until tomorrow.

— David

*This is not financial advice. Consult legal counsel — whether you try to write this, or if you want to do something like this with your money. K?