​Subscribe | Advertise​
​Join 63,553 smart people

Brought to you by Longevity Gains and Impact​

Tap into the $22 TRILLION market most are missing out on ​ ​Did you know “old” people are the most powerful economic group on the planet? Yup—people currently over the age of 50 have the most spending power. And that’s only gonna increase over the years to come. That’s why the “longevity economy” is the largest, fastest-growing market. If you overlook it, you’ll leave major money on the table. Discover how you can seize this $22 trillion opportunity. ​ ​​→ Grab your free longevity economy guide​

​
Imagine this…

Your mom’s birthday is next Tuesday.

But because you’re launching a new digital product—which means your life is pure chaos right now—you don’t have time to bake her a cake like you normally do.

That’s a bit of a problem.

Your mom has celiac disease and can only eat gluten-free foods, so you can’t just call up any bakery.

Thankfully, there are 2 gluten-free bakeries in town.

So you dust off your detective skills, pull up trusty Google, and start researching.

The first bakery has a solid 5/5 stars out of 79 reviews.

“Delicious!”

“You would never know the cupcakes were gluten-free.”

“Best bakery in the world!”

“Is it REALLY the ‘best bakery in the world,’ Susan?” you think suspiciously. “No one is perfect.”

So you pull up the 2nd gluten-free bakery and see it has 4.8/5 stars out of 49 reviews.

“The Death By Chocolate cake was a hit!”

“Unbelievably good.”

Then you see the 4-star review responsible for pulling down the bakery’s overall rating.

“Nice bakery, tasty cupcakes, just wish it wasn’t so small. There’s no place to sit and enjoy your treat inside or out.”

You decide *this* is the bakery you’ll use to make your mom’s birthday cake.

Why did you choose the lower-rated bakery over the place with the perfect rating?

In today’s edition of Why We Buy 🧠 we’ll explore the Blemishing Effect—why we view something more favorably if we learn it has a minor flaw.

Let’s get into it.

🧠 The Psychology of the Blemishing Effect

Stanford researchers discovered a peculiar phenomenon.

Mentioning a slightly negative feature, such as limited color choice, after highlighting the positive features can increase sales compared to *only* mentioning positive features.

In the study, participants were shown a pair of hiking boots.

1. One group was given all the positive aspects of the boots.
2. Another group was given the same positive aspects but was also introduced to a minor negative (AKA a “blemish”) about them—they only came in 2 colors.

Under the right conditions, this minor blemish made participants more interested in buying the boots.

Researchers propose that a minor negative accentuates the positives, making the product or service more desirable to the buyer.

But there’s a catch.

The person must already have a positive impression of the thing before a minor negative is introduced.

(And the keyword here is “minor.”)

That’s why the majority of your time should be spent ensuring customers have a positive impression of your product, service, or even brand as a whole.

That way if a slight blemish is introduced (whether intentionally or inadvertently), it’ll make you appear more credible and trustworthy so customers are more likely to buy—not less.
​

🤑 How to Apply This

Alright, so how can you apply this right now to sell more?

eCommerce​
​Be honest about your product’s benefits

Customers are smart. They can smell BS a mile away.

So if you tout a “100% success rate,” customers will run away quicker than they can say “BS.”

Ceramidin is one of Dr. Jart+’s best-selling products, with page after page of glowing reviews.

But even the highest-rated skincare product in the world wouldn’t work for everyone. And Dr. Jart+ doesn’t pretend Ceramidin is any different.

Instead of claiming 100% of consumers said it relieved dry, tight skin, Dr. Jart+ was transparent and stated it was 93%.

This slight “blemish” boosts purchase likelihood by making the claim feel more honest and credible.

Wanna see your brand here? Advertise with us​

Retail & Hospitality ​
​Frame positive features as negative

Not all negative features are negative.

Take Five Guys, for example. They’re known for their generous portion sizes, including an overflowing amount of fries.

As their founder says, “If people aren’t complaining that there’s too many [fries], there aren’t enough!”

This feature is framed as a negative when it’s really a positive that entices more diners to come in for a burger and mountain of fries.

After all, if the worst thing diners are saying is, “I’m stuffed. I can’t eat anymore,” you’re not doing half bad.
​

Service-based businesses​
​Make it clear who you sell to—and who you don’t

Your product isn’t for everyone—and that’s a good thing.

So instead of trying to hide that fact, flaunt it.

Lianna Patch of Punchline Copy strategically showcases social proof that tells potential clients what she doesn’t write: serious or straightforward copy.

Now to some, that might be off-putting. And that’s exactly the point.

This “blemish”—if you can call it that—not only helps her stand out in a sea of copywriters, but it also helps her attract her best-fit (sassy) clients.
​

💥 The Short of It

Don’t shy away from the “human” elements of your brand.

Embrace them.

Buyers know that life isn’t perfect—and business isn’t either.

That’s why showing the occasional blemish is good for business.

Just make sure you’ve already created a positive impression in your buyers’ minds before you do.

​
Until next time, happy selling!

With ❤️ from Katelyn and Jordyn​

​
Psssssst: Eddy C used 1 science-backed copywriting technique when he wrote this 5-star review for Wallet-Opening Words.

Do you know what it is? Hit reply to share your guess.

​