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Imagine this…

You’re desperate to find a candle that smells like heaven—without setting your sinuses on fire.

After 30 failed searches for The One, your Instagram feed is now a sea of ads for “non-toxic,” “organic,” and “relaxing” candles.

But every single one sounds the same.

Meh.

You sigh and keep scrolling through dachshund videos when a headline grabs your attention:

“The candle that doesn’t sacrifice your sinuses for scent.”

It’s plastered at the top of a video showing a candle burning softly on a sandy beach.

Your eyes jump down to the caption.

“Our new Beach Days candle transports you to the sun-soaked, white-sand beaches of Tahiti. With a blend of creamy vanilla, zesty lime, and a hint of coconut, it’s paradise in a jar—minus the headaches.”

Not only does the description paint a vivid mental picture of a Tahitian beach, but you can almost smell it.

Within five minutes, you’re adding the candle to your cart and running to find your credit card.

What persuaded you to buy this non-toxic candle over all the rest?

In today’s edition of Why We Buy 🧠 we’ll explore Concrete Phrases—why we are hardwired to respond to them over abstract phrases.

Let’s get into it.
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🧠 The Psychology of Concrete Phrases

Our brains, which process images 60,000X faster than text, are naturally drawn to imagery.

And concrete phrases turn words into mental pictures.

Richard Shotton, best-selling author of The Choice Factory and consultant in behavioral science marketing, retested a 1972 experiment on the memorability of concrete versus abstract phrases.

But here’s the key: He wanted to test phrases commonly seen in marketing.

So participants heard a mix of concrete phrases such as “money in your pocket” and “skinny jeans” along with abstract phrases like “innovative quality” and “wholesome nutrition.”

The result?

Participants remembered only 0.7% of the abstract phrases and 6.7% of the concrete phrases—a tenfold increase in memorability.

This finding is like striking gold in the marketing world.

When you use sensory-rich, specific language, your product or message becomes real in your customer’s mind.

And when they can picture it, they’re one step closer to buying it.
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🤑 How To Apply This

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

eCommerce​
​Transform your messaging from a vitamin into a painkiller

❌ Generic: “High-storage capacity.”

✅ Concrete: “1,000 songs in your pocket.”

Apple turned the pain of lugging around a ton of bulky CDs into a highly desired, easy-to-visualize promise. Bonus points: They did it in just 5 words.
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Product descriptions​
​Tap into sensory experiences

❌ Generic: “Our chocolate is delicious.”

✅ Concrete: “Our chocolate offers creamy smoothness that melts in your mouth.”

By tapping into a delightful sensory experience, Lindt gets mouths watering—and wallets opening.
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​Rentals​
​Use hyper-specific numbers

❌ Generic: “Earn more money renting out your house.”

✅ Concrete: “Earn $1,078 in 7 nights.”

By ditching vague, overstated promises like “earn more money,” Airbnb makes you wanna open your house to strangers ASAP.
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💥 The Short of It

Abstract phrases paint your product or service as a “vitamin.” They’re nice-to-have, forgettable options. *womp womp*​
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Meanwhile, concrete phrases paint a vivid mental picture that grabs our attention and sticks in our minds.

And when your messaging is spot-on, they can even transform a promise into a “painkiller”—AKA a must-have solution—so potential customers are more likely to hit the “Buy now” button.
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Until next time, happy selling!

With ❤️ from Katelyn and Jordyn​

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