How Much Proof Do I Need In My Copy (Are You Including Enough)

In my time as a copywriter I have been asked this question a few times, I should be asked it more often based on some of the ads my clients have presented to me when asking for critiques.
Based on all my experience as a marketer, copywriter and business owner the simplest and clearest answer I can come up with that the more proof you have the better. As long as you have the space to fit it in.
Every claim you make, every benefit you promise the prospect has to be made real and believable.
We are living in the age of scepticism. If you promise someone they can drop 2 kilos a week for 10 weeks, you better have lots of testimonials from people who have done it before.
You better have a doctor saying that your weight loss program is perfectly safe and it is used by hospitals as part of their strategy for getting the hyper obese to lose weight.
The more different types of proof you can offer for a benefit the more real and believable it is. In a perfect world you’d be able to present an ironclad case for each benefit you present.
Unfortunately this turns your copy into a long boring scientific report
There is a simple trick to keeping your copy believable but not boring. Start with the benefit that has the most proof. Then move on to the next most believable benefit. The built up credibility has a trickledown effect. Everything that comes after these strongly proven points is automatically more believable in the eyes of the prospect.
Your proof needs to be interesting to get it read
Copy can never be too long only to boring. People read the proof statements in order to justify their emotional decisions. If you promise someone an appealing benefit you can’t afford to be boring when you present the proof. Otherwise you’ll lose momentum and making a sale is all about building momentum.
In age of scepticism, the ability to present proof in a compelling and engaging way is vital to the long term success of your business. The response rates of your copy, has a lot to do with how believable it is. Based on some of the major direct mail test results I am privy to I can tell you that believable copy doesn’t always out pull hype fuelled copy, but credible believable copy does generate customers with a higher long term value and greater loyalty.