When it comes to the copywriting, people love numbers.

People have a tendency to trust numbers because they’re quantifiable, proven, and credible. Scientists deal with numbers and everyone knows that scientists spend a lot of time in their lab testing their results.

Here are a few proven truths about using numbers in your copy:

Odd Rather Than Even

Odd numbers are more believable than even numbers. If you’re going to make a list, don’t just make four points, make five. Three is better than four and seven is better than six.

Three is a very powerful number. It lends a nice rhythm to a sentence:

If you’re seeking comfort, style and affordability, look no further than our durable 100% cotton robe.

I just read a comment on a content marketing community where a person said that much of today’s content is too formulaic. He added that people are bored of reading headlines that say ‘5 facts about x you need to know.’ He claims such headlines have become “utterly boring.”

Here’s the thing about “formulas.” They’re popular because they work.

Readers respond to “5 Facts About Soda You Need To Know” because they know what to expect: five bullet points about soda. Curiosity combined with self-interest  is one of the most powerful types of a headline.

So don’t back off using numbers in your headlines because “everyone” seems to be doing it. They’re doing it because using odd numbers in their headlines gives them results.

Precise Rather Than Rounding Off

People trust precise numbers. If you experienced a 723.89% increase in your web traffic, don’t round it off to 724%.

Use every bit of that percentage. It adds credibility. If you are able to include these numbers in the results of your product or service and feature them in a testimonial, you’re going to have a very powerful testimonial. Your reader is looking for results. The more specific you can be in giving them, the better.

Limit choices

If you give your reader too many choices, he will often make no choice.

In face-to-face sales, you wouldn’t say, “Would you like to buy this vacuum cleaner?” It’s always, “We have the regular model, the deluxe model and the deluxe model with the 25-year service contract. Which would you prefer?”

You see this in many online services such as email service providers or even WordPress premium plugins. They often feature “Personal,” “Small Business” and “Large Business” options, or something near it.

Customers like choices but they need to be limited and offer a clear contrast to the other options. Again, three seems to be the magic number.

As always, testing will let you know what works best. However, using numbers is one of the best ways to get attention, especially when used in a headline. So add some numbers to your copy. It just may increase a very important number at the end of the day: profit!

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Photo credit: Leo Reynolds / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA