6 Principles to Increase Marketing (opens in new tab)

Toss, a leader in the Korean fintech space, demonstrates that high marketing performance can be achieved without resorting to aggressive or deceptive copy. By analyzing hundreds of A/B tests within their app, they have identified specific UX writing patterns that prioritize user trust while significantly boosting engagement. The core conclusion is that clarity, psychological ease, and guaranteed rewards consistently outperform complex value propositions and exaggerated claims.

The Power of One Core Message

• Focusing on a single, immediate action is more effective than listing multiple service benefits.
• In one test, replacing a complex benefit-driven headline with a simple "Take a 10-question test" resulted in a 10x increase in click-through rates (CTR).
• Complexity creates friction; users are more likely to engage when they understand exactly what the next step entails without distractions.

Prioritizing Guaranteed Rewards

• Users show a stronger preference for "guaranteed small wins" over "potential big wins."
• A campaign promising a "Minimum 100 won" reward saw 20x more exposure than one promising "Up to 1 million won," as large numbers can trigger skepticism or feel unattainable.
• Phrases like "You will definitely get 1" outperform "Get as many as you want" because they provide a concrete promise rather than a vague possibility.

Reducing Cognitive Load Through "Light" Language

• The choice of verbs significantly impacts the perceived effort of a task.
• Using "Prepare for travel insurance" instead of "Sign up for travel insurance" reduces the psychological burden, as "sign up" implies a long, bureaucratic process.
• "Light" verbs make the service feel faster and easier to complete, encouraging immediate action.

Strategic Information Framing

• Clearly defining the nature of information—whether it is a "collection," a "list," or "new"—helps users categorize the value quickly.
• Highlighting that a feature is "new" rather than explaining the specific benefits of the feature increased CTR by 6x.
• Using terms like "View collection" for loan products provides a sense of organized efficiency that appeals to users looking for consolidated information.

Specificity in Action and Conditions

• Ambiguity leads to hesitation; providing exact numbers (e.g., "4 missions" or "8 blanks") increases conversion rates.
• Specifying the number of tasks makes a goal feel attainable and removes the fear of an open-ended time commitment.
• Quantifying the effort required (e.g., "takes 3 minutes") allows users to make an instant, friction-less decision to participate.

Utilizing Intuitive, Everyday Experiences

• Copy that mirrors real-life physical actions is more intuitive for users.
• Changing a button from "View answer" to "Pick an answer" (accompanied by a stamp emoji) for an OX quiz significantly increased engagement by making the digital action feel more tactile and familiar.
• Leveraging common vocabulary ensures that users do not have to "translate" marketing speak into practical reality.

To maximize conversion, designers and writers should move away from broad marketing claims and toward radical specificity. By removing ambiguity and promising certain, low-effort outcomes, you can build a more effective and honest user experience.