Joe Sugarman's Triggers (A Useful List of “Psychological Triggers” to Convince People to Buy)

Joe Sugarman wasn’t just writing ads. He was decoding human psychology. In his legendary book The AdWeek Copywriting Handbook, he breaks down 24 “psychological triggers” that make people pull out their wallets.

Why this works

• People buy emotionally, justify logically.
• Trigger-based copy taps into existing desires instead of creating new ones.
• Each trigger (like curiosity or scarcity) gives your copy a built-in reason to act now.
• Great copywriters stack triggers for maximum persuasion.

Famous examples

• Apple uses curiosity with secretive product launches.
• McDonald’s taps social proof with “Billions Served.”
• Amazon nails convenience with one-click ordering.
• Tesla drives authority through Elon Musk’s public persona.
• Supreme leverages scarcity with limited drops.

Small shifts in your copy. Big impact on conversions.