Say This, Not That

Keep the benefit; refine the promise. Builds collagen → supports firmer-looking skin.

Use a three-move edit:

The goal is not softer copy. It is sharper copy: helps skin look renewed tells the client what she can expect to notice.

ORIGINAL

rebuilds collagen and repairs damaged skin

REFINED

supports firmer-looking, smoother skin

WHY

the refined line preserves the visible benefit without promising tissue repair

ORIGINAL

fights acne bacteria

REFINED

helps skin look clearer and calmer

WHY

the refined line describes appearance rather than treatment of a condition.

Trade vague power words for what the client sees and feels: smoother, brighter, softer, fuller-looking, comfortable.

Try these spoken swaps:

HEALS DRY SKIN

leaves dry-feeling skin comfortable

ERASES LINES

softens the look of lines

DETOXES

cleanses away surface buildup

BOOSTS GROWTH

supports a fuller-looking appearance

Choose the version that matches the exact product and evidence. A polished swap cannot create support that is not there.

Ingredient science gets its own precise grammar. "In laboratory testing, the named peptide was shown to signal fibroblasts" attributes the method and subject correctly. The finished product then closes on its supported cosmetic result: "skin looks firmer and more resilient."

Do not change the sentence's subject halfway through. Ingredient evidence belongs to the ingredient; finished-product evidence belongs to the complete formula; regimen evidence belongs to the named routine used together.

Use the client's permission, real conditions, and honest experience. A testimonial is not a clinical result.

Caption the actual story: product or routine used, time period, relevant conditions, and permission to share. Identify it as one client's experience. Do not retouch the performance area, call the image a clinical result, or imply that an exceptional result is what everyone should expect.

If the post creates a typical-results impression, disclose the generally expected result when you have support for it.

FTC endorsement rules judge the net impression, not the presence of a small qualifier. Results may vary does not automatically cure an atypical-results message. The advertiser needs support for the performance conveyed and, when an exceptional testimonial is used, a clear statement of what people can generally expect.

Keep testimonials honest, representative, permissioned, and visibly separate from controlled evidence. If the expected-result message cannot be supported, do not use the testimonial as product-performance proof.

Make the relationship easy to notice and understand. Clear disclosure strengthens the recommendation.

Use plain words that fit the real relationship and place them with the endorsement. A bio alone does not cover a separate post, Story, video, or live demonstration.

The viewer should understand the connection before acting on the recommendation. Match the channel: visible text for visual content, spoken disclosure for video when needed, and a clear statement in the caption or post.

A material connection can include ownership, employment, payment, free product, commission, or another relationship that could affect how an audience weighs the endorsement. The wording must describe the actual connection; a weaker label cannot replace a stronger relationship.

Placement, prominence, language, format, and timing determine whether the disclosure is clear and conspicuous. Evaluate each piece of content on its own screen and in the form the audience receives it.

Read it aloud. Can a client hear the product, visible result, proof type, and relationship without decoding the post?

Run the final pass:

RESULT

is the benefit specific and visible?

SCOPE

is the exact product, ingredient, or regimen clear?

PROOF

does the support match the complete claim?

DISCLOSURE

is the real relationship easy to notice?

Then cut filler. One clean promise lands harder than a paragraph of qualifiers. For live responses, continue to [When a Client Pushes](/learn/legal-claims/when-a-client-pushes).

The claim is the full presentation: headline, caption, overlay, image, demonstration, hashtags, spoken words, links, and omissions that shape the reasonable takeaway. A technically careful sentence can still overstate when the image or headline promises more.

Read for net impression, then read for cadence. Keep the benefit in the lead, the qualification beside the term it limits, the evidence at its earned scope, and the disclosure where the audience will actually encounter it.