The right words for your spiritual offer: honest language that builds trust

Please note: this is my personal experience from many years with my own websites and offers. It isn't legal advice, and I won't tell you what's allowed where you live. For your specific texts, talk to an attorney who knows advertising law in your country.

Why this matters more than it used to

When I pick up old flyers from before the pandemic today, I sometimes have to swallow. A lot of what sounded completely normal in our field back then, I wouldn't write that way anymore. Not because my work has changed, but because of how closely people now look.

Most of the rules have existed for a long time. What's new is how consistently they're enforced. In some countries there are firms that scan the web with software for certain phrases and send out legal warnings in bulk. Platforms and payment providers are also stricter than they used to be. If you're just starting and a letter arrives half a year in that costs you a few thousand, it isn't the end of the world. But it takes the joy out of something you began with your whole heart.

What it feels like when your words are right

I don't want to scare you. Quite the opposite. Since my texts have been clean, I write far more relaxed. I don't have to wonder with every new offer whether I'm asking for trouble.

And the lovely part: the texts haven't become colder. They've become more honest. Instead of promising what will happen, I tell people what they can experience with me. That reads more calmly. And the people who fit me sense exactly that.

Three kinds of phrases I watch for

• Anything that sounds like a promise about the body or the mind. I leave out every statement that symptoms, conditions or complaints will disappear or improve. An exotic name doesn't change that: putting “healing” in a title is no solution for me either. No before-and-after pictures, no before-and-after stories. And I'm clear that my work doesn't replace medical or psychological care.
• Anything that promises results or income. This matters especially if you, like me, also accompany people in building their own work. I don't say what someone will achieve or earn. I describe what we do together.
• Anything that exaggerates. No superlatives I can't back up. “The most powerful,” “the only authentic,” “guaranteed” are words I simply don't use.

One point many people find hard: I don't use even enthusiastic feedback from guests in my marketing if it contains a health promise, however sincerely it's meant. In many places, a testimonial you publish counts as your own claim. Stories about how someone experienced an evening are something else, and I'm happy to share those.

A first look at your own pages

You don't have to rewrite everything at once. Do something small today: open your homepage or your flyer and read it with three questions in mind.

• Do I promise anywhere that something will change in someone's body, health or finances?
• Is there a claim I couldn't back up if someone asked?
• Would I say every sentence exactly like this to a skeptical person's face?

Mark the places where you get stuck. Often it's only five or six phrases. Then find, for each one, words that describe what people really experience with you. Instead of saying what will happen, write what an evening invites or what many people experience.

Let AI read along

AI is surprisingly good at this kind of second reading, because it doesn't share your blind spots about your own texts. It won't replace an attorney, but it finds the obvious spots quickly.

Here's the text of my offer page: [paste]. Please list every sentence that could be read as a promise about health, symptoms, results or income, and every superlative. For each, suggest a calmer alternative that describes what people may experience instead. Keep my tone and don't add any new claims.

Then go through the suggestions yourself. Some will be too cautious, some will sound unlike you. The final wording is always yours.

Clarity instead of worry

I'm not a substitute for an attorney, and neither is this article. If you're unsure, have your most important texts reviewed once by someone who knows advertising law where you live. Many people find that a real relief.

What I can pass on from more than 25 years: the worry about legal trouble is no reason to make your offer smaller. It's an invitation to say more precisely what you do. And that's exactly what makes your texts stronger in the end.