If you’re a small business owner, chances are you’re writing your own copy. Or maybe you’ve worked with copywriters in the past, but it doesn’t quite feel like you or it’s not getting you the results you want. I wrote this article to help you write high-converting copy — in other words, get your potential and existing customers to take action and, in turn, get more revenue for your business.
I know you’re busy, so I made this article short, packed with value, and highly actionable. Hopefully, the things you learn here will help you improve your copy. And if you have experience with copywriting…well, a little reminder never hurt anyone! Oh, and don’t forget to actually review your copy and implement what you’ve learned 🙂
Let’s dive right in!
3 questions your copy has to answer
When someone reads your copy, you have to answer these 3 questions running through their heads:
- “Do I care about what you’re offering me?”
- “What’s in it for me?”
- “Can you actually do what you say?”
In other words, high-converting sales copy is relevant, appeals to emotions (not just facts) and it’s believable. Miss one, and your copy is too bland and doesn’t resonate with the reader. Get all 3 right, and watch your conversions increase.
So how do you make sure your copy is relevant, emotionally charged, and believable? Let’s look at each of these in more detail.
1. Effective copy talks about a specific, pressing problem your client wants to solve.
As I’ve mentioned before, sales copy is not about making people buy something they don’t want, it’s about offering solutions to problems. And in order to solve your customer’s problems, you need to know what their problems are (duh!).
Seems obvious, and yet a lot of new copywriters and business owners writing their own copy try to guess what their audience’s problems are or don’t focus on the most important ones.
It’s easy to write abstract, general copy that seems “safe” and applies to everyone. But when you try to please everyone, you’ll end up appealing to no one.
Great sales copy is by definition polarizing. It repels the people who aren’t your ideal customers and attracts the right people – your people. Well-researched copy resonates with the person reading it. It makes you go, “Yes, yes, yes, that’s me, how did you read my mind?”
So, how do you make your copy more relevant?
Go to the source – your customers – and ASK them!
- What was your starting point, your biggest struggle?
- What made you seek the solution?
- How is your life better now?
- What is the transformation you got from our product/service?
- Did you have any reservations about me?
- Why did you choose me?
If you don’t have clients yet or for some reason can’t ask them, you can look for companies in your niche and go through their online reviews to see what their customers are saying about them.
Mine VOC (voice-of-customer) data online
Here’s where you can find precious VOC data:
- Quora
- Instagram channels
- Facebook groups
- Amazon book reviews (especially the 3-star reviews)
- Comment section of high traffic blogs in your niche
- YouTube comments
- And any other place where your potential customers spend their time.
Write to one person
When writing copy, imagine ONE specific person you’re writing to – a real client who bought your products or someone you’ve worked with in the past.
You’re not writing to a group of people “who want to work from anywhere” or “moms looking to lose the extra baby weight”. You’re writing to Lisa, a single mom from Connecticut.
Picture Lisa. What was her life like before? What did she worry about? What was she thinking about? How did she spend her days? What kept her up at night? If a genie could grant her 3 wishes, what would she ask for?
Your goal is to try to understand “Lisa” as much as you can. Dig deep. Focus on the problems that are pressing for your “Lisa” right NOW, and use the words that she’d use in her everyday conversations in your copy.
ACTION STEPS:
- Survey your existing customers or prospects, go through any existing testimonials, reviews or online forums looking for customer’s words.
- Review your copy from the perspective of your “Lisa” – check that it solves the biggest, most pressing problem she’s having.
2. Great copy speaks to your customer’s emotions.
When writing copy, you can reach your readers on 2 levels: intellectual and emotional.
Intellectual is based on logic and highlights the features of the product/service – what your product or service does.
Example: “I’m a certified accountant with 20 years of experience” (Answers the question “What is it?“)
But as you may know, people don’t buy based on facts. They buy based on emotions — emotions like fear, happiness, greed, love, vanity, safety, and so on.
And if they can’t imagine it, they won’t buy it. That’s why it’s important to highlight the benefits of the product or service – what your product or service does for your clients.
Example: “I can help your business save hundreds of thousands in taxes every year” (Answers the question “What’s in it for me?“)
How do you work emotion into your copy?
The best way to do this is to paint a picture in your prospects’ heads. You can do that with stories, personal anecdotes, humor. In other words, take it from the clouds to the streets. Show how your product/service lives in the world.
Compare:
| “I’ll help you achieve financial independence.” | vs | “After you finish my course of financial planning and investing, you’ll be able to save enough for your dream vacation without giving up lattes or manually counting every dollar you spend. Oh, and you’ll never have to fly economy again.” |
ACTION STEPS:
- Review your copy: is it focused more on features or benefits?
- Does it speak to an emotion? Do you use emotionally charged language?
- Do you use personal stories and specific examples in your copy?
3. Finally, high-converting copy is believable.
Most of us have developed a pretty strong BS detector, so when we read something that feels a bit scammy, little alarm bells start to go off in our heads.
For example, the copy below just feels off because it goes against everything you know is true.
“Revolutionary weight loss pill! Burn fat while you sleep! Lose 30 kilos in one week!”
Trust is a big element of what makes someone buy. The more trust you can incorporate into your copy, the higher your chances of getting them to take the action you want them to take (sign up, download, buy, book a call etc).
How do you make your copy more believable?
One way to do it is to add verifiable numbers or measurable results from your clients into your copy.
Compare:
| “Sign up to my email list!” | vs | “Join 285 graphic designers improving their Photoshop skills” |
| “Working with Mary helped me make more money as a freelancer.” | vs | “Mary’s coaching helped me land an $8k retainer contract in my first month of freelancing. Now I only work 3 days a week, instead of working full-time at my old office job.” |
Another way is to add so-called “trust seals”. Won an award? Got featured in a big publication? Worked with famous clients? Incorporate this into your copy.
ACTION STEPS:
- Review your copy: is it believable?
- Is it free from claims you can’t prove? (“best product” etc)
Conclusion
I hope now you better understand how to make your sales copy more effective! Go ahead and run your eyes over your existing copy using what you’ve just learned.
Here’s a fun exercise for you:
Imagine the most self-centered, jaded, skeptical, annoying person you know, and review your copy from their perspective. Picture them reading your copy line by line asking:
- “What are you offering again?”
- “Do I care about this?”
- “What’s in it for me?”
- “So what?”
- “Who are you again?”
- “I don’t believe you. Can you prove it?”
Does your copy need a makeover?
If the words aren’t flowing and you want someone to take the struggle of copywriting off your hands, you can reach out to me – I’d be happy to help. Now you can focus on what matters most – growing your business!