Last Updated on 1 month by Christopher Jan Benitez
Learning how to write copy that converts visitors into customers or buyers can be tough. There’s a lot of factors before you will be able to write a compelling one, and the text is just a portion of it.
Let’s talk about what exactly is a marketing copy and how can write one that will drive high conversion rates.
First, let’s define what a marketing copy is.
What’s a marketing copy?
The simplest definition of marketing copy is that it’s a text used to sell something.
Marketing copy can be in the form of a blog post, email newsletter, banner ads, landing pages, or any other type of digital media.
In writing one, your objective is to get people interested in what you have for them. And then motivate them into purchasing it.
However, it’s more than just writing. You also have to identify the goals, the channels, and the type of content that you want to market.
Let’s say you want to sell a t-shirt on social media through Facebook ads.
Are you going to make an image banner or is a video better for you? Do you simply want to get gain brand awareness? Or do you want them to click and actually buy your t-shirt?
These are mainly the questions to ask yourself before you begin writing a marketing copy.
Let’s do it step by step!
1. Set an objective
What do you really want to achieve with your marketing copy?
- Do you want them to read your post?
- Do you want them to subscribe to your email newsletter?
- Do you want them to buy your product?
There are many objectives that you need to identify prior to writing your copies. Sometimes, you can hit two birds at once.
For example, you can get your audience to subscribe to your newsletter and then buy your product.
Or just focus on one objective per marketing copy, it’s up to your strategy.
2. Choose a channel or platform
Not every copy works for every platform. But don’t worry, you can always repurpose them to fit any channel.
Here are some marketing channels you can explore:
- Social media
- Search ads
- Product description
- Blog post
- Landing page
You also have to remember that there are different types of audiences for each channel. The way you use your copy on social media will have a different tone on landing pages.
3. Identify your target audience
When it comes to marketing, you cannot just speak to anyone. You need to know who your target audience is to help you highlight pain points and use them as the key to your marketing copy.
Start with defining who they are by looking at demographics like age range or gender. Then look at their interests and see what types of things they might enjoy.
Finally, identify where they are hanging out. In other words, know the channels that you need to use in order to reach them.
The more information that you have with your target audience the better.
4. Craft Compelling Headlines
Headlines play a crucial role in grabbing the attention of potential readers. For this reason, writing your headlines in the most compelling way possible helps you stand out and entice readers to click through.
Consider using numbers and lists to get your headlines off to a good start.
Specific numbers add credibility and clarity to your headlines, while lists imply a clear structure and easy-to-digest content.
Here’s an example:
“5 Simple Tricks to Double Your Productivity in a Week”
It utilizes a number and list format, promises a clear benefit (doubling productivity), and specifies a timeframe (in a week).
Incorporating powerful words and phrases is another technique for making your headlines more compelling.
Emotionally charged words like “amazing,” “unbelievable,” or “revolutionary” provoke curiosity and excitement, while sensory words such as “sizzling,” “tantalizing,” or “mind-blowing” create vivid mental images.
The headline below uses power words to their fullest effect:
“The Mind-Blowing Secret Behind Successful Entrepreneurs”
The words “mind-blowing” and “successful” make an immediate impact on readers’ minds. They also hint at revealing a secret or insider knowledge and target a specific audience (entrepreneurs).
Posing a compelling question in your headline is also an effective way to engage readers and encourage them to seek answers within your content.
Use open-ended questions that spark curiosity, such as:
“Are You Making These Common Fitness Mistakes?”
This headline poses a thought-provoking question, targets a specific audience (fitness enthusiasts), and implies that the content will help readers avoid mistakes.
When crafting headlines, always remember the following:
- Highlight the main benefit or promise of your content.
- Clearly communicate the value the reader will gain by focusing on the most compelling aspect of your content.
- Keep your headlines concise and clear, aiming for 6-12 words for optimal readability.
- Avoid ambiguity and ensure that the headline accurately reflects the content to build trust with your readers.
You can use a tool like CoSchedule Headline Studio and other headline-scoring tools to brainstorm and validate headline ideas to be used for your landing pages or blog posts.
5. Use Emotional Triggers
The limbic system, the brain’s emotional center, processes information quickly, and emotional responses occur before conscious thought.
This means that appealing to emotions in your copy can be a highly effective way to capture attention and encourage engagement.
Common emotional triggers include the following (with examples for each):
- Fear – “Don’t Let Your Retirement Plans Crumble: Act Now” highlights potential negative consequences of inaction and encourage immediate response.
- Desire – product descriptions, like “Experience Luxury Like Never Before With Our Premium Skincare Line,” emphasize the product’s aspirational benefits and create a sense of indulgence and exclusivity.
- Belonging – “Discover the Secrets of Successful Women Entrepreneurs: Join Our Thriving Community” effectively targets women entrepreneurs. It implies exclusive access to the secrets of success, fostering curiosity and encouraging the target audience to take action and become part of a vibrant group of like-minded individuals.
- Guilt – “Are You Neglecting Your Pet’s Health? Schedule a Checkup Today” implies that pet owners may inadequately care for their pet’s well-being. Posing a question challenging the reader’s sense of responsibility and suggesting a simple solution (scheduling a checkup) immediately (today), the headline encourages the target audience to address any potential feelings of guilt.
- Curiosity – “The Surprising Reason Why Your Diet Isn’t Working (And How to Fix It)” hints at an unexpected insight into why the reader’s diet may not be effective. And by promising to reveal this surprising reason and offer a solution (especially with the use of parentheses to tease the “fix”), the headline creates a strong desire for the reader to learn more.
Important
Use emotional triggers authentically and avoid manipulation or overuse. Striking the right balance ensures that your copy resonates with your target audience and maintains trust and credibility with your brand.
6. Keep it short and simple
People don’t like to read long, especially a sales pitch.
Use short sentences or phrases and get to the point!
The longer your copy is the longer it is for your customer to convert. And your goal is to make the journey to conversion as short as possible.
Grab attention in just a quick glance and make them want what you have!
7. Add a sense of urgency
Find a way to convince your potential market to buy your product, and to buy it right now. This great technique is used to motivate a market that may otherwise delay purchasing.
For instance, you can offer something and set a deadline. It’s one of the proven ways to get your audience to act and act quickly.
Another thing is scarcity. If you have a limited product on sale for a limited time, you may trigger your audience’s fear of missing out on the best deal.
However, do not overdo it as it may backfire and cause frustration to your potential buyers.
8. Invoke emotions
As it turns out, emotions are a factor in buying which you can capitalize on.
If we’re feeling motivated to be fit, we’re highly likely to buy some gym equipment or do some healthy grocery shopping.
This same logic applies to marketing copies. You need to capture people’s attention by capitalizing on their emotions and effectively persuade them to buy your product.
You can use analogies or share relatable customer stories to connect with your market.
That being said, let’s explore some copywriting formulas using a copywriting tool called Anyword.
Pros
- Creates usable, one-click, AI-generated copy for your campaigns.
- Polished UX makes creating AI copy a cinch!
- Affordable pricing with generous word limit
Cons
- Limited industry options
Anyword is an AI-powered copywriting platform that helps marketers tailor their messages to their ideal audience. It generates and evaluates copy for ads, social posts, email subject lines, landing page copy, and much more.
There are many copywriting formulas out there but we’ll talk about some of the common ones.
First up is PAS, short for Pain, Agitate, and Solve.
It’s a copywriting formula that’s meant to identify the problems of your audience, make it sting a bit more, and then provide a solution.
It sounds like you’re adding more salt to the wound and trying to be the hero at the same time. And it works!
Invoking emotions through your copies adds a personal touch and helps readers connect with what’s being said.
To give you an idea of how PAS looks like, let’s try writing some using Anyword.
Here’s a closer look:
All you have to do is input the name of your product and add some descriptions.
It will show you some variations that you can already use or tweak a little to fit your taste.
Don’t like any of them? The good thing is Anyword can generate hundreds of copies to choose from.
9. Make it about your audience
What’s in it for them?
Why should they buy your product or avail your service?
Speak to your audience in a way that what you’re selling will really benefit them.
Don’t make it about you. Unless you’re as big as Apple or have a big following already, your audience doesn’t really care that much.
Rather than saying: “We provide the best power washing services in town.”
You say: “Get the shiniest looking patio by booking our power washing service.”
You get the idea.
What people care about is what they will get from you and how it will positively impact their life.
To show you an example, let’s go back to Anyword and generate AIDA copies about eyeglasses.
AIDA is short for Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action.
This model works best if it’s perfectly aligned with your audience and their motivations.
To put it simply, if you know who your audience is you know how to attract them.
10. Compelling CTA
You’ve got the best copies there and someone wants to buy your product. What’s the next step for them?
Complete your marketing with a clear CTA. In short, get them to do a specific action that will lead them to convert.
It sounds simple enough but there are many things that go into producing an effective CTA button. If it’s not done correctly it will result in lost customers and lost sales.
So do not waste that opportunity just because your readers are left confused thinking of what to do next.
11. Test and Optimize Your Copy Regularly
Creating compelling copy is just the beginning. Regularly testing and optimizing your copy allows you to maximize your content’s impact.
A/B testing, or split testing, lets you compare two versions of a piece of content or a webpage and measure their performance based on predetermined metrics.
Identifying the version that resonates better with your target audience optimizes your content for higher engagement and conversion rates. You also get to acquire valuable data-driven insights for future content creation.
Several elements of your copy can be tested to improve performance.
Effective A/B tests require a set of clear goals and metrics from the outset. Identify key performance indicators (KPIs) such as click-through rates, conversion rates, and time on page, and determine the desired sample size and testing duration.
Once the test is complete, analyze the results objectively, comparing Version A’s performance to Version B’s and assessing statistical significance to validate your findings.
Based on the test results, implement changes to your content, update it with the winning version, and apply the insights gained to future content creation and optimization efforts.
Use a tool like Nelio A/B software to help you flawlessly execute A/B testing on your WordPress site.
Important
Testing and optimization is an ongoing process (thus, the word “regularly” in the heading). Conduct A/B tests regularly to refine your content’s performance and stay updated with industry best practices and trends to ensure it remains engaging and effective.
Do You Now Know How to Write Copy that Converts?
In a nutshell, a marketing copy’s main purpose is to convert.
Imagine writing a few words that will net you up to thousands of sales if you do it right.
It’s not easy, so you can always use a tool like Anyword to eliminate writer’s block and provide you better options to use.
Writing an effective marketing copy goes a long way and directly affects your brand’s profitability.