How to create copy that converts
Writing engaging, stand-out content is great, but have you considered what improvements you could make that would help take a reader from ‘this is interesting’ to ‘wow I must buy this product now right now!’ Too often, brands will neglect this crucial element of the copywriting process and it could be affecting your bottom line more than you realise.
In this guide, we hope to provide some insight into what a compelling copy looks like and how to create content that converts.
What is a conversion?
A conversion, in marketing terms, is when someone performs a desired action. This could be anything from buying a product, signing up for a mailing list, downloading content, or any other step that helps your company reach its sales goals. And while fun, engaging content has its standalone benefits, it’s the copy that converts which will make all the difference to your bottom line.
Here are our 5 steps to writing copy that actually converts
1. Know your audience
When writing content, think about who you want reading it. Imagine you are having a 1:1 conversation with that person, then read it again. Is the copy something you would say in person? How will your product be perceived by this person by what you have written? Do you sound like a door-to-door seller? A cold caller? If you do, you might want to consider re-writing it in a way that matches your personal tone and reflects your desired brand image.
When thinking about writing for your target audience, consider the following three things:
- What difficulties does your target audience face?
- What are they trying to achieve?
- How does your product help them achieve this?
As well as matching your language and tone of voice to your audience, make sure to also research popular keywords that they search for. Using a site like AnswerThePublic can really help you understand what it is your audience is searching for and help you better understand your audience’s priorities and help you curate your content around this. Using relevant keywords will help people find your content in the first place!
2. Sell the solution not the product
Newsflash 📰 – people don’t just buy a product. People buy how a product makes them feel, people buy what they think a product can help them accomplish, people buy a solution to a problem they have. This is the essence of ‘solution selling’.
Once you understand your target audience, think about how your product can help them. List some of the top pain points of your target audience and match these pain points with the solution you offer. Put this solution at the core of your content.
3. Create a great headline
There’s no point creating a load of killer copy if people don’t read past your headline. A good headline is arguably the most important part of your content when it comes to conversion.
So how do you create a headline that makes the reader read on?
- Keep it short and simple. Our attention span is very low. If your headline does not capture the user’s interest in the first couple of seconds, it’s unlikely they’ll read on, and even more unlikely they’ll click on your CTA.
- Not only should your headline be simple, it should also be powerful and move the user to action. Try creating a sense of urgency in your headline with a clear action for the reader.
- Consider Step 2. Your headline should let the reader know quickly and clearly your solution.
- Use alliteration. Not only can this create interest and convey a sense of personality, but people are also more likely to remember the message, making it even more impactful.
4. Less is more
Take a read of your copy. Now delete at least 25% of it. Even if you think every single word you have written is essential. I’d bet all my worldly possessions that you can still remove 25% of what you have written and not only will it still make sense and tell the reader what you want them to know, it will be twice as succinct and increase conversions.
Stick to shorter sentences. Keep your content short, snappy, and sharp. Insert frequent breaks between content and consider regular subheadings and larger font to highlight key points and grab attention.
Use an extension like Grammarly to help you stick to writing in the most concise way as possible be concise.
5. Storytime
While it’s important to be succinct and get to the point, don’t neglect to tell a compelling story while you’re at it. Similar to alliteration, storytelling helps make our ideas and messages stick. One of the key aims of your story should be to build trust with you audience and engage with them in an authentic and relatable way, this in turn helps increase buy-in from the consumer and can help not only with conversion but retention too.
Let’s wrap it up
And that’s it! Keep these steps in mind and you’ll be creating high-converting copy in no time.
