Wondering why your copy just won’t convert?
Watch this video to learn the 5 most common copywriting faux pas...
that’ll put your sales on pause.
Listen, we have all been there.
You spend hours writing what you think is a genius piece of copy... only to have it
fall flat.
I’ve been writing copy for 10 years, and that doesn’t mean that everything I write
turns to gold.
I still sometimes miss the mark, but that’s the great thing about copywriting.
The market gives you irrefutable feedback and the results are quantifiable.
Either your audience is buying or they’re not.
And what an awesome opportunity to learn and grow, right?
(See, copywriters are so good at re-frames).
So listen if your copy sucks, all you gotta do is try something new and wait for the results.
And not many creative mediums allow for this sort of objective and immediate feedback...
And, truly, the only way for you to become a great copywriter is through pushing through
this cycle again and again and again.
And here’s a little secret, the best copywriters in the world have written more terrible copy
than anyone!
And that is why they're the best.
They’ve learned through experience and gauging results, time and time again.
And that’s the difference between just a writer and a copywriter.
Write.
Results.
Repeat.
And the same goes for you content writers. Sure while your purpose, direction and goal
are different than copywriters, you’re still able to gather market feedback and quantify
results based on engagement, SEO rankings or virality.
So you want to know the secret to writing good copy?
1. Write bad copy...
2. Fix it.
You have to start somewhere and your first few goes are definitely going to be basic.
So you might as well get those outta the way so you can more quickly step into your genius
copywriting self.
Ok?
And that’s what I’m here for – to help you start and succeed with copywriting!
I release a new copywriting tutorial every single week so hit subscribe below and then
make sure to hit that little bell icon to be notified of when my next video tutorial
goes live!
But in this video, I’m going to be sharing the 5 biggest mistakes you might be making
as a copywriter.
Hopefully this will give you a leg up so you can start strong and avoid the missteps that
I learned along the way…
Alright, mistake #1...
You’re Afraid To Polarize
I can’t tell you enough how many times I’ve heard my clients or students say, “But Alex,
my product or service can help anyone!
I don’t want to alienate anyone in my copy…”
To which I say.
“That’s nice.
But if no one’s buying your product or service, than you’re not helping anyone.
So.”
The truth of the matter is: you need to polarize your audience.
Why?
Because polarity = popularity.
If you try to help everyone you will help no one.
So for reals people, for a second can we just get over the fact that your product is
amazing and life changing and probably CAN actually help everyone, because really, that
should be a given!
I’m hoping that the REASON you’re looking to write better copy is because you have something
to sell that IS amazing and WILL help people…
But if that’s all you needed to write in your sales copy than you wouldn’t be here.
So remember, you should be spending LESS time talking about WHAT your product is and more
time talking about WHO and WHY it can help.
Your audience will always ask “So what?
Who cares?
And what’s in it for me?”
I know, rude right?
But, the quicker you answer these questions, the higher your conversions will be!
And part of figuring out WHO your audience is, is figuring out who your audience isn’t.
Ask yourself, who might disagree with me?
The more polarity you create, the more your ideal audience is going to rally behind you
and the more trust you’ll actually create.
Leaders have strong convictions and aren’t afraid to voice them.
So be authentically and unapologetically YOU.
Now, I’m not saying you should sit down and ask yourself “hmmm who shall I offend
today?”
But don’t be afraid of causing some controversy and conversation.
As they say, the well-behaved never make history!
Ok mistake #2...
You Talk About Features Not Benefits
One of the most powerful things you can learn as a marketer and copywriter is the difference
between features and benefits.
So here’s a quick distinction:
A feature is something that your product has or is.
It is planned, built, and executed in order to directly solve a common problem.
In sales copy, features are factual statements about what your product or service is, and
they are NOT what entice your customers to buy.
Benefits, on the other hand, are why someone is purchasing your product.
In sales copy, benefits describe the outcome that a user will (hopefully) experience by
using your product or service.
They are RESULTS expressed through desired emotions and answer the question "What's in
it for me?”
So let me give you some examples of how to turn your features into benefits.
Feature: Batteries Included.
Benefit: Ready to use!
No disappointed child on Christmas morning.
Feature: A complete list of 5 minute core exercises.
Benefit: Get that tummy bikini ready in just 5 minutes a day just in time for your vacation.
Ok now let me hear from you!
Comment below with a feature or benefit of your product or service.
And brownie points for whoever has the juiciest benefit!
Okay now moving onto mistake #3...
You Don’t Think Mobile First
In a recent study I read, in 2019 up to 80% of all web traffic will be mobile!
And every single year that number goes up and up and up and up.
Now, to give you some perspective, in 2010, only 20% of internet consumption came from
mobile devices.
The data also shows that bounce rates are significantly higher on mobile devices than
desktop computers, which means mobile users are more likely to land on a webpage, and
then GTFO.
And that’s likely because so many businesses are still not following the trends and optimizing
their copy and websites for mobile first.
So don’t let that be you.
Assume the majority of users will be reading your copy on a small screen with big thumbs!
So test shorter headlines, larger font, use words like “tap” instead of “click”
and make your copy easy to follow and flow on a small single column mobile device…
ALWAYS test to see how your copy looks on mobile first before you start sending traffic.
Next, moving on to mistake #4...
You get too fancy.
Listen Linda.
You’re smart.
You use big words, you love wit and innuendo, and you expect your reader remember what you
said 2 seconds ago...
But here’s the thing... they don’t.
The average American reads at the 7th-grade level.
So, if you’re writing something that a pre-teen would find kind of confusing or difficult
to read, your copy is too complex.
Our brains are lazy and we love cognitive fluency.
Which means, the easier something is to understand...
the more likely we are to actually believe it.
So while YOU might feel all smart using big and fancy words, as it turns out, the more
complex your copy, the less intelligent you actually seem.
As the old saying goes: “If you can’t explain it simply, you just don’t understand
it well enough.”
The goal of copywriting is to hook your prospects attention and carefully guide them through
the message until they take that desired call to action.
So really, the goal of every single sentence is to get your prospect to read the next sentence.
And as soon as you use a complex word, or unnecessary fluff or unrecognized idioms,
you break your connection with the reader and they’re gone.
Studies have also shown that your brain will forget information at a shocking speed if
there is no repetition.
Which is why you need to add a lot of redundancy in your copywriting by restating important
benefits and calls to action.
This also helps those “scanners... you know those people who read through copy and
just read headlines and a few bits at a time – If you repeat yourself they’ll get the
message too.
Now this goes for design as well.
Never let the design of a webpage guide the copy that you write.
The visuals should always support the message.
And not the other way around.
As they say, a picture is worth a 1000 words, so an image that properly supports your message
will only help you improve conversions.
Pictures and design should help you tell your story better, so as you’re writing…
Really think about the way your message will best be visually represented with imagery
that will actually support your message, and not distract from it.
So, whatever you do, don’t start gettin’ fancy with the design and then try to plug
in copy after the fact.
And finally, mistake #5...
You Don’t Say “Because”
Marketing 101 y’all, you need to include a “reason why” in your marketing, ESPECIALLY
for the things your audience might not like or understand, like why you’re limiting
a sale or why you have a “no refund policy”.
In the 1970’s, Harvard prof Ellen Ladner conducted a study where her researchers approached
people using copying machines and asked if they could cut in line.
When they asked “Excuse me.
I have 5 pages.
May I use the Xerox machine?”
60% of people said yes.
Not bad.
When they changed their request to “Excuse me.
I have 5 pages.
May I use the Xerox machine because I’m in a rush?”
A whopping 94% of people said yes.
But here’s the best part, they found that giving any reason at all to cut in line, no
matter how ridiculous, worked just as well.
So when they asked “Excuse me.
I have 5 pages.
May I use the Xerox machine because I have to make copies?”
93% of people still said yes.
Now of course there are some limits to this phenomenon, according to the study “…because
an elephant is after me” didn’t quite cut it.
But it still shows the power of using BECAUSE in marketing.
Why am I offering a discount?
Because…
Why is the discount available for only 24 hours?
Because…
Why do I not offer refunds?
Because…
You get the idea.
Using the B word frequently in your marketing, no matter how simple or obvious the explanation
may seem…
Your copy will convert better, I promise.
Alright!!
There she be.
The 5 biggest copywriting mistakes that could be cutting your conversions in half.
Please give me a thumbs up below if you found this video helpful!
Next up, be sure to watch my video on How To Find A Hot Niche.
In it, I’ll walk you though my step-by-step process for defining your audience and finding
the perfect market/offer fit, this is a great exercise to do before you start writing your
copy.
So you can watch that video right here.
And be sure to subscribe.
I will see you next week!
Until then, I’m Alex. Ciao for now.