These are the 10 things that every highly skilled,
highly paid copywriter does,
for every single piece of copy they write.
(upbeat music)
Ever wonder how much of copywriting is actually,
well writing, the answer might surprise you.
The truth is, crafting messaging is only
a tiny-tiny itty-bitty part of actually copywriting.
Because in order to be a successful copywriter,
you first need to know how to do
customer analysis and market research.
You need to understand strategy and positioning.
You must conceptualize a killer hook,
and craft an irresistible offer.
And all of that needs to be done
before a single word gets written.
And this is why mark my words,
copywriters never charge per word,
because writing words,
is only a tiny fraction of what they do.
That six word headline could have taken hours
or maybe even days and weeks to craft,
based on the steps I'm sharing in today's video.
So, copywriters, if you wanna level up your skills
so that you can charge more for your work,
and get clients literally knocking
on your door every single week.
And business owners, if you wanna know what
to look for when hiring copywriters
so that you can find the right person
for your brand and business,
and get copy that actually converts,
you'll wanna pay close attention
because this video is for you.
This is my complete 10 step copywriting tutorial,
and surprise, surprise, it is not all about writing.
And because I know you guys love
examples and actionable advice,
in each and every step on this list,
I'll give you a pro tip, example or formula
that you can use to really help understand each concept.
Hey guys, what's up it's Alex.
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Today, I'm gonna reveal the 10 crazy important things
you must do for any copy you write.
These 10 steps are the marketing basics
that copywriting is crafted around.
So all of these steps apply no matter what you're writing,
whether it be a sales page, emails, ads or a landing page.
Now I want you to pay special attention to number six,
because it is arguably the hardest part of copywriting,
yet the most important step
to really getting your copy right.
And I have a special gift
for those of you who stick around to the end,
so keep watching.
All right, so let's dive in.
Step one on my list,
get to know your customer avatar.
First things first,
before you can sit down to actually write anything,
you need to get crystal clear on who you're selling to,
and what their pains, desires, and fears are.
Yes I am talking about your customer avatar.
You need to write your copy as if you're speaking
to one specific person.
And the more specific you can be in describing
the real life emotions this person experiences, the better.
So go out there and research your little booty off,
so you can fully understand everything
about your customer avatar.
Now the best way to do this, hit up Reddit forums
and Facebook groups, read Amazon reviews
and dig into research tools like AnswerThePublic.
This is how you learn exactly what your ideal
customer wants to know.
So for example, I recently looked up dream recall on Reddit
and look at all these awesome threads that pop up.
You can see the actual questions that people are asking
about this topic.
So say you're writing copy for a client
that teaches people how to recall their dreams.
Yes, it is a real thing.
This forum would give you a great idea
on how to speak directly to your customer avatar.
Now do not underestimate the power of this.
Truly understanding your customer avatar,
will put you miles ahead of your competition.
Now, if you need a little help with this,
let me know in the comments section below,
and I will send you a worksheet
that will help you get really clear on this.
All right moving on to step number two, uncover your USP.
The USP or unique selling proposition,
is what makes your brand or product
stand apart from the competition
that's out there fighting for the same spot
in your customer's hearts, minds, and wallets.
So in other words, why should they choose you?
Are you cheaper, better, faster, quicker,
higher quality or more sustainable.
Your USP should be super short, clear and concise.
You should be able to affectively communicate who you are,
what you do and how you can help,
in just a few short sentences.
So here's a great example from Mast chocolate,
made the right way.
We start with ethically sourced cacao,
from Tanzania's groundbreaking organization,
Kokoa Kamili, paying farmers far beyond
even fair trade premiums.
Our chocolate is certified organic, kosher
and made from bean to bar in house.
Now here's a pro tip,
this is not a place to get fancy with language
or use rhymes or cute and clever statements,
unless they work.
Never sacrifice clarity for cuteness, cute doesn't sell.
So here's my super simple fill in the blank formula,
for an effective USP statement,
I help audience, with problem, achieve benefit,
through unique solution.
So go ahead and give it a try.
Step three, empathize with their pain.
Yep, it's a fact,
we as humans are weird complex little creatures
that are innately hardwired to avoid pain at all costs,
before ever seeking pleasure.
And this is why it is so important
for you to not only identify your avatar's pain points,
but to empathize with them in your copy.
Now, of course you don't want to do this
in a sleazy cringey or douche baggy kind of way.
Your customer avatar should never feel attacked or shamed.
What they should feel is seen, heard, and understood.
So this is where you lean in with empathy and understanding.
You need to let them know that you hear them,
because you have been there.
So for example on my sales page,
for The Copy Posse Launch Files,
I talk about that dreaded copywriter catch 22.
How you can't get hired without a portfolio,
and you can't get a portfolio without getting hired.
It's a common and relatable problem
that I have seen time and time again,
in my decade long journey,
in this world of copywriting.
Empathizing the pain is not about putting salt in the wound.
It's about identifying the discomfort,
distress or frustrations your audience has,
in a real and relatable way.
All right, step number four, offer a solution.
Only after you've created trust and rapport in your copy
through empathy, do you pivot to the solution you have
to help them overcome their problem.
So whether it be a product or service,
remember that your solution needs to be believable.
Simply having a great offer is not enough
to get a conversion.
Your audience needs to believe it can actually help them.
So here's another pro tip,
remember your audience is always looking
for a reason to not buy from you.
It is human nature to be skeptical.
So rather than using hype and hyperbole
to try and convince them to buy your product,
share stories, address their objections and write copy
in a conversational tone.
Include as much evidence and demonstration as possible
in your copy because it adds credibility
and it delays your prospects doubts.
Like my friend Emily Lark does for her
Back To Life Healthy Back System sales page here.
She shares her own story with back pain
and what led her to overcome it,
before she presents the offer.
Step number five, identify benefits, not only features.
So you just presented what you're selling
and now you need to identify why someone would buy it.
You should of course include the features
of your product in your copy.
That's anything your product has or is.
But no one is gonna buy your product
based on the features alone,
which is why it is super important
to include those juicy bennies.
The benefits are the big promise behind your offer.
They should paint a clear picture
of what your prospect's life could look like,
after purchasing your product.
So here's an example from my own sales page for
The Copy Posse Launch Files.
As you can see I have a few benefits
at the top of my offer recap.
And then the features are listed below.
So think of it this way,
features speak to the logical reasoning
of a person's buying decision
whereas the benefits speak to the emotional reasoning
behind a person's buying decision.
And you need to include both to make an irresistible offer.
So this is where a lot of copywriters can get hung up.
Often mistaking features as benefits and as a result,
they don't include any real benefits on their sales page,
which means they're missing a huge conversion opportunity.
So that's why I created my,
"Feature to benefit converter cheat sheet,"
to really help nail this concept.
All right, now onto the most important part of copywriting,
step number six, craft a killer hook.
As marketers and copywriters,
we are in the business of attention and retention.
So the highest goal in any single marketing campaign,
is to capture and keep your audience's attention,
how? With a killer hook of course.
A hook is an attention grabbing idea, concept or statement,
that piques the readers or viewers curiosity,
and makes them want to learn more.
So arguably, conceptualizing hooks
and crafting showstopping headlines,
is something all great copywriters should master ASAP.
It is the highest paid skill,
a copywriter can learn in my opinion.
So pro tip, scroll through content sites like,
BuzzFeed, Bored Panda, and Cosmopolitan,
for mad hook and headline inspiration.
And then head on over to my Instagram,
to take part in my next edition of,
"Make this headline even hotter."
The comment section on these posts,
is absolute fire and it's a great way
to start practicing your hooks and headlines.
Step number seven, use user generated content.
So sometimes the best copywriting,
doesn't come from copywriters,
but from customers.
Social proof is an absolute game changer in marketing
and makes our jobs as copywriters a whole lot easier.
In fact, 72% of people say that
positive testimonials and reviews,
increase their trust in a business.
And a whopping 88% of people say that
reviews directly influence their purchasing decisions,
which is exactly why it is super important
to feature testimonials in your copy.
Now in my opinion, the best kind of testimonials,
are the 100% candid, organic
and relatable user generated posts, videos and reviews
that people leave online.
It all comes down to the core fact that
people trust other people.
But we don't always trust the brand itself,
well at least not at first.
We all expect a brand to self promote
and talk about how amazing they are.
But when we hear somebody else,
a customer talk about their experience,
we are all ears and are way more likely to buy.
So here's some examples of user generated content
from my five day, "Write & ignite challenge."
This is a message to Alex Cattoni and The Copy Posse.
Alex, thank you for making me feel so proud of my skill,
and my work ethic and everything that I do.
Because, every time I complete the module,
I feel like a rockstar.
Thank you.
This was all submitted organically through my Instagram,
and is the best social proof a business can get.
Now here's a pro tip,
encourage your customers to share their experiences
on their social channel.
And use a third-party review tool like boast.io,
to easily collect and display testimonials on your website,
in real time.
Then use these reviews to identify common objections,
benefits and desires that you can use to improve your copy.
All right, step number eight, give them a reason to act now.
So another funny little quirk about us humans,
is that if we can do something later
and get the exact same result and benefit
as doing it right now, we will wait.
We are inherent procrastinators.
So if you want someone to act now,
you gotta give them a good reason to do it.
Using scarcity in your marketing and copywriting,
is a really powerful motivator, when done well.
Though scarcity refers to the idea,
of making products or services limited in some way,
and therefore harder to obtain.
This can be done in the form of price scarcity,
so a limited time discount,
quantity scarcity, a limited amount left,
premium scarcity, exclusive bonuses and gifts added
for a limited time or offer scarcity,
the cart is closing.
You likely see scarcity every single day
and a lot of the times it's that final push
you need to purchase something
that you've been on the fence about.
Like when you find a great hotel online,
and they always let you know how many rooms are left,
which creates serious FOMO making you wanna buy right away.
But here's a pro tip, just because scarcity
can get your prospect to buy now instead of later,
that doesn't mean it's okay to be hypey or misleading.
That is a surefire way to lose the trust of your customers
and completely tarnish the reputation of your business.
So only include scarcity when it's legit.
If scarcity doesn't apply
in a particular marketing campaign, that is okay.
You can still create a sense of urgency
by sharing the benefits your customers
will not wanna wait for.
Because that is the other great thing about us humans,
is that we want immediate gratification.
So convince them why it's better to act fast
and overcome any lingering objections and doubts
by making the purchase process
seem easy, safe, and risk free.
Step number nine, have a clear and concise call to action.
You have heard me say it before,
confusion is the biggest conversion killer of all time.
So your call to action or CTA must pack a serious punch.
It should only take one hot second
for your prospects to know what you want them to do next.
Your CTA is the second most important part of your copy
after the headline.
According to Unbounce, more than 90% of visitors
who read your headline, will also read your CTA copy.
So your CTA should be clear and straight to the point,
like book my free spot now,
or click to get instant access or click here to enroll now.
Now the most important rule of copywriting
is to only have one clear and concise call to action.
You should only be asking your prospect to do one thing.
And that's to click, sign up or buy,
not to share, comment, watch,
like, subscribe, sign up and buy.
Now pro tip, make your CTA personal,
by using first person.
Content verb actually saw a 90% increase
in click-through rate, by using first person phrasing,
like start my free trial now,
as opposed to start your free trial now.
All right, and step number 10,
is to keep it simple.
The final and most important thing
to remember when writing anything,
is to keep it simple.
In copywriting, less is more.
You want every sentence to be strategic and necessary
to the customer's buying journey.
So, as you're crafting your copy,
be critical of any fluff or filler.
Look for any unnecessary ideas,
verbose sentences, or long lists of adjectives
that just don't add any power or punch.
Most people read at the seventh to eighth grade level.
So you wanna make sure your copy
is simple and easy to read, yet effective.
Remember that just because
you understand everything you write
doesn't mean your customer avatar will.
So I like to use Hemingway Editor,
which is @hemingwayapp.com,
to double check the readability of my copy.
You also wanna go through and double, triple
and quadruple check your work,
for grammatical errors run on sentences
or large walls of text.
And here's one last pro tip,
make sure to read your copy out loud,
from your mobile phone.
Remember the majority of online readers,
are consuming content on their mobile devices,
so you wanna make sure your copy is easy
to read on all platforms.
All right guys that's it.
Thanks for sticking around.
I have a special gift for you,
"My feature to benefit cheat sheet,"
which you can grab right here in just a few seconds.
Comment below, give it a try.
Let me know how it goes.
Until next week,
I'm Alex, ciao for now.
(upbeat music)
All right guys if you enjoyed that video make sure
to check out the next one from me right here.
And you can click right here, to get a free gift.
(upbeat music)
One of the biggest mistakes a copywriter can make,
is using the exact same hook and headline,
for every single audience.
Think about it, the way you capture the attention
of a random scroller by on Facebook,
is very different from how you capture the attention
of your most loyal subscribers.
So today I'm talking about how
to write headlines the right way based on the five levels
of customer awareness.