Copywriting: How to write content that converts

Copywriting is the art of convincing with words. It is a powerful marketing weapon, for anyone who knows how to use it. In this article, I give you the keys to writing a good “copy”, relevant content that will push your reader to take action. On your keyboards!

“Tomorrow on Clubhouse, we're talking about copywriting”, “New episode of my podcast dedicated to copywriting”. On social networks, and especially on LinkedIn, you must have seen these posts in your feed. In recent years, copywriting has been on everyone's lips. We (almost) only talk about that.

What exactly is copywriting?

It is the art of using words to convince, and therefore convert. It's persuasive writing. The aim is to get the reader to take action.

Why do copywriting?

To differentiate yourself! Without good copywriting, you won't stand out from your competitors, even with the best marketing strategy on Earth. Remember: everyone is creating content! Used wisely, your words and turns of phrase can make a big difference.

Thus, well-copywritten content can significantly improve your conversion rates on your sales pages, increase the opening and response rates of your emails or even increase your engagement rate on your social networks.

Copywriting is essential if you want to perform!

However, the exercise is not an easy one. Everyone knows how to write - we learned it in school - but few know how to write a text that is powerful and engaging.

In this article, I will therefore give you the keys to writing a good “copy” regardless of the medium (email, landing page). Follow the guide.

Copywriting: good preparation

To write a good copy, you must already be well prepared.

Understand your target

Content that doesn't speak to the right person will never convert!

Before starting to write, therefore, find out about your target: his and his problems, his desires, his expectations, his obstacles, etc. And above all, about the way he expressed himself. Your words should touch her, and it is by using her vocabulary that you will succeed.

How to do it?

You can ask your current prospects/customers directly. They need to express themselves in their words. You can send a form by email with Typeform or Google Forms for example, or you can organize a short call. In this case, I advise you to record your conversation to transcribe his words. However, ask for his opinion in advance.

Also ask about your connections on LinkedIn. Ask them questions about their situation, their problems. People love to tell them about their lives, enjoy it! You will collect very interesting testimonies to use.

Here is a message received on LinkedIn:

You can search for customer reviews on your competitors (Google, Amazon, Trustpilot). Gold mines!

Also, don't hesitate to go on social networks (Facebook groups, Instagram pages) — some comments are real gems — and on forums like Reddit and Quora.

Another place for your prospecting: the sites of your competitors. Maybe they did the research. Spy but don't copy!

Finally, look at the advertising campaigns of your competitors on Google and Facebook with Facebook Ads Library. Just type in the search bar the name of your competitor, and the site will show all of its ads that are currently running.

Define your value proposition

Your value proposition is your promise. It should be clear and - of course - attractive. It is she who will capture the attention.

Define your objective

Before writing, clearly define your objective. What are you looking for with your content? The question is simple but a lot of people write blindly. The result: their text is not relevant.

This step is also important if you want to contact journalists.

How to write a good copy

Now let's get down to writing. The “rules” are numerous but here are the main ones.

Writing “slippery” text

Do you know the “slippery slide”? This concept was invented by copywriter Joseph Sugarman. The principle is simple.

The title is so powerful...

That you read the first line of the text. It's so captivating...

That you read the second line. And then...

The third line.

The fourth line.

In short, you got it.

You are sliding little by little.

You get the reader to read all of your content.

So write your text like a “slippery slide.”

Writing for your target

When writing content, keep in mind that you are not writing for yourself, but for your reader. Hence the importance of finding out about your audience in advance.

In your writing process, put yourself in the shoes of your target audience and answer these two questions: “What does that have to do with me? ”, “What do I gain? ”

Use “You” most often.

If you abuse “We,” your reader won't feel concerned.

Talk about benefits, not features

“Here is a food processor with 15 automatic programs and a professional 1800 W motor.” Do you want to buy it? No.

“Here is a super powerful food processor that allows you to cook everything, from appetizers to desserts.” Do you want to buy it? Yes.

In the first example, I presented the features of the product. And let's be clear, it doesn't make you want to. We don't plan!

On the contrary, in the second example, I highlighted the benefits of the robot, namely the consequence of its use. And now, you can easily project yourself. You can imagine cooking good meals with a single appliance.

Buying decisions are based on profits and not on features. In your content, you can of course talk about the characteristics, but remember to always highlight the benefits.

Tip: on a notebook or on your computer, list all the functionalities of your product/service, and turn them into benefits.

In”The Copywriter's Handbook — A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Copy That Sells”, author and copywriter Robert W. Bly takes the example of a pencil:

“A pencil is a wooden cylinder” vs “Maybe sharpen as many times as possible to write”

“A cylinder is hexagonal” vs “Does not roll on the table”

“The pencil is 0.7 centimeters in diameter” vs “A good grip”

Etc.

Be simple

Keep sentences short and to the point.

Remember that your objective is to get a message across and convince. If you get into big tirades, you will lose your reader.

“We know that sentences are better than paragraphs. That two paragraphs are better than five. And that simple words are better than difficult words. It's a question of bandwidth: the more we reduce the amount of information in an idea, the more sticky it is.”

Excerpt from the book” Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip and Dan Heath. Modern Library Publishing.

Also, be simple in your writing. You are not Proust, and thankfully. Your content should be understandable to everyone. Write as you speak, of course, avoiding colloquial language.

Creating emotion

Our decisions are mostly made emotionally. It is our emotions that guide us. Next comes logic.

A good copy should therefore arouse emotion.

Above all, create empathy. Show that you understand your reader's problem.

Do not hesitate to put a little “warmth” into your writing to establish proximity with your reader. Feeling closer to you, he will be more sensitive to your arguments and more likely to trust you.

You can also play on fear...

FOMO (Fear of Missing Out in French) is a concept that is widely used in copywriting. You are highlighting an opportunity that should not be missed. Example: “Take advantage of 30% off before Friday”, “Limited stocks”, “Free trial for the first 500 subscribers”. Attention, your proposal must be real. Never fool your target.

Or on desire.

Use “Social Proof” or social proof in French. Show that a lot of people bought your product/service or signed up for your newsletter. Human beings are like that, they want to do what everyone else does. This social proof also allows reassure.

Example with Alan:

To arouse several emotions at once, there is a technique: storytelling. You're telling a story.

• A start (everything is going well)
• A problem arises (olala)
• A character arrives but can't solve the problem (oh no)
• You come to the rescue and everything is back to normal (whew)
• An ending that ends well (great)

Here, the reader goes through several emotions: worry, relief, joy.

You can also Tell your story For example, to generate compassion. Show your reader that you too went through this, that you had the same problem as him.

Avoid spelling mistakes

A lot of content still contains spelling and grammatical mistakes. The French language is not simple — I'm also tearing my hair out — but a text that contains mistakes loses all its credibility.

To avoid this, know that there are correction tools. Among them: Thank you App, Scribens and Reverso. And for English, you have Grammarly.

Another practical tool: the Electronic dictionary of synonyms (Crisco)

Read your content out loud

Once you've written your text, read it out loud. You'll see right away if your content is smooth. If it gets stuck, rewrite.

Copywriting: several methodologies

There are several frameworks to improve your persuasion skills. Here are three of them:

A.I.D.A

A.I.D.A is the acronym that stands for ACareful, IInterest, DDesire and AAction.

This framework can be used for anything: newsletter, landing page, email, etc.

Psst: speaking of email, I invite you to read the excellent article by Julian Boulinguez, one of our B2C experts at Growth Room, on how to get the best deliverability in Cold Emailing.

Careful. You capture the attention of your reader. Your goal is for him to read on. On a landing page or on a home page, it's your title, subtitle, and image. The famous “Hero Section”. On an email and a newsletter, that's the subject. On a Facebook ad, it's usually the image. And on a Linkedin/Instagram post, it's the first sentence, the catch phrase.

Interest. Generate interest by showing that your solution/product is meant for them. You talk about its problems, and you list your benefits.

Desire. Bring the sauce to a boil. Show him the after-use of your solution/product. Here you can put testimonies, references, figures or even proofs of authority. Example: an influential person in your sector talking about you.

Action. Encourage your reader to take action. Use action verbs like “Sign Up,” “Download,” “Buy.”

Let's take the example of the Favikon site.

Favikon draws attention with its title and its visual. We understand its promise from the start.

Interest. Favikon talks about the problem (wasting money) and provides a solution.

In this other section, the benefit highlighted is the time saved by creating lists.

Favikon continues to generate interest by showing that it is possible to search for ALL influencers.

The young company then encourages them to take action.

The “Desire” part is brought just after the CTA, with testimonies. Favikon chose to place it at the bottom of the page but could have put it before the call to action.

P.A.S

P.A.S stands for Problem (Problem), Ashake (shake), SOlve (Resolve)

This framework works on landing pages, ads, and emails.

Problem. Here you describe the problem.

Agitate. You're twisting the knife in the wound. You emphasize the problem again by talking about the consequences. Don't talk about your solution yet.

Solve. Finally, present your solution. You can tell your reader that your product/service is going to change their life.

Example with this ad on Facebook.

Careful! This ad is both a good and a bad example. The problem is directly stated and then agitated. A solution is finally proposed. The catch? It scares the reader! Don't put too much emphasis on the problem. And of course it's WAY too long. We quickly lose track.

The 4P or P.P.P.P

P.P.P.P is the acronym for PPicture (Paint), PPromise (Promise), PRove (Prove) and PPush.

Picture. Project your reader by presenting your benefit. Let him imagine what his life would be like without his problem.

Promise. That is your promise. What your product/service will bring to him.

Prove. Give credibility to your promise with testimonies, figures, references.

Push. Finally, encourage your reader to take action.

Advice: If you have trouble using these frameworks, just tell yourself that you need to take your reader by the hand, get them from point A to point B. When I write content, I imagine myself saying to the reader: “Come on, get on the train. You will like the destination.” And if you have read this far, it's because I succeeded in my job

Tools that generate content for you

Tools to create content automatically have emerged in recent months. With a simple title or a keyword, they offer you a text.

But what about these AI-based tools? I tested 3 tools that automate the writing of your content Spoiler alert: they will never replace the pen of a human being.

It's up to you to play now. You have the keys to creating good content;)

Note that copywriting is a discipline that requires practice, a lot of practice. The more you practice, the more you will improve!

What to remember

What is copywriting?

Copywriting is the art of using words to convince, and therefore convert. It's persuasive writing. The aim is to get the reader to take action.

Why do copywriting?

To differentiate yourself! Remember, everyone is creating content. Copywriting can improve your conversion rates, increase the opening and response rates of your emails or even increase your engagement rate on your social networks.

What are the basics of copywriting?

Understand and write for your target audience, be simple, “suck in” your reader so that they read you to the end (the concept of a slippery slide) and create emotion.

The Growth Room Library

Three books to devour to learn more about copywriting:

• ” The Copywriter's Handbook — A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Copy That Sells ” by Robert W. Bly. St. Martin's Griffin Publishing. (English only)
• ” Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip and Dan Heath. Modern Library Publishing.
• ” Influence and Manipulation — The Art of Persuasion ” by Robert Cialdini. Pocket Editions

At Growth Room, copywriting is our business. We deliver 5-star Cold Emailing campaigns to our customers. You can contact us at welcome@growthroom.co