Learning the art of copywriting and persuasion is one of the best things you can do to boost your sales, subscribers, and revenue. That’s why I’ve created a list of 30 red-hot copywriting tips for you across main topics such as:
- Using effective Call to Action tips
- Showcasing benefits.
- Offering proof.
If you want your website to convert browsing visitors into paying customers then it is essential that you have better copywriting and marketing skills and strategies. This article will reveal some of our top tips that will result in your visitors taking action and buying from your website rather than your competitors.
SHOWCASE BENEFITS
People want to know what’s in it for them, and showcasing the product’s benefits answers that question for your prospects. Here are tips for sharing benefits…
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Weave together features and benefits.
While you need to focus on benefits, many times you’ll need to share the feature that creates this benefit.
Here’s an example of how to weave together a feature (12 gigs of ram) with a benefit: “This laptop includes 12 gigs of RAM, which means you have the power to multi-task and run all your favorite programs at the same time.”
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Know which benefits are most important to your prospects.
As you already know, you need to put the biggest benefits in your headline. But don’t guess which benefit is the most important to your prospects. Instead, do your market research. You can:
- Survey your market.
- Read product reviews from similar products.
- Eavesdrop on product discussion forums to learn more about what our prospects want.
Next up…
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Put benefits in a bulleted list.
Because the benefits are the most important thing you’re trying to showcase, you should put each benefit in a bulleted list. This lets even the skimmers easily find and read the product benefits.
Here’s an example benefit:
“You’ll discover how to shave three strokes off your golf game just by changing your grip – this little-known strategy will surprise you!”
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Arouse curiosity when sharing benefits.
Sharing the benefit is the most important part, but if you can arouse curiosity then you’ll make the benefit statement even more powerful. A good way to do this is by telling readers the benefit while arousing their curiosity about how they’ll receive the benefit.
TIP: Using words like “secret,” “reveal” and “discover” trigger curiosity too.
For example: “Discover the Hollywood secret of losing weight fast – without hunger pangs, exercise or diet pills!”
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Showcase your USP in your sales copy.
You need to be sure your USP (unique sales proposition) is front and centre in your copy. If you can work it into your headline, next to your call to action, within your product graphic, and/or in your P.S. where they’re likely to be seen, that’s perfect.
For example, if your USP is based around a strong guarantee, your headline might read something like this: “Lose 10 Pounds in Two Weeks Guaranteed or Double Your Money Back!”
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Think of pains and pleasures.
As you’re writing your sales copy, focus on statements that show people how they can reduce pain or increase their pleasure.
For example:
Reduce pain: “No more gasping for breath when you climb the stairs!”
Increase pleasure: “You’ll discover the secrets of getting ripped abs – jaws will drop the next time you take your shirt off at the beach!”
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Put your best benefits first and last.
There’s a psychological phenomenon known as the primacy and recency effect (AKA serial position effect). This means that items that are first and last in the list tend to be better remembered and/or have a bigger impact. That’s why it’s a good idea to put your biggest benefits at the beginning and end of your bulleted list.
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Play the “So what?” game.
The key to creating good copy is to take your benefits and drill down to their core. Every time you list a benefit, ask yourself, “So what?” The answer will help you get to the base benefit or result.
Let’s use a toothpaste example:
This toothpaste contains baking soda.
So what?
Baking soda whitens teeth.
So what?
Whiter teeth create a more attractive smile.
So what?
People won’t be embarrassed to smile
See how that works?
While your headline and other important parts of your sales letter are going to focus on the biggest benefits, your bulleted list of benefits should include all the benefits of your offer. Sometimes prospects read that one benefit that push them off the fence and towards your order button, so be sure to cover your bases by sharing all benefits, even if they seem small to you.
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Be succinct.
When you share benefits, keep your benefit statements short and sweet. You don’t want people to have to stumble through a long paragraph just to find out what’s in it for them.
Here’s an example of a succinct benefit: “You’ll find out how to set up a secure blog fast – no tech experience required!”
Next up…
OFFER PROOF
Your prospects have been burned before, so they’re sceptical of your sales claims.
That’s why you need to offer proof. Here’s how…
- Get testimonials.
Sometimes customers will send unsolicited testimonials, which is great. However, you’ll get even more testimonials if you specifically ask for them. For example, send out an email to your customers with a request for feedback.
E.G., “What do you think of this product? Did you like it? How can we improve it? Click here to leave your feedback – we’d love to hear from you!”
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Showcase your strongest testimonials.
If you specifically ask for feedback and testimonials, you may get a truckload of them.
However, although every testimonial that lands in your inbox is welcome and important, make sure that you give prominence to strong testimonials, such as those that back up your claims and show results.
Here’s an example of a weak testimonial: “This is a great book!”
Here’s a stronger testimonial: “This book is awesome – I lost 10 pounds in three weeks using the delicious recipes!”
This is the one that you would showcase.
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Create case studies.
Another good way to offer proof is to publish case studies. You may distribute your product and ask others to track their results for a specific period of time, and then ask them if they’d be willing to share these results with others.
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Offer “before” and “after” photos.
A good way to prove your results is by showing photos from satisfied customers, especially “before” and “after” photos where applicable.
For example:
- Show before and after weight loss photos to sell a diet program.
- Show the before and after photos of a classic car restoration to sell access to a car restoration membership site.
Here’s something else you can do…
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Show the proof in a video.
A good, high-quality video can be a great way to prove your claims. For example, if you’re selling a dog trick-training book, then show a video of a dog performing the tricks from the book.
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Share your number of satisfied customers.
Steal a page from the McDonald’s marketing playbook, which advertises how many billions of hamburgers they’ve sold. This is social proof, as there is the implication that the product must be good if there are so many satisfied customers.
E.G., “Join 4598 other satisfied customers in losing weight quickly and safely with this exciting diet program!”
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Inject “you can too” statements into your copy.
“You too” is a social proof statement, as it tells the reader that others are doing it (and that the reader should too).
For example: “Now you too can write a bestselling novel – click here to find out how!”
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Consider a live feed showing social proof.
Have you ever driven through a strange town and chosen the restaurant with all the cars parked in front of it? That’s social proof. You figure if every in town eats there, it must be good.
If you get plenty of daily sales, you can do the same thing. Just have your programmer install a live feed that announces new sales or sign ups. Naturally, you need to preserve customer anonymity.
For example: “John from New York just joined!”
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Get endorsements from authority figures.
When an authority endorses a product, it carries a lot of weight and boosts conversions.
For example, getting several dentists to endorse a guide to whiter teeth will boost sales.
Other authority figures include medical doctors, veterinarians, award-winning authors, counsellors, pastors, attorneys and any other expert who is associated with your product.
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Insert proof right after making a claim.
People are sceptical of your claims, so it’s a good idea to prove them immediately after you make a claim. For example, if you tell prospects that your product whitens teeth, then insert endorsements from dentists, photos or other proof directly after this claim.
Next…
CREATE A CALL TO ACTION
A good way to boost conversions is to tell prospects exactly what you want them to do and how you want them to do it. Here are tips for creating these calls to action…
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Be specific about what you want prospects to do next.
Don’t just say, “Order now.” Instead, be specific and tell them how to take this step.
For example: “Order now by taking out your credit card and clicking here to get started…”
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Make it easy for prospects to complete the action.
Don’t make your prospects jump through unnecessary hoops to order, such as making them “register for an account” before they even complete the order forum. The easier it is for them to order, the higher your conversion rate.
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Give prospects a good reason to take action now.
In other words, create a sense of urgency that compels people to order right away.
Sometimes evoking a little fear does the trick.
For example:
- Order your tickets now before the seats are sold out – you’ll kick yourself if you miss this!
- Order now before the next price jump – you’ll be glad you did!
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Remind prospects that things won’t change until they take action.
Missing out on a good deal would be a bad thing, as you saw in the previous examples.
Here’s another example of a bad thing that might happen if someone didn’t take action:
“If you don’t order now, nothing will change. You’ll still be unhappy when you look in the mirror or when you try on the clothes that don’t fit any more.”
On the flip side, you can try this next strategy instead…
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Let prospects know what good thing will happen if they do take action.
Give your prospects a little push towards the order button by getting them to think about the good things that will happen when they order now.
For example: “Click the order button below now so that you too can look and feel ten years younger!”
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Use a countdown timer.
You can create even more urgency next to your call to action if you provide a visual representation of the scarcity of the offer. For example, put a countdown timer next to the order button that shows how many days or hours until the offer expires.
TIP: Search Google for “countdown timer script,” or use a tool like
www.countdownmonkey.com.
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Create one-time offers when upselling.
You should put an upsell on your order form, as your prospects are already in a buying mood. To make this call to action even more compelling, turn this offer into a one-time offer. That means they can only take advantage of the offer right now on the order form. Once they click off the order form, the offer is gone forever.
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Insert multiple calls to action throughout a sales letter.
Sometimes people make the buying decision early on, but they don’t take action on it.
Strike while the iron is hot by inserting at least two calls to action in your sales letter.
Just be sure to wait to ask for the order until AFTER the point where you’ve built up value (typically after the bulleted benefits list).
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Put calls to action on buy buttons.
Instead of just having an order link, create an eye-catching button and put your call to action on the button. E.G., “Click here to order now!”
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Experiment with wording.
The bulk of your sales letter should be written using the word “you” when you’re talking about your prospect. For example, “you’ll discover how to train your dog.”
However, when you get to the call to action you’ll want to test out using the word “me” or “I.” for example, “Yes, send me a free video!” Some marketers report higher conversions with this type of wording, but you’ll need to test to see if it works for you.
So there you have it: 30 proven, tried and tested copywriting tips guaranteed to boost your sales, get more subscribers and any other action you want your prospects to take. These are powerful tips that work.
But don’t take our word for it – put them to work for you today by implementing them right away! You’ll be glad you did.
Another thing you will be happy that you did and wish you did sooner, is contact us to turbo charge your online marketing. If you want more targeted traffic to your website and increase your sales, contact us today and find our what we can do for your business.
