3 Copy Hacks to Boost Your Conversions in Emails and Sales Pages…Even if You’re Not a Copywriter
You’ve heard it before – people love to buy, but they hate to be sold to.
It’s true, think about it – Amazon was one of the most visited sites in the world in 2019. They even churned more visits than Google and Instagram.
That tells me – YES, people love to buy things.
And the thing with human buying behavior is that people make purchases when the offer will make them feel better or help them get what they want.
And that’s the job of stellar copywriting. It’s intended to persuade the reader to take a specific action. Whether that is to opt-in to your freebie, purchase your membership, click a link, complete an inquiry, or just take the next step in your sales funnel – it’s all about getting their commitment to complete an action.
Therefore – copywriting isn’t about putting words that sound nice down on paper, hoping that it works.
Nope, far from it.
Copywriting is about structure and strategy. It’s about honing in on the hopes, fears, dreams, and desires of your reader to motivate them to buy.
Scoop up the below three keys to copywriting and use them to enhance your message and convert more readers on your page. When incorporating these keys, remember to write your copy as if you’re having a conversation with a friend. Use words they use, use contractions, and don’t be afraid to let your personality shine!
- COPYWRITING KEY #1: USE MORE OF THE MAGIC WORD
Here’s an abrupt start to this blog post, but if you’re here to improve your copy, I feel like you can handle it.
Ready?
Nobody cares about you.
Ouch. Okay, that came out a little harsh. Let me try that again.
People only care about themselves.
(Yes, you and I are pretty awesome, but when readers are on your sales page, they’re only there to hear about THEM.)
Think about the last time you paid money for something. You made sure it would satisfy your needs and desires. You were less concerned about the salesperson’s daughters’ first day of school.
Case in point: Your reader only cares about getting what they want and if your offer will satisfy their needs. And there’s one technique that can easily help you do that. This technique can consistently drive up conversions and will help your page get read in its entirety.
This simple technique involves using the magic word: YOU (and your!)
You’ll want to make sure “you” is the subject of your copy. Yes, there’s a time and place for saying “I” and talking about your own product, but this is only after you’ve inundated them with “you’s.”
AKA You’ve gotta earn the right to talk about yourself.
You can see it’s power with this example from the words of a web designer:
In the first scenario, having ‘I’ at the beginning focuses the copy inward – throwing the prospect out of the spotlight (not ideal).
So by making the small tweak to start the second section with “YOU,” the reader now becomes the protagonist. It’s essential to make the reader the subject at all times; they should be the HERO in every one of your stories (not you!).
Copy Tip: Lead with YOU. Try re-writing your sales page and emails to see what sentences can start with ‘you’ or how you can tweak your copy from talking about yourself to talking about the reader. Don’t rush through this exercise – it may be alarming how many sentences can be better focused on your hero reader.
Here’s another example:
✕: I’m going to teach you three keys to copywriting. (too self-centered)
✓: Here’s three copywriting keys you need to know to improve your conversions. (more focused on your reader)
You can feel the difference between the two, right?
Take this tip and make your whole message about the reader, not you!
2. COPYWRITING KEY #2: PATTERN INTERRUPTIONS
Allow me to paint this scene for you…
||You’re expecting a typical humdrum end to your day,
but your man throws in a lovely curveball instead ||
You close down your computer and stand up from your desk with plans to flip on the news like you do every other evening. Yet today, your man walks into the house with a beautiful bouquet of yellow and deep red balsams to greet you 💐…
..The exchange leads to a didn’t-see-that-comin’ frisking festival, and a few petals seem to have found a new home stuck to your outer thigh, inner bicep, and the sweat-ridden tops of your lover’s forehead.
Turns out the 6 o’clock news needed a little pick-me-up anyways.
>>> Hellooo to the perfect interruption in your day!
These interruptions are needed in our lives every now and again to keep complacency at bay and to bring excitement to a max.
Well, guess what? Your prospects need a similar interruption strategy when reading your page. It helps keep them flowing through your sections, while processing the info being consumed.
In copywriting, they’re called pattern interrupts.
You know when you’re reading a book and your mind starts wondering what you’ll eat for dinner tonight? And after seven pages it all becomes a big blur, and you don’t have the slightest clue why Johnny is running from the cops…
—> Insert the need for a pattern interrupt.
A pattern interrupt is a shift in your writing or formatting, and it combats skimmers, daydreamers, and browser exit-ers.
USE PATTERN INTERRUPTS TO SHUFFLE THINGS UP AND RE-ENGAGE YOUR PARTNER, ERR READER.
Just like the hot n steamy real-life ‘pattern interruption’ example above, you’ll want to use this same theory on your sales page and emails to break the expected thoughts and behaviors of your reader.
When your paragraphs turn into predictable chunks of long sentences, it’s easy for your reader to skip over them, or worse, leave your page altogether.
So let’s put the kibosh to that, shall we?!
These simpletons are powerful ones to get us started:
- Bullets
- Quotes
- Testimonials
- Page breaks
- Ellipsis
- Graphics
- Bite-sized paragraphs
- Varying lengths of sentences (one or two-word sentences are great!)
- Bold and italic words
Litter this laundry list of pattern interrupts throughout your sales page and sales emails to draw eyes in and keep them reading chronologically down your page. (This is the only time I’m cool with littering. Big recycle junkie over here).
Other suggestions for pattern interrupts are by throwing in one of these scroll-stoppers:
FLOW CHART. Pop in some ‘Step 1- Step 2- Step 3’ action!
This can be used to explain your processes, to categorize your services, or to perfectly show the next steps that will happen after purchase.
A good visual with descriptions go a long way in grabbing attention and providing clarity.
GET DESCRIPTIVE. Use your imagination for hyper-vivid language – this will help pique your readers’ interest.
In the scenario at the beginning of this section, you were walked through the abrupt change from your typical evening of watching the news. Well instead, I could have just said: “things got heated.”
Instead, I used hyper-vivid language to sell the point. (Yes, Bonnie Rait, let’s give them something to talk about!)
Copy Tip >>> Happen to notice that this whole second copywriting key is filled with pattern interrupts?
It was a case study for you – check which areas of this blog your eyes jumped to read, then make sure you use that same format with your copy!
3. COPYWRITING KEY #3 – THE F RULE: FOLLOW THE FRAMEWORK.
Joanna Wiebe, queen of copywriting, said it best: “Only rookies write from scratch!”
All the copy you ever write can be written by using a framework. This accounts for not only sales pages and emails, but also every tweet, ad, podcast pitch – anything you want the reader to take action on after consuming.
Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t like being put into a box just as much as every other 9-5 corporate boycotter.
But this isn’t putting your copy into a box.
Instead, it’s understanding that these conversion frameworks are based on psychological and foundational principles that have been tested and proven over the years.
Smart enough to know it, then smart enough to swipe it.
True adulting, one might say.
Today we’ll dig into the most popular framework: PAS
The PAS Framework: Problem, Agitate, Solution
Example: Let’s say you’re a money coach.
Problem: This section states your reader’s problem.
[Your sales page or email would start by announcing how your reader hasn’t been able to scale their business in 3 years]
Agitation: Now you’ll agitate that problem. Remind them of the pain that this problem brings them.
[… “You’re hustling to scale your business, but the time you put in isn’t reflected in your bank account. As a result, you’ve been missing your daughter’s soccer games, and you’re not as involved with her schoolwork. You have an eerie feeling that you’re letting her down”…]
Solution: Offer your solution and why you’re the best person to help them overcome it.
Remember – the best thing you can ever do for your reader is to solve their problem. (It shouldn’t feel like sales when you’re HELPING them).
[You close by inviting your reader to check out your group coaching for money mindset. “You’ll be surrounded by an intimate community who mirrors your struggles, as we all bust through our 7-figure ceiling as a family.”]
Here’s another example from a client’s recent sales page:
Frameworks not only eliminate your guesswork, but they eliminate your blank-page-itis, too.
That means you grab the framework, plug in an outline, and then add in more meat and some transitions.
COPY TIP: Start a swipe file of your own go-to frameworks and templates. I keep folders in my Gmail, and whenever I see a great idea for a webinar invite, FB ad, sales emails, etc – it goes directly into my folders.
It’s worth it to point out that we only ‘swipe’ copy. We don’t copy copy. AKA there is no plagiarism happening here, we’re just swiping emails to understand the framework and to spark new ideas.
Remember my comment above – only rookies start from scratch! So go ahead and start your own swipe files. Fill it with screenshots, emails that caught your attention, sales pages that prompted you to buy… and then swipe that goodness for yourself!
Other go-to frameworks are:
- AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action)
- PASTOR (Pain, Amplify, Story, Testimonials, Offer, Response)
- Open Loop and Close Loop (Ending a section/email in suspense and not answering it till later)
- BRAG (My proprietary client experience framework: Baseline, Research, Action, Glory)
☝️Many of these frameworks above have been weaved into The Sales Page Rundown (<– get your pretty little hands on here)
Extra sales page resource: Check out this recent podcast where I was interviewed on brag-worthy sales pages: how to crank them up a notch and mistakes to side-step! >>> https://destinicopp.com/podcast/20
