5 Simple Steps to Writing Copy That Sells

Copywriting can be a tough nut to crack.

There are a lot of great copywriters who teach really complex strategies and techniques.

And that's great. But for someone who's new, it can be overwhelming.

Good news: it doesn't have to be that complicated.

At its core, copywriting is about writing persuasively. It's about convincing people to do something.

That “something” could be many things. It could be making a donation to a charitable cause, or buying a product online, or signing up for your newsletter.

But whatever it is, you need to really compel people to take action. And that's not always an easy thing to do, especially when just starting out.

If the copy's too meek about things, it won't be compelling enough. It won't make anyone want to listen.

But come on too strong, and you risk sounding like a sleazy used car salesman.

There's an ideal median in there that's strong and compelling, yet friendly and human.

One of the best ways to hone your copywriting skills is to learn the basic structural formula behind it.

And this part is simple, actually.

Once you get the hang of it, you'll start applying it to just about everything.

And even more importantly, you'll have learned how to persuade people to do something. That's a powerful life skill to have.

In a recent blog post, marketing mastermind Neil Patel divides up the process of writing copy into five simple parts.

Start with a killer value proposition

Your first order of business is to make it abundantly clear what your value proposition is.

Now, there are several ways to go about this, but I believe in keeping things simple.

Getting too complex tends to dilute the message and confuse prospects.

What I’ve found to be most effective is keeping my value proposition short, sweet, and clear.

Like this:

[Image Source: Quicksprout]

Swiftly move to the benefits

“What’s in it for me?”

That’s what most visitors are thinking after hearing your value proposition.

But here’s the thing.

Most people have a tendency to emphasize features over benefits.

But it should be the other way around.

Of course, you need to explain how your product works. But you can elaborate on that later.

What you want to do first is explain how the product fulfills a need or desire.

Now explain the features

Now it’s time to succinctly break down the features of your product.

“Digestibility” is huge, and you want to present your product’s features in an easy-to-absorb, intuitive way.

You also want to touch on specifics to distinguish your product from competitors and to add a sense of value.

CTA

By now, your prospects should understand what your product is, how it will benefit them, and what the features are.

Your final task is to tell them what to do next.

In other words, it’s time for your CTA.

As always, I strongly recommend doing at least some basic A/B testing on your CTA to see what works best.

Social proof

This is my last point, and it’s a biggie.

Incorporating social proof into your copy is the icing on the cake.

I’m not going to go into all the gory details of social proof here.

You can learn about it from this Kissmetrics article.

But I will say that testimonials are usually your best bet, pound for pound.

Just be practical, and provide whatever type of social proof you think would most persuade your prospects to take action.