Know How to Write Copy That Sells 100 Tips & Examples

Know How to Write Copy That Sells 100 Tips & Examples

Don’t let readers use their brains. Even if you are selling audience

1. Make it easy to read

The copies sold were not impressive. this is very simple. Your readers shouldn’t stop reading to understand what you’re saying, even for a nanosecond. The more your copy flows, the better you can grab their attention, and the easier it will be for them to understand your point.

Check out this public school copy, aimed at public high school students and their parents.

We provide students with a multi-faceted educational program that uses the most effective teaching methods to interweave progressive thinking skills, career activities, and a modular curriculum that educators and the community consider important. “

Now take a look at the Harvard Business School copy, which targets [really] bright college graduates:

Do you understand?

Note: Being readable doesn’t necessarily mean removing fancy words. As long as you use terms that your audience is familiar with, they can move on. This brings us to the next point.

2. Use keywords (not just SEO)

While being on Google’s homepage is a selling point in itself, you should also use your keywords everywhere — not just SEO copy. Remember, these are the words and phrases your audience is using. When you speak their language (and not yours), your copy will communicate the value of your product in a way that resonates with them.

For example, if you are a web design/SEO provider for small business owners, this landing page copy is not for sale:

    We use keyword-targeted metadata, lazy loading, and minified CSS to optimize all of our sites for Google searches.

If your client is looking to outsource their own web design/SEO agency, these keywords will be easy to read. But it’s an even better selling point for the small business owner audience:

    We perform technical optimizations to speed up your website and use keyword-targeted content to help you rank higher on Google.

Keywords = their jargon, not yours.

3. Well written

Did I just come up with the cheesiest thing ever? Yes. But do I secretly like it? Yes. A copy for sale should always answer these two questions: how is it good for me and how do I know I’ll get it? And the key to doing this is writing with features and benefits in mind.

4. Direct objection resolution

Feature advantage copy might sell your readers on the action that gets them through your funnel, but as they get closer to the actual dollar sale, they’ll think more carefully about their decision.

Questions range from “What’s in it for me?” “But what if…?” These objections (intentional or not) are barriers to sales. While some aspects of your copy will organically talk to them, you should also address them directly somewhere.

This type of copywriting not only demonstrates transparency and understanding of the client but is also a way to reinforce your features and strengths and showcase your subject matter expertise.

But in the name of brevity (which is our next installment), keep this copy in the FAQ section at the bottom of your landing page with an expandable section, or its blog post or page.

5. Use bullets and lists (strategically)

wait! Before you skip this – there is a strategy within a strategy. According to sequence position effects, people tend to recall the first and last items in a sequence most easily. So when you use bullet points, make sure to place your MVP accordingly.

This might work better for longer lists, but here’s a small example.

If I only remember the first and last bullets, then my clear takeaway from this webinar landing page is that I’m going to learn lead scoring best practices (features) to understand the engagement of my lead degrees (income).

Concise copy has obvious benefits for character-limited content, such as ad copy, but it applies to any content marketing. Whether it’s your email copy, blog post, or white paper, there’s no room for clutter.

Follow these tips for a clear and valuable copy that your readers will appreciate and remember (while also making you a better writer overall).

6. Remove redundant or empty adverbs

Not only do these add unnecessary words to your copy, but they sound more desperate than authoritative. Let’s take a look.

• unnecessary adverbs:
• Well-planned → well-planned
• stress crisis → crisis
• important priorities → priorities
• Exaggerated → exaggerated
• Adverbs of unnecessary and desperate:
• extremely important → critical
• effective → powerful
• very helpful → helpful

Adverbs aren’t all bad. Here are some great blog post titles:

Example of Sales Copy – Effective Use of Adverbs in Meta Titles

“Unexpectedly simple,” tells me that this article will not give the usual outline. I will click.

Here is another one:

Example of Sales Copy – Using a “Ferocious” Blog Title

“Seriously unique” is playful and bold. I am very interested.

In these cases, the redundant word is valid, not destructive. Just make sure you keep your promises

7. Replace adjectives with stronger nouns

Another great copywriting tip: replace the adjective-noun pair with a stronger noun.  

• predicament → predicament
• Difficulty → binding
• specific group → niche
• nuance → nuance
• close connection → rapport

One word less. more power. Speaking of power, have you seen our list of over 350 power words?

8. Remove non-words

The SERPs for “non-words” is rough. While I’m there, I may or may not have an editorial identity crisis.

But you have to remember that we’re not talking about essays or news articles here. Marketing and advertising copywriting are versatile. It can be technical, conversational, dry, or friendly, depending on its purpose/place. So here are a few examples.

“So you can”

    OK: Let’s do some errands so you can get back to running your business.

    No: Use these tips to improve your writing.  

Replace with: Use these tips to improve your writing.

“thing”  

Good: Here are six things you can do to prevent cyberattacks.  

Bad: Stressing deadlines is something we can understand.  

Replace with: We can all relate to emphasizing deadlines.

“real”  

Good: Learn what it takes to write marketable copy.  

Bad: With our reporting feature, you can focus on the metrics that matter.  

Replace with: With our reporting features, you can focus on the metrics that matter.

For more help with your ad copy, check out these 24 creative, competitive, click-worthy ad copy examples you’ll want to replicate.

9. Say ta-ta to tauto (logy)

Turns out there’s a technical term for fluff. Tautology is the practice of saying the same thing multiple times but using different words in an attempt to not look like you. We call this black hat redundancy.

For example, this is the best tautology:

121 words tell me you don’t know what you’re talking about.

44 words lead me to believe that my eCommerce strategy needs to be personalized. Sell.

10. Save to another page

First, “world-class” is not a selling point. This is an empty adjective (also something we’ll get to later). Intellum (cringe) uses this on their homepage:

Now, if you’re world-class (Intellum is), back it up – but not on your home page, solutions page, or landing page. Say it in one sentence, then use the “Learn More” button to show credibility and link to a long-form (but also succinct!) copy that proves it.

11. Be outspoken

Use one- or two-word sentences to maximize brevity. E.g:

“Video editing software. Free download. Simple movie editor.”

clearly. But to hit the mark, it’s exactly the term I’m searching for (hint #2). Also, “free” and “easy” are staples on any best seller list you find.

“7 days. $7. Full access.”

catchy. Fast. No bullshit. Sell.

With clear and concise copy, your readers can get straight to your point. But is this a selling point? Follow these tips to make sure you’re not just talking, you’re selling.

12. Avoid empty testimonials

While this is not a copy you wrote, it is a copy for sale. We’ve all seen 5-star reviews or testimonials like “ServicePro is great. I will use them again.”

positive? Yes. believable? Do not.

In the example below from the Advertise website, you can see that a specific person appreciates a specific behavior of a specific employee.

Don’t just ask for a review, but email to ask if you can get a quote for your site from them. Because there’s no live pressure and they’re typing, they’ll think about it more carefully, and knowing it’s going to be on your site, they’ll make sure it makes them look good too.

13. Share statements, not opinions

Ostensibly trying to convince your product description copy will have the opposite effect. Stick to simple statements.

For example, you might use adjectives like “fastest installs” in your title to entice your visitors, but simple, concise sentences like “one day install” and “24 hours” work better in feature segmentation.

14. Use verbs instead of adjectives

Instead of promoting your product or service by describing it as a one-piece, easy to use, powerful, etc., use verbs to communicate exactly what they can do with your product. Check out Sleeknote’s product copy:

11 Verbs: Collect, Grow, Drive, Assist, Connect, Make, Sell, Increase, Lead, Send, Invite.

4 adjectives: segment, quality, correct, accurate.

Save an inspirational copy for your mission statement. Straightforward statements are more credible than adjectives that try to persuade.

Think you might need to go back to your content and change something? We have 6 free content moderation templates to help with this.

15. Nix empty adjective

Continuing this anti-adjective movement, check out this example (adapted from David Meerman Scott):  

“We have brought together premier surgical and clinical expertise, a state-of-the-art trauma center, developed advanced minimally invasive techniques and called for innovative training and technology to ensure the highest levels of patient safety and quality of care.

These clinical initiatives, thriving growing research enterprise, and an unparalleled medical education program both enable [Hospital Z] to fulfill our mission.”

This copy should be broken down into pieces with credible information… maybe bullet points (hint #5)?

• Our trauma center uses minimally invasive techniques such as laparoscopic surgery to shorten your recovery period.
• With our in-house research team and Harvard-trained surgeons, you can rest assured that you will receive the highest quality of care.

Easier to read (tip #1), brilliant (tip #3), and believable. Sell.

16. Don’t be afraid to acquire technology

As you can see from the bullets above, adjectives are not always bad. But if you’re going to use them, make them concrete and real. Words like “durable,” “safe,” “trained,” and “unique” work well, but can you be more specific in building confidence in potential buyers?   

• strong → titanium base
• Durable → Industrial Grade
• Security → NP2 encryption (make-up)
• Trained → DSFA Certified (also)
• unique → exclusive
• Safety → Flame Retardant

It’s technical, but this type of copywriting sells well, even if the client doesn’t need to know what it all means.

17. Usage data

When it comes to credibility, nothing beats data.

Likewise, even if customers don’t know what the numbers mean, they’ll see Cybereason as evidence. Digital sale.

How to Write Convincing Best-Selling Copy

Eye-catching copy is attractive.

(PS: In this section, adjectives are our friends.)

PS: You might also be interested in these 10 ways to avoid copywriting cliches.

18. Read their minds

Think about what assumptions, hopes, doubts or fears your buyer persona has, such as:

    I’m not an online business so I don’t need a website.  

What exactly does amortization mean?

    If I hear [buzzwords, clichés, etc.] again…  

Native ads are like display ads, right?

Capture the real thoughts of your target audience and create a direct personal connection to engage them.

Thoughts are probably one of the most compelling headlines.

19. Make it urgent

Urgency is the hallmark of sales. As Ray Edwards puts it in his book How to Write a Best-Selling Book, “You need to pay a dollar for this kind of failure to solve the problem as best you can.”

This means not only using words like “now,” “today,” or “hurry up” in the CTA, but also conveying to the reader the price of indecision or ignoring an issue.

20. Use the power of emotion

Factual copies sell, but not all sales copies are factual. Emotions have equal power. You can do better than the fear-based ads above. No matter your product or service, it all boils down to pain points and desires, it boils down to emotions. E.g:

• We sell Marketing Services.
• So our clients can: Grow their business.

Because they want to feel:  

• Make sure they are using the right strategy.
• Excited about acquiring new clients.
• Be proud of what they build.

They don’t want to feel:  

• Feeling overwhelmed by the number of strategies out there.
• Worry about missing out.
• beaten by competitors.

Translate your customer’s pain points and desires into emotions they want and don’t want to feel, then elicit them with your copy or use the emotion words themselves. This is especially helpful for storytelling (which we’ll get to shortly).

Just like keywords (tip #2), emotional marketing copy speaks the language of your customers. When they feel that you truly understand their problems and desires, they will feel more confident that you can solve them. In other words, it’s an emotional way to gain credibility.

21. Try Power Verbs

This is a simple copywriting exercise. Write a simple sentence that begins with “We sell…”

Now, replace the word “sell” with a charming verb, such as:

• Exclude
• Authorization
• upgrade
• Inspiration
• reduce
• Unlock

Continuing our example above:

We sell marketing services.

• We take the guesswork out of developing a marketing plan.
• We empower business owners to compete with large corporations.
• We enhance your online presence.
• We encourage business owners to make a mark in their communities.
• We reduce the time you spend growing your business.
• We unlock the full potential of your business.

you understood. In my 273-word list, I have a lot of compelling verbs for writing emotional marketing copy. Pick your favorite and fill in the blanks.

22. Follow them

Note that in the example above, each statement begins with “we”. This is just an exercise to help you come up with a convincing concept, but the copy itself should be about your client about 90% of the time.  

With our Builder, a Google Chrome extension, you can create processes and track new events with just a few clicks. Open Builder on your product and create something beautiful to wow your users!

“You” is used eight times. “Our” is used once.

In the initial stages of the funnel, customers care less about what you do and more about what they want to do. Later, when they do a review, it makes more sense to write a copy about what you provided and how you did it.

23. Storytelling (OK, but what does that mean)

If the copy for sale is concise and clear, how exactly does the storytelling fit into the picture? (See what I did there (tip #18).) Enter the copy formula. E.g:

Front and rear axle formula

Here, you accurately describe the current status of the customer. Then there is the state they want. Then introduce your business as the way to get there.

Here’s the front and rear axle formula from the tweet.

Problem-churn-solve formula

Introduce the problem your readers have, use emotional words and phrases to incite the problem, and then offer your business as a solution.

you have it. Compelling marketing copy. It uses storytelling while remaining clear, concise, and believable. Check all boxes. Try this in your tweets, email copy, blog posts, case studies, and more.

24. Try catchy statements

This can be used with homepage headlines or even Facebook ad copy. You can use contrasting methods such as “One source of truth. Endless solutions.”

Examples of sales copy – catchy sentences on the homepage

(Note, this is not an exaggeration (hint #10). Airtable does not claim to be the only source of truth. Businesses use it to gather information and tasks in one place so that everyone has a source of truth.)

More ways to write engaging copy include alliteration, rhyming (preferably subtle to reduce the cheese factor), or adopting a “not this but that” approach:

25. Final tip: Be careful with assumptions

Well, we all know not to blatantly patronize or belittle our prospects for obvious reasons. But words like “we all know” and “obvious” can be subtly disruptive if used in the wrong way.

I say this above because not belittling or patronizing is a cultural norm. So the choice of the word does not insult the reader’s intelligence. But in the example below, the same word could have the opposite effect.  

Everyone knows drip email campaigns increase conversions, but how do you create them? What tools do you need?

Maybe your readers don’t know this. No, they don’t consciously feel offended, but they may have a trivial feeling, or as if they’re in the wrong place. Here is a better option:

If you’re like most marketers, you’re always looking for ways to increase conversions through email. The drip campaign makes this possible. But how do you create them?

Therefore, be cautious of using hypothetical words and phrases that insult or acknowledge the reader’s intelligence.

You now have everything you need to write a copy of (anything) for sale

The fifth of the five C’s is a “call to action,” but if you’ve followed all the tips above, this will be the easy part. Also, we have a post.

By definition, all copy is a call to action. Believe what I have to say. Stop scrolling and read this article. Click on my ad. buy my product. So you don’t need to be “always closed”, but you do need to be “always on sale”. Now you know what to do.