Sherice Jacob helps site owners improve website performance and increase conversions through her blog and custom design service at iElectrify. You can also follow @sherice on Twitter for more big bangs of inspiration and design coolness.
The P.S. It's one of the most powerful copywriting tools in your arsenal and yet very few people know how to use it effectively and to its full potential. Here are a few ways to make sure your P.S. doesn't read like an afterthought.
DO: Restate the Benefits as a Summary This is particularly useful if you have a LONG sales letter, or a very detailed explanation of what people get...
Glaring red fonts and highlighted text aside, there’s one facet of copywriting that’s true no matter who you’re writing for – Yelling louder doesn’t make your writing more believable. You can paste up all the screenshots you want as “proof”, but when it comes right down to it, the customer’s innate resistance is giving them every reason NOT to place that order.
One of the most effective ways...
I can tell you from experience that without fail, one of the most common reasons websites suffer from a low conversion rate is because they fail to make a statement. There’s no “push” – no energy and no interest in the offer. So how do you grab your readers’ attention when they’re in that scrolling and scanning state of mind? You hit ‘em with bullets! When used correctly, copywriting...
If you’ve dipped a toe or two into copywriting, one of the first things you’ll learn about is the power of negativity. Words like “Don’t” or “Stop” or “No” are powerful motivators when used correctly. But at the same time, they can be overkill when a message that’s designed to provoke actually leaves your readers feeling cold. If you read a blog post with the headline: 5 Easy Ways...
Humans are apathetic creatures by nature. We don’t bother to take action unless we’re threatened. Back when we were wearing pelts and living in caves, a “threat” was a life or death situation – but our evolutionary roots are still there today. Except instead of saving our young children from a saber-tooth tiger, we’re fending off sales messages that threaten to quickly snatch our cash right out of our...
Good copy persuades… Great copy sells. But sometimes, in that urge to be convincing, we throw so much charm and effort into the process that the customer ultimately thinks one of two things: This is too good to be true – there has to be a catch here somewhere OR This is GREAT – but why didn’t they tell me about (insert issue here…) ? The skeptics from point...
A lot of today’s top copywriters got their start in direct mail, broadcasting and catalog pieces. Back then, the medium was strictly rooted in the “Push” era – we shovel out the content, you take it all in and buy this widget. When the web started coming of age, people realized that they didn’t have to “take it all in” – they could comparison shop, read reviews and judge...
When was the last time you read your own copy and set about cutting out any words larger than three syllables? It sounds like a drastic measure, but these days, even corporations are starting to see the light: words like synergy, sustainable and assessment are being sliced out in favor of more direct, simplified language. What’s the deal here? Have we all gotten dumber? Not at all. But...
It’s a well known fact that people buy based on emotion. But more often than not, the kind of copy you read on web pages today talks more about how the company “has helped thousands of satisfied customers” or how the product “saves you hours of time and pays for itself in just one use”. Statements like these are bland, overused and about as emotional as the bottom of...
I admit it – I’m guilty of this just because I think the “right word” says so much more than the “almost-right word”. So I catch myself spending a huge amount of time and energy trying to come up with the PERFECT headline. The thing is - your readers won’t appreciate all that time and effort you spent. They’re not judging you based on how witty, clever and talented...
Loren Baker
+Ann Smarty
Alan Bleiweiss
David Harry
