High converting copywriting can be found somewhere in between technical writing and poetry – it’s accurate and engaging, informative and creative, useful and inspiring. Copywriting styles are as diverse as the copywriters that use them, but there are a few techniques that are proven to convert visitors into actual paying customers.
Here are copywriting methods that you can try out for your business today.
1. The Storytelling Approach
Fairy tales, novels, movies, stage plays – people love stories especially if the narrative is about someone who’s going through the same thing they are experiencing and emerging victorious in the end.And almost “coincidentally,” your product or service served as the protagonist’s weapon to overcome the challenges along the way.
If you want to use this copywriting method, keep in mind these four basic elements:
- Opening – Introduce your audience to the main character and how he lived a perfectly happy life. Then introduce the turning point when one event changes the life of your character.
- Conflict – Your story should have a palpable conflict that your audience can almost feel the tension. Present the dangers or the consequences if your character does not find a solution to his problem.
- Dialogue – As much as people want to mind their own business, humans are natural eavesdroppers. Use conversations in your copy – what the other people surrounding your main character are saying, their fears and worries.
- Resolution – This is where you character finds your product or service and “lives happily ever after.”
2. The Conversation Approach
You. Yes, you. I am talking to you.
Imagine that you’re in a room alone with a prospective customer or client. How would you persuade that person to buy your product or service in a compelling way? This method is extremely effective for business owners who are highly passionate about their offerings. The passion just radiates through the copy and reaches the readers. It’s also highly engaging because it addresses the audience directly making them feel as if the copy was written specifically for them.
3. The Imagery/Imagination Approach
This copywriting method transports your audience to a different place or situation by using words and techniques that will allow them to visualize. Copies that begin with “imagine yourself,” “picture yourself,” “close your eyes” and “pretend for a second” just to name a few. It’s almost hypnotic and this technique is widely used by during psychological therapy and meditation. Your end goal here is for your audience to visualize themselves in the ideal situation or best-case scenario through the help of your services and products.
4. The Straight-from-the-CEO Approach
Who does not want to be addressed directly by the CEO? You will often see this method in electronic newsletters wherein the first section of the material is a message to the customers from the CEO? People feel important when someone important reaches out to them. Further, this approach “humanizes” your CEO and gives the impression that your brand is warm, friendly, reachable, relatable and most importantly, that the highest executive in the company cares about your customers. Given all things equal, these little extras spell the difference between a purchase and cart abandonment.
5. The Straightforward Approach
How can a piece of copy that is so simple and plain be effective? Believe it or not, no-fuss copywriting works for many occasions, especially if your main goal is to educate your customers about your products or services in a clear, crisp and concise way. Take the example of Google Analytics’ homepage. It’s direct. It’s informative. It’s straight to the point. It’s effective.
There are other copywriting best practices out there. The important thing is for you to identify your goals and determine which copywriting technique will work best for you to reach those objectives.