A few years ago, we posted a thirty-day thread on X (formerly Twitter) that, not to flex, was pretty impressive. In it, our consistent publishing schedule and helpful tips boosted engagement considerably.
The one thing about X threads is that they eventually get buried by newer Tweets. So, we wanted to compile our tips and tricks from this thread into a blog post.
Even if you think you’ve got copy on lock, we can always improve. Make sure it’s scannable and visually appealing, not just informative. Give it personality—don’t be afraid of humour, visuals, or other engaging entertainment. And don’t be afraid to weave storytelling through your landing pages, “About” pages, and every other facet of your web presence. These are just some of the tips you’ll learn in this information-packed post.
Best Practices
Headlines
What are the 4 major headlines in copy? Glad you asked! There’s:
The List: “The 4 best copywriting headline styles”
The Direct Response: “Be the hero when you share helpful tweets”
The ‘Reason Why’: “Why it’s time for the 4-day workweek”
The ‘How To’: “How to write killer headlines”
There are three points to developing a headline. The first is to use strong phrases from your copy in headlines and subheadings, and the second is to conjure up emotions and imagery that will be built up in the article body. Finally, any headline should follow the 4 Us: Urgent, Unique, Useful, and Ultra-Specific.
Testimonials
Testimonials are a powerful tool—in fact, people are 34% more likely to buy a product or service when they see testimonials. Don’t be afraid of incorporating reviews and subscriptions when developing your copy!
Prove Yourself
There are some things you’ll have to prepare to counter in your copy, like these 5 common beliefs:
1. I don’t have enough time.
2. I don’t have enough money.
3. It won’t work for me.
4. I don’t believe you.
5. I don’t need it.
When you make a claim in your copy, ask yourself “So what?” This will help you improve your copy and build in justification for every claim!
The 4 Cs of Copywriting
Remarkable copy incorporates the 4 Cs to be:
-Clear
-Concise
-Compelling
-Credible
Understand Your Audience
Copy can be a powerful tool for building a shared identity with your community. It can define values through tone, structure, and visuals to build a strong connection with your audience. For example, using smart keywords can help you gain your audience’s attention. By using audience insights, you can find out exactly what your audience’s problems and interests are, and tailor your keywords accordingly.
Before you do this, you’ll need to understand how your audience works, what they’re interested in, and how they feel about different topics.
Clickable Copywriting
Clickable copy is not created with just one tactic. Instead, it’s made up of several best practices, like garnering attention with promotion, focusing on the customer, stressing benefits, competitor differentiation, proving and building your value, establishing credibility, and providing a call to action.
Calls to action are important, but personalized calls to action are even better—in fact, 202% more effective. To accomplish this, match the buyer’s persona and stage of the buying cycle by offering them something of great value that’s tailored to their wants. (Remember a previous point about analyzing your audience?)
Credible Copywriting
How do you find credible sources for your copy? Look for sources with facts and statistics, research methodology, testimonials, case studies, and success stories.
You can build trust in your copy (and brand!) by mentioning these sources, in addition to your own:
- Testimonials and data
- Strong guarantee of return
- Years in business
- Innovation and awards
- Publications and media coverage
- Participation in societies and/or professional organizations
- Independent survey results
Learn from Others
How does Apple pull off its world-class marketing? They start with narrowing down facts into messaging that is just as impactful with fewer words. Then, they frame features as benefits, and present these benefits in a way customers may not infer on their own.
Take some advice from David Ogilvy: “You’ve spent 80 cents of your dollar once you’ve written a headline.” So, make it count! A headline can make or break your article and engagement, so employ things like cliffhangers and emotional appeal to attract the right audience.
What can we learn from the Albert Einstein quote “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough”? Well, it should provide guidance that your copy should be simple yet effective, using language that is accessible to a wide audience. This way, an audience understands your benefits quickly from your expertise.
David Garfinkel recommends that you write in a style that’s more personal, like a “one-on-one convo with your prospect”. According to Garfinkel, copy written at a third-grade reading level receives 36% more responses. So limit the jargon, and explain it afterward if you do use it.
Sonia Simone says that great marketing stories need 5 things: a hero, a goal, a conflict, a mentor and a moral. When developing your conflict, look at the Identify-Agitate-Solve formula below. For your mentor, look to the BAB formula below. It’s all coming together!
The Copywriter’s Formulas
In this section, we’re going to condense these best practices into memorable formulas that can support your copywriting.
BAB
Before: Here’s your world.
After: Imagine what the world would be like if we solved problem [xyz].
Bridge: Here’s how to get there.
Here’s an example!
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FAB
If you’ve mastered BAB, time for FAB:
Features: What you or your product can do.
Advantages: Why this is helpful.
Benefits: What it means for the person reading
Here’s an example!
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Identify, Agitate, Solve
Identify a problem, agitate the problem, and solve the problem.
Here’s an example!
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PPPP
Have you integrated the PPPP formula in your copy?
Picture: Paint a picture that gets attention and creates desire
Promise: Describe how your product/service will deliver
Prove: Justify your claims
Push: Convince your reader to commit
Here’s an example!
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APPROACH
Use the APPROACH formula to develop the flow of your copy.
Here’s an example!
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AIDA
Attention: Get the reader’s attention
Interest: Provide interesting information that appeals to the reader
Desire: Prove the benefit of your product and service to the audience
Action: Ask for a response through calls-to-action
Here’s an example!
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Bob Stone’s Persuasive Copywriting
Here’s an example!
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The 6+1 Model
Here’s an example!
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9. The 1234 Formula for Outlining Your Copy
1. What I’ve got for you
2. What it’s going to do for you
3. Who am I?
4. What you need to do next
Here’s an example!
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ACCA
Awareness: Present the problem
Comprehension: Explain your solution and show the reader how it affects them
Conviction: Create a desire in your reader to use your solution
Action: Provide a call to action for your audience.
One Last Example!
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