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The hardest business to write for is always your own, so you’re definitely not alone if you find creating messaging for your business challenging. This checklist of 10 essential copywriting techniques will not only make the process a lot easier, but will also convert more customers.
With Nicki and Kate’s backgrounds in copywriting, there’s a lot to dive into here, so we’re splitting this checklist across two episodes. In this first part, listen in for guidance on how to write powerful CTAs and subject lines, grab your reader’s attention, and avoid the clickbait trap.
Once you’ve listened to Part I, add Part II to your episode queue! We strongly recommend listening to both episodes so you don’t miss out on any of these essential techniques.
Looking for closed captioning or a transcript? Watch the episode on YouTube!
A Sneak Peek at the Episode
[2:12] The hardest business to write for is your own, so if you find messaging challenging, you are not alone. But the more you focus on and practice the points on this checklist, the easier it will get.
[3:06] The actual writing is only a portion of your messaging. Taking some time to step away and then come back to it and edit it is also a very important part.
[4:19] Before you give anybody any piece of information, make sure you have a purpose and a plan. Clearly define what you are setting out to accomplish and review this once you have written the copy.
[7:48] Every email should have an action that you want your readers to take. There should be some next step that you give them because that increases engagement. Consider why that next step is important and why you want them to take this action.
[8:53] Once you figure out what the purpose is for you, start digging into the benefit for the audience. What’s in it for them if they take the action you suggest?
[11:37] When it comes to your call to action, think in terms of clarity and simplicity.
[13:30] What’s important to you is not necessarily the same thing that’s important to your target audience. When writing your messaging, set yourself aside, put yourself in your target audience’s shoes, and figure out what they want and need to hear.
[16:30] Make sure that you’re not just focusing on the features (which can be very easy for us as business owners), but that you’re also focusing on the benefits. What is your target audience going to get out of it?
[22:07] Be attention grabbing by focusing on the benefit and inciting curiosity. But remember to still connect it back to your target audience to keep them interested.
[26:54] If you try to be attention grabbing but don’t pay it off, it turns into clickbait versus an effective subject line or headline, and risks eroding your audience’s trust.
[29:15] Take time writing subject lines–don’t just do it as a throwaway activity after spending ages on your email. Analyzing the emails you open and delete in your own inbox is a great way to figure out what is effective or not.
[30:55] Try to make everything that you put out hyper-focused on what your audience needs to know right now. Be ruthless about any other copy that distracts them or takes away from the main purpose. You can always keep it in a separate document to use somewhere else!
Mentioned on this Episode
Must-Hear Takeaways
As with every episode, we highly encourage you to listen to the entire conversation! But, here are a few of the highlights:
“Clarity and simplicity are always the way that you should go when it comes to your call to action. Yes, use your brand voice in all kinds of other places, but for your call to action, think in terms of clarity and simplicity.” – Nicki
“When you are writing your messaging, you kind of have to set yourself aside and put yourself in your target audience’s shoes and figure out what they want and need to hear.” – Nicki
“Don’t try to force your audience to buy something that they don’t want. Sell them what they want and then give them all the other stuff that you need.” – Nicki
“The hardest business to write for is your own, so if you find messaging challenging, you are not alone. But the more you focus on and practice the points on this checklist, the easier it will get.” – Nicki
“Nothing that we put out in the world should be purposeless. There should be a reason that we give anybody any piece of information that we reach out to them, number one, because we have all kinds of important things to convey to them. But number two, because if you just start sending stuff out without it being well thought through, without a purpose, without it having a benefit to the person who’s reading it, they’re going to stop reading.” – Nicki
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About the Energize Your Online Business Podcast
Are you sick of the stress, chaos, and risk of trying to keep up with the next big thing in digital marketing? And what about the confusion of trying to scale, build a team, and still try to make sure your business is worth the effort it takes to run it? You are not alone.
Join Nicki Krawczyk, a 20-year marketing veteran and owner of a multi-seven-figure-per-year digital training company and her co-host Kate Sitarz as they bust through the online business industry echo chamber to talk about how to make consistent, predictable sales and how to scale your business with simple and stress-free systems.
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