What is conversion copywriting?

When you are learning copywriting one thing that can be confusing is all the terminology out there. All the technical jargon can become confusing. 

So what is conversion copywriting?

 In this article I explain what conversion copywriting is, the basics of conversion copywriting and discuss great examples.

Conversion copywriting is basically copywriting with one specific conversion goal in mind. Arguably this is what we do as copywriters in every single piece of copy that we produce online and in print. 

Conversion copywriting can extend to content as well. So we can use the key principles in a social media post and blog posts also. The aim of conversion copywriting is to encourage a reader to commit to an action right there and then – that being the goal of the piece of writing.

Four tips for getting started with conversion copywriting

So how do you start with conversion copywriting? 

Any skill is going to take some practice to perfect. You may think about taking a training course online to help you develop these skills.

 My recommendation is Filthy Rich Writer’s course, as it has enabled me to develop and scale my own copywriting business. 

Here are a few things that you, as a conversion copywriter, need to do to inspire people to take action.

What is the end goal?

Conversion doesn’t necessarily mean purchase. It can mean any action you want a reader to take. It could be any of the following: 

• Clicking a button
• Filling out a form
• Adding a product to a shopping cart
• Subscribing to an email newsletter or list
• Sharing content or an offer on social media
• Making a phone call
• Going to a web page to read more
• Downloading an ebook or other lead magnet

Research, research, research

I can’t overstate how important research is for this. Research will be the main bulk of your work as a copywriter. You need to understand the key things about what you are writing about BEFORE you dive into writing the copy.

Get clear on who you are talking to

Get together with your client and really get clear on who their target audience is, if they have already created client avatars to help with this. You need to understand their pain points, their struggles, what they care about and their situations so you can best help them. 

Other information to collect: 

• Age 
• Gender 
• Location 
• Occupation
• Interests or hobbies

Seeing the process as helping someone really does shift my thinking – I hope this helps you too. 

For example – I have written product descriptions for dog accessories and part of the process here was to ask my client who they were aiming the product at. Clients are usually awesome and will give you a full story behind who they are serving.
Pro tip – if you are on Zoom, ask the client if they are okay with you recording the session, so you can replay all the important information they give you about their target audience.

Know the product, or service inside out

Part of your research must be to know all the facts about the product or service you will be writing about. 

Here are some key things to think about and may be useful for your kick-off meeting with your client. 

• What is the product or service USP(Unique selling proposition or what does it offer that no-one else does?)
• Key product or service features 
• Pricing 
• Any past testimonials or stories about how it helped the target audience. 
• The order of messaging you need to consider when writing. (message hierarchy)

When you have all this in front of you, you can start to extract the deep benefits of the product or service for their audience. This is one of the most important parts. Benefit driven copywriting allows the reader to really get how the product or service can help them in their life. 

If you are working for a larger company, this discovery time might also include conversations with various teams, like the marketing, sales or even technical team. Take a look at close competitors and how they are explaining the benefits. 

Then you are fully ready to make a start on your piece.

Understand the buyer journey

Buyer journey for a particular product or service is also a really important thing to consider. How many times do they need to see your product online for them to be curious? 

What stage are they at? 

Are they aware of your product? 

Are they needing to solve a problem right now? 

As copywriters we need to be aware that different customers have different needs at different times. Here is a guide to a basic buyer journey.

Awareness

The prospect knows they have a problem but isn’t sure how to fix it yet. They research possible solutions to their problem. Most times they may not be able to nail down EXACTLY what their problem is at this stage.

Consideration

At this point the prospect has found different viable solutions to their problem, but they’re not sure which to go with. They can accurately describe their problem and the solution. They now need to consider which solution to go with.

Decision

In this part of the buyer’s journey they are making a choice. They are ready to buy and know which solution they are going with. They just now need to decide which company or brand to buy from. 

Hubspot has pointed out that this model should be cyclical, so after this the client you are working with may ask you to create copy to nurture buyers to encourage them to repeat purchase.

What does content look like throughout the stages of the buyer’s journey?

 Awareness stage content

For you this means that you need to be able to help people understand their problems. Let’s take for example a dog harness. Dave has trouble because Jasper pulls on the lead. He’r worried Jasper will hurt his neck. 

At this stage we could provide content about : 

How a harness can alleviate neck problems in dogs, or how a no-pull harness can help you overcome pulling issues. This could be in the form of videos, blog posts, podcasts – any type of engaging content that educates about dogs pulling on the lead.

Consideration stage content

For you this means that you need to be able to help people understand the solutions available but also your client’s specific solution. 

This phase is still very content based but now you can be specific. So you could be writing and creating education content about different solutions to pulling dogs:

• Wearing sturdy footwear, gloves and taking treats with you. 
• Avoidance strategies 
• Looking at triggers for your dogs pulling. 

 This also can be done via podcasts, videos, blog posts and social media posts on the problem. It will position the company in the mind’s of the prospects for when they move into the decision phase.

Decision stage content

Now you can move forward into presenting clearly the product offer. You’ve got to prove you are the company to solve the problem. This is where testimonials, product reviews, stats and other forms of social proof come into play. It’s the phase to really build your audience’s trust that you can provide a solution that is right for them. 

So for a no-pull harness, you can start showcasing your client’s no-pull harness and how it can solve Dave’s problems. There could be a live demo of the harness working on a challenging dog with a similar issue or it could even link to a free training for how to use the harness for newbies with examples of testimonials from people it has worked for.

Clear Calls to Action

As you are writing the copy, you need to consider the main action that you want someone to take and make it really clear. 

Keep your CTAs short, sweet and compelling. Keep asking yourself – What do I want my reader to do? 

Your CTAs need to be sprinkled, as Amy Porterfield says ‘like confetti’ throughout the copy you are writing. 

If it’s a website, your first CTA needs to be above the fold. (The point where someone hasn’t had to scroll down yet) Then other CTAs need to be at key points but approximately in the middle of a long sales page and at the bottom.

This will address the different styles of different readers. One reader may be convinced to click on your CTA button at the top of the page, whereas someone else may need more details and reassurance before doing the same.

Detail freaks like me (especially when it’s a high-ticket investment) read all the way to the bottom, or at least scan down, so there needs to be a final CTA to capture them. 

Use your judgement with this – the shorter the copy, the less CTAs you will need.

Conversion copywriting examples 

 Facebook Ad – Russell Brunson

Russell Brunson is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world. Here is an example of one his Facebook ads.

His language is clear and explains the benefits of his book, the bonuses you get and the fact that it’s free, before very clearly asking you to learn more at the end.

 Product description – Yours Truly – Dog With a Mission

Okay so I’m blowing my own trumpet here a little but here you can see how I really dug into the audience’s every day experiences with their dogs and crafted these into short stories, so they could picture the scene and become part of the story.

Product Descriptions – Dog With a Mission

Email – Eco Bravo

This email from Eco Bravo popped into my email inbox this week and I really liked how it got to the core message straight away. The main action they wanted you to take was to buy something in the sale. The CTA is so clear it can’t be misunderstood and the copy is minimal, so you don’t become distracted. 

Underneath is an example of a product you can buy, with a brief description of what you get and then another tiny CTA. 

Love this!

Blog post

Here is a blog post I have written for my cycle niche site, helping people to choose the best baby bike seat for their child. There are regular CTAs throughout the blog post in the form of buttons on product boxes. I use Lasso for these product boxes and am finding them superb for click through rate. 

I also answer the question in the first paragraph as to which I think is the best thing because it suits the person who hasn’t got enough time to read the entire post.

Final Thoughts

If you follow all these principles then you will no doubt be on your way to becoming a fantastic conversion copywriter. You need to remember to do thorough research into your target audience, write in the voice of the brand and figure out at the beginning what you want the reader to do.