Copywriting can be very challenging, especially for products and services with a lot of competition. How do we stand out from the crowd? How do we communicate effectively to our customers? How do we drive conversions with ad copy? These questions will all be answered throughout this article. You can discover some different copywriting tips and best practices to follow. Whether you are writing ad copy, creating a new landing page, writing product descriptions, or launching your next email marketing campaign, my copywriting best practices will be helpful.
You can start by watching the video below and then reading the corresponding blog article.
Copywriting Best Practices Video
You can also watch it directly on the Surfside PPC YouTube channel.
8 Copywriting Best Practices
1. Know Your Target Audience And Their Pain Points
You have to talk directly to your target audience and you need to understand their pain points. What are the problems your customers are experiencing? Your products or services will be promoted to them as a solution to their problems.
Understanding your target audience is the foundation of effective copywriting. Research their demographics, interests, and pain points to craft a message that resonates with them. Addressing their specific concerns and needs will create a strong connection, establishing trust and credibility in your brand.
Examples of Ads that Understand Customer Pain Points:
The ads below do a good job with promotion by understanding their customer. In the Prudential ad, they know that their customers need to create a plan for retirement. In the Social Cat ad, they were able to communicate that brands can work with influencers without breaking the bank.
2. Provide An Easy Experience For Prospects
You should focus on creating a smooth and cohesive journey for your prospects. Your ad copy should match your website’s design, your website’s landing page copy, and the overall user experience. Consistency in messaging, tone, style, and language helps provide a great user experience. One of your main jobs as a copywriter is to make it easier for users to understand your message.
For example, I searched for pizza delivery near me using Google. DoorDash had an advertisement that matched exactly what I was looking for:
Then, DoorDash sent me to a targeted landing page. A seamless experience and customer journey like this one leads to more conversions. I can easily find the best pizza delivery near me with DoorDash.
3. Be Clear With What You Are Actually Promoting
Clarity is essential when it comes to copywriting. Make sure your audience knows exactly what you’re offering by using simple, straightforward language. Avoid jargon and overly technical terms to ensure your message is easily understood by a wide audience.
In the 2 ads below, one does a great job showing what they are actually promoting. Truthfully, I’m not sure by looking at the ad what Goldman Sachs is actually promoting. However, I know that American Express is promoting a business line of credit right away.
4. Be Compelling As Fast As Possible
Capture your audience’s attention with engaging headlines and introductions. Use powerful words and phrases that evoke emotion, create a sense of urgency, or spark curiosity. A strong opening will encourage readers to continue exploring your content and ultimately take action.
The ad examples below could be more compelling with their ad copy. While the Nextdoor Business ad conveys the message effectively, the top ad copy could be improved. On the other hand, the Hulu ad starts with “Don’t just stream your ads” and that copy can be improved as well.
5. Benefits Should Fix Customer Pain Points
Focus on the benefits of your product or service and how they address your audience’s pain points. Highlight the value you provide and demonstrate how your solution will improve their lives. This approach builds trust and encourages prospects to consider your offering as the best solution to their problem.
Olly does a great job on their website promoting the benefits of their products to customers. They don’t focus on describing their products and the features, they talk directly to the problems their customers are experiencing. It’s very clear that their gummies will be a solution to whatever problem or ailment someone may be having.
6. Include Real Testimonials And Reviews
Authentic testimonials and reviews from satisfied customers add credibility to your copy. They serve as social proof, showing prospects that others have experienced positive results with your product or service. Include testimonials that are specific, detailed, and relevant to your target audience to maximize their impact.
In the Fabletics Twitter ad below, they incorporated customer testimonials on each image:
7. Use A Clear Call To Action To Encourage Conversions
Every piece of copy should include a clear and concise call to action (CTA) that guides the user toward the desired outcome. Be specific with your CTA, using action-oriented language that encourages users to take the next step, whether it’s making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or requesting a consultation.
Good Landing Page Copywriting Example:
In the example below of a PandaDoc landing page, you can see they have a great copy that tells customers they can save 12 hours per week. In addition, there is a clear call to action to start a 14-day free trial. Lastly, what is being promoted is very clear and they incorporate average customer reviews as well.
8. Always Be Testing Your Copy
Regularly test and optimize your copy to improve performance. Experiment with different headlines, body copy, and CTAs to determine what resonates best with your audience. Use A/B testing and analyze engagement metrics to make data-driven decisions that will enhance your copywriting efforts.
If you are running advertisements, you should be running variations and testing what works best. Most ad platforms like Google Ads and Facebook Ads will serve your top-performing ads. You can see below that PandaDoc is running different variations of their ads.
5 Copywriting Tips For Success
If you’re following the best practices above, the 5 tips below will help take your copywriting to the next level.
1. Use ChatGPT To Help With Copywriting
I created several videos that will show you how to use ChatGPT to help with your copywriting. In the first video, I give several examples including how to write product pages, how to come up with taglines and copy for a limited-time promotion.
Video: ChatGPT For Copywriting
2. Use ChatGPT For Google Ads and Facebook Ads Ad Copy
It can be challenging to come up with a lot of ad copy. If you are creating ads, you should still write your own copy and test variations of your ads. In addition to your copy, you can outsource some of the work to ChatGPT. Watch the video below or on YouTube for prompts and to see some tips and best practices.
Video: ChatGPT For Ad Copy
3. Appeal to Your Customer’s Emotions
One of the most effective tips when it comes to writing copy is to use emotional copy. For example, a home security company should talk about the fear that people have when it comes to home security. People want products to keep their families safe so they don’t feel the emotion of fear, and that’s what ad copy for home security products should speak directly to.
4. Keep It Simple and Easy to Understand
Your goal is not to make your products or services sound complex. You should focus on writing copy that can be easily understood by potential customers. In the Olly example above, they do a great job of conveying their message simply and effectively. The Olly example below, it’s a great way to show customers exactly what you are promoting and the problem it will solve for them.
5. Your Goal is Driving Conversions – Not Branding
Many copywriters get tasked to do a job and they are told to use certain branding in their ad copy. If using branding is hurting conversion rates, then focus on the copy that drives results. If you have a brand slogan, it does not need to be in all of your copy. What you should do is focus on using the copywriting best practices and tips above.
Conclusion
Effective copywriting is essential for driving conversions and building strong relationships with your target audience. By following these best practices, you can create engaging, persuasive copy that resonates with your readers and encourages them to take action. Our copywriting tips will help you appeal to your customer’s emotions and convert more prospects into customers.
