Module 4: Polish Your Copy until It Shines

Learning Objective

To add in the crucial elements that turn your copy from just OK to a high-converting powerhouse for your business.

Throughout this course, you’ve been working on a draft of your sales copy. In this module, you’ll take a fresh look at it and add some high-converting elements to encourage more sales.

Your CTA

Let’s look at probably the most important part of your copy: the call-to-action, or CTA.

You could write the most perfect copy, but if there’s no call-to-action, your readers won’t know what to do next. And that leads to lost sales. The CTA is what makes the sale happen. It’s where you can tweak the text and improve your conversion rate.

If you were intending to design a button that reads, “Click here” or “Submit,” then think again.

Add a Benefit

The most effective CTAs include a benefit which speaks to the prospect’s challenge or goal.

They need to see something valuable that will motivate them to click.

For example, if you know your audience wants to have less stress in their lives, your button could say, “Click here for stress-free living” or “Click here to regain your calm center.”

When you use the first-person perspective, this increases the impact even more. For example, “Start my free 30-day trial” instead of “Start your free 30-day trial.”

Create Your Button

Your CTA is usually included in a button on your page and made to stand out, so it easily grabs people’s attention

Here are some tips for effective CTA design:

Effective CTA Design

• Make it highly visible by using a bright color or eye-catching shape that fits within your brand colors

• Vary the size so it’s clearly visible but not overwhelming

• Ensure that your CTA button contrasts with the colors on the rest of the page so it stands out

Where you place your CTA button and how many times it appears on the page will depend on your offer, your customers, and the type of page it’s on. If it’s a short post, you’ll usually have one CTA either in the middle or at the end. On a long sales page, you’ll have several CTA buttons strategically placed throughout, and then end with one.

Remember that at least some of your visitors will choose to scroll to the end of the sales page, avoiding most of your copy.

By having your CTA at the end, you ensure that they see it.

It’s not possible to give hard and fast rules about CTA placement, as it will depend on what your customers favor. This is something you can easily split test (which we’ll come back to later).

Action Steps

Using the guides in this lesson, design three CTA buttons that encourage your prospects to take the next step.

Write 10 different copy options for your call-to-action button.

Decide how you’re going to design your CTA button (e.g., colors, fonts, shape) and where you’re going to place it on your page. You can split test these later.

Lesson 1: Urgency And Scarcity

Well-crafted CTAs can improve conversions. So can introducing the elements of urgency and scarcity into your copy. If you’re not familiar with this, read on.

People don’t want to miss out and if you tell them there’s a limited number of something they’re thinking of buying, that can tip them over the line. The same is true if they only have a short time to make up their minds on a deal. They’re pressed to buy now while the clock is ticking.

Learning Outcomes

To learn how to use urgency in your copy to help your prospect's decision making.

To learn how to use (genuine) scarcity to get them to take action now.

Be Genuine

If you use urgency and scarcity tactics as an incentive to purchase, be genuine about it. It makes no sense to say there are only 20 online programs available, because everyone knows that hundreds can sign up for something digital and on-demand. However, there is a legitimate reason why you can only offer 20 one-on-one coaching slots to new clients in the next month. That’s because your time is limited.

If you introduce restrictions either in time or amount, then be true to your word. If buyers must sign up by midnight tonight or miss out, at midnight tonight you change or close your offer. Inauthentic copy turns prospects cold, and they’ll go shop somewhere else. It's hard to gain trust and very easy to lose it.

In a long sales page, you can expand on the scarcity/urgency elements and explain your reasons for the restrictions.

Be Specific

Avoid vague statements that are standard but don’t communicate anything, such as:

Vague Statements

• While supplies last

• Don’t miss out

• Order before it’s too late

Here are some examples that convey the precise restrictions:

Urgency

Precise Statements

• Expires in 12 hours

• 50% off today only

• Offer ends on X date

• Special members discount today

• Program starts Monday, sign up today

Scarcity

Scarcity Statements

• Only 15 spots available

• 100 bundles left

• 10 slots only for new clients

These elements won’t always be applicable to your offers but include them where you can. You could add a countdown clock or a number counter as a visual that communicates the need to buy.

Action Steps

For one of your products, rewrite the sales copy to incorporate genuine urgency.

For the same or a different product, rewrite the sales copy to incorporate genuine scarcity.

[For example, when I launch a Training Course, I offer a limited number of personal Zoom sessions to course graduates. To get them you have to be one of the first n purchasers (n is typically 5 to 10). This appeals to both urgency (buy now to qualify) and scarcity (the slots will be gone soon). The thing to be careful of here is that once the slots are gone, both scarcity and urgency are gone as well. So it's a good idea to have a backup offer. Sorry, all the Zoom sessions are gone, but you can still get (this other offer) if you're one of the next 50 buyers. Of course, you must also give this offer to those that took you up on the first one.]

Lesson 2: Tips for Polishing Copy

Your copy needs to be logical and easy to read. Your number one task when you polish your copy is to make sure the layout is clean and clear.

Learning Outcomes

To learn how to write clear and easily-digestible copy.

Basic Copy Flow

In an earlier lesson, we looked at different layouts that deliver. Let’s recap on the basic flow for most copy regardless of length:

Copy Flow

• Headline

• Text

• CTA

There are other steps to take before you decide your copy is good to go:

Steps to Polish Your Copy

• Add whitespace
• Increase impact with visual elements such as colors, different fonts, graphics, and images to stop people scrolling by
• Don’t overdo it though — readers don’t like busy or confusing layouts
• Check mobile layout. Make sure that you check how your copy looks on a mobile device (e.g., a two-column layout may look great on a PC but not work on a smartphone)
• Remove clichés and overused words
• Don’t use jargon or business-specific language if you want wide appeal
• Keep sentences and paragraphs short
• Beware of colloquial expressions which won’t be understood outside your country if you’re attracting a global audience
• Use action verbs to increase impact rather than passive verbs
• Include “because” to explain why and increase conversions (e.g., why your product is cheaper or why they should buy it today)
• When you think you’re done, cut, cut, and cut again
• Eliminate unnecessary, vague, and redundant words:
  • Unnecessary and inaccurate words, for example: "It’s almost unique in the world." Unique means there’s only one and can’t be qualified
  • Vague, imprecise words such as really, a lot, always, never, absolutely, truly
  • Redundant adverbs, for example:
    • "Tina shouted loudly at the taxi as it drove away." It’s not possible to shout quietly, so the word ‘loudly’ is redundant
    • "The spooked horse bolted hastily across the field." It’s not possible to bolt slowly so ‘hastily’ is redundant
• Check that your language is objective and not exaggerated, for example avoid phrases like "Best in the universe"
• Check for grammar and spelling mistakes.

Your copy should read naturally. When you think you’re ready, read your text out loud to check that it’s conversational in tone. If you’re struggling, there are tools to assist such as Hemingway Editor which will help you with readability and WordHippo to find synonyms.

Don’t forget the purpose of this type of copy is to get people buying, so they must be able to do so quickly and easily.

Action Steps

Consider adding or improving visuals for your chosen piece of copy, noting what you could add to increase the impact.

Take your chosen piece of copy and check it for language complexity with Hemmingway Editor.

Create a Copywriting Checklist from the points covered in this module and use it whenever reviewing a specific piece of copy.