Use These 3 Tricks to Improve Your Copywriting
My go-to formula for building a brand voice that connects and writing website copy that sells.
Writing about yourself and your business is hard, no matter who you are. And I say that as a professional copywriter! The good news is that there’s a simple formula that can help you get unstuck and get the words flowing.
Address the problem that your ideal client is struggling with, and present the solution that you offer.
Remember to speak to the deeper subconscious or emotional needs behind the tangible, obvious problem.
Share your ethos and values through brand storytelling to create an emotional, personal connection.
Great copywriting starts with great branding. Make sure that you can put into words why you started your business (your brand story), who your business serves (your ideal client), and what problems your business solves (what sets you apart from your competition). If you have these on lock, writing your copy will come much easier. Writer's block often stems from a lack of clarity on these points! Let’s deep dive into the process.
Identify their problem + your solution
This is the most basic and obvious piece to identify. What tangible problems does your audience face, and how does the product or service that you provide solve those problems for them?
They want delicious food, your restaurant provides it. They’re in pain, your massage studio offers relief. They need a website, you can design one for them.
You can get strategic by getting specific here. They want healthy, affordable, locally-sourced food. They not only want relief from pain, they want to relax and relieve stress. They don’t just need a website, they need a website that generates sales and lets their clients book appointments directly online. Figure out how your solution is different from the solutions offered by your competitors. What sets you apart? How do you go above and beyond?
Speak to their emotional needs
These are the subconscious problems that you solve, or the problems that they may know they have, but don’t realize can be solved by you.
Your ideal client is who we’re speaking to here. Picture your dream customer. The one who you would be thrilled to work with, or who you would feel elated to see using your products.
What gender do they identify as? Where do they live? What are they passionate about? How do they spend their time each day? How do they wish they were spending their time? What do they choose to spend their disposable income on? What kind of social trends do they follow? What kind of things do they value?
When building your ideal client or “customer avatar”, I think it’s less important to focus on the obvious data (age, level of education, income, etc), and more important to think about what they feel. What are their hopes and dreams, what stresses them out and makes their life difficult?
Why would your ideal client be excited to discover your brand? What would be the key things that would encourage them to buy from you or work with you? This is the root that we’re trying to get at.
Build your Brand Story
Your brand story is your values and ethos as a company. What inspired you to start your business? What are you most excited about contributing to the world? How do you want people to feel when they interact with your brand?
When you write from a place of sharing your passion and your values, your writing is going to be at its absolute best. We’re drawn to people who share the same values as us, and expressing your genuine passion and excitement will always resonate as authentic - because it is! Writing this way will naturally attract people who share your values and also get excited by the things that light you up. Sharing your “why” behind your business builds an emotional connection with your audience, which is the most important thing that your copywriting must do. It’s ultimately what creates sales and builds brand loyalty. After all:
“People do not buy goods and services. They buy relations, stories and magic.” — Seth Godin
Here’s an example of what this formula looks like in action —
A beauty company that is committed to using organic ingredients and non-toxic, environmentally-friendly products should absolutely tout their eco-friendly, natural skincare recipes and practices. But they should also always focus on what their products help their customers achieve: beautiful glowing skin and a youthful, clear complexion. Those things, after all, are the tangible solutions that a purchaser is trying to find - and they speak to a deeper emotional need.
The problem: Lackluster skin and a lack of eco-friendly skincare options.
The deeper emotional need: To feel beautiful and youthful, and to feel good about supporting a company that cares about the environment.
The solution + brand storytelling: Products that provide clear, healthy, youthful skin, an experience that provides a feeling of beauty, a brand that is passionate about the health of the earth.
A potential brand mission statement:
“We believe that you shouldn’t have to compromise the health and beauty of our planet for healthy, beautiful skin. Our organic skincare uses naturally-derived ingredients to restore your skin’s natural radiance for a glowing complexion. Our products are non-toxic, sustainably packaged, and never tested on animals - so your skincare routine can always feel good.”
See how you can tie everything together? I hope that this strategic copywriting framework helps you if you’re stuck staring at a blank word doc! For more on strategic website copywriting, check out this post.
Need help getting started? Work with me to build your Brand Voice!
