TOC #141: I thought I needed an adult diaper
(September 5, 2023) How To Know If Your Website Copy Is Working For You
Your clients being obsessed with you + your work is the ideal scenario, isn't it?
Yeah, for sure. Right. Same.
It definitely doesn't make me feel pressured or anything.
I totally, completely, absolutely want them to be in love with me.
They 100% should be expecting epic, incomparable greatness from me. Because, of course, that's what I'm giving with them. Duh.
And that expectation isn't scary AT all.
Cuz, like, there's no WAY I'd disappoint them. I mean, they don't call me the Queen of Over Delivering for nothing.
It's a good thing that they're excited.
Isn't it?
I'm gonna assume this isn't a me thing, and that lots of other creatives feel this way, but just in case it IS a me thing (srsly, pls tell me it's not?), I'm gonna explain:
Obviously I want my clients to be obsessed with me.
Obviously I'm a good ass copywriter and they always love their projects.
Obviously I want them to be optimistic as hell about their investment.
But, even so… when someone really puts a lot of faith in me, I sometimes feel like, when I start their project, I'll forget how to make a Google Doc and put words inside it? Or suddenly forget how to speak English? Or type? Or breathe?
(Even though this has, of course, never even once been the case.)
So, on a recent client questionnaire, when I asked “why did you decide to hire a copywriter and what were your goals for our partnership?”
And THIS was her answer…
"This is a friggin' bucket list project for me, man.
Since I started my business, it has been piecemeal projects and websites I have been DIY-ing to make ends meet. They're never quite what I want, but they'll do--you know?
Can I afford your services? Not really. But I have been fan-girling over your shit for quite some time and I am taking a leap.
I chose you over multiple different options (both copywriting only, all inclusive website design + copy companies, etc.) because time and again I find myself stopping my scroll to read your posts or open your emails. I couldn't say the same for the others. It's a combination of your branding and the content itself. I wanted to hire a copywriter who can tackle strategic messaging, laid-back/fun attitude, and is a passionate advocate for their clients.
My goal for our partnership is to create the absolute best representation of my business to showcase online and get those views to CONVERT. My hope is that you'll be able to infuse personality into my website as well as the marketing/sales + SEO aspects it so desperately needs."
…it's safe to say I thought I was going to need an adult diaper while writing her project. I WANTED IT TO BE PERFECT.
Especially after she said this:
Like, you KNOW what that level of excitement is. Unmatched!
Thankfully, despite me practically shitting myself over it, she responded with barely a single edit — God bless America and my sanity levels — and shared that she felt like the copy finally fully represented who she is, who she serves, and how she uniquely serves them.
Keyword: FINALLY.
Homegirl had been DIYing her website copy for TEN. YEARS.
She'd been winging it, trial-and-error-ing it, hoping for the best with it, and low key unhappy with it for a DECADE before finally investing in copy that truly felt like HER.
Moral of the story?
An upgrade in website copy = an upgrade in business confidence.
It's okay to DIY your copy until you can afford to hire help (or invest in a resource to learn to write it on your own).
Sometimes taking the jump, trusting your gut, and betting on someone you're hopeful about is worth the risk.
And, most importantly, it's okay if your client projects sometimes make you shart.
How To Know If Your Website Copy Is Working For You
It took my lovely client from the story above a DECADE to decide whether or not she should invest in professional website copywriting, but what ultimately did it for her was the fact that she wasn't getting aligned inquiries, despite having a ridiculous level of talent, having lots of social proof, having pretty good SEO, and having a good website design / UX experience, so…
All that was left to blame was the copy.
Because, in case ya missed it, website copy is THE #1 thing that matters when people visit your website; it's what's going to inspire them to actually take action (and actually feel confident enough in your brand to take a chance on you).
👀
#1 — You're not getting inquiries from the right people.
Sure, you may be getting inquiries right now… but are they from the RIGHT people People you actually WANT to work with?
Who don't question your process or pricing?
Who have cool ass projects you can't wait to work on?
Who trust and value your expertise?
Who don't make your life a living hell with their red flag vibes?
Who make you feel excited to get back to work each day?
If you're not getting consistent inquiries from those types of people — the ones you started your business to help — then it very well could be (read: almost definitely is) a website copy problem.
#2 — People are visiting your website, but aren't taking action.
You can SEE in your analytics that people ARE visiting your website, but… then they're just… not doing anything?
They're clicking around, but they're not clicking inquire, or buy now, or sign up.
And why do you think that is? 👀
They either don't know how (you've given them 0 direction about how to actually take action) OR they're not convinced that your brand is the right choice (your website copy hasn't done its job).
#3 — You're getting questions, instead of clients.
If people are reaching out to you to ask you QUESTIONS, instead of simply inquiring about your services (or signing up for your courses, or purchasing your products), you've absolutely got a website copy problem.
Your website copy's responsible for answering your readers' questions before they even have to ask them.
So, if you're getting questions instead of clients… you know what you've gotta fix.
#4 — You don't feel like your website is adequately representing you.
If you feel awkward about sending people to your website, or you find yourself giving the “oh, um, I… haven't updated it in a while…” disclaimer every time someone asks for your link, well 🤭 I think you know where I'm going with this.
Your website copy should feel like the MOST accurate representation of who you are as a person and as a brand, because it's the ONLY place on the Internet where you completely control the narrative.
Your site is the #1 place you should absolutely feel confident in showing off, because it's your place. Your house. The one you own. The one you welcome your people into; the one you make them feel at home, too.
Sprucing up your website copy = how you get that home ready for hosting.
Want to learn the 5 copywriting tips that'll wildly improve your website copy AND everything else you have to write for your biz?
I'm hosting a completely FREE masterclass on the 5 cardinal rules of copywriting in just a few weeks — and all of 'em are game-changers for writing the best copy for the best website (or email, or blog, or social caption, or ad…)
I'd love to see you there! Click the link below to register for the free masterclass on Thursday September 21st at 3pm EST (replay available if ya can't make it live)!
The Hottest Event Of The Year 🔥
Just kidding. It's not gonna be that hot.
But my tips definitely are gonna be fire.
ICYMI — I'm hosting a FREE masterclass, BTL's Cardinal Rules of Copywriting, all about the 5 most important copywriting skills you need to write great copy for ANYTHING.
(Website, blog, email, caption, social ad, sales page… you name it, you can write it 10x better if you implement the 5 tips I'm teaching you.)
It's happening on Thursday, September 21st at 3pm EST, and it's completely free to attend — and you'll get a video recording of the class sent to your email immediately after, just in case you can't join me live.
REMEMBER: no matter what you do for work, you can benefit from learning how to be a great copywriter, because no matter what we sell, we all have reasons to write convincing words that make our audiences wanna take action.
& I'm on a mission to teach you how to make that happen. 👀 Join on the 21st, would ya?! 🤠