TOC #93: I'm not proud of this...
(October 4, 2022) How To Write Copy That Makes Your Readers Feel Seen
I'm not proud of this … but I let my 3-year-old drink chai lattes.
Well, kinda. I let him think he's drinking chai lattes, when all he's drinking is a cup of milk, with a splash of pumpkin spice creamer, and whipped cream on top.
Of course, he asks for them because he knows how much I like them—he even recognizes the Starbucks logo, and has figured out to ask for a stop at “the cake pop store” to be added to our errands.
“Mummy, can we go to the cake pop store?” he asks. “I want a chi-uh wah-tay!”
Now, of course, ‘chi-uh wah-tay’ doesn't at all sound like chai latte to anyone who doesn't speak fluent Woo, and they'd probably go through several rounds of “what did you say?” and “you have to go to the potty?” and “you wanna par-tay?” before they figured out what he was hoping for.
But I know what he's asking, because I know him better than he knows himself. All he has to do is ask one time, and I know exactly what he wants from me.
…can your ideal clients and customers reading your website say the same?
Is all they have to do ask one question via Google search, get directed to your website, and have their needs understood & met with ease?
Or are they sitting on the other side of the screen, very clearly asking for their chi-uh wah-tay, only to be given a slew of other things they don't want and aren't looking for?
How To Write Copy That Makes Your Readers Feel Seen
If you've been subscribed to this newsletter for a while, you've heard me preach all of these things before:
+ Confusion is the enemy of conversion, so you should prioritize your copy being clear over your copy being clever.
+ Your website copy should answer your reader's questions before they even have to ask them.
+ The best copy speaks the target audience's language, using the terms, phrases, expressions, and words they understand.
…and all of those lessons apply to the chi-uh wah-tay lesson. But even though today's tip is about how to write copy that makes your readers feel seen, I'm not actually here to give you a copywriting tutorial.
Because, in order to truly write copy that makes your readers feel like you deeply understand everything they want and need, your job begins before any words even hit the page.
You're gonna need to do some research.
If you don't know your audience like the back of your hand, you won't be able to effectively market to them.
So, you'll need to find out a few things about their current situation, how they're hoping to improve it, and which specific solution(s) they're seeking from you.
+ What is their life like right now?
+ What's the one thing they really want, deep down?
+ How is not having that one thing negatively impacting their life right now?
+ What do they call the thing they're looking for / how do they refer to it? (Are they searching for a “conversion-friendly website” or are they searching for “how to convert readers into buyers”? Because there's a difference!)
Next, you'll need to dig a bit deeper.
+ Why did they end up on your site in the first place?
+ What were they hoping to find?
+ What's their stage of awareness?
+ How ready are they to invest in improving their current situation?
+ How much do they want a solution? Is it urgent, or can it wait?
+ What's the alternative for not solving their problem/meeting their need?
And then, once you know everything you need to know about them, you'll need to do some introspection, and figure out where YOU come into play.
+ How can you help them achieve their desired outcome?
+ Why can't they do it themselves?
+ What's the benefit of working with you / buying your product over them figuring out a different solution?
And once you have all your answers, you can begin drafting—and your copy will be so much better for it. Connection = conversion. We all just want to feel understood.
(And to drink our chi-uh wah-tays.)
One final note...
As I mentioned above, before you can write the best, most high-converting copy, you need to conduct your research—but you also need to learn the basics of good copywriting.
…which is why, in my website copywriting and content marketing course, I've spent an entire chapter teaching you the must-know copywriting rules, the basics of what makes readers keep reading—and what makes readers eventually transform into buyers—as well as how to properly research everything you need to know about your target audience.
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Hi, I’m Sara Noel—website copywriter and marketing mentor for creatives, copywriters, and all-around cool people. Thanks for reading this edition of the Tuesday Table of Contents! If you like my content and you want even more BTL in your life, here are a few ways you can connect with me:
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