Why you should care about copy.
It’s easy for you to underestimate copy.
Yes, talkin’ to you.
The designer who thinks their wire frames are much more important than the copywriter’s drafts and hence their work should take precedence over the latter’s. The startup founder who hires copywriters on shady websites that promise a one day turnover for every type of copy need, but spends a fortune on a web designer and developer, because he believes that’s what really matters. The marketing lead that praises the designers on their work, because it’s art and yet believes what the copywriter/blogger is doing is basically something they can do as well.
Now, I am not trying to diss designers or developers or looking to establish that people who write copy, including copywriters, conversion copywriters, UX writers (yes, that’s a real thing), bloggers, content marketers, are sitting on top of the online food chain. I am merely trying to establish that you should care about copy, as much as you care about the other aspects of the business.
Sure, all copy is derived from a mere 26 letter alphabet, but that doesn’t dim its charm, it actually makes it more magical — imagine all the glorious word webs copywriters are able to spin with just 26 letters.
Copy is everywhere
Copy is present all around you. It’s on the mouthwash bottle you gurgle at night, it’s in the dirty joke you just told your coworker, and it’s sitting on your website or landing page impatiently waiting to engage visitors.
Give copy the credit it deserves, without it your landing page is nothing but images and video.
Here’s a short sneak peek.
This is a landing page I came across while reading a Forbes’ article on brick and mortar stores:
This is what the page will look like if we remove all the copy:
Would you want to click the empty red button?
Of course not.
Copy engages people. These people can be your landing page visitors, current customers contemplating upgrading their paid plans, affiliates wondering if they should join you in promoting your product.
With good, engaging, relevant copy you can sell everything.
But, there’s a catch.
Not everyone has mastery over the alphabet
Not everyone can write copy — it’s true.
Maybe you’re not one of the lucky few who are blessed with this talent, but that’s okay, because you can find someone who is — the internet has made things infinitely simpler.
The screen separating us right now, is also the one separating you from your customers, use engaging copy to break it and start a meaningful journey with them.
What’s engaging copy? Well, if you’ve read up till this point, everything written above counts as engaging copy.
Writing engaging copy doesn’t involve rocket science — engaging copy is simply another word for conversational copy, speaking to the reader as if you’re actually having a conversation with them instead of barking a bunch of stats and benefits at them.
Wear your reader/customer/visitors’ shoes, think about your offer like they would, and talk to them about it. Talk about their pain and fear, don’t simply flaunt your features, anticipate their questions and answer them to avoid any friction.
Writing engaging copy is an art, and it’s an art you can learn — you just need the right tools and of course the right teacher.
Clap away if you liked what you read. All claps will be hugely appreciated. Follow me on Twitter if you want to read more content like this — because there’s a lot more where this came from.
