“I just can’t write copy that sells—no matter how long or hard I try!”
Have you ever said this to yourself or another business owner?
I’m not judging you. I get it. When I first started writing copy to convert and sell, I was way intimidated by it. I looked at the blank screen of death and said, “Uhhh….”
Thirty minutes went by and that screen was STILL blank. I felt totally incapable of writing my own copy.
But I was totally wrong.
So if you feel right now like you can’t write copy that sells for your business, then I’m here to tell you that you’re wrong, too.
Every entrepreneur who believes that their offer can help people CAN write copy that sells. And no, it doesn’t have to sound annoyingly salesy!
But why is it so important to write copy that sells? Can’t you get away with just avoiding it altogether?
Sorry, my friend, but sales copy is the lifeblood of your business. And that’s not a bad thing! When done right, you can use your copy in emails, blogs, social media posts, ads, and more. Then all you have to do is sit back and watch that copy convert readers into clients!
If that sounds like something you want for your business, keep reading… because in today’s blog, I’m going to teach you the 3 keys to copy that sells:
- Simplicity
- Benefits
- Call-to-action
Let’s get started!
1. Write Copy That Sells by Keeping It Simple
The job of your sales copy is to convince people to buy what you’re selling, right? Well, to do that, you have to make the copy as clear as possible.
People get lost in long, winding copy. They get confused when you go off on tangents or use words that are complex and hard to understand.
So don’t do that with your sales copy.
The best way to convince someone that they need your offer is by spelling it out for them in a way that’s clear as day.
Use language that’s conversational, as if you were speaking to your best friend. If it helps keep things simple, you can follow this 3-part formula when writing your copy:
- Present the problem and how it makes your audience feel.
- Introduce a solution to help them overcome that problem.
- Tell them what to do next. (We’ll get more into this one in Key #3.)
2. Write Copy That’s Focused on Your Audience
Another huge mistake many entrepreneurs make when writing sales copy is that they make it all about them.
This is a huge no-no!
It’s one thing to tell your story as a way to get the audience to identify with you. In those cases, you’re telling your readers how you conquered the same problem they’re facing—and how they can do the same.
That’s 100% great.
What you shouldn’t do is prattle on about how great you are, what school you went to, and why your product or service is the greatest in all of human history. I don’t say this to be mean, but your readers don’t care about that. Not yet, at least.
What people really care about is how you can help them. That’s because, deep down, we all want to be the hero of our own stories.
So be careful not to make yourself the hero in your sales copy. Instead, show how your offer can make the reader the hero!
The best way to do this is by focusing on benefits. (Psst… Don’t confuse benefits with features. Features say what your offer is. Benefits say what the customer will gain from your offer.)
3. End With One Clear Call-to-Action
The strongest sales copy ends with a statement that clearly tells the reader what to do next. You want to draw attention to this call-to-action (CTA) as much as possible and make sure the language is eye-catching yet simple.
If you want people to click a link to buy, it’s a good idea to bold the hyperlinked text or create a button.
Avoid clunky language when writing your CTA. If your CTA is several lines long, you need to pare it down. Edit out unnecessary words, bland adjectives and adverbs, and anything else that distracts from the action you want people to take.
Take a look at these two CTAs:
Grow your savings account with my special couponing strategies that have helped countless families, are easy to do, and aren’t time consuming in any way!
Grow your savings account today with these easy couponing strategies!
In this case, the second CTA is stronger because it’s simple enough to make the action clear, but it still communicates a strong benefit.
Another powerful strategy is writing the CTA as though the customer is saying it (with excitement). Like this…
Yes, Give Me Money-Saving Couponing Strategies!
PRO TIP: If you’re a beginner at sales copy, don’t have more than one CTA in your content. By that, I mean don’t have “Click Here for Couponing Strategies” and “Click Here for Apple Pie Recipes” in the same copy. One clear offer will keep your readers focused on what you’re selling.
When It Comes to Copy That Sells, Test Everything
Obviously, there’s a lot more to sales copy than what I can share in this blog post. But these 3 keys are more than enough to help you start writing copy that sells and converts.
As you write, keep in mind that every audience is different. So stories, benefits, and CTAs that work for one person might not work for you. That’s OK! My advice… test everything. Write different copy and test it out.
And above all, keep writing!
Don’t have time to write your own sales copy? You can hire me to do it for you!
Schedule a free consultation with me here to get started.
Jenny Rose is a freelance copywriter and content marketer specializing in B2B marketing, real estate, and accounting. She's written for clients like AAA, Edward Jones, Flyhomes, Guild Education, and more. Her writing has also appeared in publications like Business Insider and GOBankingRates.
Thank you for such helpful advice. One of the hardest things to do is get out of my own head (point of view) and into my reader’s. Your posts are all so encouraging. I’m gonna be spending some time here.
I’m so blessed to hear that you found this post helpful, Grammye!