Good content creators put a lot of effort into making their writing clear and concise. Still, as Eddie Shleyner puts it in “How to Write Compelling Copy: 7 Tips for Writing Content that Converts,” clear, concise copy is a “still a bust if it doesn’t compel its readers to act.”
To avoid writing stuff that just doesn’t turn your audience on, Mr. Shleyner suggests working harder—doing the research and critical thinking required to understand your audience and what’s likely to make it convert. He’s a big fan of creating personas, because once you do that, you can frame benefits that speak to pain points in a way that motivate readers to jump on your CTA. (By the way, my first persona was the exhausted-but-conscientious marketing manager dressed in bathrobe and bunny slippers and attempting to create content after the kids had gone to bed.)
Every tip in Mr. Shleyner’s article is pure gold, and they’re designed to work together inseparable. But here are my top three faves:
- “Exploit the psychology of exclusivity.” Make your prospects feel special, as though you’re singling them out for your special offer because they’re smarter, more decisive, or more insightful than the average bear.
- “Make it emotional.” Logic goes only so far. Even the most rational human still surrenders to the tug of emotion. And emotion drives decisions. Think of the success of the Budweiser Super Bowl puppy-and-Clydesdale commercials. I’m betting some folks cracked open a Bud after viewing these sweet little vignettes, even if Bud isn’t the most distinguished brew going.
- “Draw analogies and metaphors.” Using these devices makes it easier to convey value, which is tied to emotion and influences buying decisions. But be careful. Your analogies and metaphors must make sense. And they can’t be trite. Consider the power in expressions such as “like white on rice” or its southern cousin “like a duck on a June bug.”
I can’t resist throwing in a bonus fave, and that is: “Avoid weasel words.” You know the kind. They’re used by politicians and have a mysterious way of giving with one hand as they take with the other. As Mr. Shleyner puts it, “These words are named after weasels because of the way the little guys eat their eggs: puncturing a small hole and sucking out the contents, leaving the egg appearing intact but, nevertheless, very much empty.”
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