One of the questions I get asked the most is:
How do I choose THE RIGHT copy?
The right copy for my…
- Headline
- Hero
- Homepage
- Audience
- Offer
- Packaging
…And so on.
People are obsessed with the idea that there is this one, perfect way to describe their product and if they could just figure out what it is, all of their messaging problems would be solved.
But the truth is, there is no one “RIGHT” way to write your copy.
In fact, there’s a million, bazillion ways to write clear and persuasive copy that engages and motivates visitors to take action.
It’s all about writing different options, testing, and then choosing a temporary “winner” (if you want to call it that) for that specific purpose or moment in time.
As your product, audience, and goals change, so too will your copy – so it’s best to not get hung up on being “perfect” or “right.”
Instead, it’s better to FOCUS ON VOLUME – meaning churning out a bunch of different copy options – so you can make your selections faster and with more confidence.
Here’s why the volume approach works:
1. You get all of the “bad” ideas out of the way
When I start writing copy for a project, everything that comes out within the first few minutes is pretty terrible (and I’ve been doing this for 10+ years).
But I don’t judge it. I just let the gunk come out.
Sometimes it’s good gunk that can be polished into something usable, and other times it’s garbage that gets deleted.
Either way, it’s an important part of the process that helps me build upon the ideas I started with or change directions.
It’s kind of like clearing out the cobwebs in the attic.
Before you can get to those sparkly Christmas decorations in the back, you’ve got to get rid of the nasty stuff blocking your way.
2. You give yourself the freedom to explore different ideas & themes
A lot of what stops people from writing great copy is they try to do too much at once.
They try to fit every possible angle or idea into one headline or section, which either paralyzes them from being able to write, or they end up with copy that’s confusing and all over the place.
This is why I often focus on different “themes” when churning out options, so I don’t get overwhelmed with trying to make the copy do everything at once.
For example, a theme could be focused on:
- A specific aspect of your product (like design, materials, durability, efficacy, etc)
- Something that’s important to your customer (like service, reliability, professionalism, etc)
- A point of differentiation (how you’re different from alternative solutions or competitors)
But those are just examples – there are a million different “themes” you could focus on, and usually research (researching customers, interviewing the client, competitive analysis, etc) will reveal them.
When I sit down to write, I churn out a bunch of different copy options that speak to specific themes then, if it makes sense, I combine them to produce “super” copy that highlights different themes or selling points.
This approach allows me to explore different ideas without the pressure of being “perfect.”
If something doesn’t work, no biggie – I leave it alone and move on. If it does, great! Now I have an option I can choose from later.
3. You can spot “the winners” faster & with more confidence
When you have a bunch of different options to choose from, identifying the “best” ones becomes much easier, especially when you’ve done your due diligence in exploring a variety of ideas and approaches.
However, that doesn’t mean there’s always one clear “winner” – quite the contrary.
When I deliver a round of copy to the client (especially in the first round), I usually give them several options to choose from (like for the hero section), which can be anywhere from 1-3 and up to 10.
In my experience, it’s usually best to narrow down the options to 3-5 to reduce analysis paralysis (either for yourself or the client), but there’s no rule saying you can’t test as many as you like (especially with tools like Wynter which make testing copy fast and easy).
The only thing I recommend is jotting down the theme/approach you’re using for each option so you can more easily compare them during the selection and/or testing process.
To recap, there is no “right” or “wrong” copy – but there are ways to make choosing a “winner” faster and easier
If you want to quickly and confidently choose copy that’s most likely to produce results, focus on:
1. Different themes / ideas
Using research, identify the key “themes” that matter most when it comes to your product, customers, client, etc.
Explore each theme by testing out different ideas and approaches to see what you come up with.
2. Volume
Don’t just write one headline and call it a day.
Write different types of copy (headlines, body copy, bullets, etc). Explore each of your themes in depth. Step outside the themes and see what comes out.
Try different approaches or formatting styles. Have fun and let yourself be free to create.
3. Testing
Select a few options that you (and your team / client) want to test.
Don’t worry about being perfect or making the “wrong” choice. Go with what you think will work best, test, evaluate, then go from there.
Want to learn how to write better headlines – so choosing a “winner” becomes even easier?
If you know how to write better headlines, identifying options to test becomes much faster and easier.
If you’d like to level up your skills join me on April 20th at 12PM EST for a FREE headline writing workshop.
During the FREE workshop, you’ll learn:
- What makes an effective headline and WHY (with real-world examples)
- Common mistakes to avoid when writing headlines
- Tips on how to write clear, concise & EFFECTIVE headlines
This workshop features tons of real-world examples, including those submitted by YOU, so I hope to see you there!
