Copywriting is the skill of writing persuasive content with the intent to sell something. Every good landing page needs great copywriting. But what if you suck at copywriting? What if the idea of writing makes you break into a cold sweat? What if you’d rather have a root canal than write 100 words of persuasive copy?
Don’t panic. We’ve got you covered. Even though writing is an art, copywriting is more of a science. In other words, it can be taught. In this post, we’ll help you discover how to write persuasive marketing content for your landing page. If your intent is to get people to take the next step in their relationship with you, keep on reading.
1. Create Multiple Landing Pages
The first step to writing a great landing page is to realize that you can’t write just one. If you have more than one target customer (most businesses do), you need more than one landing page.
You should have at least one landing page for each of your customer types.
If you try to reach all of your customers with one landing page, you will fail. The secret to good copywriting is to imagine that you’re speaking to one person. That one person has a specific challenge that he needs your help with.
He doesn’t care about all of the other problems that your product can solve. He cares about the one problem that he needs solved.
By writing to that one particular customer with his one particular problem in mind, your landing page will convert like crazy.
The flip side is that by writing to one particular customer type, you’re alienating the others. No problem. Simply write more landing pages and focus each one on a different customer/ problem.
Don’t skip this step.
2. Work Towards a Goal
Every landing page has a goal.
Usually, the goal of your landing page isn’t to get the visitor to buy your product. (It’s nearly impossible to convince a first-time visitor to buy your product.)
The goal of most SaaS landing pages is to build trust with that prospective customer and to lay the groundwork for a future purchase. Landing pages always offer something. Your landing page may offer a free trial of your product. Or your landing page may offer another freebie (i.e. an eBook) in exchange for signing up for your email list.
Deciding on a goal for your landing page will help you figure out what to say. There’s a lot of unfocused landing page content out there that’s partly promoting a product and partly pushing a free resource. Trying to cross off too many goals in your landing page will reduce its effectiveness.
3. Choose a High-Converting Headline
One of the most important parts of your landing page is the headline.
Pretty much everyone will read the headline. But the headline will determine if the visitor continues reading the page.
To convince readers to continue reading, employ one or more of these strategies in your headline:
Include keywords for search engine optimization (SEO). Many, if not most, of your visitors will arrive on your landing page from a Google query. Your landing page’s headline should include the exact keywords that your visitor used to find your page.
Make an offer that they can’t refuse. In your headline, offer something of value to your reader, such as a potential solution to a problem.
Ask a question. Some of the best headlines are written in question form. Why? Questions draw the reader in, make them think, and encourage them to interact with your content.
Be clear, not cute. Clever is never the goal. If you ever face the choice between cleverness and clarity, go for clarity, even if it sounds boring. Your puns, jokes, or wordplay may confuse the reader. Don’t take any chances.
Be short. The best performing headlines are six words or less. If your headline is double that amount, try to cut out as many words as possible without sacrificing clarity.
Make use of the subheadline. A subheadline should provide more context for your headline. A subheadline can be up to 30 words in length, but don’t get crazy. If you can say it in 10 words, do.
Use easy-to-read words. If I have to pull out a dictionary to understand what you’re trying to say, you’re doing too much. Keep your reading level at 6th grade or below (preferably).
4. Pull the Reader in With the Right Point of View
When writing your content, don’t shy away from using the word “you.” Let the reader know that you’re speaking directly to him or her. For example: Are you tired of XYZ…?
Limit your use of the words “we” and “us.” For example: We created blah blah blah… Focusing too much on your company can unintentionally reduce the importance of it for your reader. It pushes them out and makes the conversation about you. Avoid that at all costs.
Always make the reader the focus of your conversation.
5. Focus on the Benefits
Your copy should answer one simple question:
What’s in it for the visitor?
In other words, why should they continue reading your landing page? What’s their ultimate payoff?
Use the inverted pyramid method. Start with the most important information first. What’s the biggest benefit for the reader if they complete the landing page’s call to action and get the offer?
For example, if your landing page’s offer is a free resource, describe how the reader will benefit by downloading it. What is its single, most attractive benefit? Perhaps the reader will learn a strategy that will save them time or money. Get specific. Use actual numbers in your list, if possible.
But don’t just list one benefit. List between two to five more benefits that the reader will get because they completed your call to action and received your offer. Place these benefits in descending order from most important advantage to least.
6. Use Action Verbs
Pepper action verbs throughout your copy. Action verbs like “learn” or “download” or “get” are more compelling to the reader. They encourage the reader to make a move.
Also, I should note that most people don’t actually read landing pages. They scan. This is why you need action verbs. Action verbs are easy to scan and quickly convey meaning. Here’s a short list of action verbs to include within the body of your landing page:
- Choose
- Contact
- Discover
- Enter
- Find
- Join
- Pick
- Save
- Schedule
- Select
- Shop
- Sign up
- Take
- Try
- View
7. Play on Your Visitor’s Emotions
One of the best ways to engage your reader is to tap into their emotions. Humans don’t react out of pure logic. That’s for Vulcans. Humans are emotional creatures and respond to emotional cues.
Use copy to elicit an emotional reaction from your reader. That emotional reaction will cause them to follow your call to action.
Here are a few emotions you can massage in your copy:
Fear
When facing a problem, your reader may feel anxious, threatened, or insecure.
Example of how to play on this emotion within your landing page headline or copy: “Are you worried about your job security? Here’s how XYZ product will help you stay employed and in-demand.”
Anger
When facing a problem, your reader may feel frustrated or ridiculed.
Example of how to play on this emotion within your landing page headline or copy: “Tired of fixing the same, old problem over and over again? Here’s the ultimate solution you’ve been looking for.”
Sadness
When facing a problem, your reader may feel victimized or powerless.
Example of how to play on this emotion within your landing page headline or copy: “Turn your mistakes into masterpieces with XYZ.”
Happiness
When facing a challenge, your reader may wish to feel inspired or optimistic.
Example of how to play on this emotion within your landing page headline or copy: “Learn how Julie M. saved $1,493 by using this tool for 7 days.”
Surprise
When facing a challenge, your reader may feel confused or even excited.
Example of how to play on this emotion within your landing page headline or copy: “Not sure why you’re losing 10% of your customers each month? Here’s the surprising reason why:”
Appealing to the reader’s underlying emotion can grab their attention. To determine what emotion to use in your copy, dig deep into your customer personas and figure out what motivates them to seek your solution.
Additional Resources
Before you write your landing page, don’t forget to download the free resource at the bottom of this post. Also, check out these related posts:
- How to Effectively Use Content Marketing to Grow Your SaaS
- A Guide to Designing Landing Pages for SaaS Products
- How to Generate B2B SaaS Leads When You Have Low to No Budget