You need to increase your conversion rates by the end of the quarter.
The only problem is that you have completed all of the tasks on your copywriting to-do list.
- You’ve gone over your copy with a fine-toothed comb so many times, but you’re not sure what you could be doing better.
- You have eye-catching headlines.
- You’re using all the right words.
Still, those conversions somehow aren’t happening. What do you do?
Well, reading this article is a great start.
Here is a list of things you may have missed as you copy your website. Even if you have already achieved the conversion rates you want, you may still want to continue reading. There are a few copywriting mistakes that you should avoid if you want to improve your skills and increase your conversion rates.
1. Neglecting Your Hook
The key to a successful advertisement is a hook that will grab the attention of the target audience and make them want to read more. How you open your email can either make or break whether or not your reader actually cares to see what you have to say. The way you open your email can either make your reader interested in what you have to say, or cause them to lose interest.
No matter what you choose, you need a hook to get your readers interested in your message. Without one, your readers won’t keep reading. This means that your readers are not continuing to read the rest of your text, no matter how important the information is.
This article provides tips on how to write copy that will grab readers’ attention.
How Do You Strengthen Your Lead?
- Anecdotes: A story will draw your reader in and make your company more relatable. Emotional anecdotes work especially well.
- Tell them what they want to hear: Your readers come to your website with a specific goal in mind. Paint a picture of them achieving this goal. Capture their imagination. They’ll keep reading to find out how you can help them do this.
- Strong verbs: Strong verbs create a sense of urgency and anticipation in your readers. They also elicit confidence in your product. Strong verbs will encourage your audience to trust in you.
2. Writing The Wrong Headlines
This part ties in with your hooks. Your headlines need to be strong in order to draw readers into your content. Here are some common headline mistakes you should avoid:
Writing Link Bait
If you’ve ever been disappointed by a headline that turned out to be a load of nothing, you’re not alone. Good old clickbait? Then you know how annoying it is.
Link baits are headlines that make huge promises. If your headline is clickbait, your content needs to support it or you risk losing your audience’s trust. You should only use this tool sparingly as it can be powerful. If you don’t want to end up with disenchanted readers who don’t trust you, you need to be careful with what you say.
Trying To Be Too Original
There’s nothing wrong with being original, but professional headlines tend to be pretty similar for a reason. The following headline styles are still popular because they are effective in catching readers’ attention. While it is important to be creative with the words you use, it is also important not to overdo it and try to come up with an entirely new headline. Chances are, it won’t work.
Too Much Wit
There’s such a thing as being too witty. It’s easy for your message to get lost amongst all the humor and puns. If your headline is difficult to understand, your audience will likely lose interest and move on. Save your creativity until after they click the headline.
3. You talk to everyone
Do you address your readers as a group or as individuals? Andy Maslen, author of The Ultimate Guide to Great Copywriting, calls this Reader Multiple Personality Disorder by Proxy (RMPDP):
If so, you will notice that the handwriting is difficult to read. In fact, it is often illegible.” A person with RMPDP may have handwriting that is difficult to read or even illegible. The copywriter employs phrases like “some of you,” “many of you,” and “there are those of you.” They frequently change from a personal to an impersonal tone of voice while in the midst of writing the letter. I was surprised by the sudden noise and turned around to see who it was.
Your readers are individuals, so you should write as though you are writing for a single reader. According to Maslen, using the second person singular (“you”) extensively, as well as reminding the reader that they are not alone in reading the copy, are key in writing effective copy.
4. Writing Copy That’s Too Long
To increase conversions, you should use less copy. Prepare to trim your text. Go over your landing page with fresh eyes.
That big block of text you see? It’s turning your audience away.
Take out anything that’s not essential. Your readers don’t want to have to read through a bunch of irrelevant material to find the information they need. Give them what they want. It’s time to get rid of the old customers and bring in the new ones.
5. Using An Unrefined Layout
You are left with the essential content after trimming your copy. If you have a large amount of text, what should you do?
You format it. Break up the paragraphs with graphics and art. Use color and design elements to enhance your page.
Web design is a very flexible field that gives you a lot of options. Your landing page is the first thing your readers see, so make sure it’s attractive and engaging to keep them interested.
6. Sounding Too Stuffy
Formality is boring. In a different era and with different mediums it might be ideal. Nowadays, we keep in touch by using the internet, where people usually communicate more informally.
It’s time to ditch the formalities.
Notice I said “ditch” instead of “discard” or “avoid.” Doesn’t that sound better? More relatable? More human? Use a more conversational tone when you talk to your readers. This is a good way to express authenticity.
7. Not Listing Benefits
Your product’s features won’t help your reader unless they know exactly what they’re looking for. Instead of only telling them the features of your product, tell them why those features will make their lives better. Say you are selling bananas. If you describe your bananas like this:
- Yellow
- Grows on trees
- Curved
- Fruit
- High in potassium
That’s stuff everyone already knows.
But if you say:
- Beautiful
- Delicious
- Great for moist, tasty banana bread
- You can use the peels to shine your shoes
- Potassium is good for cramps
Doesn’t that seem much more a-peel-ing? (haha)
8. Using Improper Grammar
This is so important that it is repeated three times. If your grammar is not strong, you will not be credible. You will not be trusted if you cannot communicate your message clearly.
The same goes for spelling. It’s not a small thing, it’s important when you want to make a good impression. It is important to come across as professional and trustworthy. If I started misspelling everything and using poor grammar, you would think I wasn’t credible.
Plus, bad spelling and grammar are distracting. You want your audience to focus on your product, not your mistakes. This is why it is important to always edit your work before showing it to anyone.
9. Using Too Much Jargon
If you want to include a lot of technical language in your writing, go ahead. But it might confuse your reader if they’re unfamiliar with the industry speak. Instead, try keeping it simple. The goal is to increase conversion rates, not to show that you know all the jargon.
If you want to make sure your writing is understandable, try showing it to someone who is not familiar with your industry. This will give you a better understanding of what is effective and what needs further explanation.
If you want your audience to understand what you’re saying, it’s best to keep your message simple. Otherwise, they’ll be more confused than when they started.
10. Not Experimenting With Positives/Negatives
Copywriters can introduce points positively or negatively. You could mention how a product will save time. If there is no product, the customer will not have anything to use, and their time will be wasted. The first sentence is supportive while the second sentence is critical.
Positive and negative testing is essential in order to know which approach is more effective for your product. When communicating with others, most people default to using positive language. However, this can be a mistake if the people you are communicating with do not respond well to positive language.
Test flipping your landing page’s positive elements into negative ones to see what happens. You can get the best results by doing some test runs and finding out what works best for you.
11. You’re writing in the passive voice
Do you remember learning about the passive and active voice in school? Neither do I. If you can insert “by zombies” after the verb in your sentence and it makes sense, you’ve got yourself a passive voice.
“Simon was eaten (by zombies).” Passive.
Zombies ate (by zombies) Steve.” Active.
When you use the passive voice, it makes your writing sound weak and lifeless. The famous movie quote from Apollo 13 wouldn’t have had as much impact or been so memorable if it had said “Houston, we have a problem.”
So hunt down those zombies and eliminate them. To give your writing more impact and engage your reader better, use the active voice. If you want your readers to take action, such as buying your product, your writing will be more clear and direct. The active voice uses fewer words, which will help you fix the next mistake.
12. You’re not explaining the benefits
Your customer does not care about the features of your product. What people care about is how the situation will improve their lives. What problem does it solve? What solution does it provide? It is critical that you explain the benefits of your product to your customer, or they will not purchase it. Make sure you are aware of the “fake benefits” that Clayton Makepeace warns can make your sales copy ineffective. Can you spot the benefit in the following headline?
“Balance Blood Sugar Levels Naturally!”
That was a trick question. There is no clear benefit that anyone wants or is willing to pay for. So what’s the real benefit here? Makepeace explains:
“Nobody really wants to balance their blood sugar levels. No one wants to experience the negative effects of diabetes, which include blindness, numbness, pain, amputation, and premature death.
The avoidance of diabetes leads to a better life. In my previous article, I wrote about a quick and easy way to determine whether you have written about a feature or a benefit.
13. Your headlines are weak
Your headline is what gets your copy read. The subject line of your email is what will make the recipient open it. If you have weak headlines or subject lines, your body copy is less likely to be read. You need to persuade your readers that they will benefit from reading your web page, article, or email. People usually only read the details of something if they are interested in it after scanning it first. That means your subheadings need to be strong too.
Use the word ‘you’ to get your reader’s attention and let them know that the message is meant for them. Use numbers (like I’ve done in the headline for this article). The team’s success is partly due to their hard work The team’s incredible success is partly due to their hard work. Asking questions is an effective way to engage your reader’s attention.
According to advertising legend David Ogilvy, the headline is five times more important than the body copy. In other words, the headline is critical to the success of your copy. Don’t be tempted to skim over them.
14. You’re not using a clear call to action
Do you want your reader to know what it is you want them to do? You might think it’s obvious that you want your reader to download your free guide or buy your product, but if it’s not clear to them, they won’t do anything. The call to action in your text should be clear and easy to see, and should make the reader want to take immediate action. Never use the word ‘if’ in your call to action:
“If you’d like to order, click here’”.
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CTAs without a sense of urgency are ineffective and give the impression that you are not confident in what you are asking them to do.
‘Buy now! Click here to order”
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Better. To be truly persuasive, don’t just tell your reader to buy your product or sign up to your mailing list. Instead, provide a compelling reason why they should do so. Tell them why they should and what they will get out of it – the benefit:
” Get toned abs just in time for summer following these 3 easy exercises! To get your free summer body guide, enter your email address now.
If you want to improve your conversions, you need to identify and improve any weak CTAs in your copy.
Although it is not simple to write great copy, it is a talent that can be obtained through practice. You can improve your copy and conversions by avoiding making common mistakes.
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