How to write unignorable landing page copy 2x faster — even if writing isn’t your thing.
A copywriting template you’ll want to copy. Because it will help you ramp up the selling power of your website words. And bring in more Cha-Ching $$$.
Today, we live in a data obsessed world.
But ironically one of the few things you can’t optimize is copywriting.
Copywriting influences our decisions in everyday life and business.
Billions of dollars depend on copywriting to make or break a business. And online commerce runs on copywriting. But no one teaches you copywriting in school, or in marketing departments or ad agencies.
What the heck is copywriting? Copywriting is the art of writing words that persuade people to buy or do something.
A copywriter’s job is to help brands communicate a product’s spiritual essence in a fresh, new, interesting way.
It turns out that copywriting and poetry have more in common than you might think.
As S. I. Hayakawa said:
A copywriter cannot permit a cake of soap to remain a cake of soap and “nothing more”.
Whatever the object of sale is, the copywriter, like the poet, must invest it with significance so that it becomes symbolic of something beyond itself — symbolic of domestic happiness (like Van Camp’s pork and beans), of aristocratic elegance (like Chanel #5), of rugged masculinity (like Marlboro), or of solid traditional American virtues (like Log Cabin syrup).
Whether he writes about toothpaste or tires, convertibles or colas, the task of the copywriter is the poeticizing of consumer goods.
In the 1950s when copywriters crafted TV and print ads, they used a good ol’ sales trick called AIDA. AIDA stands for Attention, Interest, Desire and Action.
In 2020 the Internet runs the World. Technology changed, but the consumer psychology fundamentals behind why people buy things hasn’t.
But the Internet changed one thing. It made people more cynical and skeptical about everything.
That’s why AIDCA works better for websites. Because it adds Conviction to the formula.
Here’s an example of how you can apply AIDCA to a home page or landing page.
I wrote this for one of my clients, Sunday, a direct-to-consumer mattress startup from India.
- Attention — First, you have to come up with a good headline. A BIG IDEA that hints that here is something your reader really, really wants (and can get from you).
2. Interest — Now that you grabbed your reader’s attention you need to interest them enough to keep reading. The right way to do that is to write a headline that appeals to their self-interest. So explain here the consumer problem your product solves.
Then come up with a sub-headline. Because you want to generate empathy. So write from the consumer’s perspective. Avoid jargon. Write with your ears, use the same language your target audience uses. And position your product as the solution to the problem.
3. Desire — Highlight the 3 BIG benefits of using your product.
4. Conviction — Use testimonials from your favorite clients. To show credibility and social proof. Or if you’ve earned media coverage recently, add logos of press coverage.
5. Action — Close with a strong call to action persuading the reader to act. For example, if you’re selling a SaaS accounting tool a strong call to action is: Restore your faith in accounting.
If you’re struggling to write web copy that clarifies what’s your BIG IDEA, check my new side project Copy Ipsum — a landing page template that shows you how to write unignorable web copy.
🚀 Founder & Chief Copywriter: teardwn.com
💌 Newsletter: creativesamba.substack.com
🏂 Side projects: 💡 heynishi.com + ✍️ copyipsum.com + 🎧 chillmusic.club + 📻 Chill Music Club FM
Who is this guy anyway?
Miguel Ferreira and his out of the ordinary Web Copywriting Agency, Teardwn, are obsessed with one thing only. To help Indie Startups & Small Businesses find their voice and use copywriting as their legal unfair competitive advantage to GROW & COMPETE with the Big Guys.
Nice things his clients have said…
“Miguel was the key for us to level-up our marketing. Previously we had only been iterating on our same tired messaging. I was impressed with how little work it took on our part to get a comprehensive review from Miguel. Then, making the changes was as simple as copy-and-pasting, and we saw a categorical improvement we would have never got to with our A/B testing. I’ve since then recommended Miguel to many of my similarly-minded friends who tend to focus on the mechanics of a feature rather than the emotionally resonant messaging that actually sells it!”
— Maia Bittner, Co-Founder of Pinch
“Miguel (Teardwn) provided copywriting for our marketing landing page. This was instrumental in setting the tone and path forward for all marketing materials, communication, and branding. Prior to this, we had struggled and never came up with something consistent. Miguel provided clarity within a couple of weeks. He was easy to work with, fast, and collaborative. I am looking forward to working with Teardwn again and again!”
— Mimi Chan, Founder & CEO of Littlefund
“Creating a brand from scratch was incredibly overwhelming for us. We knew we needed help with copywriting, but we were afraid that someone from the outside might not ‘get us’. However, Miguel was incredibly quick in understanding our tone of voice, our jokes and what we wanted to communicate. Resulting in a webpage that is simple but still funky!”
— Leticia Horvath, Co-Founder of The Green Conspiracy
Working with me = copy that stands out = (more time to run your business + back to making more cha-ching). Say hi: miguel@teardwn.com
