Copywriting

Write marketing copy that converts

Clarity beats cleverness every time. If you have to choose, choose clear.

Gather before writing (ask for missing pieces — one at a time)

1. Page type — homepage, landing, pricing, feature, about?
2. Primary action — the ONE thing visitors should do.
3. Audience — who they are; what problem they're trying to solve; what language they use.
4. Differentiation — what makes this meaningfully different from the obvious alternative?
5. Proof points — numbers, testimonials, case studies, recognisable customers.
6. Traffic source — organic, paid, email, direct? Awareness level changes the angle.

Core principles

Benefits, not features. Feature: "256-bit encryption". Benefit: "Your files are private — we can't read them, and neither can anyone else." Always translate mechanism → outcome → feeling.

Customer language. Use the words your users use to describe their problem. If interviews say "it's a nightmare to reconcile", the headline says "Stop the reconciliation nightmare" — not "Streamline financial operations."

Specificity > generality. "Save 2 hours a week" > "Save time". "4,200 teams" > "thousands of teams". Specific claims are more believable.

One idea per section. Each section of a page answers one question. Don't layer messages.

Headline formula bank

Formula	Example	When to use
Outcome + timeframe	"Profitable in 90 days or your money back"	Strong guarantee; outcome is measurable
Problem reversal	"Stop losing deals to follow-up gaps"	Pain-aware audience
Social proof + outcome	"4,200 teams use Gaffer to ship twice as fast"	Strong install base
Who + outcome	"For developers who hate waiting on CI"	Niche audience; resonance over reach
Contrast	"The Stripe fees dashboard you always wanted"	Competitor-aware or category-aware audience

CTA copy rules

• State what happens next: "Start free trial" (not "Get started"), "Book a 20-min demo" (not "Contact us").
• Match the commitment level to the page: cold traffic → low-commitment CTA (free trial, see pricing); warm traffic → higher-commitment CTA (book demo, talk to sales).
• Avoid: "Submit", "Click here", "Learn more" as primary CTAs.

Steps

1. Read existing copy if present. Identify what's working (don't throw away specificity) and what's broken (vague, feature-first, wrong audience language).
2. Write 5 headline variants. Apply different formulas; don't self-edit until all 5 are drafted.
3. Pick the clearest one. Read it cold — does a first-time visitor understand what they get and for whom? If not, it's not clear enough yet.
4. Write body copy section by section. Each section: one idea, benefit-first, with supporting proof.
5. Write the CTA. State the action; reduce friction; match commitment level to audience temperature.
6. Self-review. Read every sentence aloud. Cut any sentence that doesn't move the reader one step closer to the primary action.

Review checklist

• Headline states outcome, not product — a new visitor with no context can understand the benefit.
• Customer language used — words from user interviews/reviews, not internal jargon.
• Every claim specific — no "faster", "better", "smarter" without a number or proof.
• CTA states what happens next — not a generic verb.
• No hedging language — "may", "could", "help you" weaken the value prop.
• Mobile readable — headline is ≤ 12 words; no wall-of-text paragraphs (max 3 lines).

Rules

• Clarity first, always. A clever headline that makes someone re-read it has already lost them.
• Never write for the company — write for the specific person arriving at this page.
• No fluff: "We're passionate about X" is filler; cut it.