Additional Copy Ideas

Now that you’ve covered the six essential elements of kickass copy that converts, here are a few more idea-boosters to whet your whistle.

Scan through the list below and see what kind of ideas might work well for your offer. Pick 3– of your favorites and practice them all the time until they sink in and become a part of your writing style.

Tell Readers Why#

Often, readers aren’t so much interested in what you do or have, but why.

• Why did you create your product?
• Why did you start the company?
• Why do you do it this way?
• Why are you offering this amazing deal?
• Why should they care?

Find all your whys. Explain everything: shipping costs, ad costs, anything you think will help your reader understand you better…

And watch your copy become that much more kickass.

Testimonials and Endorsements#

Testimonials for credible people and organizations, or reviews from clients, are a way of building authority through social proof.

Include them in your copy, headlines, or graphics.

These Are My Concessions#

Honesty is perhaps the most persuasive bit of all. When you can concede to some shortcoming, you develop trust and credibility.

People love that shit.

New Features#

What makes your offering new, unique, or novel? What makes it different than anything else on the market?

Newness is exciting. Plenty of people like to stay ahead of the curve.

The Feeling of Ownership#

Fill your reader’s mind with the image of themselves owning—and loving—your product.

Here are a few suggestions:

• Write to them as if they already own the product
• Spell out how they’ll use it in a practical way
• Involve the senses:
  • The feel of cool stone under bare feet on their new patio
  • Grandkids laughing and playing in a new inground pool
  • Etc…

Future Pacing (i.e. The Plan)#

To alleviate confusion and hesitancy, spell out how to do business with you, how to use your product, or what’s needed by outlining the Plan.

You’ll see these 3-step plans all over website landing pages, and we use them at Integro as well. Often, the first step is the CTA, and the final, you customer loving the product.

Here are a few simple examples: (update these with Integro copy)

You can also outline your plan in a single sentence:

“Give us a call, we’ll tow your car for free and have you road ready in 24 hours”

And be sure to give your plan a name.

• Easy Installation Plan
• World’s Best Night’s Sleep Plan
• All-State Value Plan
• Demolish Your Debt Plan

For a more detailed look at The Plan, see: HOMEPAGE LINK OR WHATEVER

Specificity#

Scour your copy for vague claims and replace them with something more specific.

On a recent print ad for our manufacturing client Thundura, we replaced some old ad bullets as follows.

Simply note how the bullets on the left say basically nothing… and how the ones on the right are more specific and accurate.

A Human Touch#

Kickass copy is personal. You want people to read your copy and feel like they know you.

Can you…

• Tell stories?
• Use humor?
• Write in the first person?

Tell Stories#

Related to above, people love stories. Walk into a room and say you’ve got a story. See if everyone doesn’t perk up.

• What stories can you tell related to your offering?
• Is there a story behind your discovery of this product?
• What is the story of what you do? How did you get here?
• Are there any stories about you or your customers that are of interest?

Here’s an example from a recent email I read:

“Personally, I came to the training with no experience in community organizing or really in any sort of activism. I had been reading the news and feeling more and more sadness… and just felt stuck.”

You can also open with a story that has nothing to do with your product or offering! It’s still a good way to get your reader’s attention.

Fear#

What does your reader fear?

• FOMO?
• Fear of dying?
• Fear of wasting time?
• Fear of not doing enough?
• Fear of aging (not being able to get an erection… not being attractive… etc.)?
• Fear of losing money?
• Fear of looking like a buffoon?

Poke that fear and your reader will perk up real quick.

The Stakes#

As the client questionar LINK asks: What’s at stake for your reader if they don’t act or go with another provider?

Let them know.

(For more examples of how to format fear/the stakes into your copy, see The Stakes. LINK)

Also, check out the section on Improving Readability.

Linking#

Relating your product or offering to something your reader already understands is a great way to help them quickly accept and relate to your product.

Here’s an example product “card” used to direct readers from a Spring View Lawn Care’s homepage to a product page promoting their robotic mower leasing.

Automatic Mowers

Like a Roomba for your lawn—quiet, hands-off, and perfectly cut grass 24/7.

Instant Gratification#

We want what we want and we want it now.

What kind of instant transformation or gratification can you offer?

For example:

• Prompt shipping?
• The quick mastery of a skill?
• An instant cure?

Fads and Current Affairs#

Are there any fads, current affairs, or pop culture references you can tie your offering to?

Here’s a favorite I spotted on a church plackard:

“Normal” isn’t coming back. Jesus is.

And here’s an overused tagline we put to work for an exterior contractor:

Winter is coming. (Check your roof.)

Sell Cures, Not Preventions#

Title basically says it all. Sell wrinkle cream to people with wrinkles—not those worried they’ll end up with some.

Ask: How can you make your product a “cure?”

Exclusitivy, Rarity, or Uniqueness#

Make your reader feel special by offering them something only a few get to take advantage of.

Related to scarcity/urgency and the desire to belong, collectibles, limited editions, short production runs, exclusive pricing (super expensive), autographs, anything to make it unique, etc.

How can you make your product exclcusive by limiting its availability and making this fact known?

How can you show demand and make your product scarce?

Even YOU Can Do It!#

I see this in ads a lot—especially for those selling educational products or items aimed at boosting performance.

Here’s an examples:

“A great many have the idea that the ability to remember a large number of faces, facts and figures is a gift—that you have to come by it naturally. Nothing could be further from the truth. Any man, woman, or child of average intelligence can easily and quickly acquire a dependable memory…

“Mr. Roth’s system, which he has developed through years of study (authority LINK), and which he has taught in class to hundreds of business men and others throughout the country and in person (social proof/authority) is so easy (great word) that a twelve year old child can learn it (even YOU), and it is more real fun than any game you play solely for pleasure.

I also saw an ad for an online stretching course. The creator showed how he taught his entire film crew to touch their heads to their toes.

It was persuasive AF.

Involvement Devices#

A neat way to get the reader to engage with your copy is by inviting them into a kind of game.

For example:

• Asking readers to circle misspelled words
• Giving them an image to trace before ordering
• On digital platforms, including some kind of game
• I once wrote a letter to my VP at Integro asking him to try and identify the number of persuasive elements I included in the copy

Lower the Bar to Entry#

Once you get your reader to say “yes,” the game has changed.

At that point, they see you, your product, service, or cause as a part of their lives. Based on a desire to act consistently, it becomes that much easier for them to engage with you in the future.

To win your reader over, then, you need an easy yes. Make the initial offer small—irresitable—difficult to turn down.

Then, you keep them coming back for more.

What easy “yes” can you invite your reader to?

How can you make the work ahead seem as easy—no big deal—as possible?

Free trials and estimates are common in the service industry. This also helps to eliminate risk.

… There’s no reason to wait on reaching out—especially when inspections and quotes come absolutely free and with zero obligation.

Notice how each of the following diminishes the commitment of your reader.

MeetCute is a creative writing guide designed to unleash your creativity… In less time than it takes to drink 2 (maybe 3) cups of coffee.”

A physical exercise program I purchased promised results training just one session per week.

To complete this micro course you’ll need:

1. 174 3.5” index cards (or any paper, really)
2. A pen or pencil
3. 30 minutes a day blocked off for the next 7 days

Self-Identity and Belonging#

My girlfriend and all her Mennonite buddies drive Prii. I think my RedWings make me look like a cool guy.

What group of people already own/use your product? How do they see themselves?

Write to them as such.

Justify the Purchase#

Nobody needs a BMW. Nobody needs a Tesla. Nobody needs an Apple Watch or second pair of jeans or Puff Daddy’s latest headphones.

We buy these things because we want them… And are then very good at coming up with reasons these products are worth the cost—even at exorbitantly high prices.

As you’ve read, it’s your job to help customers along with these justifications.

You Educate Readers to the value of your product…

You tell them The Stakes—what they have to lose by not using your product.

Here are a few more examples:

• You deserve it
• You only have one set—protect your eyes
• You’ll love the way you look

If your reader should feel good about themselves when they go to be, tell them.

Play on Hope#

Specificty is key to persuasive copy. But what if you can’t make specific claims?

In that case, play on hope.

Vitamins, organic foods, fitness products, dating apps… all imply the possibility success.

Here are a few ways to play hope:

• Allude to what your product is capable of without making claims to specific outcomes
• Show testimonials of customers saying “wow, it really worked for me!”
• Ramp up believability with credibility—experts talking about your product

Ask yourself:

What do people hope for when they buy your product? A life partner? A few strokes off their golf game? A harder cock? Once you’ve nailed it down, ramp that shit up in your kickass copy.

Familiarity#

We like what we know.

When we’re familiar with something—a neighborhood, an operating system, an old beater automobile—we just plain like it.

This is the undercurrent of all branding: to become a familiar face in the crowd. To be known, liked, and listened to when you have something to say.

Below are a few examples for becoming more familiar to your reader. What others will you come up with? Once you’ve found something you like, drive it home over and over and over again.

• A familiar design (font, format, logo, company name, etc.)
• Familiar phrases
  • “Hello my strong, strong friends” (megsquats)
  • “Rooting for you” (Integro)
  • “All good wishes and (always!) higher response” (Gary Bencivegna)
  • Kickass copy
• Familiar words or numbers like “Bible” or “The Seven… "

The bottom line:

Before sending out your copy, ask yourself, is it absolutley clear where this kickass copy is coming from?

Mental Engagement#

Ask yourself what you want to tell your reader. Then, see if you can find a way to have them come to that conclusion on their own.

Here’s an example from a short story I wrote. Notice how the narrator never comes out and says, “She was drunk.”

She looked at him without saying anything, as if she hadn’t heard him. “Nan should be here any minute. Come give your Momma a hug.”

Cage walked over to her and she wrapped her arms around him. He could smell the chemical odor on her breath. “You seem tense,” she said. “Relax!” She broke her hug and pushed down on his shoulders. Releasing him, she grabbed her purse from the countertop. “I’m off,” she said. “Wish me luck!”

“Have fun, ma.”

After he was certain she’d gone, Cage picked up her glass up from the sink and smelled it. He set it back down in the stainless steel basin and took a thermos from an overhead cabinet, grabbed a carton of orange juice from the fridge.

Skirt around the main point. Your reader is smart. Let them come to their own conclusions by there own intelligence. They’ll lap that shit up. And like you—and your kickass copy—all the better for it.

Guilt and Reciprocity#

Give something to someone, and they’ll want to return the favor.

Here are a few ways to create a feeling of wanting to reciprocate:

• Educating your readers
• Entertain them
• Send repeat mailings with small gifts inside

What can you provide your reader that costs very little to you but leaves them feeling the need to return the favor?

Be creative.

Patterning#

How have others succesfully sold this product? Who are the winners? What are they doing that’s effective?

Pattern an approach after theirs—but with a twist of your own

Onward ➔#

There are thousands, millions, infinited numbers of these little things to include. Master a small handful of them and invent your own!

Okay… see you in the next lesson.