8 content experts share top tips for copy that converts

After reading our expert content tips, this won’t be you anymore!

As a copywriter, your clients – or boss for in-house folks – often measure your performance based on conversion rate. You feel the pressure to not only deliver visits and leads – but dollars! Oh, and if you could go ahead and deliver a lot of new customers consistently … that’d be great.

That’s a lot of pressure. But we’re here to help!

Eight top content marketing experts have agreed to share their hottest high-converting-content-creation tip with you!

Here’s the no-nonsense, get-to-the-good-stuff-I’ve-got-conversions-to-deliver-already question we asked:

What is your top tip for creating copy that converts?

And here are the experts’ priceless answers!

Henneke Duistermaat, Enchanting Marketing:

Be bossy

Subtleties and politeness are great (of course!). But a subtle call-to-action gives people an excuse not to do as you ask. Starting a call-to-action with if, is the best way to give people an excuse. So, be bossy and tell people exactly what you expect them to do and why.

For instance:

Overly polite without a clear reason:
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Simple, direct and persuasive:
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Ann Handley, MarketingProfs:

Swap places with your customer – and consider their needs first: Speak to them in language they can relate to with sincere and enormous empathy for their problems. Ask: How can we help them? How can we be useful?

In other words, get out of your own head and into theirs.

Arnie Kuenn, Vertical Measures:

Create content that is useful and that people are actually searching for online.  To do that, you need to actually put some time into researching what your prospecting customers are looking for when they search or hit social media sites.  Then create a useful piece of content that helps answer their questions or concerns.  If it is “meaty” enough, you might even put that content behind a simple lead form so that you immediately get the lead conversion when they download it.

Heather Lloyd-Martin, SuccessWorks:

Study top-converting landing pages in your niche (or your company’s/client’s niche) and learn from them. Notice things like:

– How long is the page (some studies have shown that longer sales pages convert better.)
– What is the unique sales proposition? How is yours different/better/more compelling?
– How well do they hit their customer’s pain points? Are they missing anything important? How can your slant be even better?
– How is their copy structured – and how easy is it to take action.
– Do they list any testimonials? How are yours better or more compelling?
– Did they use “textural words” to tap into the power of neuromarketing (Roger Dooley is a great resource if you want to learn more.)

Finally, when you’re writing the copy, make sure you’re writing it in an engaging, interesting way. There is nothing worse than dirt-dull content that’s full of “our company” features and no benefits. At the end of the day, the reader wants to know what’s in it for them. Always.

Michelle Lowery, Passion Fruit Creative Group:

@TracyMallette Practice empathy. Think about what you want to see, and create it. Just discussed on @AuthorityLabs: http://t.co/lBUCnGWqeA

— Michelle Lowery (@MichelleDLowery) March 13, 2014

Ian Lurie, Portent Inc.:

Keep it simple: Write in active voice. Learn to avoid “nothing” phrases and words like “indeed” (not needed at all) or “in the event that” (use “when” instead). I’m not saying you must abandon style. Just remember your audience has more options than time, and write accordingly.

Jean Spencer, Kapost:

Include a Call To Action on every post!

Michael Stelzner, Social Media Examiner: