Copywriting techniques help you persuade readers to take action: To buy your product, hire you, request a quote, or sign up to your newsletter.
This article discusses the 7 basic copywriting techniques:
1. Sneak into your customer’s mind
2. Features & benefits
3. Be specific
4. Get people to believe you
5. Overcome objections
6. Nudge
7. Call to action
7 copywriting techniques
“I feel overwhelmed,” he emailed me.
“There’s so much information on your website. Where should I start? What are the basic writing techniques I should learn?”
I knew he was right.
In five years, my blog has grown, and grown, and grown.
An unwieldy collection of tips, do’s and don’ts, warnings, checklists, stories, case studies and more.
No wonder new web visitors feel bewildered.
So, my friendly emailer suggested an article about basic copywriting techniques—for anyone starting out, who’s feeling overwhelmed or looking for a quick refresher.
Sound good?
Copywriting technique #1: Sneak into your reader’s mind
You may think writing is about structuring sentences and choosing words.
But that’s only the polish. The final touch.
The real job of a copywriter is to sneak into a client’s mind and find out what he’s struggling with, how that makes him feel, and how you can help.
For example, on his sales page for the online course “How to Talk to Anybody,” Ramit Sethi instantly gets into the mind of his target audience by empathizing with their feelings of social awkwardness:
“I was tired of feeling awkward”
And:
I was socially awkward. I would say the wrong thing at the wrong time. Everyone around me would stare at me silently. And later, I would beat myself up about saying the wrong thing. This went on for years.
When readers feel you understand their problems, they become keen to learn more about your solution.
So, before you start writing, ask your target audience what they’re struggling with and how you can help. Read comments in forums and on blogs, and participate in Facebook groups.
And in your copy, repeat those comments back to readers, using their words. Because that’s how you can be sure your message will resonate.
Copywriting technique #2: Match features with benefits
Persuasive copy requires a balance between features and benefits.
A feature is an aspect of a product or service, while a benefit explains what’s in it for the customers—how it makes them feel better.
Benefits sell your product or service because benefits connect with your readers’ desires. But you need features to help customers justify the purchase.
Here’s how Sethi combines features and benefits on his sales page “How to Talk to Anybody:”
The powerful “Invisibility Cloak Method” (feature) to break through moments of shyness among strangers (benefit)
And:
My “SETHI Technique” (feature) to systematically improve your body language and 10x the impact of message… without changing a single word (benefit)
And:
My tested system for curating and cultivating your own “Story Toolbox” (feature) to tell stories people can’t stop listening to (benefit)
Wanna be sure readers buy from you rather than elsewhere?
Give your tools, methods, and techniques a name (like Sethi does above) to exude a sense of exclusivity. You know anywhere else where you can learn about the “Invisibility Cloak Method?” That’s one reason why people buy Sethi’s courses—because they can’t find his personal methods somewhere else.
Copywriting technique #3: Be specific
Specificity is perhaps the most underrated technique in copywriting.
And it’s where most beginners fail. I see this problem every year in my copywriting course.
Specificity works on multiple levels. For instance, the concept of feeling socially awkward is vague, so Sethi gives specific examples of social awkwardness. For instance:
Going to an event filled with interesting people, then staying in the corner and checking my email for 20 minutes
And he gives specific details on what he delivers:
Over 8 hours of conversation frameworks, tested tactics, word-for-word scripts, scenario plans, and field challenges to practice in real life — all on video, all fully transcribed, all downloadable in audio/video formats
And he explains specifically when this course isn’t right for you:
How to Talk to Anybody is NOT for you if…
- You’re looking for magic words or a quick fix to instantly transform your social skills
- You’re looking to mislead or deceive people so they “like” you
- You’re looking to read material but not implement it. Please go away
- You can’t commit at least 1-2 hours a week improving your social skills and conversations
Without specificity your copy becomes bland, and it’ll fail to persuade.
So, keep asking yourself: Is this concrete? Do readers know exactly what I mean? Can they picture it? Do I need to add an example?
Copywriting technique #4: Get people to believe you
The question pops up in most readers’ minds: Does this stuff really work?
As business owners, it’s hard for us to answer that question. It’s like saying: Just take my word for it.
So, let others show why people can believe you and why you’re as good as you suggest. This is what testimonials are for. Like this one from Carolynn Ananian on Sethi’s page:
“My social skills are much better than they were. I stopped rambling, learned how to listen to people and how to pitch, how to find people who could teach me to dress. Now I know how to test something, when to change direction (or abandon something).”
Want your testimonials to do the selling for you?
Be sure to get testimonials that are specific rather than sugary. “She’s wonderful” doesn’t build your credibility. Readers want to know how and why exactly you’re wonderful, and what that might mean for them.
Copywriting technique #5: Overcome objections
Selling a course on social awkwardness is a tough job because most people believe you’re either born confident or you’re born awkward. And who believes a course can fundamentally change who you are?
This is why Sethi dedicates half of his sales page to overcoming this specific objection. Here’s a snippet:
We all start at different levels, but everyone can improve their social skills. The uncomfortable truth is that socially skilled people get more practice—more interactions, more people wanting to talk to them — resulting in a virtuous circle of becoming better and better.
How hesitant are your readers to buy? What’s stopping them?
Copywriting technique #6: Nudge
You’ve shown readers you understand their problems. You’ve explained how you can help. You’ve overcome their objections, but still …
Will people buy?
Buyers suffer from inertia—an unwillingness to take action and a resistance to open their wallets. So, the nudge is an encouragement to readers to buy now.
Taking a course on social awkwardness can feel scary. What if the course actually confirms you’re awkward and will remain so for the rest of your life? Is it better not to find out?
To overcome this inertia, Sethi offers a moneyback guarantee, but he also explains why to take action right now. Here’s a snippet:
What life-changing opportunities have you already missed because you didn’t have the conversational skills to make something happen? That girl or guy you didn’t talk to at the bar?
That chance encounter you were so excited about that never turned into anything? That job you interviewed for that fell through?
We all have a “What if…?” regret in our lives. Some people have them again and again—but they never take the time to understand why it keeps happening to them.
The nudge is your secret weapon to get people to commit right now and not delay their purchase until later. Because when they delay, they may never buy from you.
Copywriting technique #7: The call to action
A good call to action reduces friction, making people feel it’s easy to get started. No complicated forms. No endless registration process. Just a transparent price.
Sethi’s call to action is simple:
Get Started Now For Just 12 Monthly Payments of $29
And then a button:
Get Instant Access
Make spending money as painless as possible.
Good copywriting has nothing to do with sleazy selling techniques
And writing persuasive sales copy is less about playing with words, and more about becoming an outstanding psychologist …
Understand your reader so well that you can talk his talk, think his thoughts, dream his dreams, feel his fears.
Because that’s the only way you can persuade the right readers to buy from you.
No sleaziness required.
Just honest and persuasive copy.
PS I do not know Ramit Sethi’s courses, so this blog post isn’t an endorsement. I’ve quoted from his sales copy to help you understand what good copy is.
Recommended reading on essential writing techniques:
Learn copywriting: The 5-step system
How to write seductive web copy (Kindle book)
Why most copywriting formulas stink
Very useful!
I was looking for a blog to learn how to write better, and I fell in love with yours. I’m very grateful!
Thank you very much Henneke for all you do. I learn so much!
Happy New Year 2023 with lots of moments of joy and creativity! Take care of yourself!
Happy New Year to you, too, Alexandra! Thank so much for your kind words on my blog. I wish you lots of reading and writing joy in 2023 🙂
Well thank you.One thing am trying to understand is how to be more empathy toward readers. Honest and kind.Thank you for the features and benefit points.
Regards
Hi Lubosi, You may find this article useful about empathy: https://www.enchantingmarketing.com/develop-empathy-for-your-readers/
Hi Henneke,
Great post as usual. I have noticed you often refer to your early forties when you “learned to write”. At what level were you beforehand, a total newcomer to copywriting? To fast-track the learning, what do you recommend as a decent plan of action assuming one is not in a position to take time off to do copywriting courses and get into a normal copywriting job. A little more info on your own journey will be useful and no doubt very inspirational. Speaking as a fellow marketer here in his early forties wanting something else.
I started with learning how to write blog posts late 2011 (when I was 42). This is also when I started to get interested in copywriting. Before then, I’d read only one book about writing (How to Write Sales Letters by Drayton Bird) as far as I can remember. My background is in marketing so I did have a good foundation to get into copywriting.
I took an online blogging course and got some feedback, but otherwise I’m mainly self-taught. I’ve explained my system for learning copywriting here: https://www.enchantingmarketing.com/learn-copywriting/
Copywriting is actually something that one can become good at with constant practice.
Most times, we often fail to understand the basics of everything we’re doing hence, we end up making mistakes.
First, before you can really attract people to whatever it is you’re selling, they must have that feeling of belonging, they must feel as if you already know what they’re passing through, and that is where writing with empathy comes in. You described this correctly here, and I’ll always respect Ramit Sethi, he’s indeed a badass marketer just like yourself.
Again, most marketers often do not know the difference between features and benefits, and that’s their sales copy is always filled with unnecessary words that bores their readers.
Like you said, for people to buy from you instead of from your competitors, your product must be filled with great and irresistible features and benefits, and you have to also mention them on your sales copy.
You can actually have a good product, but once your copy suck, no one will buy it.
Overall, no one was ever born a copywriter, it’s a skill anyone can learn overtime. And with guides like this, It’ll be very easy for even the newbies to master the act with little efforts.
You’re always awesome Henneke, thanks a lot for sharing.
I used to think we’re either born as writers or we’re not. But that’s so untrue.
I never thought of myself as a writer and only learned to write in my early 40s.
We’re all more capable than we think.
Happy copywriting, Anil!
Hi Henneke,
Another super clear post demystifying the craft of writing simple non-icky sales copy that works. I especially appreciate how you break down the difference between features and benefits. I can get myself in an awful muddle right here. Cheers again and off to have a review and a practise.
Nicole
Yes, non-icky, please 🙂
Happy copywriting!
This was a great summary of your site’s basic copy-writing advice but for me the real clincher was the link to “Why Most Copywriting Formulas Stink” because it gives wonderful specifics about what effective web pages say to create interest in visitors.
That page is so clear and concise! It hammers home your advice about Features, Advantages and Benefits. Which in turn stirs up my memory of your post about asking “so what?” (which you also linked as an extra reference) to get to the real reasons that your future clients want to work with you.
Thanks, Henneke! So useful 🙂
I had almost forgotten about my blog post on copywriting formulas until I went through my email archives to see which posts had been popular. Some of those old blog posts are more useful than more recent ones 😉
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Alison!
Henneke, thank you so much for this! I’m going to bookmark it and use it as a guide on my sales pages. Great examples, as always — I feel like Ramit’s sales pages can be used as a copywriting textbook.
Thank you for stopping by, Elena. I agree – Ramit Sethi’s sales pages are good examples for studying and improving your own copywriting, no matter in what niche you are. His other sales pages are good, too.
Hi Henneke,
Thanks for reminding us of these techniques. I like the closing comments about being honest and losing the sleaziness. It’s the best strategy in the long-run.
I guess there are still some of those horrible, extremely long and boring sales pages – the ones with yellow highlighter marks – out there, but I think on the whole web copy is improving. Or perhaps I’m avoiding the crappy ones 🙂
– David
Hi David
I agree with you that the yellow-highlighter pages seem to be around less these days (or perhaps we’re both avoiding them 😉 ), but I still feel some marketers are too pushy, making people feel insecure and exaggerating the impact their products / courses / services may have on your life. I also hope such tactics will die out!
Thank you for stopping by again 🙂
Love this post.
Helps reorder all the tips I’ve received and reminds me on what makes a good foundation.
Also agree that sentence structuring is the polishing touch and not something we should be tearing hair out for.
I’m glad you found it helpful, Nazir. It sounds like Lucas had the right idea to prompt me to write this post.
Thank you for stopping by!
Hello Henneke,
You know, I want to meet you someday.
See, every time I read your articles, it all seems educational and juicy until that moment when I stop reading and say “wow” — it happens every time. Not kidding.
This time around, it happens here:
“And writing persuasive sales copy is less about playing with words, and more about becoming an outstanding psychologist …”
It’s 100% right. Being a copywriter, you must think like a psychologist. Let’s say you know the answers and you want to share with the audience, but you have no idea how to start up the conversation let alone how to make it engaging.
Readers leave the page quickly. I leave the page in first 20 seconds. Now, I know it sounds harsh, but sometimes you have to spill it.
Lastly, I want to say that I loved this blog post.
Thank you.
I’m glad you’re not leaving my blog posts within the first 20 seconds, Hassaan. You’re always so generous with your compliments. Thank you.
And you never know, one day we may drink a cup of tea or coffee together!
Absolutely.
I’m glad you remember that tea or coffee thing. Haha.
Thank you.
Henneke–I agree with your point about specificity. Many writers overlook the power of being very detailed to expand your writing’s relevance to the reader. The details make your writing real to the reader. Generalizations don’t. Happy marketing, Heidi Cohen – Actionable Marketing Guide
Yes, yes, yes: “The details make your writing real to the reader. Generalizations don’t.”
Thank you for adding that, Heidi!
This was so timely Henneke, I had just read a pretty interesting interview about how to write copy like a professional when your email popped up and blew it out of the water. Simple, doable and sleaze-free. Excellent links too. Thank you.
Aww, that’s a big compliment. Thank you so much, Joan. You’re always so generous in your comments. I appreciate you!
We are all numb from ad attack. This is a great help. Thanks.
Now, where can we find your drawing class?????
Cheers!
Ha! A drawing class??? That’s a nice idea!
Hi Henneke – Thanks for your concise explanation. I never quite understood what copy writing is about, but I now do.
I like the concept of sneaking into a reader’s mind. Techniques 1 and 2 are also useful for introducing a topic in a how-to handbook.
Yes, so true. #1 and #2 work also for a how-to handbook. Some of the other techniques also work for how-to content, but you’d phrase it slightly different. You might not really have a call-to-action in a how-to handbook, but you do want to inspire readers to take action and follow your advice, and you also want to take away their hesitations to doing so.
Thank you for stopping by again, Paul. I hope your book is progressing steadily!
Interesting coincidence. I am on both of you’s email lists and funnily enough, today in my inbox I’m seeing that Sethi is launching a new course called “Behind the sales page”!
Wow. What a coincidence!
And the sales page for “Behind the Sales Page” is even more amazing! I bought the course yesterday after reading the email and the sales page. He truly knows what he’s doing.
That sales page is a great one, too, but most experienced writers would find that one easier to write than the sales page about social awkwardness.
These are great tips, but you also provided real, understandable examples of each. It’s one thing to tell how to do something; it’s quite another to show us how to do it. Even those new to copywriting can understand these. Thank you!
What a lovely compliment, Marcy. Thank you 🙂
Wow, Henneke, these steps would also work when writing a persuasive book or course, not only in the offering of it, for clients to consider buying, but also in the content, for helping the reader/student to believe what he is reading and begin applying it to his life.
I know you’ve addressed these facets of sales and convincing before, but this post has made things all the more clear and believable. I love when I come here and receive such inspiration! Thanks are due, as always!
The more I think about selling, the more similarities I see with teaching. Your comment suggests the same 🙂
I’m glad you enjoyed this one, Katharine. It’s always good to see you!
Hi Henneke, great tips. I need to take more questions from my Quora to put into posts specifically for those questions and answer them completely.
Thanks for inspiring me to do so. Sometimes I find it hard to produce long form content when writing specifically but I’m hoping it comes with more time refining it.
Have a great day!
Writing long form can feel tough. What helps me is seeing it as a conversation with my readers—not much different from writing a blog post 😉
Thank you for stopping by again, Lisa!
I had the privilege to read many sales letters of Ramit and also am student of his course zero to launch. Must say that this guy goes very deep into psychology. But I must say Henneke the way you have broken this down into a 7 step template is absolutely amazing.
When you read his sales copy, you can see he understands his readers really well. I’m glad you enjoyed my 7 steps, Amit!
Hi Henneke, this is very timely as I’m revising my web copy as I type. I can vouch for tip #1: getting to your reader’s mind is, I dare say, the most important of them all because without it, your copy is a non-starter. I changed my email pitch with sentences that my readers think about when they want to create contents, and I got better responses. Some flat out told me ‘NO’ and I still consider this a win because I’ve never heard back from them before and now I have. Some gave me a more positive response, thankfully 🙂
I agree with you, you can’t write good copy without understanding your audience. I “steal” ideas for sales copy for my courses from things participants have mentioned—why they’ve joined and how they’ve benefited. With every reaction we get from our readers (even if it’s a no), we learn more.
Happy writing, Ida, and thank you for stopping by. I appreciate your sharing your experience.
I had exactly the same issue as your emailer when I first came across your blog.
What I do now is to access your writings on any particular issue I’m having.
For example, if writing a good title for a particular post is giving me problems, I’ll bring up all your articles on ‘how to write titles’ and spend a considerable time to study them.
That has been helping me a lot.
That sounds like a smart strategy to learn more without feeling overwhelmed!
Thank you for stopping by, Ebenezer. Happy writing!
What a great summary of copywriting techniques! I need to go back over my pages and go through them step-by-step with these in mind.
Such a useful post, Henneke! Thanks!
Thank you, Kathy, for being such a loyal commenter. Happy writing!