Copywriting Archives

Does Swearing in Copy Make You More Persuasive?

Can you remember the last time your parents scolded you for swearing?

Throughout childhood, we’re conditioned to believe that swearing is inappropriate and crass. You could offend someone, it makes you seem uneducated, it’s unprofessional in the workplace… the list of reasons we’ve been told not to swear goes on and on.

But how bad is swearing, really? Is there a chance that it could be beneficial in business and optimization? As with most things people have told you that you absolutely should not do, there’s a chance you should be testing it.

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When Jargon Converts (and When It’s Just Cheesy)

When writing copy for a landing page, especially for a B2B site, do you write in plain language that everyone can understand or do you use technical jargon?

Most common wisdom has said that jargon doesn’t work in copy, but that’s a blanket statement that may not always be true.

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The Advanced Guide to Transactional Emails That Convert

A while back, Seth Godin published a list of things that “every good marketer knows”. Among that list was: “Anticipated, personal, and relevant advertising always does better than unsolicited junk.” His conclusion was that there is a very big difference between knowing and doing.

Good marketers continue to send unsolicited junk. [Tweet It!]

Transactional emails are the key every good marketer is talking about, but that few are doing something about.

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16 Copywriting Mistakes You’re Probably Making (and How to Fix Them)

Day in and day out, you’re surrounded by copy. You’re watching TV commercials, you’re seeing PPC ads in your search results, you’re visiting SaaS pricing pages, you’re shopping online for a new office printer… the list is endless.

It’s easy to look around and think, “Yeah, I could have written that.”

Whether you’re just getting started with copywriting or you’ve already written a few dozen landing pages, it’s important to know that copywriting mistakes are not few and far between.

To avoid making them yourself, it’s important to be aware of the most common (and costly) copywriting mistakes plaguing sites.

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When Humor Converts (and When It Doesn’t)

Think about the last thing that made you laugh. Was it a TV ad? Tim from HR? A tweet?

Now think about the last landing page that made you laugh. Really, take a second and try to come up with an answer. Was it just another 404 page?

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How to Write Copy People Will Actually Read

You’ve found your way to this article, but you probably won’t read it start to finish.

You’ve read the stats. According to Copyblogger, 80% of people will read a headline, but only 20% read the body. 38% of people who click on a site will leave before engaging with the content at all. People will share copy, effectively vouching for its quality, when they’ve only read 25% of it.

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The Lost, Ancient Guide to Better Copywriting

In Ancient Greece, public speaking was the main channel for political debate and decision-making, legal decision-making, and even philosophical discussion.

As it became more and more important to society, so did rhetoric, which is the art of persuasive speaking and writing. Ancient philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, and Cicero studied and practiced rhetoric… essentially boiling it down to a do-it-yourself guide.

That guide has been lost (ok, just forgotten). Until now.

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How to Write Copy for More Than One Audience on a Page

When you’re putting together copy for a website you may not have the luxury of only having to speak to one audience. In fact, you may have multiple audiences you need to address.

Which means you’ve got a juggling act on your hands.

Who is most important? What if both audiences require equal attention? How do you write copy that attracts more than one audience on a page without confusing your messaging?

The answers to these questions lie in your customer research and a process for determining where your audiences’ needs overlap.

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