As a User Experience (UX) copywriter, what exactly do you need to know? Well, for one thing, you need to know your clients. What do they want, need, and expect from your work? What sets them apart from users of other products? You need to understand the problems they’re trying to solve, their industry, and their platform to effectively create persuasive content that sells their product.
And what happens when you don’t know your clients? You wind up with copy that’s dull, uninspired, and devoid of all the the right words and phrases. In today’s world, that’s not good enough. You need to deliver a consistent, compelling experience across all devices and platforms. If you’re wondering how to become a better copywriter, here are a few tips and tricks from the pros.
Focus On The User
When we think about writing compelling copy, the first thing that comes to mind is probably sales copy. And, yeah, you’d be right. But you, as a writer, should not be limited to that one kind of copy. You need to understand your audience’s needs, wants, and desires, whether you’re trying to sell them a product or service.
That means you need to know what makes your product or service special. For instance, maybe your product is designed for pets. So you need to know what sets you apart from other pet food brands. What do you do that is different from the competitors? What makes your pet food unique?
You also need to know what your users want and need in order to solve their problems. One of the best copywriting tools available is Google Analytics. You can use this free tool to track the behavior of website visitors and gain valuable insights into what would compel them to choose your product or service over others.
You want to focus on user experience, not just sales copy. Remember, the user is always #1. Never forget that the user is always #1. And always make sure that the content you put out there is useful, easy to understand, and most importantly, compelling.
Find The Hook
Now, you don’t need to use an overdone gimmick to draw readers into your content. Far from it. In fact, those gimmicks can sometimes work against you. Your readers might recognize the device or channel you’re promoting on and decide to ignore your content, or worse, go against your recommendations.
Compelling content doesn’t need to be heavily promoted to work. In fact, sometimes less is more in terms of drawing in potential customers. You want to find the subtle, yet effective, ways to get your readers interested in what you have to say.
For instance, maybe you sell outdoor gear. You can use the hashtag #outdoorgear on social media to highlight your outdoor gear, but you don’t need to. Instead, you might want to try incorporating more informative content into your blog posts and less frequent mentions of gear, especially when pitching to someone who is already a customer or, at the very least, aware of your brand.
Craft An Outstanding Headline
You might be used to writing headlines for your articles, but have you ever thought about the power of your headlines? Even those of us who write for a living, and have crafted meticulous headlines for years, can be swayed by a well-executed piece of copy with a memorable and effective headline.
Your headline should match the mood and style of your content. If you’re writing an informative piece, then your headline should be short and to the point, catching your readers’ attention but not so much that it becomes clichéd. Try for a headline that’s concise, yet bold enough to draw attention.
A short, snappy headline can help you to keep readers interested. If you can implement a joke or a witty saying in your headline, even better. But remember: your headline doesn’t need to be overly clever or funny to succeed.
Craft A Masterpiece Description
Even if you’ve got a great headline, your content will still go nowhere if the reader is not presented with a flawless description of your product or service that convinces them to purchase it. A masterpiece description is the result of numerous drafts, careful edits, and multiple revisions.
Your description should match the tone and style of your content. If you want to write an informative piece, then your description should be detailed and yet to the point, drawing on your expertise while avoiding overly general or vague statements.
Even if you believe your product is the best in its class, you’ll still fail if your potential customers don’t see that reflected in your description. Keep that in mind as you edit and revise your masterpiece description. Try to envision how a customer might scan your product description on a store’s online catalogue and decide whether or not to purchase it. The goal is to have a flawless piece of text that draws in potential customers and compels them to purchase your product or service.
Create Compelling Buyer Personas
If you’re considering a new product or service, there are numerous things you should know and consider before making a purchase. The first and most vital step is to create compelling buyer personas. A buyer persona is an imaginary person you create to represent a group of customers who have more in common with one another than they do with any other group of people.
By understanding your target audience’s needs, wants, and desires, you’ll be able to craft content that is much more likely to achieve your desired results.
It might be easy to assume that your product or service will appeal to just about everyone (after all, they’re both outdoor gear, right?), but that’s not the case. You need to understand that each customer segment has different needs and desires, which means your product will not appeal to all of them. Your product will need to be tailored to fit the needs of each group.
Let’s say you sell outdoor gear, yet your target audience is city dwellers who need a place to escape in the event of bad weather. Your product’s design might be suitable for urban environments, but it’s not going to do much for supporting the activities that you and your audience value the most. In that case, you’d need to create a new buyer persona. Now, this might sound like a lot of work, and, yeah, it can be tedious to create unique buyer personas for each product or service you promote. But it’s worth it. Creating an outstanding piece of copy is not that difficult. It just takes a bit of time.
Once you’ve got your copy ready to go, make sure you test it out by presenting it to a small group of individuals who will provide you with honest and detailed feedback. Additionally, you can always ask friends, family members, and coworkers to read over your work and provide you with some feedback. If you’re looking for some extra help, you can always hire a copywriter through a freelance agency or an online platform like Upwork or Fiverr. They’ll be able to help you make your content more compelling, user-friendly, and – most importantly – profitable.