This 6-Step Copywriting Process Gets You From Blank Page to Ready to Publish
Writing effective copy for emails and sales pages can be a daunting task. You know it’s important, but where do you even start?
I’ve been there, and that’s why I’m sharing my 6-step copywriting process. These steps will guide you in creating compelling copy that resonates with your audience and drives them to take action.
Bookmark this blog post so you can revisit it whenever a new copywriting project comes up.
1. Gather your raw material
The best messages are built on deep research, aka insights into your target audience. Legendary copywriter Gary Bencivenga shared that you should aim for gathering 7 times more information than you can effectively use.
One of the best ways to do that is getting on calls with your prospects and customers. You can grab my free Notion template to make the most out of these interviews.
Here are the 3 main things you want to uncover at a minimum and the questions to help you do it.
Pain Points & Challenges
Your solution should solve a challenge for your audience. But not every problem is important enough to get them to open their wallets. You’ll want to look for the “I’ll-pay-for-this” pain points.
What are they struggling with? What keeps them up at night?
What are the mistakes they are making that they could be avoiding?
How have they tried to fix their problems? And how have other solutions failed them?
Goals & Motivations
You don't "create motivation." Your audience is already motivated. Your job is to answer the question "by what?" so you can then show them how to get what they want with your offer.
What are their goals? What do they want to achieve?
Why do they want it? And what happens if they don’t achieve it?
What is typically going on in their life and at work when they realize that they need your help?
Objections, Limitations & False Beliefs
This is the stuff that keeps your audience from shelling out their hard-earned cash for your offer. When you identify these mental barriers and insecurities early on, you can help crush any doubts in their mind.
What are the obstacles that keep them from reaching their goals?
What might keep them from buying your product or service?
What excuses have they made for not solving these problems yet? And how might those be justified?
What false beliefs do they have about your industry, themselves, and their ability or capacity to achieve what they want?
2. Set up your structure
You want to make a compelling argument by presenting your messages in the right order. That's why the first step is to outline your piece.
Luckily, there are proven formulas you can follow to guide and speed up your writing process.
One of my favorite formulas is PASO (Problem, Agitation, Solution, Outcome). I'm including an example to show you how this looks like in practice.
Problem
Describe the pain your audience is feeling, the challenges they're facing. Show them that you “get it.”
How do all these YouTubers act so natural in front of the camera? Every time you hit record, your heart starts racing, and your voice starts to sound weird.
Agitation
Pour a little salt into the wound and lay out what happens if this problem doesn’t get solved. What's at stake here?
While your peers' videos on LinkedIn and Facebook are getting heaps of likes and shares, your expertise stays hidden. And you're missing out on opportunities like podcast interviews and job offers.
Solution
Tell your reader how you’re going to solve their problem.
But camera confidence is a skill anybody can get the hang of...with the right system. That’s why I’ve created the 14-day Camera Confidence Challenge.
Outcome
Show them how their life will improve. Bring the benefits to life in tangible terms.
Follow the process, and within 2 weeks, you’ll go from dreaming about making videos to actually having published your first video online.
Lastly, don't forget to add your call-to-action. Tell your reader what you want them to do next.
3. Fill in the big ideas
Write down the high-level ideas for each section. You don't even have to use coherent sentences yet. If you're drawing a blank, dive back into your research and gather more raw material.
4. Write full sentences
Now, turn your scribbles into full sentences.
Some words of advice…stop trying so hard to impress and stick to everyday English (or any other language you're writing in). Use words your audience knows and pack them into short sentences and paragraphs. Big blocks of text look intimidating and are harder to read.
You want to aim for an 8th-grade reading level or lower, even if your audience has PhDs. By the way, you can easily check the readability of your piece with apps like Grammarly or Hemingway.
By the way, AI tools like ChatGPT are a great help at this stage of the process. But make sure to give them the instructions I mentioned above so your copy sounds conversational and human.
5. Take a break (my favorite part)
Put your copy aside, and don't look at it for at least a day...ideally a few days. When you come back to it with fresh eyes, you can spot weaknesses more easily.
6. Edit your copy
Writing is only ever the first step. Once you have some words on the page, you've got the opportunity to turn them into something that will truly blow your reader's mind and move them to take action.
That's when editing comes into play. I'm following these 6 steps to ensure my copy hits the mark.
Step #1: Is it clear? (most important)
Your reader is way too busy to figure out what you mean. The burden is on you to make it blatantly clear what you're trying to say.
To improve clarity, check if each sentence communicates one idea only.
Step #2: Does it trigger the right emotions?
You want your reader to feel something. After all, emotions lead to actions.
So, how will your reader feel when they've finished reading? Try out Grammarly's tone detector to check which vibe your copy creates.
Step #3: Is it obvious what's in it for the reader?
Your reader only cares about themselves (not your credentials and awards). Make sure to highlight the benefits and outcomes your reader can achieve.
Step #4: Is it believable?
It's 2024, and your reader has been exposed to a million marketing messages. If something seems too good to be true, they're gone.
That's why you need to back up every claim you make with proof. For example, client testimonials, case studies, company logos of clients, demo videos and screenshots, or hard data.
Step #5: Is it specific?
What can set you apart from the generic marketing messages of your competitors: adding specific details. The kind of information that engage your reader's imagination and paint a vivid picture for them. Have you included any in your copy?
Step #6: Did you remove the risk?
When you ask your reader to do something, their mind immediately pulls a Doctor Strange and rushes through hundreds of different scenarios of how this will impact their life.
How much time is this going to take? Will this introduce friction into my life? Will this work like you say? Is this worth paying for?
Your job is to remove as much risk as possible to put their mind at ease. Taking action should be a no-brainer!
Now that we covered what you should pay attention to when editing, here 4 more editing hacks I use to make this process easier:
Read out loud: It makes a huge difference. Naturally, you’ll stumble over certain words and phrases. Now you know where you need to adjust. Bonus points for reading it to someone else.
Change the font and/or font size: When you get too familiar with your piece, your eyes can gloss over obvious mistakes. Unfamiliar fonts and sizes bring your attention back to each word.
Edit on your phone (or narrow the column width in Google Docs): Many of your readers will consume your writing on mobile. Put yourself in their shoes. This tactic exposes overly long paragraphs that are hard to read.
Keep a "cutting room floor": It can be heartbreaking to cut phrases you've worked so hard on. But you don't have to lose them forever. Put a line at the bottom of your document and cut+paste them there for future reference.
After a spell and grammar check with a tool like Grammarly or Hemingway, your copy is good to go.
Feeling stuck? Imagine having a real-life conversation
Copywriting should feel like a conversation with your prospect on the page.
But for many, writing copy is a monologue. They only think about what they want to tell people about their offer. And often get stuck writing.
Here's a different approach: Imagine having a real-life conversation with one of your prospects.
First, pick one real person that you want to help. It could be one of your clients or someone who has expressed interest in your offer.
Now, envision meeting them at your favorite coffee shop to catch up.
After you've both ordered your preferred beverage (mine is a mocha), you settle down in comfy armchairs at a table in a quiet corner.
And you pose a question you'd ask a good friend: "What's up? What's happening in your life?"
They're telling you about their recent struggles with something they want to achieve.
Really listen to what they're saying.
Then you might ask them what they've tried to solve their problem.
And they respond with how other solutions have let them down.
Now's the right time to tell them how you could help and suggest trying your offer.
What questions do they ask you about your offer? What objections do they bring up?
Help them decide if your offer is the right fit for them or not. And don't forget to tell them what the next step is if they want to move forward.
Play out this entire dialogue in your head, or even out loud. Now you just have to write it down.
Your copy will flow easier and sound more conversational, like you're talking with your prospects and not at them.
Everything is an experiment
Keep in mind that even great copy doesn't guarantee sales. It does guarantee learning!
Running new copy is always an experiment. Make sure to measure its success in metrics like page views, click-throughs, opt-ins, conversions, and sales.
