Tag Archives: copywriting tips

8 ways you can make your writing less sucky

How to make your writing suck less

What does sucky writing mean? How can you make your writing less sucky?

Sucking at your writing doesn’t mean you are a bad writer in terms of spelling and grammar.

You may craft perfect sentences. You may give the Queen’s English a complex.

As a copywriter you need to make an impact. You should be able to hook people to what you are saying. If they don’t pay attention to you, they won’t act upon your call-to-action.

Therefore, the dynamics of copywriting or professional content writing are different from usual writing. Here are 8 things you can do to make your writing suck less.

1. Vary sentence length

I’m a big fan of writing short sentences. If you have been following my blog posts, you will notice that I avoid writing big sentences. Not that I cannot write them, it’s just that, sometimes they become too complicated for readers to follow.

Short sentences are also good for your search engine rankings. Search engine algorithms are software bots. They can interpret words, but it is still hard for them to interpret nuances.

Therefore, when copywriting, keep your writing straightforward. Don’t hint at things. Algorithms don’t understand “wink wink nudge nudge”.

For example, if I want to tell the search engine algorithms that I provide copywriting and content writing services, then I actually need to say, “I provide copywriting and content writing services”.

Coming back to the topic, just because I like short sentences doesn’t mean I always stick with short sentences.

There needs to be a rhythm. Keep it and 80-20 ratio: 80% short sentences and 20% long sentences.

Here is an example of mixing short and long sentences:

Your first sentence can be short. Your second sentence can be short too. Let them be 5-6 words. Then write a longer sentence with 1-2 conjunctions to pack a bit more information in a single sentence to change the rhythm. Then write another short sentence.

Writing is like dancing. Sometimes there are simple movements. Some movements are complex. Simple and complex movements are interspersed to create a narrative.

Don’t make your writing monotonous.

2. Avoid adjectives and adverbs

In terms of grammar and adding modifiers to your nouns and verbs, there is nothing wrong in using adjectives and adverbs. But sometimes they needlessly make your sentences convoluted and pompous.

Instead of saying, “He is always on time.” you can say, “He was punctual.”

Instead of saying, “She was very angry.” you can say, “She was furious.”

3. Be concise

Concise writing grabs your reader’s attention. It helps them focus on the main point. If you ramble on and on with long sentences and unusual words, your readers get distracted.

Concise writing means using fewer words. You convey your ideas clearly.

Concise writing is useful when you’re sending text messages, emails or posting social media updates.

Example:

It has been brought to our notice that the project will be undertaken by our in-house team of programmers.

This can be written as

Our in-house team of programmers will work on the project.

4. Write with conviction

Get rid of expressions like “perhaps”, “we think that”, “it may be so”, and so on.

You can rewrite

This plan may be able to help you in your business.

in such a manner

This plan will help your business.

You can write

Sometimes it so happens that people buy these tickets.

in such a manner

People buy these tickets.

5. Write in the singular

I know when you are writing for a business website, especially on the homepage or the services page, using “I” may look odd because you are representing the entire organization and not just specifically “you”.

Nonetheless, during communications, and if possible, even when you are blogging, use “you” and “I” whenever possible.

You can write

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to the campaign.

in this way

Thank you for contributing to the campaign.

You can write

We all know how important it is to complete the project within the deadline.

in this way

You know how important it is to complete the project within the deadline.

6. Be specific

For example, you can write

Very few people have attempted this so far.

in this manner

Just 3 people have attempted this so far.

You can write

Success is more about hard work and less about inspiration.

in this manner

Success is 99% hard work and 1% inspiration.

Clearly mentioned facts are more effective and give people a precise idea of what you’re conveying.

7. Avoid using big words

Ours is a revolutionary product that is going to transform the way you leverage contemporary technologies.

This can be simply written as

Our new product will help you use contemporary technologies better.

8. Use active voice

It has been scientifically proven that writing in passive voice tires people out and bores them (yes, the sentence is in passive voice).

It has been said that familiarity breeds contempt.

Can be written as

Familiarity breeds contempt.

The coding will be done by our team in-house.

Can be written as

Our team will do the coding in-house.

Extra remarks

Writing rules are not written in stone. Sometimes it makes sense to break them. You can do totally the opposite of what I have just suggested. That’s what makes you a unique writer.

Nonetheless, the suggestions can help you write engagingly and make it easier for your readers to feel connected with you.

7 Tips for crafting the perfect about us page with examples

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Crafting the perfect about us page

Why do you have an “About Us” web page on your website?

In this blog post I’m going to cover 7 tips for crafting the best possible about us page for your company website.

After the homepage your “About us” section is one of the most visited sections on your website.

Your about us page contains

An introduction to your company.
The story about how your company came to be.
A few sentences on why you should be considered for buying products and services.
Your mission, vision, philosophy, and values.

Your about us page gives you an opportunity to tell your visitors who you are, what you stand for, and what people stand to gain when they do business with you.

What exactly is an “About Us” page?

While other pages on your website talk about your products and services, the about us section is an opportunity to talk about your company.

Some about us pages have the profile of the CEO, the founding members, or people at the helm.

An about us page having CEO profile

They talk about some or all employees.

An about us page showing employees

It answers the most pressing questions your new and existing customers and clients may have about your business such as what your business does, how it does it, who owns the business, and what type of people run it.

Your about us page is the perfect place to tell your story.

It can be a great marketing tool.

It allows you to add a human element to the information that you want to impart.

You often find the “about us” link in the footer of the website or in the top navigation.

This section allows you to show off your personality as a company or an organization.

Ever since I have started writing content for websites there has never been a single instance when the client didn’t want an about us page.

It is always an integral part of the website site map.

Do you always check out the about us page?

Do you remember checking the Amazon.com about us page before shopping over there?

Highly unlikely.

In fact, when I checked the About us section of amazon.in, they are mostly promoting their latest offers although, when you scroll down, they talk about the various community initiatives.

Amazon India about us page

Even on Amazon.com, they seem to promote their latest The Lord of the Rings (it is being broadcast on Prime video at the time of writing this) series aside from some press releases.

The about us section on some websites also appears as “Our company”.

For example, Coca-Cola.com has an “Our company” section.

On their our company section instead of telling the story of their origin they talk about their employees or the top management, they talk about the various “human” and “environmental” initiatives they are taking.

They talk about how they manage waste during production.

Coca-Cola about us page

They talk about creating a sustainable future.

They also showcase how they encourage diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunities at their workplace.

Does this matter? Definitely.

According to a Salesforce study, 86% customers believe that businesses must be more proactive in their roles towards societies, especially after the pandemic.

62% customers stop doing business with companies whose values are not aligned with their values.

Your about us page is the perfect place to share your core beliefs, philosophies, and values with your visitors and let them know where you stand on important issues.

What are the basic elements of your about us page?

What to cover on your about us page?

You can talk about your office environment – how comforting and inclusive it is.

You can list your team members along with the photographs and small statements from them. If you are a large company, then of course it won’t be possible to list everyone, but you can showcase your top management.

You can explain processes – how you execute projects. What are the various processes you follow to optimize your performance? How do you ensure your customers are easily able to buy from you and derive maximum satisfaction?

As written above, most of the about us pages talk about the core values of the business, the philosophy, and the mission statement. These don’t have to be long. Even a single sentence would suffice as long as it fully represents what you want to convey.

What about the history of the company? Is it relevant to customer and client satisfaction? If yes, then definitely tell the story of your company – how it came to be and what makes it what it is right now.

About us page our story example

Doing some social good within your community? Don’t forget to mention that. Making donations? Definitely mention that. Are your employees involved in social welfare activities? Showcase their work, possibly with videos and photographs. Have a social media presence? You can embed the most successful updates on your about us page.

Listed below are the key elements of a perfect about us page:

Headline: Hook your readers immediately.

You can capture the main essence of the product or service that you provide in the headline. For example, is an SEO company your headline can be

“We achieve for you higher search engine rankings for toughest keywords”

What is the biggest benefit of working with you?

How does your business change people’s lives?

Is your about us page really about your company?

Let’s be frank: those visiting your about us section are not your acolytes.

They are least worried about your accomplishments unless those accomplishments have something to do with what you intend to deliver.

Whereas the accolades you have accumulated over the years can certainly be reassuring (that you are a company of repute and performance), what people want to know is

How you’re going to serve their needs.
Whether your values align with their values.
How you have served your present and past customers and clients.
What is your company culture.
What is the attitude of your top management as well as your employees.
What sort of atmosphere you maintain (you are inclusive or not)?

This Search Engine Journal blog post says that you shouldn’t spend much time on rambling on about your back story when writing your about us page.

They want to know less about your past and more about your present and future.

Take your own example: when you find an Amazon link while looking for a mobile phone you don’t want to know how Jeff Bezos started Amazon (maybe another day) – you want to know how the website is going to help you find the best model for your need, how the model is going to be delivered to you, and how it is going to be replaced in case you don’t like it.

Is an e-commerce about us page different from the about us pages on other websites?

There are about 20 million e-commerce websites worldwide. The valuation of the e-commerce industry is $ 5.5 trillion.

With so many websites to compete with, how do you create a contrast so that people can recognize your e-commerce website, and not just recognize, but agree to do business with you?

Want to distinguish yourself from other e-commerce websites? Your about us page can help you with that.

For an e-commerce website, your potential customers will visit your about us page to know why you are passionate about the products you are listing on your website.

To make people spend on your website, you must sound authentic and build trust and loyalty among your customers.

When they buy from your e-commerce website, they should be convinced that they will receive the item in impeccable condition and if they need to return it, they will be able to do so without much hassle and without spending money.

You can cover this on your e-commerce about us page.

What makes your about us page awesome?

7 tips for crafting a perfect about us page for your website

There are some standard elements that exist on every about us page. In fact, these attributes and elements are so common that even unconsciously, people are looking for them when they visit your about us page. Nonetheless, you can also make your about us page unique to include an element of surprise. Listed below are 7 tips that can help you craft the perfect about us page for your website.

1. Avoid the sales pitch

The purpose of your about us page is to give a glimpse about your company, your employees, and other aspects of your business.

Of course, every web page on your website exists to help you generate more leads and business opportunities and the underlying purpose of your about us page is also to help you sell more, but this should be achieved through engaging information instead of directly asking people to buy from you or do business with you.

Therefore, avoid sales pitch on your about us page. It can have CTA but it should naturally flow with the context of your about us page.

2. Make sure your about us page stands out

You can use engaging visuals. You can create a layout that is different from other about us pages.

Don’t make an about us page unique simply for the heck of it – it should represent the ethos and the personality of your overall website and business philosophy.

An increasing number of organizations these days showcase the various activities happening at their premises instead of simply talking about the history or the values of the company. They show their employees indulging in fun activities and learning engagements. They publish photographs of workshops and orientation programs. If they participate in social welfare activities, they publish videos and images about those.

Publishing testimonials can also help your about us page stand out but quite often, websites have dedicated testimonials web page. If you don’t have it, you can publish some stellar testimonials on your about us page.

3. Tell your brand story

Tell your visitors why your company exists. How it came to be. What are the events that led to the formation of your company – you solved a problem for yourself and based on that you created a solution that you could offer to the others.

Stories are always engaging. Weave a narrative.

4. Update your about us page regularly

There are multiple benefits of updating your about us page regularly. New things are constantly happening in your office and people would like to know about them and the about us page is the perfect place to talk about that.

When you regularly update your about us page it gives a reason to your visitors to check it out regularly. Awaiting your about us page is also good for your search engine rankings.

5. Make it about customers and clients

Although above I have mentioned that avoid using sales pitch on your about us page, ultimately, every page on your website is about customers and clients, and your about us page shouldn’t be an exception.

What would your customers and clients want to know on your about us page? What information would enrich them in such a manner that they would like to do business with you? What can help you establish a relationship with them? How do you convince that your corporate values match with the values of your customers and clients? How do your business practices benefit your customers and clients?

6. Include your values, mission statement, and vision

On almost every web page you come across these three sections: values, mission statement, and vision.

Take the opportunity to tell your visitors what you stand for through your values. You believe in an inclusive environment. You stand for the environment. You value peace and prosperity for everyone in the world.

Your mission statement tells your visitors what you intend to achieve for them through your business.

Vision is normally long-term – how do you see your business after five years? It represents your long-term goals.

7. Include a strong CTA

The CTA doesn’t always have to be “Buy from us”. You can prompt people to download your e-book. You can ask them to subscribe to your email updates. You can send them to another web page with more information about your company. Ask them to do something so that they stick around.

Examples of awesome about us pages

Let’s have a look at some great about us pages from different businesses and companies. I will also tell you why these about us pages rock.

Intel

Intel about us page

In case they haven’t changed it, you can view the complete about us page on the Intel website.

I like this about us page because it gives all the necessary information in plain language. Look at the headline that says:

Delivering World-Changing Technology

Then in a short paragraph it describes how Intel has been an industry leader in creating world-changing technologies since 1968.

When you scroll down, you come across the financial status of Intel.

Throughout the page they explain different technologies they are influencing, and they even talk about their products.

In a separate tab, you can read about their management team.

This is a very straightforward about us page. In different sections it explains different aspects of the company. It talks about innovation, it talks about leadership, it talks about technologies, and even evolving culture. They don’t try to be brief. At the same time, the page doesn’t seem cramped. It is a professionally designed corporate about us web page.

Interestingly, I had to search for “Intel about” to find Intel’s about us page. I couldn’t find it in their official navigation.

The same is the case for the next about us page.

Mailchimp

MailChimp about us page

You can see the complete about us page on the MailChimp website.

I have chosen this about us page from MailChimp because it is a quintessential page. There is nothing outstanding about the page. It’s quite straightforward. It talks about employees. It tells you the founder story – how MailChimp came to be.

Since serving small businesses is their primary forte, they talk about how they are streamlining their operations to better serve small businesses in multiple domains including creating product pages, landing pages, social media updates, and of course, email marketing.

They also talk about the investments they are making helping small businesses grow. The about us page talks less about their products and features, and more about the motivation that drives them. This is the kind of about us page I would like to write.

Zoho

Zoho about us page

Here you can view the complete Zoho about us page.

Zoho has a very straightforward, but comprehensive about us page and that’s why I have chosen to showcase it here.

I like the headline:

Serious Software, Friendly Company

Then they explain how they create beautiful software to solve business problems. While talking about their work culture and the quality of their software engineers, they also talk about how great their products are.

As you scroll down, you read that they spend more on product development and customer support and less on sales and marketing. This tells you about their business approach. They don’t believe in up-selling. They don’t even force their customers to sign a multi-year contract. They are assured: since they are constantly beating their competition, they know that their model works.

This is a nice mix of promoting their products and talking about their company culture.

They also talk about one of their biggest strengths: they have kept the company private despite all the pressures. They have their own Zoho Schools of Learning, and 15% of their engineers come from this program.

They talk about customer privacy. They talk about their campus. They explain how their products meet almost every business need.

In the bottom of their about us page they have a complete chronology right from 1996 up till 2022 telling the entire story. As you click different years, you can read about related phases of the company’s development.

Zoho chronological history

WordPrefistsss

WordPress about us page

The WordPress about us page begins with their mission statement, appropriately because it is a free source-open source software company with a mission to “democratize publishing”.

It’s a very unimpressive page so why have I chosen it? Being WordPress, they could have chosen the fanciest of layouts and could have gone on and on – after all, they have been providing publishing software for almost 2 decades now – but still, they stay to the point because that’s what the audience wants.

They have kept their about us page minimalistic. Instead of having lots of information on the same page, they have linked to features, history, philosophy, testimonials, accessibility policy, and other details. Everything you want to know about WordPress, without beating around the bush, is on this web page. Easy navigation. Lots of white space. No extra graphic.

Band

Band about us page

As they say on the web page, Band is a creative design studio. Like any other creative design agency, they are majorly focused on showcasing their works. The web page loads quite fast, but it is full of graphics.

Sticking to the contemporary design ethos, they have used lots of white space to make it a relaxing browsing.

What I like about the Band about us page is that they have balanced visual and textual information proportionately. They aren’t solely relying on the visual presentation of their portfolio.

They use very simple language. In the headline they say

Band is a multidisciplinary creative studio.

If you’re not sure what “multidisciplinary” means in this context, you can read further. It sparks curiosity and in a way, prompts you to read.

The language is quite simple and yet professional. Without using fluff, they tell you that they “design, create and produce work” they are proud of. They also let you know that they take on only those projects they believe in, which shows conviction and sincerity. They work in a “wide range of creative disciplines”.

When you scroll down you can read about company history. There are no specifics. Just about how the founders met and then how they got together to form the creative studio.

Very little info, but enough to give you a sufficient idea of what the company is about and how they approach individual projects (projects they feel about).

Buffer

Buffer about us page

You can scroll through the complete Buffer about us page here. They have a very simple, linear about us page with no earth-shattering headings. They display no unique “attitude” – they have simply explained what Buffer does, in which countries they have their employees and how they help their customers manage social media accounts.

The unique thing about their employees’ profiles is that they also tell you how much each employee is making.

When you scroll through their about us page you will notice that the format of their about us page is like a typical home page. They talk about their work. They have a ticker the way many homepages have these days. They display the logos and names of the companies using Buffer.

Their Our values section is quite comprehensive with subheadings like transparency, positivity, gratitude, reflection, consistency, and stretching themselves beyond their limits. They openly claim that their salaries and salary formula are publicly available. You can also get a glimpse of their product roadmap – where they’re heading.

A wholesome about us page.

Why have I chosen these about us pages? They may not seem unique.

As a content writer my primary focus is communicating the message. I don’t believe in bells and whistles although, I’m not averse to the idea of creating fancy and “unique” about us pages. Somehow you must be sure of what you want to put on your about us page. As long as the surety is there, it is up to you what type of about us page you want to publish.

4 SEO Copywriting Tips And Tools For Improving Rankings

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SEO copywriting tools

To improve your website’s search engine optimization (SEO), copywriting is a crucial component.

The words on your website significantly affect how well your site ranks in search results.

SEO copywriting is essential to any website’s search engine optimization efforts.

By following the tips below and using the mentioned tools, you can write copy that will help improve your website’s ranking in search results.

Here are four tips and tools for better SEO copywriting:

1. Write for your audience first

Knowing your target audience and what they’re looking for is essential.

What kind of language do they use?

What are their pain points?

Considering and answering these questions will help you write copy that resonates with your audience and enables you to rank for the right keywords.

2. Use keyword-rich phrases

To rank for specific keywords, you need to use them in your copy.

But beware of keyword stuffing, which is when you cram too many keywords into your content to manipulate search results.

It will not only irritate your readers, but it will also get you penalized by Google.

Instead, focus on using keywords throughout your copy in a natural way.

Mention them in your headline, in your meta tags, and the body of your text. But don’t go overboard – strategically scattered mentions should be enough to get the point across.

3. Keep it short and sweet

Less is often more when it comes to SEO copywriting.

Long-winded paragraphs and large blocks of text are difficult to read and understand, leading to a higher bounce rate.

Instead, focus on writing short, concise sentences that get your point across quickly.

Breaking up your text with headlines and bullet points can also help make it more scannable and easier to read.

4. Use tools to help you out

Various tools can help you with your SEO copywriting, from keyword research tools to grammar checkers are available.

Using these tools will help you write copy optimized for search engines, easy to read, and free of errors.

Following are the four practical tools that you can use to write the best copy for your business

1. Google Keyword Planner:

Google keyword planner is a tool that allows you to research and find the right keywords for your website.

You’ll need to create a Google Ads account to use Google Keyword Planner.

Once you’re signed in, you can access the tool from the “Tools and Analysis” drop-down menu.

Once you’re in Google Keyword Planner, you can either search for new keywords or get ideas for existing ones.

To search for new keywords, enter a seed keyword into the “Your products or services” field and click “Get ideas.”

2. SEMrush:

SEMrush is a paid tool that offers a free trial.

It’s a great way to find out what your competitors are doing regarding their SEO copywriting.

You can also find new keywords, SEO analysis, and PPC campaign management and get ideas for your website.

With its wide variety of features and functions, SEMrush is an essential tool for any business professional looking to gain a competitive edge in search marketing.

3. Yoast SEO

This is a WordPress plugin that is free to download.

It helps you to optimize your website for the search engines by providing you with a checklist of things to do, such as adding keywords and phrases and making sure your website is easy to navigate.

It allows you to control your website’s title and meta tags, as well as the description and keywords.

Yoast SEO also allows you to control the robots.txt file, essential for maintaining what search engines can and cannot index on your website.

Yoast SEO is a potent tool that can help you improve your website’s visibility in search engines.

4. KWFinder:

It is a paid tool that offers a free trial.

It’s similar to SEMrush because it allows you to research your competition and find new keywords.

However, it also has a great feature that will enable you to check the keyword difficulty of a particular term before you start using it.

It can save you time and effort in the long run.

These are just a few tips and tools to help you improve your website’s SEO rankings.

For more help, consider working with an SEO agency.

They can provide expert guidance and services to help you reach your goals.

Email copywriting best practices for better conversion rate

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Email copywriting best practices to improve conversion rate

Copywriters prefer different frameworks or sets of copywriting best practices when they are writing email campaigns or web pages.

Similarly, before you think of a better conversion rate, you need to define what conversion rate means to you.

Different email campaigns may have different conversion rate criteria.

You can put hours of effort crafting the perfect email marketing campaign.

You can learn by trial and error and improve your conversion rate – nothing wrong in that.

Self-taught are the most experienced and learned people, especially in the world of copywriting.

You can use the best practices or frameworks to minimize the chances of committing a mistake.

What makes your email copywriting successful? What gives you a better conversion rate?

How do you define better conversion rate

Here are a few things:

Better open rate.
More people reading the complete message.
More people clicking the CTA.
Ultimately, more people buying from you.

Selling isn’t always the goal of every email marketing campaign.

There are different ways your email may convert better.

Buying is a culmination of many factors and whether someone buys from you depends on where they are in their buyer journey.

Your conversion rate depends a lot on where a person is in your sales funnel.

A typical buyer journey may involve anywhere between 6-12 (or more) stages, and for multiple stages, different types of content are needed, and conversion rate manifests in different ways.

Even different types of email are needed.

Hence, your email marketing campaign needs to target the precise engagement factor.

This could be

Downloading your white paper or case study.
Downloading your brochure.
Agreeing for a phone call.
Checking out the latest offerings.
Clicking a blog post link.
Making an appointment.
Participating in a seminar.
Watching your video presentation.
Participating in a survey.
Indulging in any other engagement activity promoted by the email campaign.

Every non-“buy from us” email campaign is a lead generation campaign, and such campaigns are as important as asking people to buy from you.

What is the difference between email copywriting and website copywriting?

Difference between email and website copywriting

Surprisingly, there isn’t much information available on the topic of difference between email copywriting and website copywriting.

One of the most prominent attributes of copywriting is conversion.

Whereas content writing for websites is all about educating and engaging visitors, when you write copy for websites, you need to convert people and turn them into your paying customers and clients.

Just like in email copywriting, website copywriting also has different purposes.

It isn’t always about making sales.

You want to improve engagement rate.

You may want people to subscribe to your email updates.

There may be a landing page that asks people to download a white paper or a case study.

So, whether you are writing copy for an email campaign or a website, a big part of copywriting is conversion.

That is common between email and website copywriting.

One of the biggest differences is that in email copywriting, you can personalize your messages.

Whereas traffic on the website is inbound, your email traffic is outbound.

You cannot be selective about who comes to your website.

But you can be selective about who receives your email updates.

Being selective means, you choose the email ids to which you send your email marketing campaigns.

You have more information about your email recipients than you have about your website visitors.

In email copywriting you may solely depend on your text, but in website copywriting, you can liberally use visuals in the form of images and videos.

Another big difference between both is that communication through emails is an ongoing process whereas your website provides a single touch point.

Of course, in the case of your website you regularly update your blog, and this draws people on regular basis, but the frequency of sending out emails is often greater than the frequency of updating your blog or updating your website.

Although most of the content on blogs is written by content writers, many people prefer to call themselves copywriters even when they are writing blog posts.

Other highlights of email copywriting:

People receive your email copywriting messages in their inboxes.
Most likely they have given you permission to email them.
Distractions are less in the inbox and hence your copywriting may perform better compared to website copywriting.
The success of your email messages depends on how well you have crafted your subject line.
You can use segmentation to make your writing more focused.

Email copywriting best practices to improve your conversion rate

Better conversion rate – email copywriting best practices

There is a difference between “email best practices” and “email copywriting best practices” and when you search on Google, you will find that both bits of information are often interchanged.

For example, including a well-defined signature may be a part of email best practices but not, at least directly, a part of email copywriting best practices.

So, when it got email copywriting best practices, I strictly speak in terms of writing your emails, and not about their aesthetic appeal.

Write a convincing subject line

Your subject line makes people open your email message, or stops them from doing so.

There are two things you see first when you check your inbox: the sender’s name and the subject line.

These two factors can convince you into opening the email.

Even if the sender is familiar (I’m not talking about family members or friends or people whose email you will never ignore), unless the subject line motivates you, you are not going to open the email.

Everywhere on the Internet when you read about email copywriting best practices, this is the first most topic people broach – an effective subject line.

Most of the techniques that work with your web page headlines and title also work on your email subject line.

It goes without saying that your subject line must be hard-hitting and forceful.

47% marketers say that they test different email subject lines to increase the performance of their email marketing campaigns (source).

You can write effective subject lines using the following emotional and psychological triggers

A feeling of urgency
A sense of curiosity
An irresistible offer
Personalization
Relevance
Fear of missing out
Breaking News

Something like:

Surprise sale today – up to 50% off!

Keep your subject line brief. Don’t go beyond 30-50 characters.

A MailChimp study has revealed that email campaigns with the subject lines less than 50 characters have 12% higher open rate and 75% higher click-through-rates than email campaigns with subject lines of more than 50 characters.

Write an equally compelling preview text

The preview text of your email is a small portion of your email message that is visible to the recipient without opening your email.

Email preview text screenshot

It either appears next to the subject line or below the subject line.

If you don’t manually enter a preview text, email readers like Gmail randomly pick portions of your email and display them as your preview text.

There is no ability to enter preview text in standard email clients like Gmail and Outlook.

But if you manage your email marketing campaigns using services like MailChimp or Aweber, you can separately add an email preview text.

In the preview text, write something that will further make the recipient want to open your email message.

Start with the name of the person

Avoid starting your email with “Dear friend,” or “Hello there!”

Preferably, use the first name of the person.

Start with, “Dear Sarah,” or “Hello Abdul”.

Hook the reader with a headline

Depending on whether you send out an HTML email campaign or a text-based email, you will have a headline with a bigger font or the first sentence as “headline”.

Your headline or the first sentence is very important.

Although, once a person opens your email message the likelihood of reading the message increases manifold, whether a person reads the rest of the message depends a lot on your headline or the first sentence.

Your headline must be a continuation of your subject line.

For example, if your subject line was, “30% off”, your first sentence of the email can be

Congratulations on getting a 30% discount on your next purchase.

Just make sure you place orders through this email.

You will repeatedly come across the advice that the job of your headline is to make people read your first sentence, and the job of your first sentence is to make people read your second sentence, and so on.

So, write your first sentence or your headline in such a manner that it makes people read the rest of your email body text.

Have a clear goal for email copywriting

What do you want people to do once they have read your email?

Do you want them to book an appointment?

Do you want them to download your e-book or case study?

Do you want them to read your blog post?

Once you have a clear goal, your entire narrative revolves around that.

Every sentence must lead to your CTA (the goal of your email copywriting).

Use a conversational style for email copywriting

Conversational style comes with many dimensions.

Write in first person using “you” and “I”.

Write short sentences.

Avoid difficult words.

Write the way you talk.

When you write your email campaigns in a conversational style your readers feel like they’re being talked to personally.

Formal writing can create a barrier.

Pay attention to how your recipients speak in their day-to-day conversations.

Just like in the midst of the conversation you ask,

“Isn’t it right?” or “Don’t you think?”

Find out words and expressions that they use when they talk about your business.

Instead of writing “Our team can help you with complete auditing of your website”, write, “We can completely audit your website.”

Write in a way you talk to them.

In conversational style, instead of neutral, you sound emotional.

You use lots of contractions instead of using full words.

Sometimes you break grammar and spelling rules but be sure of what you’re doing.

You write in active voice.

You use simple words.

You use lots of personal pronouns.

You can also use transitional phrases to keep people reading.

Some examples of transitional phrases are

This is how it is done:

Want to know more?

You know what? Something else was about to happen.

Long story short.

Still not convinced?

For effective email copywriting, the key is knowing your target audience.

What are their needs, desires, aims and fears?

When they have doubts, what influences them to change their minds?

What motivates them?

What type of conversations do they have when they talk about your product or service.

For effective email copywriting it is important that you forget about what you think, and then think in terms of what your target audience things.

Other things to keep in mind when copywriting for email marketing campaigns:

Avoid badmouthing about your competitors (comparison is fine).
Praise your readers whenever you can (but be genuine).
Be sincere when you express emotions.
Address the concerns of your readers.
Write how you talk.
Anticipate questions in advance and provide answers.
Keep your copy easier to read.
Don’t overstretch your message.
Use action words and power words – “Save 30% now” and “Don’t miss the last chance”.
Don’t use words with negative connotations – “premium” instead of “expensive”, or “other options” instead of “not available”.
Hold the reader’s attention by using phrases such as “imagine”, “have a look”, and “just think what would happen” (just to name a few).
Use double numbers: 15 ways to increase your conversion 5X
Mention the key benefits of using your product or service three times throughout the copy – in the beginning, in the middle, and then at the end.
Use logic to make a point but cater to emotions.

In this blog post you have learnt a few email copywriting best practices that you can use to improve your conversion rate.

Of course, as I always say, nothing is written in stone.

Experiment.

Find different ways.

Be adventurous.

How you improve your conversion rate depends on your specific industry and you should apply copywriting best practices accordingly.

10 Best Apps to Manage Your Copywriting Business

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Best apps to manage your copywriting business

Copywriting has become more lucrative than ever, especially in a post-pandemic society.

What you may have once considered a side gig can now easily become a full-time career.

However, it’s important to look at yourself as more than just a freelancer.

When you’re a full-time copywriter, you’re also a solo entrepreneur.

Managing your business efficiently and effectively will help you find long-term success when it comes to finding steady clients, marketing yourself, and building a life-long career.

Technology has made it easier than ever to manage your copywriting business.

So easy, in fact, that there are many things you can do with the smartphone sitting next to you on your desk right now.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at 10 of the best apps you should be using to manage your copywriting business.

1. Grammarly

As a seasoned copywriter, you probably already have a strong handle on basic grammar skills.

However, everyone makes mistakes. If you’re writing for several hours each day, it’s easy to misspell a word, miss a punctuation mark, or utilize language that isn’t as concise as it should be.

Grammarly can help.

The app uses writing assistance technology to check everything from spelling to tone.

It can take any piece from “okay” to practically perfect in a matter of seconds.

With nearly 30 million active daily users, this app will end up being your best friend when it comes to proofreading and editing.

2. Viably

Whether you have two clients or ten, invoicing is important.

You want to get paid for your services on time, and you want to present your invoices to your clients in a professional manner.

There are plenty of invoicing apps out there, and Viably is one of the best.

Not only does it offer professional-looking invoice templates, but helps small business owners know exactly what should be featured on their invoices, including:

Payment terms
Due dates
Fees
Taxes
Account numbers

Using apps like Viably to manage your invoices will keep everything organized and in one place, so you won’t have to chase down clients for payments.

3. Lucidspark

Many people associate Lucidspark with team collaboration.

While it’s great for that, it’s also an essential project management tool that can keep you on track with various writing projects and deadlines.

It will help you through the phases of project management:

Initiation
Planning
Execution
Monitoring
Closure

Not only will a project management app like this help you keep track of clients, but you can also use it when you’re developing and implementing new marketing strategies so you can stay true to your desired timeline.

4. Quickbooks Payroll

Most people recognize the Quickbooks name.

It’s been a trusted accounting program for big and small businesses for many years.

Quickbooks Payroll is a newer service, providing business owners an easy, streamlined way to get their employees paid.

As a copywriter, you probably aren’t going to have a dozen employees.

However, as your business grows, you might need to hire an assistant, or even another writer or two.

Whether they work remotely or in a shared space, paying them fairly and on time should be your top priority.

Quickbooks Payroll makes that easy.

Plus, it provides automated taxes and forms, so you don’t have to worry about getting those together for your employees when tax season rolls around.

5. Expensify

While we’re on the subject of money, managing your finances is crucial when you’re running your own business.

Even if you’re the sole employee, you might need to purchase things to keep your business running properly.

Expensify allows you to scan receipts and process expenses quickly, no matter where you are.

It will keep them organized in one place, and can even integrate with other accounting apps to keep track of every expenditure.

That will save you a lot of time, effort, and stress as you prepare your taxes each year.

6. HotSchedules

If you take on a few employees as your business starts to grow, keeping track of everyone’s schedule is important.

When people work remotely, it’s okay to be flexible.

However, if you’re paying your workers by the hour, you’ll want to make sure they’re logging time correctly.

Apps like HotSchedules can help with that, in addition to:

Keeping your team organized
Monitoring performance
Requesting time off
Integrating schedules with Google Calendar

There are plenty of scheduling programs out there.

The unique thing about HotSchedules is that it’s completely mobile, so no matter how small or large your operation, you can keep track of everyone from the palm of your hand.

7. Evernote

As a writer, you’re probably constantly jotting things down and trying to keep track of everything you need to remember.

Evernote is a great app for keeping your thoughts and “to-dos” organized in one digital location.

You can take notes and share them with others for free, or upgrade to the paid version of the app to manage projects and workflows.

8. Ubersuggest

Created by marketing guru Neil Patel, Ubersuggest takes the guesswork out of SEO blog writing.

Ubersuggest helps you with both keyword and topic research and can help you discover what your “competition” pages have written about similar topics, so you’ll know which keywords will be effective and which ones to avoid.

9. Hubspot

Whether you want to streamline your social media efforts or keep your clients and contacts in one convenient location, Hubspot can help.

It’s a great tool for managing Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram so you can have an active social media presence and engage with potential clients.

However, the real benefit comes from using it as an email marketing tool, where you can create custom messages for your existing clients, loyal “customers,” and more.

It’s wonderful for fostering healthy client relationships, so you don’t have to constantly worry about finding new customers and more work.

10. Hootsuite

Hootsuite is a familiar name in the world of marketing, so if you’re not already using it, you should be!

It’s a platform that allows you to create optimized SEO content in one convenient location.

You can schedule social media posts days or weeks in advance, keep track of mentions and follows, and ensure you’re posting at least one piece of content each day to keep your clients engaged.

Hootsuite is a user-friendly and efficient way to take charge of your business’s marketing efforts, so you don’t have to spend hours on social media each day when you could be writing.

So, have you downloaded these apps yet?

Whether you’re a one-person operation or you’re a growing copywriting business that’s starting to hire employees, these particular apps will help with everything from perfecting your writing to tackling your taxes.

Give them a try, and you might be surprised by how much more efficiently you’ll run your business.