The primary purpose of creating engaging content and converting copy is to sell something, it may be to market a personal brand or even a company product. The goal is trying to garner attention with the content created. So, how do you ensure your audience enjoys your content enough to want to interact and engage?
Welcome to the world of conversion copywriting and engaging content creation. Here we’ll be looking at some of the best tips and hacks for writing copy that converts, attracts, and engages your prospects. But first, let’s understand what ‘converting copy’ and ‘conversion copywriting’ even mean.
Copywriting and Converting Copy Writing
Simply put, copywriting is writing to market, advertise, or trigger a reader’s action. The written content is called ‘copy’ and aims at attracting and engaging a target audience to promote or create brand image and awareness, appeal to the audience, and trigger or cause a particular response (action)
While writing converting copy you’re aiming at the sole purpose of causing the reader to take the desired action. The term ‘conversion’ refers to the act of readers and site visitors resulting in a sale or benefits for the brand or company.
These actions may include;
- Purchase: To buy a product or service
- Download: To download an application, game, course, or any downloadable file
- Subscription: To subscribe in order to get a particular offer or update
- Registration: To opt-in for a course, program, or something related
- Click a button or fill a form: To fill a form for a particular purpose
Pro tip: To effectively convince your audience to take your desired action, you must have an engaging copy.
What Does It Mean To Create Converting Copy?
Engaging content is the one that’s captivating and appealing to your audience. When content is engaging, it not only interests the reader but also drags their attention to the information and the brand it promotes. With the content, customers form an opinion on the brand, to know, like, and trust you or your brand. Engaging content is the secret to customers’ loyalty and audience growth! That’s why your content must be interactive.
For content to be fully interactive, it must not only be entertaining but also relatable and communicate with the audience on a comfortable or familiar level. To do this, your writing should include;
Humor:
A little bit of humor goes a long way in captivating your reader’s attention.
A laugh here and there builds a subconscious sense of trust.
Information:
It’s not engaging if there is nothing to be drawn from it.
Content that educates, informs, and entertains is more likely to garner attention and interaction from the audience than one without form or direction.
Insight:
Engaging content gives people an understanding of the new and a bit of the old with a touch of familiarity.
It exposes them to things in ways they can connect. One way writers do this is through storytelling, as it builds a sense of connection.
Relatability:
The entire objective of engaging content is to be perceived as relatable by the readers and audience.
A sense of connection is more likely to prompt a subscription to your website as a feeling of familiarity helps to build a healthy and excellent customer relationship, which is key to conversion and customer interactions.
Remember, readers are more attracted to brands and content that they can relate to, in one form or the other.
Importance of Creating a Converting Copy
How can you convert your readers with your amazing copy if they’re not even staying long enough to get to it?
Here are some reasons why engaging content is necessary for having a great converting copy.
- Engaging readers is keeping them around to read your content to the last word. this is the foundation for establishing a certain customer connection that guarantees customers’ interaction and conversion.
- If the action required is a subscription or participation, your content is your sales copy to help you secure their willingness to be part of it.
Remember, your copy can only convert people that get to read it.
How to Write Converting and Engaging Copy
Now that you have a proper understanding of converting copy, and why do you need engaging content to create an effective conversion. Let us look at 12 ways to write engaging content and a converting copy to boost sales, brand awareness and persuade customer action!
1. Write With An Objective
Remember, writing an engaging and converting copy is not the same as writing an article or online content. You don’t want to lose sight of your goal, to cause action and conversion. So, keep that in mind and ensure that your writing is crafted in a way that prompts a response – write in a way that readers feel persuaded to engage desirably.
- For example, if the objective is to get them to subscribe, craft your content and copy so that they are captivated, and then urge them to subscribe, they wouldn’t want to miss out on an update!
- Or the objective is to get them to repost or even share content, then write in a way that people would enjoy and encourage them with a Call-to-Action (CTA) that speaks to their public image. People would most likely share informative content to educate their audience and to seem smart.
2. Proper Research
Proper research helps you to better understand the brand or products you’re trying to push and gives better insight into your target audience. You cannot create converting copy or engaging content if you don’t know much about the audience you’re trying to convert or the product you’re trying to push. To create engaging content effectively, you must understand the customers or the audience to discern what appeals to them. Proper research also helps you answer these questions;
- What do the customers want?
You need to have your target audience at heart while writing, this will give you a huge advantage when it comes to creating a converting copy.
- What are the benefits and advantages of using this product?
Understanding this will guide you to make a copy that not only interacts with your audience but also attracts them.
- What are the problems with this product?
Understanding the flaws a customer would encounter when using the product helps put things in perspective. Proper customer understanding is key to writing an amazing conversion copy.
Your copy will meet little resistance if it appeals to the right audience.
And how do you do this? By making sure that the copy highlights the problem-solving advantages or features, the customer needs that the product contains.
For example, people buy baby-proofed tables not because they don’t have tables but because they’re buying into the idea of their children’s safety. So, highlighting such a point (in relation to the product or service you’re promoting) in your copy will bring you an inch closer to your prospective customer’s pocket.
3. Be Empathetic
Empathy in copywriting is simply the infusion of emotion into your copy. This means writing a copy that shows you can relate to the struggles or pain of the target audience and that your product helps them solve or combat this issue.
People buy based on what they feel they need, so if you can appeal to those feelings and present a solution, your copy moves from being good to causing a conversion.
- Show your target audience that you understand or can relate to them.
- Use phrases that effectively convey your understanding; “I used to feel like this too” or “just like you.”
- If you cannot directly relate to their experience, then tell the story of someone who has experienced what they have and how your product or offer helped provide some relief or a solution to that problem.
And as Daniel Doan says in his 13 Creative Ways To Inject More Empathy Into Your Copywriting, “Sympathy doesn’t cut it, you need to relate to your audience in a real way.”
4. Converting Copy Must Be Easy to Read
Remember, your audience would most likely try to skim through, and there’s so much that can be missed at a glance! So, always try to apply the “KISS” logic to every piece of copy.
What’s the KISS logic? “Keep It Short and Simple”
Short sentences are easier to read and do not require too much focus to understand. Hence, you should:
- Make more use of full stops to separate sentences and make them appear shorter and easier to read.
- Make your sentences clear and precise. This makes the writing seem like it is packing a punch and would make it easy for the readers to have an understanding of the content.
- While grammar is important, in conversion copywriting, you’re allowed to take liberties like starting a sentence with the words “and” and “but” as this causes the readers to link the sentences subconsciously and helps you get away with writing longer content.
So, unless your client disapproves, there is nothing wrong with an action-packed, punch-filled copy that starts with unconventional words.
- Avoid the use of complex words and repetitiveness. Remember, you’re trying to write content that can be understood at a glance and won’t seem tiresome.
5. Raise and Answer Questions
To write a converting copy, you must remember that you’re trying to communicate with people. The best way to convince a person is to be able to answer questions troubling their minds and respond to any reservations they might have about your suggestion.
Answer questions that customers are most likely to raise and then show how your product or offer is exactly what they need.
You will get it right if you can put yourself into your audiences’ shoes by writing around these general questions:
- Who is this product for?
- What does this product do?
- Where is this product useful?
- When do they need this product?
- Why is this product important to them?
Answering these questions in your copy will help you build the trust and faith of your customers in what you offer. Apply these and watch it work wonders with your audience.
6. Be Conversational and Relatable
Establishing a connection with your reader is what sets the foundation for conversion. One way to do this is to refer to your audience when making relatable and interactive statements (using words like “us”, “our”, and “you” also shows inclusivity). Customers are more likely to engage and take action if they feel understood and like you share similar values. So, address them directly and discuss their needs to establish a bond and engage with them through your content.
Companies do this by voicing their opinions on an issue that appeals to a large demographic and then using this to garner engagement and push their brand. Nike did this when they featured the football quarterback. Colin Kaepernick in their ad, after he sparked a movement by kneeling during the national anthem to take a stance against racial injustice.
7. Use Eye-Catching Headlines
The use of eye-catching headlines is a hack as old as time, that’s what copywriters use to create excellent results as the eye is naturally drawn to the big, bold message first. Use this to your advantage by crafting short, eye-catching sentences that effectively show what you offer, or are just captivating enough to make them want to read more.
Here are some examples of great copywriting headlines you can emulate; 9 Awesome Examples of Copywriting Headlines (That You Can Steal!)
Here are some other tips to make a great headline;
- Keep it short and precise
- Make it readable and understandable
- Provoking questions and relatable statements work great for headlines.
A welcoming headline puts the customer at ease. Don’t forget that a great headline complements great content.
8. Make use of bullet points and sub-headers
Writers mostly use bullet points to highlight facts or information they want to draw attention to. So, here are ways to engage your audience and take advantage of this eye-catcher effectively with bullet points;
- Make them straight to the point so readers can easily absorb
- Phrase your bullets like mini headlines – they should also be informative
- Ensure they hint at more. Remember you’re trying to prompt action.
- Use different bullet symbols to switch things up and maintain the audience’s attention.
9. Highlight The Benefits, Not The Features
Let’s be honest; people are more moved by what they stand to gain than what the features are.
To convert your audience to customers, you need to show them what they stand to benefit from purchasing your product or subscribing to your email list.
Work on enhancing the benefits and highlighting the advantages concerning the features and how it help to solve their problems.
People buy into the idea of comfort and bliss faster than regular ads on beds and sheets.
10. Tell A Good Story
Nothing gets a person’s attention like a well-crafted story. Storytelling is one of the greatest skills that writers use, to create engaging content, attract an audience and boost conversion rates. To tell a converting story, you must:
- Identify your target audience to understand what they would find engaging and relatable in your story
- Ensure that your story communicates, engages, and drives them emotionally.
- Have a direction to avoid getting lost in your story and be able to link it to your copy or sale
For example: Telling the story of a man with bad breath that got embarrassed trying to talk to a lady at the mall, and then sell the idea that a certain oral product would help them never lack confidence.
11. Capitalize on Visuals:
Feeding the eyes is one strategy that never fails to prompt engagement and interaction with your audience. One way to enhance your content and make it appealing is by adding visual aids that would help draw the eyes to your content!
As a writer, trying to engage your audience and taking advantage of beautiful visuals would go a long way to ensure your content is irresistible.
For example, images and carousels help you relay much information in less time while helping your audience absorb more with less effort.
12. Call to Action (CTA)
The entire point of every converting copy is readers’ engagement and prompt action. A CTA is a prompt or persuading phrase placed to persuade your audience or site visitors to take action. Without a call to action, your copy is just an entertaining piece of writing.
Examples of CTA are the “Buy now”, “Register” and “Subscribe Now” buttons or links that appear on web pages and ads. Your call to action should be bold, persuasive, and clearly state the required action to be taken.
In conclusion,
To create a great converting copy and engaging content, you must:
- Have a good understanding of the product and target audience
- Be relatable
- Craft appealing and compelling content
- Be bold
- Prompt your audience with a clear CTA
And remember that the more eye-catching it is, the more attention it grabs.
The more attention it grabs, the more conversion it gets.
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