With so much competition online, you need to find clever ways to engage your audience. You need to deliver content to your readers better than your competition. Other than engaging content, there’s very little holding your readers back from leaving your blog. This is where the art of copywriting comes in. Many of you know the science behind copywriting, but for those that don’t, here is a quick definition from copyblogger.com –
“Copywriting is the art and science of strategically delivering words (whether written or spoken) that get people to take some form of action.”
At the same time, without strategic copywriting, you’ll fail to do two very important things –
- Your content won’t rank for quality keywords
- Your content won’t turn visitors into buyers
Both are essential if you plan on increasing brand awareness, traffic, and conversions.
Today, we’ll be exploring 10 pain-free ways to improve your copywriting right away. These strategies are perfect for both beginners and those who are advanced bloggers looking to shake up their content writing. Let’s get started and if you have any feedback, please leave them in the comment box below the content.
1) Research Relevant Keywords
With tools, researching keywords has become truly “pain-free”. You need to do your homework when writing content and learn from your competition. Some of your competitors have been around longer than you so examine the way they have approached keyword targeting. Test the way they have constructed their headlines and the search volume for the keywords they have chosen. I’m sure you’ll find ways to create more engaging headlines and use more powerful keywords.
Here are two very effective ways to perform keyword research –
Google Trends – A tool providing you with trending keywords. Use Google Trends to locate keywords picking up search volume. Be the first to incorporate them into your content and have an easier time ranking for them in the search results.
Google “Related” – Perform a search in Google using your “target” keyword. Scroll to the bottom to the ”Related To” section. These are other long-tail relevant keywords you can add when writing content or creating titles.
2) Add Statistics
That’s right! Readers want proof what your stating in your content will work. The easiest way to do this is by linking, adding, or stating clear facts. For example, if I’m writing on how email marketing will increase user retention then it’s better I back this up with a statement. A quick search in Google will provide a handful of case studies proving what I’ve stated about email marketing. I recommend adding a link or two into my content to “state the facts”. For example, if I’m going to tell you organic search traffic averages more traffic then referral and paid, this statement will be more credible if I add the following chart to my content –
3) Add Numbers in Headlines
A research study by Conductor has shown adding numbers to your headlines tend to convert more readers. It accomplishes three important things –
- a) It attracts people to the post.
- b) It compels more people to share.
- c) It will provide certainty. People’s minds are programmed for comfort and clarity.
The awesome thing about using this strategy is that it doesn’t take a lot of work to implement. You don’t need to completely change your copywriting strategy. For example, you’ll do the same research, collect the same data, and will be appealing to the same audience. The only difference is you’ll create a headline with a number in it. Also, as stated by Conductor – When you add the number 30, it does the following –
“when 30 potential benefits are listed, the reader begins to wonder what those 30 unique ideas might be, and part of the brain remains unsatisfied until the reader clicks and scans the list.” – Conductor
Adding any number to your headline will have the same effect, but I used “30” as an example.
4) Content Must Match Headline
A “pain-free” strategy that requires nothing more than focus when writing. A common error made by many is to go off topic when writing. For example, you’ll establish a headline but the content will NOT correlate with what the headlines promises to provide. The solution to this mistake is very simple and it’s to create a detailed outline before you start writing your content. The next time you are writing content, do the following –
First, research the topic and know what purpose your content will serve. Secondly, create a list of “target” keywords you’ll be using in your content. I recommend each keyword should serve as its own sub-heading. Third, write out an outline summarizing what each sub-heading will be and what you’ll cover under each.
By writing out a simple outline and learning to follow it, you’ll have something to guide you throughout your content writing. This will help you provide your readers with what they’re looking for. One way to lose readership and credibility as a brand is to say one thing (title) and do something completely different (content).
5) A Solid Call-to-Action
What is a call-to-action?
“A call-to-action (usually abbreviated as CTA) is an image or line of text that prompts your visitors, leads, and customers to take action. It is, quite literally, a “call” to take an “action.” – hubspot.com
When writing content for a specific type of audience, it’s important to give them a course of action towards the end. Obviously, by now, you’ve provided them with enormous value and if you didn’t, then you need to go back a re-write your content. Anyways, you’ve provided your readers with value so now give them a course of action. Give them a cue on how they can achieve the same results as outlined in your content. A call-to-action can be in the form of the following –
- “click here”
- “buy now”
- “join now”
- “get started now”
Advanced bloggers will insert a call-to-action in the form of an internal link in their content. They strategically use keywords readers want to see and are attracted to. They’ll place them in locations where the CTR will be high. Call-to-actions in the form of an internal link will push readers to other content on their site. This is a great way to increase conversions on other pages.
6) Know the Purpose
No copywriting will be improved or perfected without knowing what you’re trying to achieve. Knowing the purpose of your content will guide your content writing. It will guide your research process allowing you to focus on “target” keywords based on your purpose. For example, if I’m trying to sell an eBook on “landing pages”, then when doing research, I know to focus on words like landing page optimizing, increase landing page conversions, landing page designs, etc. These are high converting targeted keywords to add to both my headline and content.
Take some time to think about what you’re trying to gain from your content. This will help you perfect your copywriting. Here’s something to ask yourself. Through your content writing are you –
- Selling a product or service,
- Trying to increase organic rankings,
- Increase brand awareness,
- Focusing on reputation management,
- Diversifying your keywords,
7) Copywriting and Images
A combination that will increase readership and conversions. Some people prefer content with images because as the saying goes – “a picture is a thousand words”. When writing content, it’s important to look for ways to incorporate images. Look for ways to add value to your content by adding a relevant image. An image will help you get your point across and is a strategic way of reducing clutter. Imagine having 2500 words of content with no image? These are a lot of words bunched, together right? This can make the reader feel uneasy and even push them away to competitor content.
Having images throughout your content is also a great way to appeal to those who have trouble reading text content. Some of your audience won’t speak English as their first language so give them an alternative way to pull out the value. Therefore, infographics are becoming a lot more popular over the last few years. Infographics are engaging, interactive and easy to skim through. They are very popular on social networks too.
8) Never Skip the Proof-Reading
You can spend time writing out content but if no one can understand it then what’s the point. This is the main reason why copywriters fail to engage their readers. When writing content, copywriters will do all the research, add images and answer all the questions, but fail to let it flow smoothly. They fail when it comes to grammar and punctuation. They fail to create a piece of content which is easy to understand and pull out value from. Proof-reading is something that shouldn’t be skipped no matter what. It’s something that should be done even if you don’t consider yourself an English professor. The good news is you have so many tools that make proof-reading easier. For example,
Grammarly – an easy to implement tool with an extension available for Microsoft Word. Grammarly will make corrections as you type out your content. They have both the free and premium subscriptions available.
Fiverr.com – you can hire a freelancer for $5.00 on Fiverr.com. The turn-around is anywhere from 2-3 days.
Problogger – if you’re looking to hire an editor to join you’re team full-time then post a job on Problogger. You can post your requirements for $30.00 per month.
9) Ask A Question
The best copywriters know how to keep readers engaged from beginning to end. The beginning, or better yet “introduction”, increases expectation. It builds excitement letting the reader know what value or solution they’ll find in your content. The ending always asks a question to get their opinion on what was covered. If you’ve read my previous content, you’ll notice how I always ask a question for two very important reasons –
First, the reader’s opinion matters and I want to know what they think about the content I’ve just written. I want to know if I’m missing anything and if I should include something next time. Secondly, asking a question is a great way to get a lot of opinions to trigger a debate. It’s a great way for me to get different points of view from others. This will allow me to collect data on how engaging my content is and I can pick out questions being posted. These questions will make awesome content topics in the future.
10) Bold Keyword That Matter
It’s no secret that you should include “target” keywords into your content. This will help Google understand your content and find a place for it in the search results. But, don’t only write for search engines because you need to write for your readers. Understand why they’re on your page and why they decided to click-through to yours NOT your competitions.
For example, they typed in a specific keyword into the search bar so make sure as a copywriter the keyword is included in the title, description, and body of the content. But, don’t just stop there because it’s strategic to highlight these keywords with text decorations like – bold, italic and underline. As the reader skims through your content these bolded keywords reinforce to them that they’ll find the value they are looking for in your content. It reinforces to them they are reading the right content and their choice to click-through was the correct one.
Final Thoughts
These copywriting hacks are simple but very effective. They only take a few minutes to apply to your content writing. By making a few adjustments the next time you sit down to write content, you can increase customer acquisition and retention quickly. Improving your copywriting is also a great way to increase traffic and brand awareness too.
