Landing Pages are like snowflakes.
No not cold. UNIQUE! No two landing pages are the same, unless you know, plagiarism.
All landing pages have different offers, incentives, purposes, goals, audiences, etc. And you know what else? Copy! In fact, copy might just be the most important part of a landing page, and today, you’re going to learn how to write copy like a pro.
So, first step. Take a good, long stretch. Clear your mind. Do some breathing exercises. Relax. Ok, now, focus on the purpose of your landing page. Ask yourself “Why do I even want to create this page?” There should be a clear answer coming from the depths of your soul. If all you hear is silence, you may need to go back to stretching.
But once you hear that purpose, hold on to it! Typically, most landing pages will fall into one of two main categories. Numero uno, TO SELL SOMETHING. Maybe it’s a product, maybe it’s a service. You tell me. Whatever it is, you’re trying to get people to make a purchase. That’s your purpose. The other category is to generate leads. You’re trying to collect potential clients. Like when you had a rock collection as a kid. Except with people, on the internet. Welcome to the future.
So, you know your purpose. Now what? Well, here’s where it gets tricky. This is where you need to turn that purpose into an offer and effectively express that offer to people who would be interested in it. And these people I speak of aren’t your friends at happy hour who will gladly listen to you gab on for hours over $5 appetizers. No no. These people are strangers. Online. And they have the attention span of a gnat. You have approximately half a nano second to hook their attention before they’re gone forever.
But how do you do that? THROUGH COPY! Look, you might have the answer to these people’s lifelong struggles, but if you don’t find a way to translate that before they click off your page, it doesn’t matter. They’ll never stick around long enough to even know they just missed out on the holy grail of whatever they’re looking for. What pressure, I know! My heart goes out to you but TICK TOCK! Get to the point.
Which brings me to my biggest point: Write Good Headlines!
The headline, believe it or not, is where you should focus MOST of your time. Yes. I said it, but if you need more, the Father of Advertising, Mr. David Ogilvy once said “On average, 5X as many people read the headlines as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.”
So, take a stretch again if you need it, do some tongue twisters, jump up and down. Whatever it takes to get your creative juices flowing and then write a dang good headline. Think short and sweet, but with a twist. That means you want to be brief and clear, but also want to throw in a little kick to pique the curiosity of the reader. Remember, you only have a second. This is not the place to list out all the benefits you have to offer. Nor is it where you deliver your origin story. It is where you get straight to the point and leave the reader wanting more.
If you’re wondering where to start, make a list of keywords or phrases you want included on the page. Not necessarily in the headline, just anywhere on the page. Once you’ve exhausted all options, try to section them off. You may start to see a pattern or two emerging. That’s where you should focus your attention. And for the love of marketing, use a thesaurus!
From here, you’re going to go right into your subheader. Which is like the teenager of the copy world–not quite a headline yet, but more than body copy. This serves to elaborate on your headline and add some reinforcements. Again, keep it short. And remember, the subheader is only getting read if your headline was effective enough, so be sure to spend more time crafting that headline.
So let’s say you’re an ace. You wrote a dang fine headline. You nailed the supportive subheader. Now, and only now is time for the body copy to shine. This is where you can finally relax just a bit and take your time. You’ve earned the attention of the reader. They’re invested by this point. So, take a deep breath and…say what you need to say. Express the full benefits of your offering. Of course, don’t write a novel, but you can afford to take up some space. Be clear and informative and answer any and all questions a prospect may have.
And finally, don’t forget to leave the reader with a call to action. What exactly do you want them to do? Purchase now? Sign up for your email list? Call for a consult? You’ve hooked them at this point, don’t waste it with any confusion. Be direct, let them know what’s expected of them and be done.
Congrats, you just learned how to write landing page copy like a pro. Granted, I’m a self-proclaimed pro, but hey, this isn’t about me. YOU’LL DO GREAT!