Recognizing the immense value this group brings to my business, I’m eager to contribute by sharing my unique “Holy Grail Copy” methodology. This approach, though unconventional, has been pivotal in building multi-million-dollar businesses for both myself and my clients.

To pique your interest, someone once said about my frameworks:

“Your strategies are like Hansel and Gretel’s breadcrumb trail leading to the Witch’s House. But in this case, you’re the witch, and what you conjure is pure magic.”

Let’s dive in.

A few years back, I sold one of my companies internally. This move allowed me to amalgamate my diverse passions into a singular, powerful persuasion strategy. When I unveiled it last year, we observed:

• $383 per email subscriber.
• $209 per FB Group Member.
• $1.83 EPC, while the industry average was $0.53.

These figures are far from ordinary. And here’s the secret behind them:

Introducing Holy Grail Copywriting (HGC):

HGC’s core principle is “Start at the Finish Line.” In perception management, you can strategically position yourself within your prospect’s hierarchy of needs. By aligning your product with their most pressing desires, selling becomes effortless.

The 5-Step HGC Process:

1. Identify Your Prospect’s Most Pressing Pain:

While basic marketing emphasizes targeting pain points, it’s crucial to differentiate between passive pain (complaining without action) and active pain (which drives action). The key is to focus on the latter.

Differentiate Between “Moaning” and “Moving” Pain: Understand the spectrum of pain. A stubbed toe is Moaning Pain, a mere inconvenience. In contrast, the urgency of a severed thumb is Moving Pain, demanding immediate action.

Apply the DUG Checklist: Grasp the essence of the DUG checklist, a tool to categorize pain into:

• Desperation: A situation so dire that immediate action is the only option. Example: Think of a business owner teetering on bankruptcy’s edge.
• Urgency: An imminent threat that demands swift action to prevent dire consequences. Example: Picture a smoker discovering early signs of lung cancer.
• Gravity: Deeply held values or priorities that might override other considerations. Example: Visualize a parent prioritizing their child’s needs over lucrative opportunities

2. Tailor Your Product to Alleviate That Pain:

Understand what relief from this pain looks like for your prospect. Then, either create a product or reposition your existing one to offer that relief.

• Craft or Reposition Your Product: Determine the ideal solution for the identified Moving Pain and ensure your product aligns with that vision.
• Introduce Novelty: Unexpected solutions to pressing problems are often the most enticing. Always introduce an element of novelty to stand out.

3. Infuse Your Product with Unique, Attractive Qualities:

Creating allure in a product is an art. At its core, allure is about evoking emotion, creating a connection, and making a product more than just a tangible item—it becomes an experience. One of the most potent tools to achieve this is storytelling. Stories have the power to breathe life into otherwise mundane products.

• Identify Popular Cultural References: Draw inspiration from powerful symbols like the Infinity Gauntlet.
• Integrate Psychological Triggers: Weave in elements of storytelling, unique mechanisms, and shared values.

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4. Use a Religion-Inspired Persuasion Sequence:

Religions have, for millennia, captivated the human spirit. It has an astonishing 83% penetration rate. They’ve done this through powerful narratives that touch upon the very essence of human existence, desires, fears, and aspirations. At the heart of many religious texts is a sequence that resonates deeply with believers: Sin, Salvation, Heaven, and Hell.

• Sin (The Problem): This represents the pain or problem your prospect faces.
• Salvation (The Solution): Here, you introduce your product as the answer.
• Heaven (The Benefits): This is the promised land, the utopia that awaits.
• Hell (The Consequences of Inaction): The bleak future that awaits if the problem remains unresolved.

5. Promote Your Product Using Diverse Marketing Angles:

With AI now optimizing ad performance, the key is to provide it with diverse data. I use the TADA Template, which helps generate multiple ad angles based on dominant human emotions. This approach allows for rapid testing across various channels.

In summary, Holy Grail Copywriting is about creating a magical “escape from moving pain” novel product, pitching it via religious persuasion sequence and shouting it loud via an infinite angle approach on paid and social media.

So there you go. Hope it helps you make a mint!

I hope this enriched perspective proves invaluable to you. If you want to find out how Holy Grail can best be deployed in your business, please email my assistant with the subject line “HOLY GRAIL!” here: john.holygrailoffer@gmail.com

The post Holy Grail Copywriting: The 5-Step Mental Model Behind Blockbuster Marketing Campaigns appeared first on DigitalMarketer.

Email is almost 40 times better at acquiring new customers than Facebook and Twitter. But only if you send the right emails, to the right people, at the right time. 

There are countless ways to write copy that converts, but only one way to do it consistently: by using a framework. 

The Power of a Copywriting Framework

Before we introduce you to one of our favorite frameworks, let’s unpack why you should use a framework to begin with.

Copywriting frameworks provide a structure to organize your ideas while ensuring you don’t mistakenly neglect any key points needed to achieve your goals. They’re simple to use, easy to remember, and most importantly, they drive results. 

But not all copywriting frameworks are created equal. Some pack more punch than others. Let’s look at why: 

Neuroscience teaches us purchasing decisions are strongly influenced by emotions, but it doesn’t stop there. The written word (and that includes email) has the power to make neurochemical connections in the brain that inspire brand loyalty…for life. 

The L.O.V.E. email copywriting framework is designed to create emotional connections and build the trust needed to convert your prospects into buyers.  Here’s a breakdown of how it works:

The L.O.V.E. Email Copywriting Framework 

L is for “Leverage”

In the typical sense of the word, leverage means to take something (maybe even the simplest thing) and use it to maximum advantage. Does this principle apply to email copywriting? You bet. You only have one chance to make a great first impression. To do it well:

Remind readers why they’re receiving your email in the first place. 

Be mindful of how your reader first learned about your brand. Whether they opted-in to your list in-store, through a lead magnet, or because they made a purchase, make sure your first email reminds them that they asked you to send them something.

Follow-through shows you pay attention and that your brand values integrity.

Capitalize on your existing authority & build trust. 

People have a million things on their mind. You have to convince them that out of the many voices competing for their attention, yours is the one they can trust. 

Adam Waytz, an Associate Professor of Management and Organizations at the Kellogg School of Management, suggests trust is built when you demonstrate benevolence, integrity, competence and predictability.

What does this mean in actual practice?

Let’s start with an example of what not to do: 

“Dear Susie,

My name is John. I am the owner of The Luxury Cars Company. We have sold thousands of cars to people just like you!”

This email doesn’t incorporate any of the trust factors we mentioned above. In fact, it may even come across as arrogant and disengenuous. That’s definitely not what we’re going for!

What about this? 

“Dear Susie,

My name is John and I am the owner of The Luxury Cars Company. We take pride in having helped countless people like yourself find their dream car.”

Better. But still not quite hitting the mark. Because there are umpteen other luxury car dealerships that say the same thing. What’s so special about this one? 

So let’s try this again:  

“Dear Susie, 

According to studies, 56% of luxury car owners feel happier overall with their lives. That’s why clients of The Luxury Cars Company will be the first to tell you, we don’t sell cars, we sell happiness. We’ve helped over 10,000+ people find happiness behind the wheel since we opened our doors 10 years ago.

While there’s still plenty of room for improvement here, we’re getting a lot closer to the finish line because:

• The writer seems benevolent (they want people to be happy–and the fact that their customers are saying they are happy after shopping with them adds a touch of implied integrity). 
• The statistic is interesting because it speaks to the reader’s desire–and demonstrates success (competence!). 
• The fact that over 10,000 customers have been helped suggests a sense of predictability. If they did it for them, they can do it for you, too! 

Find common ground. 

You must understand what matters to your readers in order to write copy that resonates with them. You may need to conduct market research, analyze customer feedback, or gather data on their demographics and behavior. By doing so, you can identify trends, patterns, and commonalities among your customers, which can help you create more targeted messages.

Want to take it a step further? Personalize your message. Even the tiniest things, like adding “Hi Susie” to the beginning of your email, can increase engagement exponentially. 

Speak to their pain point. 

You have to tread carefully with this one, lest you delve into the not-so-recommended territory of fear-mongering. In order to offer up your solution, you have to first communicate why the reader needs that solution. 

There are many ways to do this. One of the best ways is to let someone else deliver the bad news. You can do this easily by sharing an interesting fact or statistic from a reputable source. 

You’ve seen this a million times. Insurance companies use statistics related to accidents, disasters, or health issues to encourage consumers to purchase insurance policies. Security companies may use crime statistics or statistics related to home invasions to encourage consumers to purchase security systems. And the list goes on and on. 

What statistics can you use that might inform your reader about something they might not have even been aware of–and how your product or service can solve that problem? 

O is for “Offer” 

Now that you’ve captured attention and made a connection with your reader, you need to clearly communicate why your prospect should buy the solution you sell. There are many ways to do this, but here are a few we love: 

• Emphasize the unique benefits that set your product/service apart from competitors.
• Share testimonials from satisfied customers who have benefited from your product or service.
• Illustrate how your product or service has positively impacted the lives of real people.

V is for “Validate”

Now that you’ve captured your reader’s attention and shown them that your product/service will solve their problem, they’re ready to buy, right? 

Wrong. Because objections are popping like popcorn in your reader’s mind. Right now, they’re thinking: But wait! What about… [fill in the blank with an objection your reader might have.]

Today, customers are more skeptical than ever. Between bots trying to sell them cryptocurrency on Tinder and Instagram ads sucking them into buy products they never actually receive, people are pretty darn afraid of getting burned. 

To help them overcome their objections, consider what may be causing them to hesitate, empathize with them, and then address their objections head-on. 

Here are a few ways to do this: 

• Respond to the concern in a way that makes the reader feel heard and understood. Use clear and concise language. Relate to the reader. And be honest. 
• Display social proof, such as the number of followers or subscribers on social media, positive reviews on review sites, or the number of happy customers.
• If price is a concern, offer discounts, financing options, or alternative pricing plans that fit within the customer’s budget.
• Offer a satisfaction guarantee or free trial period to help customers feel more confident in their purchase.
• Provide evidence of your company’s credentials, certifications, or awards, and share any media coverage or industry recognition.

E is for “Ease”

It might seem ludicrous at this point to think your reader is still sitting on the fence when you’ve given them so many reasons to get off, but humans can be interesting creatures. We tend to fear commitment. This is why your call to action needs to speak to those who are ready to click “Buy Now” – and to those who aren’t. 

Here are a few ways to make it easy for your readers to take action:  

• Test different CTAs:  “Learn more” or “Try it out” are great CTAs, as they invite the reader to explore and learn more about your product or service without committing to a purchase.
• Good old-fashioned FOMO: By adding a time limitation or limited offer to your service or product, you are more likely to inspire action. 
• Include a transitional CTA: If your reader isn’t ready to take the desired action, give them another option. 

Think of your CTA as asking someone on a date. Don’t be demanding. Be enticing and inviting. 

Wrapping It All Up

Once you’ve nailed the L.O.V.E. copywriting framework in an email sequence, you’ll want to tie it all together by writing absolutely unforgettable subject lines for each email. Remember,  33% of people open email based on the subject line alone.  It would be a tragedy to invest the time in developing an awesome email marketing sequence like this only to find that noone actually reads it. 

Here are a few tips to help you create email subject lines that work: 

• Keep it under nine words if possible. People have short attention spans. 
• Make sure it touches on a pain point. 
• Make it weird–weird subject lines inspire curiosity and clicks. 

Check this out if you want 8 more points to make effective email marketing subject lines quick and easy.
By integrating the proven L.O.V.E. email copywriting framework into your marketing tactics, you can create an automated system that deepens connections, builds trust, and converts prospects into buyers consistently and predictably. And that’s the whole point of this thing we call digital marketing!

The post The L.O.V.E. 4-Step Email Copywriting Framework: Connections, Trust & Conversion appeared first on DigitalMarketer.

Do businesses email their customers too often? According to a recent article on Business Insider, the answer is yes. But not for the reason you may think.

It’s not because customers loathe getting emails from companies. Or because frequent emails are considered spam. It’s actually because most brands nowadays email like this:

They use discounts as their main strategy to persuade customers to buy. But what happens when your customer’s whole inbox looks like the picture above? The inevitable: they stop paying attention to your emails.

Because here’s the thing.

Why would they open your emails if they can already predict the content inside? Why would they buy now when they can clearly see you’ve got discounts all the time? And, most importantly, why would they pick your brand over your competitors?

If you want to stand out in someone’s crowded inbox, you need to do the one thing that everybody else avoids doing: building strong relationships with your email subscribers. Here’s how:

How Storytelling Helps Your Brand Shine Bright in a Crowded Inbox

Storytelling is the most effective way to communicate. That’s not me saying it. It’s the countless studies (such as this one, this one, and this one) that prove it, time and time again. Why?

Because storytelling helps you form positive emotional associations with you and your brand. The emotions you evoke with your stories go a long way in defining how people perceive you, creating a stronger connection in your audience’s mind between you and the problem you solve for them. But that’s only the tip of the iceberg. 

The truth is, writing story-based emails makes you more than just a brand that sells a solution to their pain: it makes you an entertainer, too. And as a marketer, being able to entertain while selling is like having a superpower. People hate being sold to. But they love being entertained (ever binge-watched a Netflix show? I know I have). 

Plus, with story-based emails, you can easily add more variability to your email calendar. As a result, customers will no longer be able to predict what your next email will be about: a fun story? A new product? Maybe even a discount? Curiosity translates to increased engagement. And increased engagement translates to stronger relationships with your customers. 

So by choosing the right stories to tell in your emails (which we’ll discuss in a bit) and by writing them in an engaging way, you’re guaranteed to keep your audience hooked and excited to read your next email. As opposed to adding yet another sales email to their already crowded inbox.

Here’s How to Supercharge Your Email Strategy with Stories That Sell:

1. Pick the Right Story 

The storytelling approach will give you little to no results if the stories you’re telling are flat to begin with. No matter how engaging your writing is. 

So the first thing you need to do is to make sure you select story ideas with potential. Okay, but where do you find these ideas? And what does a good story idea look like?

If you’re anything like me, your life isn’t that exciting or eventful. And yet, you may still have a funny conversation with your next-door neighbor. Or your team may geek out about wild adaptogen mushrooms at a team-building event. Or your spouse may accidentally spill coffee on your laptop (true story!). 

Any of these can be turned into fun story-based emails that tell your audience a little bit more about who you (or your team) are as a person. Most business owners assume their customers don’t want to know what goes on in their personal and business life. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth. 

In fact, customers want to know there are real people behind brand names. According to this report from Sprout Social, 70% of consumers report feeling more connected to a brand when its CEO is active on social media. 

And depending on how much you’re willing to share about your life, you can then select the types of personal stories to write about. When in doubt, think about what you’d want to tell your friends/family at the dinner table. More often than not, that’d make a great story for your email list too.

Related Articles

• How Standardizing Your Sales Process Boosts Overall Conversion

• 2 Ways to Take Back the Power in Your Business: Part 2

• 2 Ways to Take Back the Power in Your Business: Part 1

2. Write a Strong Hook

Let’s face it. 

Nowadays, attention spans are short. And no matter how good your story is, if how you write it isn’t engaging enough, your email subscribers aren’t going to read it. 

So the very first thing you want to do is to make sure the first three sentences of your story hook the reader into the action. Once someone reads that much into a story, it’s incredibly difficult for them to stop. 

So how do you do it? Any of these hooks have proven to work again and again whenever I write stories for myself or my clients:

• Start in the middle of the action (and explain the context later). For example:

“RUN!”, the police officer yelled at me.

“Okay, thank you!”, I yelled back, running out of Paddington Station and trying to find a cab.

Except, it was 4 in the morning. And I had no idea where to look for one.”

• Start with ‘x time ago’. Recalling a past event hooks people instantly into your story. For example:

“A few months ago, Joanna Wiebe (the original conversion copywriter) slid into my DMs on Slack completely out of nowhere…”

3. Segue to Your Sales Pitch Seamlessly

By the time you get to this part, your readers are entertained and primed to purchase your solution to their problems. Your brand is no longer just another brand in their busy inbox. It’s someone they now know, trust, and like. And so, buying from you feels just right.

But you can’t just end your story abruptly so you can sell your products/services. That’d feel intrusive. In the same way that, when you’re engaged in a YouTube video, an annoying ad interrupts your stream.

So you must find a way to tie your story to your product or service so seamlessly that your readers won’t even notice they’re now reading a sales pitch. Sounds difficult. But you’ll see how easy it actually is. In fact, what most people get wrong about this part is that they try to find the moral of the story and tie that to their sales pitch. 

For example, let’s say your story is about how your team went to a team-building event and someone accidentally broke a bunch of glasses. And if you’re selling a service, you might be able to spin that incident into saying something like: when you hire our software developers, your app stops breaking.

But that’s a predictable way to transition from your story to your sales pitch. Plus, not all stories will end with a moral. Most stories will be fragments of conversations you have with someone or something ridiculous that happened throughout the day (like forgetting your keys at the office). There’s no moral in that and there’s no need for one.

What you can do instead is to look back at your entire story and find one or a few phrases/words that could help you build that segway. Here’s an example of a full story-based email. Pay special attention to the part where the story ends and the sale begins.

Example of a Full Story-Based Email

“SUBJ: Hacker threatens to destroy my reputation in 72 hours straight

This morning, I was at my laptop reading my emails when suddenly, I came across an unread email from… 

Me.

What in the world…?

Out of confusion, I open it without reading the subject line. 

And once I go past the first sentence, it becomes pretty clear:

I’m being hacked.

“You may have noticed we are using your company’s servers to send you this email: we have hacked into your website, kaleidocopy[dot]com.”

Oh.

Okay… They did send this email from my email address. 

Still, I can’t help but wonder… could this be a hoax?

“This is not a hoax.”

Ah! Well, that settles it then.

“We are willing to forget about destroying the reputation of your site and company for a small fee. The current fee is at $2500 in bitcoin.”

I mean… at least they are nice about it, you know? Their willingness to forgive and forget says a lot about a person’s character.

In the following lines, they take me through exactly what they’re going to do to ruin my company and reputation, step by step.

Then they teach me how to buy Bitcoin (I already know how, but I appreciate their thoughtfulness!).

And finally, they assure me that my Bitcoin payment will be anonymous and that no one will know that I complied with their master plan.

Mmmmkay. 

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Now that is a bit suspicious, Mr. Hackerman (or Ms. Hackerwoman — it’s 2022, what the heck.)

I’m willing to bet the $2500 on the fact that I’m not the only person they sent this to.

So if the payment is anonymous, how will they know it was ME who sent it? It just doesn’t make sense, y’know? 

Jokes aside, I’ve got to admit: seeing that the email came from my address made me panic a bit. 

But then I checked my Sent folder and the email wasn’t there.

I also checked to see if there were any alerts or logins from different devices on my Google account. There were none.

I also checked with my hosting provider, who reassured me no one has broken into anything. 

Soooo… hoax? Hopefully, lol. 

But if it isn’t, it means you’ve got 72 hours left to get Email Story Alchemy, my mini-course on turning boring day-to-day events from your life into story-based emails that build your fandom and help you stand out. 

After that, my business will supposedly disappear from the face of the Earth. And you’ll no longer be able to buy it. Everrr.”

Conclusion

Story is a structure, not a tale. Which means that you can apply it to anything, including email. And when you do it right, amazing things happen. 

Like building strong relationships with your customers. And turning a casual customer into a die-hard fan who wants to buy from you because they just can’t get enough of your brand.

Sure, discounts work too. But they work when used strategically and in moderation. So if you’re ever unsure about what to email your customers next, consider story-based emails. They’ll make your brand shine bright in anyone’s crowded inbox.

The post Storytelling: The Secret Sauce to Making More Sales With Email Marketing appeared first on DigitalMarketer.

Copywriters are a rare breed of freelancer. Not only do we have extensive knowledge of marketing but we geek out on the principles of human psychology, and have a flair for the written word in a way that allows us to sell in a cool and sophisticated way…

And because of that… we tend to sort of be good at… a lot of things? Or at least that’s what your clients probably think.

If you think about it, sometimes the actual role of a copywriter can get a little fuzzy at times. With clients expecting you to act as a copywriter one day, a content writer the next day, and a full-blown marketing strategist the day after that!

So the question is this: where do you draw the line?

As a copywriter, what jobs should you actually be doing?

Well, the great thing about being a freelance copywriter is that you can offer whatever you want… or don’t want to do!

When I started my business I often offered additional services above and beyond copywriting to get my foot in the door. Today, any clients who hire my agency get copy and consulting, that’s it.

So while your goal might be to get to a point where ALL you do is write words in documents and send them over to your clients, it’s entirely possible to expand your job scope to gain experience and build client relationships.

So in this article I’m going to be breaking down the common roles and responsibilities that a copywriter fulfills, BUT I’m also going to share the additional services that you can take on as a copywriter…

To not only better serve your clients, but to also put more of dat money in your pocket!

Hey Posse, it’s Alex! Coming at ya this week with another blog by request!

My DMs are typically full of messages from my community and I often get asked these TWO questions…

The first typically comes from people who haven’t taken the plunge into copywriting just yet, and are wondering what exactly it is that a copywriter does…

And the second comes from relatively new copywriters who are dealing with clients that expect them to be a jack-of-all-trades, and they’re wondering what exactly they should be doing…

So if you fall into one of those two categories… then leave me a comment up below, because this blog is for YOU.

And if you’re new to the crew – WELCOME! I put out a new marketing, copywriting, or mindset blog every single week. So leave your email below to get more articles like this one.

So if you’ve ever wondered what a copywriter actually DOES or what freelancing services you can offer clients as a beginner copywriter, here are 16 ways you can start making more money in your business.

Take out a pen and paper, and get ready to write down the ones you vibe with the most. And if you’re a business owner, looking to hire a copywriter – then I’m going to share you with my Copywriter Job Description—to make your search for a copywriter as easy (and seamless) as possible.
Ok I’ve broken these services down into 3 categories, and the first is, of course…

1. Copywriting Services

Okay, so this first category is the list of services that actually fall under a copywriter’s job description (in my opinion). This is what savvy clients, who actually understand what you do, may expect you to do for them.

Now before you get too overwhelmed with the list I’m about to go over, please keep in mind that this is YOUR copywriting business. And you DO NOT have to offer all of these assets if you don’t want to.
Ads

This can include digital ads like the ones you see on Google, Facebook, and Instagram, video ads like you see right here on YouTube, or even printed ads that you might see in Newspapers and on Flyers.

The main purpose of digital ads, of course, is to get a CLICK. Now with ads (all forms of copywriting actually), it’s very important to remember that your headline, and the first few sentences of text, are the MOST IMPORTANT THING to get right.

Because in the age of ‘the scroll’ you simply have to master the art of crafting compelling hooks. All great ads grab attention with a powerful hook.

Email Marketing

Yep, it’s exactly what it sounds like. Emails sent to a list of subscribers with the sole purpose of marketing something – although great email campaigns should also add a lot of value and focus on building rapport with the list.

So depending on your client’s needs, they may ask you for different types of emails like autoresponders, an indoctrination sequence, sales emails, content emails, affiliate emails or re-engagement emails—as a copywriter you can add all of these to your list of services…

BUT as a copywriter, your job is to only WRITE these emails. You do not need to be the one to load these emails into your client’s email sending software unless you WANT TO. I have never offered this to a client because it’s tedious and technical and you never want to be the one that actually sends an email draft to the entire list.

Landing Pages

It’s like a sales page… but WAY shorter and used for the main purpose of lead generation. So if the #1 job of your ad is to convert eyeballs into clicks, the #1 job of a landing page is to convert more clicks into leads. You want to motivate & inspire a prospect to enter their information (typically first name and email) in exchange for a “Free High-Value Promise” or what is more commonly called a lead magnet.

Sales Pages

And the BIG ONE. This is what I like to call your moneymaker… because not only is this the page that’s going to make your clients the most money and profit in their business…

But it’s the page that’ll get YOU paid the most money to write!

The copywriting magic needed to turn prospects into paying customers is where persuasion, psychology, and major writing swagger come into play.

In my opinion, ALL copywriters need to master this skill—it’s what sets us apart from other content writers.

Now if you’re a copywriter or business owner, looking to write a high-converting Sales Page that will get you paid, and keep clients and prospects coming back to you for more and more…. and more. Then make sure to check out my 5 Day Write & Ignite Challenge, where I teach you the exact proven sales page formula that I personally use in multi-million dollar launches.

Home Pages & Website Copy

This is what I refer to as branding copy or authority copy! While conversions are still important on your main homepage, your brand message is EVERYTHING. Your home page is the first thing that people see when visiting your website so you gotta make a great first impression! The goal of a Homepage is simple: to create trust, build authority, and offer next steps.

About Pages

With more and more audiences seeking out products, coaches, and businesses that share their same values, well-written About Pages are a great opportunity to share a brand’s story, vision, mission, philosophy, and what makes them different.

It’s your way of answering the question – yeah, but who are you… really?

As a copywriter, you can offer this a service to any client that doesn’t already have an About Page OR you can offer to revamp any About Pages that are dull and less than inspiring.

And – in case you were wondering – your job as the copywriter is to simply write these pages (same with landing pages, sales pages, and websites) and not actually BUILD them.

Promotional Videos & Video Sales Letters

Remember what I’ve been saying over and over again to you guys?! VIDEO IS THE FUTURE!

In fact, 87% of video marketers say that video gives them a positive return on investment. So it’s safe to say that… yes. Video marketing is indeed where it’s at! Says the girl who spends HOURS making video content every week.

Promotional videos are used for the purpose of promoting a specific marketing initiative, event, or product. They are typically short, sweet, and to the point. The copy part of promo videos will include the video’s titles, subtitles, any copy that’s used as visual elements throughout the video, and of course the SCRIPT.

And it’s important to remember that although copy is only PART of what makes a great promo video, up to 85% of Facebook videos are watched without sound. So making sure that the copy you have in your video subtitles is essential in boosting your conversions.

Another type of video marketing that requires copywriting skills is VSLs – or video sales letters! Video sales letters are similar to written sales letters except they are written scripts, rather than a written page.

Again, your job as the copywriter is to simply WRITE the video scripts and ancillary copy – not actually produce the videos!

Product Descriptions

Product descriptions refer to that short little blurb of text that describes what a product is, what it does, and WHY someone should buy it. It’s incredibly common in e-commerce stores where copy space for products is limited.

But a common mistake that I see made ALL of the time is a boring product description that just… describes the product. You know, all features and no benefits.

Great product descriptions need to go deeper than the boring left-brain need-to-know stuff.

You want customers to read your product description and think… Wow now that’s cool/interesting/unique/smart/funny! I gotta get it!

Alright that covers the bases of copywriting services. Now let’s move onto a different service package you can consider offering for your clients…

2. Content Writing

As a professional copywriter, you’ll find that A LOT of businesses will ask you to do some content writing for them as well…

And just like picking and choosing your copywriting services, you can and should use your own discretion on whether or not you will offer content writing for your clients as well.

While copywriting is the art of crafting words for the sole purpose of conversion… Content writing focuses more on engagement, education, and brand awareness.

And there are various forms of content writing that you can choose to include in your services, but I’m just going to cover the 5 big ones that will be most beneficial to your clients…

Social Media Captions

Social Media is a HUGE part of most brands and businesses’ marketing strategies these days, and if it’s not already, then it definitely should be.

Because Social Media is where the majority of the population is hanging out on a day-to-day basis.

Globally, over 3.6 billion people use social media… and that number is expected to increase to 4.4 billion by the year 2025.

And handling your client’s social media captions and content is a great way to get your foot in the door with a client that you really want to work with. Just remember that the main purpose of social media is to connect and engage with the audience… So you should always be providing value in the form of either education, entertainment, or inspiration.

Blog Posts

I mean come on… everyone knows the power of blogging. Blogs are one of the best ways to get ranked in Google searches and optimize your SEO. But the thing is… most busy business owners just don’t have the time (or energy ) to pump out blog posts on a consistent basis.

And that’s where YOU can step up and offer your services. As a minimum, you could offer at least 1 blog post a week, and of course, go up from there!

Newsletters

These are the weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly emails that get sent out to a list of subscribers. The purpose isn’t to sell or promote anything directly, but rather to build rapport, trust, and credibility. And most importantly, CREATE A SENSE OF COMMUNITY.

Because one thing is for certain in this day-and-age… customers don’t stick around with brands that they don’t feel connected to on some level. So if your clients don’t already send out consistent content-rich newsletters to their mailing list, then they are missing out on a huge opportunity to cultivate a loyal following – and BOOM – guess who can help them out with that?….

Content Videos

Content videos are a MASSIVE way to build a loyal following and brand. I know because I grew my entire business with content videos!

And yes, like promotional videos, all content videos start out as a script or, at the very least, a loose outline! Because even though they are personal and conversational, you still want to make sure your content videos are informative and valuable and follow a framework!

Not to mention the need to craft compelling headlines and convince viewers to watch, like, and subscribe.
So as a copywriter, you can absolutely offer content video scripts to your list of services!

SEO

Aka search engine optimization. Essentially, SEO is focused on improving the visibility of your website by getting it to rank higher in search engines.

Now, this is something that I get asked ALL of the time… Alex, do I NEED to know SEO as a conversion copywriter?

And the answer is no…

I mean I straight-up tell my clients that I’m not an expert in SEO. I literally know nothing about it except the general basics of how it works. And it’s not something that interests me enough to study and become a master at.

So I always recommend that my clients work with an SEO specialist if they are looking to optimize their websites in that way.

But, but BUT… that doesn’t mean you can’t add SEO to your list of services if you know what you’re doing!

SEO copywriting is common in particular industries and niches so do your research and find out if it’s something you WANT to consider mastering.

I mean, killer SEO strategies with high-converting copy sounds like a winning combination if you ask me.

So if you want to take things one step further and add SEO onto your list of services that you offer to clients, you definitely can.

But you’ll want to make sure that you know more than “just the basics” if you’re calling yourself an SEO specialist.

The good news is, the best SEO secret in the world is to write copy and content that is valuable, creates authority, and gets people to stay and engage with your page or website – which as a copywriter you’ll already know how to do. Alright, now the 3rd category of services you could offer is…

3. Marketing Support

If you REALLY want to beef up your packages (and the money you have coming in), you may want to consider offering marketing services to your clients as well.

Offering additional marketing support can make you invaluable to your clients because they’re basically getting a unicorn – someone who can write, strategize and implement.

Of course, there’s a whole slew of services that you could offer under this category… but let’s just cover the basic 3 that most copywriters could easily transition into offering.

Community Management

A major part of writing in business comes down to communicating with followers, subscribers, and customers via email, membership sites and social media. Customer support was the first role I had at Mindvalley so if you’re looking to get your foot in the door with a brand you’d LOVE to write copy for, why not offer community management as a service to showcase your writing ability?

Funnel-Building

If you have a more technical flair and you’re familiar with online tools like GrooveFunnels, ClickFunnels, Kajabi, or others, you can add funnel-building to your list of services! This is essentially CREATING the pages and sales funnels you are writing. This can be a highly valuable service that will save your clients from having to hire someone else OR spend hours doing it themselves.

Marketing Consulting

This is something you might start to offer after you’ve been in the game for a while, and have developed a pretty solid understanding of the world of marketing.

A marketing consultant is an advisor and strategies who works with companies to create and design marketing campaigns.

As a marketing consultant, you could help to create detailed marketing plans, determine a business’s marketing message, and identify the right marketing mix to most effectively get your client’s message out to the masses.

Remember, as a copywriter, you really are the best of both worlds… word nerd meets marketing master.

So pick and choose the services that resonate the most with you.

And never forget the value you bring to the table.

The post What Services Should I Offer As a Copywriter? appeared first on DigitalMarketer.

And no, you don’t need to be a copywriter or hire one. Yet.

Can this post alone help you write your high-converting sales copy? Keep reading.

Will it feel like a lot of work? Maybe.

Will it work? Yes.

When some entrepreneurs and marketers think of writing copy, they either turn to AI or Google their way through it. Maybe they get lucky and score a free template they can copy and paste.

Unfortunately, this is lazy. And lazy effort equals sluggish results. But you’re not lazy. You’re here to peruse this article and get to work right after.

Here’s what you need to do to nail your sales copy:

Doing Voice of Customer Research

This research involves learning everything you need to know about your current and prospective clients.

So that you can learn:

• Their wants
• Their needs
• Their frustrations
• Their successes
• Their motivations
• Their hesitations
• Past failed solutions
• What they are saying about your competitors
• What they are saying about your brand
• What they think about themselves

If you skip this step, you’ll risk not knowing what your ideal clients are saying or how they’re saying it.

Which means you’ll risk not connecting with them on any level.

Without this research, you’ll write copy blindly and guess your way through it rather than using your prospects’ words and phrases.

And guess what… this research alone can write 90% of your copy for you.

You can do this research in many ways. You can interview some of your clients and possibly survey them.

You can also read your positive and negative reviews and sort them based on the list above. Last but not least, you can read social media comments and even forums.

At the end of this research, you want to have an organized spreadsheet with the data you collected and sorted using the bullet points from above. Use this spreadsheet to help drive your copy.

The research above will tell you what to say and how to say it. If your biggest blocker around writing copy is not knowing what to write, you’ll eliminate it after doing your Voice of Customer research.

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Structuring Your Funnel

This is where you take a step back and wireframe your funnel before you work on your assets. Start with your traffic sources (social media, paid ads, blogs, etc.) and what their last step should be (purchase).

After you plot the beginning and end of your funnel, filling in what goes in between is easier. You’ll also be able to tell how many assets you’ll need.

Let’s say you’re selling a low-ticket product. Your simple funnel could be ads > landing page to lead magnet > email sequence > purchase.

If you’re selling a high-ticket product, your simple funnel could be ads > landing page to mastermind/3-day challenge > email sequence > purchase.

It is up to you to decide how many assets your funnel should have. However, you need to be realistic about it because if you’re selling a high-ticket product and your audience is cold, you will need to include more assets to move them deeper down the funnel.

If you are selling a low-ticket product, fewer funnel assets might make more sense because there’s less convincing to do.

No matter how many funnel assets are involved, you need to ensure that one asset can move your prospects smoothly over to the next and that your voice is consistent throughout each.

This means that your assets, such as your sales page and emails, must build up on each other while maintaining your brand voice and still including your Voice of Customer data from the research above.

Your Sales Page and Sales Emails

With your research and funnel wireframe done, you’re ready to assemble your sales page and sales email copy.

Notice how I wrote “assemble” and not “write,” that’s because copy is assembled by using proven frameworks instead of sitting down and writing from scratch without direction or guidelines.

You’ll also use your Voice of Customer data (research) to write your sales page and emails. Use their words and phrases! Show them you know exactly what they need.

When it comes to your sales page copy, you want to choose the proper framework according to your audience’s stage of awareness (how much they know about their problem and your solution) and market sophistication (how much they know about your market).

If your prospects are problem aware, they know they have a problem but don’t know about any solutions for them. So, your copy’s job is to highlight their pain and tell them that they’ll finally solve it with your product. Longer copy might be necessary to show them their current state, desired state, and how your product serves as the bridge. You’ll also need a qualifier for them to know that your product is meant for them. This is why my favorite framework for this is QUEST.

• Qualify – mention who your product is for, starting with “ideal for…”
• Understand – make them feel you understand exactly where they are.
• Educate – show them what you know and what they’ve been doing is wrong.
• Stimulate – show them social proof.
• Transition – tell them what to do to fix the problem.

If your prospects are solution aware, they know they have a problem and know there are solutions out there but don’t know how to find those solutions or where to look. So, your copy’s job is to highlight your solution as their holy grail. My favorite frameworks for this are PAS and AIDA.

• Problem – highlight the pain they live with every day.
• Agitation – make them feel that pain very deeply.
• Solution – show them how your product can take the pain away.

And,

• Attention – get their attention with a shocking statement or headline.
• Interest – show them something new or interesting, with a “wow!” factor.
• Desire – let them know they need what you have and can’t be without it.
• Action – tell them what to do, like make a purchase.

You can assemble your sales copy using any of the frameworks above after determining your prospects’ stage of awareness and market sophistication.

Market sophistication means how much your prospects know about your market. If they don’t know about group coaching, which is what your product is, they have low market sophistication, so you’ll need longer copy.

When it comes to your sales emails, you can use any of the frameworks above. The same stages of awareness and market sophistication rules apply.

But even after reading all of this, you might wonder what you can do to improve your conversion rate.

First, you probably need to find out why your copy could be underperforming.

Well… my copy sabotage quiz will help you find out how your copy could be sabotaging your conversions and how you can fix it.

You’ll finally know what to work on to make your sales copy sell.

You’ll get tips and strategies from me (a conversion copywriter) on implementing such changes.

You won’t have to Google “how to write copy that converts” because I’ll be your guide.

But if you need a prompt-guided copy system to help you write your high-converting sales copy in a day, not a week, check out my Sales Copy Bundle.

See you again soon! I’m Elenny.

The post The Anatomy of High-Converting Sales Copy appeared first on DigitalMarketer.

“Email marketing is DEAD!”
“AI is taking over the inbox!”
“Why hire a copywriter when I can just use email templates?!”
“Who needs an email list when I have a large social following?”

Um….. stop right there and listen up, because I’m going to let you in on a little secret…

THREE little secrets to be exact. 

Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot of misconceptions floating around the cyberspace when it comes to email marketing. So in this blog, we’re going to talk about the three biggest Email Marketing Myths & Misconceptions… 

AND I’m going to fill you in on the SECRET WEAPON that’ll give you a massive advantage and leg-up over any competition. 

Alright, now let’s get started with myth-busting. 

Myth #1 – Email Marketing Is DEAD

This is a myth that I’ve been hearing ever since I got my start in the online marketing industry… over a decade ago! And guess what?

The rumours were wrong back then and they’re STILL wrong today. 

No matter what you heard at the latest online summit you attended… Email Marketing is STILL alive and well—and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon!

In fact, Email Marketing is the single best way to market your brand or business, increase your revenue, and cash in on more conversions.

That’s right. It’s better than ads, better than social media, and better than organic traffic…

I said it.

In fact, I did my FIRST launch back in 2020 and made almost 6-figures by sending just 8 emails to my list of 2300 subscribers. Yup.

But don’t just take my word for it, here are some stats to prove it. It is estimated that there are 4 BILLION active email users right now (and that number is projected to go up, btw).

Email marketing consistently delivers the highest ROI of all marketing channels – earning on average $42 for every dollar spent… and in case you don’t want to do the math on that…

That’s an ROI of 4200%!! I don’t know of a single brand or business that wouldn’t love to see numbers like that. 

And just in case gaining a massive ROI isn’t enough to convince you… this probably will:

According to MarketingSherpa, email is STILL the most preferred marketing channel that most consumers want businesses to communicate with them through. YES, even Millennials and gen-Z-ers prefer email to social media.

And not only is email your consumer’s favorite way of communicating… it should be your favourite too! And that’s because your list is YOURS. It belongs to YOU. Not Facebook, not Instagram. YOU. 

And when you use Email as your preferred method of communication, ALL you have to do to get your message heard is make sure your emails aren’t landing in the spam folder. You’re not held captive by the algorithm Gods, “platform rules,” or having to keep up with the latest trends to get your content seen.  

When you take just a moment to step back and look at the facts, it’s crystal clear.

While I still love and use other marketing channels…

My girl Email Marketing reigns supreme.

Myth #2 – Templates Work Better

This is another myth I’ve been hearing over and over again lately.

Why hire a copywriter when I can just use email templates?! 

Now for the sake of clarity, in this context, I’m referring to fancy and impersonal emails that are all show and no substance. You know those fancy-looking HTML emails you commonly see from e-commerce sites or big corporate businesses…

Listen – they work for brands like Sephora or Apple, well, because they are Seophora and Apple…

But as a personality-based brand (or as the real PERSON behind the brand), you don’t want to get too fancy in your emails. 

Why? Well, because facts: Extensive A/B testing has shown that the overwhelming majority of consumers prefer simple, text-based emails (you know, just like those emails you send to your friends and family).

Not only do consumers prefer plain jane text-only emails, but templates come with a whole list of other cons to consider.

Downsides of Email Templates

• They take a long time to load, depending on your consumer’s internet connection.
• Customization can be difficult and unreliable. You can spend hours finicking with a template, where your time would be better spent just writing and personal, empathetic email.
• HTML templates often get all funky on mobile if not coded correctly.
• They are WAY more likely to end up in the Spam or Promotions folder because of heavy images and design features
• These kinds of emails focus on imagery, not on brand voice or actually connecting with the audience.

On the other hand…. While copywriters might not be able to design a “pretty-looking email”…

They are specially trained to WRITE WORDS THAT WORK. They understand how to craft powerful subject lines that hook your reader and get them to open your email. They know how to open a loop with engaging content to get your consumers to keep reading…

And they know the psychological triggers that get people to CLICK and BUY your offer…

And when you’re a business that RELIES on having a strong, powerful, and intimate relationship with your consumers… 

These factors are absolutely essential to your Email Marketing success. 

Alright, now onto the last—and most controversial—myth on this list… 

Myth #3 – AI Is Taking Over

Look, we’ve all heard it… AI is replacing copywriters at the speed of light—and especially in the Email Marketing world. 

Because I mean, who needs to shell out a bunch of money for an experienced copywriter when they could just spend a quarter of the money on some fancy automation software that “does just as good”?

Right? NO!!! 

Listen, I know AI software and done-for-you templates are becoming more and more prevalent in the email marketing space – there’s no doubt about that. 

But with that said, there’s a whole lot more to the story than what the internet would have you believe…

I’ve said it before, and I say it again and again until the day I die…

A.I. is a tool, not a takeover. 

And as a TOOL—there are certain things A.I. CAN help us to optimize, streamline and improve…

Things like: research, ideation, email automation, personalization, and segmentation. You know, the left-brain, back-end, logistical stuff. The truth is that A.I. can actually make an Email Marketers job A LOT easier. 

But when it comes to replacing the CREATIVITY & EMPATHY that a human copywriter brings to the table…?

It’s just not going to happen anytime soon.

And while it’s true that there ARE going to be some brands and businesses that will choose to get by with A.I… Their emails will be mediocre, at best.

I mean it’s just like anything else that’s being “replaced” by technology…

If you want mediocre results, then sure – go with a plug-and-play tool. If you want exceptional results, hire an expert. 

Mediocre accountants are being replaced by do-it-yourself software like Freshbooks, Honeybook & Quickbooks… but that doesn’t mean we don’t pay a LEGIT PROFESSIONAL when it comes time to file taxes. 

Mediocre graphic designers are being replaced by tools like Canva… but that doesn’t mean we don’t pay a GREAT DESIGNER to design our websites.

And if you want to optimize your email list, increase your revenue, and cash in on more conversions… then you HIRE A COPYWRITER. 

It’s as simple as that. And it’s never going to change. 

So here’s my advice to the copywriters who are worried about A.I. takeover and the other Myths on this list… 

Don’t be mediocre. Position yourself as an expert. 

Do that, and you’ll be INVALUABLE to any brand or business that wants to optimize their Email Marketing strategies. 

THAT’S your secret weapon. 

THAT’S how you make yourself A.I. proof. 

THAT’S how you position yourself as an expert in the industry and get clients banging down the door for your talents and services. 

But now the question is… HOW?! HOW do you become a damned good copywriter and email marketer? One who understands the audience, knows the power of connection, and has mastered the art of conversion?

Well… you develop the skills, techniques, practical EXPERIENCE, and knowledge needed to make yourself an expert! 

And after months and months of listening to this community ask me question after question about email marketing… I decided it was time to do something about it. 

Now up until recently, I never really thought this was needed. Mostly because I already teach an entire module all about Email Marketing inside my 8-week Copywriting Coaching Program.

But the truth is, not everyone has the time, money, energy, or desire to invest in a two-month coaching course…

And that’s why I created a FREE email guide—to help you cut through the B.S. 

My Ultimate Email Marketing Cheatsheet will help you future-proof your biz from the throes of unpredictable algorithms and the never-ending threat of A.I. takeover by teaching how to master the art of impactful inbox messaging. 

• You’ll discover the 7 must-have emails to build and monetize your list (with real-life examples straight from the Posse’s private vault)…
• Discover the right way to build and monetize your email list, without relying on templates or standardized messaging. 
• Get the secret to sending engaging emails that won’t drive away subscribers or lose you any brand loyalty.

Until next time, I’m Alex. Ciao for now!

The post Is Email Marketing Dead? appeared first on DigitalMarketer.