15 copywriting mistakes that are making you lose money.
(And how to fix them)
From a $100M Marketer
// THREAD //
1. Not selling an idea
People don't buy products, services or offers.
They buy Big Ideas.
Moreover, they buy Big Ideas that are relevant, exciting and timeless.
Fix: Make your copy revolve around a compelling Big Idea.
2. Not standing out
There are thousands of products similar to yours in the market.
If you want to sell, you need to stand out.
How?
By showing your prospects your Unique Selling Proposition.
Fix: Show what your product has that your competitors' don't.
3. Bad first impression
Regardless of the type of copy you're writing (emails, sales letters, ads)...
The first part is the most important one.
It determines whether people will continue reading your copy or not.
Fix: Make your first impression impossible to ignore.
4. Using passive voice
Passive voice results in larger, boring, and more difficult sentences.
On the other hand...
Active voice results in shorter, sharper, and easier sentences.
This makes your copy easier to read & finish reading.
Fix: Use active voice.
5. Being vague
Being vague in your copy creates doubts in your prospect's head.
It makes your copy look too perfect, fake, and salesy.
You don't want that.
You want to sound human, real, and trustworthy.
Fix: be ultra-specific with time-frames, promises and numbers.
6. Complicated writing
Your copy should never bore, confuse or make the prospect feel dumb.
As a rule of thumb, a 12-year old should be able to read and understand your copy.
Fix: use simple words, short sentences and small paragraphs.
7. Not using your prospect's language
People only buy from people who know what they're talking about.
If you want to send that message, you must understand your prospects' language and use it in your copy.
Fix: interact & interview your prospects to get the intel you need.
8. Not addressing objections
Your prospects enter your copy with a bunch of objections in their head.
Your job is to handle those objections in the order they appear.
Fix: write down all possible objections, order them, then address each one in your copy.
9. Selling features instead of benefits
The only thing going through your prospect's head when reading your copy is:
What's in it for me?
Features don't answer this question, benefits do.
Fix: turn your features into the benefit the prospect will get.
10. Not writing how you talk
Your copy shouldn't feel like a sales pitch, it should feel like a conversation.
As a general rule: If you wouldn't say it in conversation, don't include it in your copy.
Fix: remove difficult words, complex terms and unnecessary punctuation marks.
11. Not writing to a single person
People pay more attention when you talk directly to them.
The more personal you are, the more persuasive your copy will be.
Fix: write having your ideal customer profile in mind.
12. Not emphasizing enough
Reading copy is an exhausting task for the prospect.
Especially if the copy is just a wall of plain text.
Your job is to make the reading more enjoyable by emphasizing the most important parts.
Fix: bold, underline and italicize important words.
13. Friction words in CTAs
When you ask someone to click a button you're asking them for a small commitment.
People don't like commitment.
Especially when you use friction words like "Buy now" or "Register".
Fix: go for a more benefit-oriented text in your CTAs.
14. Focusing on you instead of them
People are extremely self-interested.
Chances are your prospect doesn't care about you, your product or your company.
The one thing they do care about?
Themselves.
Fix: make your copy revolve 100% around them.
15. Sounding like a salesman
People hate being sold to, but they love to buy.
Don't be like pushy salesman who only cares about money.
Be the kind salesman who genuinely cares about them.
Fix: be empathetic, provide value and just be a human.