Hokay—let’s talk about copywriting power words, because THIS question pops into my inbox REGULARLY (thanks to my welcome sequence, which you can learn about here), and I LOVE it:
“How can I market to whatever I’m pointing people to without sounding like [a cheesy used-car salesman] OR [a cheeseball] OR [super-salesy]!?!”
Let’s talk about sounding salesy the right way.
So, when it comes to marketing your creative small business, let me pose a question:
Where are you investing the majority of your time … and how’s that working out for you in regards to your sales?
(You know, the point of being in business!)
I truly understand the lure of Instagram, branding photos, and website design. I do. The visual side of branding is so fun and flashy, especially for us creative types!
You may be interested in: How to Plan a Brand Photoshoot for Your Business
Visual branding is very important, but if you’ve hung out around here for a while, you know I’m a fan of preaching that your visuals aren’t ~everything~.
Today, I want to dig into what I think about sales copy—why it’s not a dirty word we should feel icky about—and 3 quick copy tips you can get rolling with to become a better sales copywriter for your own business.
In this post, you’ll learn:
- Why you need to stop worrying about length of your sales copy.
- How to serve your reader with one idea for them to focus on
- 96 copywriting power words you can swipe to start writing conversion copy
And more!
Plus, click here or down below to take my quiz & assess what your personality has to say about your brand voice and selling style. Tap through 11 questions to get a list of words that describe your voice, a curated list of resources, characterization help, and more ideas!
“Salesy” isn’t a bad thing.
I’ll get on/off my soapbox here upfront.
The longer I’m an entrepreneur, the more I learn how God has gifted some of us in making money—and that’s not a bad thing, so long as we work hard to remember that it’s just something He is letting us steward.
I also believe that getting paid for what we do as artists helps us put MORE of it into the world.
“We don’t make movies to make money, we make money to make more movies,” Walt Disney said. Here, here.
If you REALLY believe in the service you’re offering—your photography skills, your canvases, your calligraphy, your coaching, your design skills—you need to get good at selling it.
If you as the CEO of your creative business can’t pitch it or sell it, who will?
<< Related: How to craft an elevator pitch that sells >>
The words accompanying your visuals are what actually help someone decide if what you’re offering will serve them or not. Helping them discern this—helping them figure out if something is for them or not—that’s simply good customer service!
I hear from a lot of my clients and students that you want to be more client-focused in your copywriting.
And if that’s you, you’re onto something—treat yo’self!
So, let’s move into how you can do a better job of that with 3 tips that lead into copywriting power words.
No. 1| Have ONE big idea for each page of your website
Sales copywriting converts *best* when it’s laser-focused on one offer.
If you have multiple packages or offers, you need to break them up into different services or sales pages.
We buy what we understand, and what’s clear, so give your reader one thing to focus on. Will your offer help her shave hours off her Instagram photo batching each week (aka save her time)? Or, will outsourcing her florals to you and your team save her money since you can do everything under one roof (aka save her money)? Pick ONE benefit, ONE offer, and ONE promise on your sales page. Focus on that.
Want a quick example? This is an old copywriting services wireframe we drew up for my business when I was first getting started.
See how each page only talks about one thing?
Action step: If you’re a service provider, consider how you can re-design your website so each offer lands on a separate page.
One idea, one page.
Don’t muddy your theme!
<< Related: 4 Proven Sales Copywriting Tips from a Launch Copywriter >>
No. 2 | Know your copy should only be as long as it needs to be.
There’s a lie circulating out there that good copywriting means short copywriting.
Eh. Not always.
Brevity’s fantastic, and concise copy rocks …
… butttttttt your services or sales page needs to guide your reader through the mental shifts needed to make an investment (or not!).
And sometimes, that means a long(ish) sales page.
According to ConversionXL, “the bottom line is that people read copy they’re interested in. If your copy is compelling and intriguing, your visitors are going to read it.”
They go on to say two rules apply when you’re DIYing your words:
(1) You’ve GOT to get your reader interested
(2) You’ve GOT to do this as quickly as possible
It’s your job to not waste your dear client or customer’s time, just like I talked about in the intro. That’s a responsibility to steward! I get asked a lot “how long does my copy need to be,” and there’s not one RIGHT answer … except it needs to be only as long as it needs to be.
<< Related: Never Again: 9 HUGE Copywriting Mistakes to Nix on Your Website >>
Action Step: Let your mindset adjust when it comes to longer copy on a services page or a sales page: does someone read every word? Maybe not at first pass.
BUT, if your offer is scarce, on a time-frame, or just pricy, they’ll likely be reading the majority of your copy before investing … after all, you certainly only want those who will honestly benefit from what you have to offer to make a purchase.
So, it’s ok if your sales copy is longer* than a few quick paragraphs.
Just remember—it’s not about you, and only let it be as long as it needs to be.
No. 3| Combine these 96 power words and phrases with copy swiped from your ideal client
One of my favorite examples of this is from my girl Christina Scalera, a lawyer for creatives and the legal brains behind my business. Click here to shop her contracts, the same ones we use in my business!
“I say ‘legalize your biz’ in all my copy … if my former colleagues knew I was calling it that, they’d laugh at me! But that’s EXACTLY what my ideal clients call it when they need business operational documents, contracts, and trademark help.”
Boom.
Does that make sense? Those of us who don’t speak legalese would ABSOLUTELY use a phrase like “legalize my business.” Christina realized that, and began using it in her marketing …
… even if it’s not really a phrase lawyers would say.
The lesson learned?
Write for your people by using their words … which will mean dying to yourself a little bit.
Where can you get words from your clients or customers? I teach this in-depth inside Copywriting for Creatives™, but here are 4 ways to get started building your copywriting swipe file:
- Dig into Facebook threads
- Pilfer through Amazon book reviews for your topic (for example, if you’re a hand-letterer who teaches, what feedback do purchasers of hand-lettering books on Amazon have to say about what they wanted to learn [or didn’t learn])
- Run surveys (click here for a post I wrote about 12 questions to ask)
- Read through your email banter between clients you loved serving
<< Related: 3 Hacks to Build Your Copywriting Swipe File >>
BUT … don’t stop there.
Combine those words you’re finding with some copywriting power words like these below: 96 client-focused words that you can start using in your copywriting that help convert.
Pin this (and you can click here to follow me on Pinterest for my copy swipes), and use it next time you need to write to sell.
Be sure to pin this list of copywriting power words to crank up your next landing page!
BUT one word of caution: these will take your existing messaging and amplify it. So if you don’t have solid messaging in place, these strategies will only help you tank faster … study copywriting, master your message, and have focused copy basics in place on your website before you start working to convert customers. We’re opening up doors soon to my signature Copywriting for Creatives™ program where I teach just that—click here to get on the waitlist!
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I hear from a lot of my clients and students that you want to be more client-focused in your copywriting. So, today I want to give you 88 client-focused words that you can start using in your copywriting that help convert!
Let’s hit it.
Really Great And Informative Blog. Simple And Easy To Understand
Hey Anupama! Thank you so much. That is so encouraging to hear! xo.Ash
This is a great list, thanks for sharing. The division into categories also helps find what’s needed quickly and effectively!
Kim! I love hearing this, thank you for your comment friend!:)
Great piece with good insight and information. Thanks for doing what you do 🙂
Bethany! You are so welcome buddy—I’m glad this was helpful to you! 🙂
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