Writing copy and creating videos that build your subscriber base and turn visitors into leads and customers is easy! It is a matter of building trust and providing solutions from start to finish. And that is what the five tips with examples in this post will help you do.
Each tip works for SEO, CRO and monetization for ecommerce stores, content creators like affiliates and influencers, as well as B2B lead gen.
- Do Not Explain What The Person Already Knows
- Be Positive, Not Negative
- Include Why You’re Qualified in the Opening
- Add Tips That Show Expertise or Experience
- Don’t Be Afraid to Link Out
Do Not Explain What the Person Already Knows
Many copywriters and marketers start by explaining things the person on the page already knows. This is on 99% of the copy I read when doing audits. If the person already knows why they’re looking for a solution, just give them the solution.
The reason why SEOs may do this is to hit a word count minimum, which doesn’t make sense. Word counts are not part of SEO, good content that provides an easy to absorb solution is. Skip the fluff and give your content consumers what they’re there for!
Example 1: A guide or checklist to get into school.
If your blog post is helping someone apply to school, don’t say “Going to school is an important part of a young adults life. School will help you learn the skills, network….” Instead say “Congratulations on making the decision to go to school. In this guide you will learn…”
Example 2: Instructions on repairing a hole in a t-shirt.
Don’t tell the person “T-shirts can rip because people are active while wearing them. And rips are part of life.” Instead address the issue “Whether you need to patch a hole in the center of a t-shirt, sew up a torn seam on the armpit, or close a hole because you removed the tag, this guide to fixing holes in t-shirts is your…”
Nobody likes to have things they already know explained to them over and over, especially if they’re in a hurry. Start by building a bond and relating to the issue the reader is facing, you will build their trust that if they continue reading they will find their solution.
Be Positive, Not Negative
The next tip is to always think of how to alleviate stress from the reader. If they’re looking for a solution, don’t remind them of their pain points. This can be done by choosing positive phrasing over negative phrasing.
Example 1: Shopping and Gift Guides
Instead of “shopping for XY person is intimidating” say “Shopping for XY person is easy when you have…”
Example 2: Home Repairs and Problems
Instead of “cracked foundations are expensive, look ugly and can lead to more home problems” say “A cracked foundation in your home isn’t always cause to panic. Many times a cracked foundation can be repaired and patched which doesn’t cost you a ton of money.”
Include Why You’re Qualified in the Opening
Your content has to compete against thousands of other articles and authors. This means you need to build trust with the reader.
Ask yourself why you’re more qualified than others to write about the specific topic. As you’re writing your opening, include a short paragraph within the top three to five paragraphs about your experience with the subject matter. Avoid talking about your general experience with the niche or brand. This expertise builds trust with the person consuming your content. It also gives them a reason to keep reading vs. bounce to another post or video.
Example 1: Cooking and Food
Instead of “As a baker I have written two cookbooks, been featured on XYZ tv show and have a line out the door for an hour every single day. This is why you will love my traditional Italian desserts with modern twists and flair.” try “Having studied Italian pastries for two years in Tuscany, and having learned to source coffee beans from the experts in Costa Rica, not to mention more than 5 national award winning Italian dessert recipes at XY event, you’re about to learn why customers line up for over an hour to try the tiramisu recipe below which you’re about to create.”
The general accolades can go in your author’s bio as they help with E-A-T.
Example 2: Medical
Instead of “Being a leading expert with two PHDs in neuropathology and human behavior, and having been on X and Y news channels, below is what you’ll learn from my education and 20 years of practice in the medical field.” try “As the current head of XYZ at ABC university’s school of medicine, and being published in 1, 2 and 3 medical journals for my studies on DEF disorders, below are what works for my patients and what my studies have proven in GHI field over the last 20 years.”
Add Tips That Show Expertise or Experience
Anyone can explain the steps to complete a process, so if you want to stand out share bonus tips that will save the reader time or money, or enhance the solution. This is where you can shine as a thought leader.
By sharing your expertise, as journalists, bloggers and other people find your content, they may reach out to feature you as a subject matter expert (SME) for their upcoming content.
Example 1: Software Usage and Guides
Instead of giving instructions on how to edit something in photoshop by listing the steps, add in “bonus tips”, “pro tips” or “productivity tips” to help the person speed up the process or achieve a better result.
Bonus tips could be modifying the colors, restoring previous steps if there is a tricky one in the process that sometimes goes wrong, or adding an additional layer on to fine tune the artwork.
Example 2: Fitness
When explaining how to do a specific exercise, provide options to increase or decrease intensity or add alternative options to work more muscle groups. Bonus tips can also include ways to make the movements easier for beginners or more challenging for pros.
Don’t Be Afraid to Link Out
The last tip is to link out and source other sites. Everyone is scared of “giving away SEO” which is nonsense. Linking to well sourced and cited articles can build user trust and shows you do actual research. If the reader trusts the articles or pages you link to, they may not question your authority or knowledge base. They’ll trust your research and read your content. Not to mention it is the right thing to do if you’re using someone else’s work.
These five tips can help you build more subscribers while driving more conversions by building more trust and creating a better user experience with your content.
