Top 10 Copywriting Secrets [That Your Competitors Hope You Won’t Use]

TeamBlog [read me!], Copywriting

Top 10 Copywriting Secrets Your Competitors Hope You Won’t Use

Wondering what the best Copywriting Secrets are? Look no further!

We’ve compiled — and listed clearly below — the 10 best Copywriting Secrets that your competitors hope you won’t use, including a short description, link to learn more, and pricing information (if relevant).

[Affiliate Disclaimer: Some links below are affiliate links that reward us for sending you their way, at no additional cost to you — if you prefer not to click them, just Google the name of the site]. : )

Writing copy may not sound as glamorous as writing novels, but quality copy matters.

Your website is a medium unto itself, and one which you can design to meet your needs. It is also one of the primary resources that potential clients will use to find information and learn about your business.

Learning the ins and outs of copywriting sometimes means breaking the rules of traditional writing you might have learned in school, but with the right tips and tricks you can be certain that your copy sets you apart from the competition.

Here are 10 copywriting secrets that will drive more views to your website and bring in more leads!

#10: Write for Skimmers

You might be able to remember sections from your favorite book, or from an inspiring passage of Shakespeare. But your website copy isn’t about waxing poetic, it’s about conveying information.

Research shows that users only spend enough time to process 28% of the words on the average webpage—and your content is no exception!

Does this mean you shouldn’t bother with writing? Of course not!

The fact that most web readers skim is simply incentive to organize your copy around quick reading, accessible facts, and clear statements.

Subheaders, bullet points, clear topic sentences, and calls-to-action will guide quick readers to the information they need and keep them from closing the tab in frustration.

#9: Short Paragraphs are Your Friends

A webpage isn’t a newspaper article or an essay, it’s a medium all its own.

Your website is much more visual than traditional print, you likely have a lot of links and resources alongside your copy, so it’s important that your text not take up too much space.

Breaking up your paragraphs into shorter chunks—one to two sentences max—makes it easier to scan and less intimidating. It also helps readers locate important statistics, bullet points, and conclusions.

By keeping it short and snappy, every line carries more weight and has more to offer.

#8: Poor Grammar Will Cost You Business

The advice about short paragraphs probably goes against all of your High School English class instincts, but not all rules are meant to be broken.

It may not seem like a big secret to say that quality writing is important, but you may not realize just how big a difference good grammar and spelling can make.

One study found that 59% of participants would not buy from a website with poor grammar or obvious spelling errors. That’s a lot of business down the drain from a lack of editing!

Even if you’re offering completely reliable information and great products or services, poor quality writing just screams incompetence.

Always take time to edit your work, consult your style guides for punctuation, and double check your spelling.

Remember: Quality writing builds trust!

#7: Keep Your Writing Casual (But Informative)

Ensuring quality writing and good grammar doesn’t mean you have to write your copy like an encyclopedia entry. You’re offering advice and insights from a personal perspective—your copy should reflect that.

When writing copy for your website, using conjunctions like “don’t” instead of “do not”, or “you’re” instead of “you are” add a conversational tone.

Don’t be afraid to write like you speak, so long as you’re conveying all the important information that the reader requires.

Casual words and terms like “I dunno” won’t harm your writing if you remain consistent and don’t go on tangents.

When you write in a conversational style, it tells readers that there’s a real person behind the words conveying their real thoughts and opinions.

#6: Headlines Make a Difference

Headlines are the face of your writing—it’s the first thing readers see, and it may be the onlything that readers see.

When your writing appears in a search engine, or on your website archives, readers want to have some idea of what’s in store.

Your title can be a bit clever, or even a bit mysterious (who doesn’t want to learn 10 secrets, right?) but it should still have an obvious topic.

8 out of 10 people will read headlines, only 2 out of 10 will keep reading the copy. When your headline has a clear focus and promises further information, you incentivize readers to go the extra step and keep reading.

#5: Use Simple Words

You are writing for a public audience. If someone reads your copy, they’re excited to learn something from you. They don’t want to have to pick up a dictionary to understand what you’re saying.

Simple vocabulary is always better.

Always avoid fluffy jargon or buzzwords. Reading about “synergy”, “conceptualization”, or “mentalities” doesn’t provide any useful information and feels like you may not have anything specific to say.

If you have to introduce technical terms related to your business or industry, make sure to explain them in plain terms.

You can even write blog posts or dedicated web pages to going over terms clients might want to know.

#4: Keep a Consistent Subheader Format

Simple, clean, informative subheaders are really, really useful.

Complicated, inconsistent subheaders that interrupt the flow of your writing are not useful.

Have a dedicated font and font size for your subheaders. Avoid cluttering your writing with different fonts, text sizes, or colors—this will just distract the reader.

Use subheaders when introducing a new topic that you want to focus on. You will almost never need more than one kind of subheader when writing copy.

#3: Use (But Don’t Overuse) Keywords

Keywords are the terms that help search engines decide if your webpage is relevant for a given search entry.

When you research keywords, focus on:

  • specificity (make sure you have terms that match your writing topic)
  • low competitiveness (find keywords that aren’t dominated by larger, more popular websites)
  • high search volume (use terms that people are searching for on Google)

Incorporating keywords into your writing not only improves your search engine results—meaning more clicks and views—it gives you terms and topics to emphasize in your writing.

However, you shouldn’t try to stuff your webpage full of unnecessary keywords: search engines can penalize writing that uses irrelevant keywords and numbers to appear more relevant.

Know the keywords you want to cover in your writing and let them naturally come up in the writing process.

#2: Get Another Set of Eyes on Your Writing

When you’re just starting out, you may not be able to hire a dedicated editor or proofreader. That’s okay! But getting an editor should be on your list of goals.

When you’re writing on your own, you’re giving voice to your own train of thought. It can be difficult to put yourself into the mind of your audience, especially when so many different people can be reading your content online.

Working with another set of eyes gives fresh perspective to your writing and ideas. You won’t have to wonder whether other readers can understand what you’re saying.

If working with a professional editor isn’t on the table, you may be able to connect with other writers via forums and Facebook groups. If you have other team members in your business, they may also be able to offer advice.

#1: Use Images

Adding relevant images to your writing, especially accompanying a subheader, can help readers focus on the information they need.

Images are intriguing. They break up scrolling and can convince skimmers to stop and take a longer look.

Websites like Pexels and Pixabay offer thousands of open source images covering almost every topic imaginable, making it easy to add eye-catching visuals to your writing without any copyright hassle.

With these 10 copywriting secrets, your website will be raking in clicks, likes, and views in no time.

Looking for more resources to help you produce copy that pops? Check out my Copy Writing Resource List, covering advertising copy, blogging, writing bios, and much more!

What did we miss?

What resources would you add to this list of the 10 best copywriting secrets that you hope your competitors won’t use? Comment below or share with us on social media (@LaptopLaura on most platforms).

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Have a great day!

Copy That Pops team