Complete Copywriting Tutorial - Examples, Tips and Formulas

Summary

In this comprehensive copywriting tutorial, Brian Dean of Backlinko shares actionable strategies for boosting traffic, leads, sales, and social shares. He dispels the myth that years of experience are needed for copywriting success, emphasizing the importance of understanding key principles. Techniques such as using Reddit for insights, crafting short sentences, creating a 'slippery slide' to maintain reader engagement, and leveraging FOMO are highlighted. Dean also covers the significance of strong leads, the A-I-D-A formula, focusing on benefits over features, addressing customer objections, and utilizing social proof. Additional tips include talking to customers for research, creating urgency and scarcity, and using 'crooked numbers' for authenticity. The tutorial aims to simplify copywriting and empower viewers to craft compelling content.

Takeaways

• 🚀 Use Reddit threads to find customer language for compelling copy.
• ✂️ Short sentences are easier to read and make better copy.
• 🛝 Keep readers engaged with a slippery slide technique.
• 🔍 Use super-specific headlines to clearly state what readers will get.
• ⚡ Utilize FOMO (fear of missing out) to create urgency and interest.
• 📜 Write strong leads to grab attention right after the headline.
• 📝 Avoid big words to ensure your copy is easy to understand.
• 📈 Follow the AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) formula for effective copy.
• 💡 Highlight benefits over features to make your copy more persuasive.
• 🛑 Address customer objections directly to move them from interest to purchase.
• 👥 Talk to customers directly to gather insights and improve your copy.
• ⏰ Create urgency and scarcity to prompt immediate action from potential customers.
• 🧩 Use social proof strategically to build credibility, even with limited data.
• 💬 Follow a three-step testimonial formula: Before, After, Recommendation.
• 🔢 Use crooked numbers (exact numbers) for greater credibility and believability.

Q & A

Who is the founder of Backlinko?

Brian Dean is the founder of Backlinko.

What is the main benefit of using short sentences in copywriting?

Short sentences are easier to read and understand, making the copy more effective.

What is a 'slippery slide' in copywriting?

A 'slippery slide' is a technique used to keep people reading by adding elements to the page designed to maintain their interest, such as stories or referring to upcoming content.

Why are super-specific headlines important in copywriting?

Super-specific headlines clearly convey what the reader will get, making them more compelling and effective.

How can FOMO (fear of missing out) enhance copy effectiveness?

FOMO triggers a strong emotional reaction, encouraging prospects to pay close attention and act quickly.

What is the A-I-D-A formula in copywriting?

The A-I-D-A formula stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action, and it helps structure copy to boost conversions.

Why should benefits be emphasized over features in copywriting?

Benefits sell more effectively because they highlight the value and impact of the product or service on the customer's life, whereas features are just descriptions of the product.

What does it mean to 'get out of the friend zone' with potential customers?

Getting out of the friend zone means addressing and overcoming potential objections that prevent prospects from buying.

How can you use customer research to improve your copywriting?

You can use customer research, such as talking to customers or using platforms like Reddit, to understand their language and needs, which helps create more targeted and effective copy.

What is the 'social proof paradox' and how can it be solved?

The social proof paradox is needing social proof to sell but needing sales to get social proof. It can be solved by featuring the strongest form of social proof available, such as success stories or the number of free trial sign-ups.

What is the benefit of using 'crooked numbers' in copywriting?

Crooked numbers, which are not rounded, are more believable and credible to readers compared to round numbers.

Why is it important to write strong leads in your copy?

Strong leads are crucial because they grab the reader's attention right after the headline and determine whether the reader will continue engaging with the content.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Introduction and Copywriting Basics

Brian Dean introduces himself and sets the stage for a comprehensive copywriting tutorial. He emphasizes the importance of copywriting for traffic, leads, sales, and social shares. He shares his own journey from freelance writing to creating successful sales letters, highlighting the simplicity of effective copywriting when key principles are followed. Dean provides actionable strategies, starting with using Reddit threads to mine customer language, writing short sentences, and employing the 'slippery slide' technique to maintain reader engagement.

05:00

✒️ Writing Strong Leads

Dean discusses the importance of the lead section, immediately following the headline, in grabbing and maintaining reader attention. He offers three strategies for writing effective leads: using a compelling hook, keeping the lead concise (six to eight sentences), and incorporating mini-stories. He emphasizes that a strong lead is crucial for transitioning into the main content and ensuring readers stay engaged.

10:00

📊 Advanced Copywriting Techniques

Dean delves into advanced techniques for enhancing copy. He advises against using big words, advocating for simplicity. He introduces the AIDA formula (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) for structured copy, and stresses the importance of highlighting benefits over features. He discusses addressing potential customer objections and emphasizes the value of direct customer interactions. Additional tips include creating urgency and scarcity, leveraging social proof effectively, and using specific, non-rounded numbers to enhance credibility. He concludes with a bonus strategy on crafting powerful testimonials using a three-step formula.

Keywords

💡Copywriting

Copywriting is the art and science of writing persuasive content that drives action, typically with the goal of selling a product or service. In the video, copywriting is the central theme, with the speaker sharing various techniques and strategies to improve copywriting skills. The script mentions copywriting in the context of creating blog posts, sales letters, and other marketing materials.

💡Backlinko

Backlinko is the company founded by Brian Dean, who is the speaker in the video. It is focused on providing actionable strategies for increasing website traffic, leads, sales, and social shares. The keyword is used to establish the speaker's credibility and expertise in the field of digital marketing and copywriting.

💡Reddit threads

Reddit threads refer to the discussions within the Reddit platform, which are used as a source of customer insights in the video. The speaker suggests using Reddit threads to understand the language and preferences of potential customers, which can then be applied to create more effective copywriting.

💡Short sentences

Short sentences are emphasized in the video as an effective copywriting technique because they are easier to read and understand. The script cites a study by the American Press Institute that found short sentences to be significantly more readable, and the speaker advises using short sentences to improve the clarity and impact of written content.

💡Slippery slide

The slippery slide is a copywriting technique designed to keep readers engaged and moving through the content. It involves adding elements that prompt readers to continue reading, such as storytelling, references to upcoming content, or phrases that create curiosity. The video uses this term to illustrate the importance of maintaining reader interest throughout a piece of writing.

💡Super-specific headlines

Super-specific headlines are headlines that clearly communicate what the reader will gain from the content. The video suggests that these types of headlines are more compelling and effective because they provide a clear value proposition. The script contrasts a general headline with a super-specific one to demonstrate the difference in impact.

💡FOMO

FOMO, or fear of missing out, is a psychological trigger that the video suggests can significantly enhance the effectiveness of copywriting. It is used to create a sense of urgency and exclusivity, prompting potential customers to take action. The script provides an example of how emphasizing a product launch deadline can leverage FOMO.

💡Strong leads

Strong leads refer to the introductory section of a piece of content that comes after the headline. In the video, the speaker argues that the lead is as important as the headline in capturing the reader's attention. The script outlines strategies for writing effective leads, such as using a hook, keeping the lead short, and incorporating mini-stories.

💡A-I-D-A formula

The A-I-D-A formula is a classic copywriting structure that stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action. The video explains how this formula can boost conversions by guiding the reader through these stages. The script provides an example of applying the A-I-D-A formula to a blog guide to engage readers and prompt them to take action.

💡Benefits over features

The video emphasizes the importance of focusing on benefits rather than features in copywriting. Benefits are what the customer gains from using a product or service, whereas features are the attributes of the product itself. The script illustrates how to transform features into benefits to create more compelling copy, using an example of a SAS company.

💡Social proof

Social proof is a psychological phenomenon where people are influenced by the actions of others. In the context of the video, social proof is used to build trust and credibility, making it easier to sell products or services. The script discusses the 'social proof paradox' and offers strategies for leveraging social proof even when sales numbers are low.

Highlights

Brian Dean shares his copywriting tutorial, emphasizing actionable strategies for increasing traffic, leads, sales, and social shares.

Contrary to popular belief, years of experience or training are not required to master copywriting.

Dean's first sales letter outperformed the client's existing one by a 2:1 margin, showcasing the effectiveness of his copywriting principles.

Reddit threads can be a gold mine for copywriting, providing insights into customer preferences and language.

Short sentences are proven to be 711% easier to read and understand, as per a study by the American Press Institute.

The 'slippery slide' technique is designed to keep readers engaged and continually reading the content.

Super-specific headlines are more compelling and effective in conveying exactly what the reader will get.

FOMO (fear of missing out) can significantly enhance the effectiveness of copywriting when applied correctly.

Strong leads are crucial after headlines, and should be concise, engaging, and transition smoothly into the main content.

Avoid using big words; instead, opt for language that is easy to read and understand.

The A-I-D-A formula (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) is a classic copywriting tool for boosting conversions.

Benefits sell better than features; focus on how the product or service will improve the customer's life.

Addressing potential customer objections head-on can help move them from the 'friend zone' to becoming buyers.

Talking to customers directly can provide deep insights that enhance copywriting strategies.

Urgency and scarcity in copywriting can drive immediate conversions by creating a sense of limited time or availability.

Solving the social proof paradox involves showcasing any form of social validation, even if it's not directly related to sales.

A three-step testimonial formula involving 'before', 'after', and 'what they'd tell someone' can significantly boost sales.

Crooked numbers, or numbers that haven't been rounded, are perceived as more believable and should be used when possible.

Transcripts

- In this video, I'm gonna show you

my complete copywriting tutorial.

In fact, I've used the tips from this video

to create blog posts that have been shared

thousands of time.

I've also written several high converting,

seven-figure sales letters.

I'm Brian Dean, the founder of Backlinko.

So if you want more traffic, leads,

sales, and social shares,

you'll love the actionable strategies in this video.

Let's get started.

Here's the truth about copywriting.

Despite what you might have heard,

you don't need years of experience or training

to learn copywriting.

In fact, before I launched Backlinko,

I used to be a freelance writer.

Then one day, out of the blue, one of my clients asked me,

"Do you, by any chance write sales letters?"

Now, at this point,

I'd never written a sales letter in my life.

But I wanted to give it a try,

so I told him, "Sales letters?

"Heck, yeah, I write sales letters."

And now that I was hired,

I had to write a sales letter fast.

In fact I had about a week

to write this sales letter from scratch.

So I researched as much as I could about copywriting.

And because I was in a rush,

I ignored the minutiae and focused on the key principles

that I saw again and again.

And it worked.

My client told me that my sales letter

outperformed their current one by a 2:1 margin.

Since that day, I've written dozens of sales letters,

newsletters and articles.

And over that time, I discovered what most copywriters

don't want you to know.

Copywriting is really easy.

That is when you know what to do and how to do it.

And that's exactly what I'm gonna show you

in this tutorial.

So, without further ado,

let's dive into copywriting tip number one,

use Reddit threads.

Reddit is a copywriting gold mine.

To use it, head over to a subreddit,

where your customer hangs out.

Then, take at look at threads that have lots of comments.

For example, let's say that you just launched

a new keto diet bar.

Well, you'd head over to keto and paleo subreddits

and search for bars.

Then, pay attention to the exact words and phrases

that people use to describe what they like and don't like

about the bars they've tried so far.

For example, I found tons of awesome copy

in this one thread, copy that would work great

for a landing page or Facebook ad.

Moving right along to our second copywriting tip,

use short sentences.

Here's a good rule of thumb

that applies to pretty much everything that you write.

Short sentences equals better copy.

And there's data to back this up.

A study conducted by the American Press Institute

found that short sentences

were 711% easier to read and understand,

which is why always atomize sentences

to be as short as possible.

Bottom line, use short sentences.

They're easier to read and understand.

Which leads us to technique number three,

the slippery slide.

Here's the deal.

You can have the best copy in the world,

but if people stop reading the page after the first sentence

your copy didn't work.

That's why one of the main goals of your copy

is to keep people reading.

Or as copywriting legend Joe Sugarman puts it,

the sole purpose of the first sentence

is to get you to read the second sentence.

The question is, how do you get someone

to keep reading your blog post, email or sales letter?

The slippery slide.

A slippery slide is where you add something to your page

that's specifically designed to keep people reading.

For example, you can tell a little story

in the beginning of your sales letter,

but leave the ending for the end.

Or you can refer to something that's coming up later

in your blog post.

You can even just say things like

here's the deal and the question is,

to push people to keep reading.

And now it's time for copywriting tip number four,

super-specific headlines.

You've probably already seen this old statistic before,

80% of people read the headline

and only 20% read the copy.

Is that statistic accurate?

I have no idea.

But I do know that your headline is super important.

And one of the best ways

to make your headlines more effective

use super-specific headlines.

Super-specific headlines are exactly like they sound.

They are headlines that tell your reader

exactly what they're gonna get.

For example, check out this blog post headline.

Not bad, but not that specific.

Now check out this super-specific headline.

It's much more compelling, right?

In fact, this works so well

that I tend to use super-specific headlines

on every blog post, landing page or sales letter

that I write.

And now it's time for technique number five,

use FOMO.

FOMO can make your copy 10 times more effective.

That said, FOMO also known as fear of missing out,

doesn't work for every situation.

But if you can use FOMO, you should use FOMO.

That's because FOMO triggers a strong reaction

with your prospects,

and emotion that makes them wanna listen closely

to what you have to say.

For example, we've recently launched a product

that closed on a certain day in time.

So, we emphasize that on our sales page.

Which brings us to copywriting tip six,

write strong leads.

Everyone and their mom knows the headlines are important,

but no one talks about something that in my experience,

is just as important if not more

than a headline.

Your lead.

Your lead is the section of your page

that comes right after your headline,

and at least in my experience

if you lose people here, you've lost them for good.

With that, here are three strategies that you can use

to write awesome leads.

First, use a hook in your first or second sentence.

The first sentence of your lead is huge.

So make sure that first line

really grabs your reader's attention.

For example, this landing page from Marie Forleo

has a killer first line.

Next, you wanna make your lead

about six to eight sentences max.

Whether you're writing a blog post, video script,

sales page or email newsletter,

you want your lead to be super short.

Remember, the goal of your lead

is just to grab your reader's attention.

And once you've done that,

you wanna transition into the main section of your content.

For example, I keep my blog post introductions

to around six lines.

Finally, use mini-stories in your leads.

Stories are a great way to hook your readers

right off the bat.

But like I just mentioned, the problem with that

is that your lead needs to be short and sweet.

So, you don't have a lot of room to tell an epic story.

Enter mini-stories.

Mini-stories condense a story into 45 lines.

For example, here's mini-story that I used

in one of my most successful sales letters.

And, now it's time for me to tell you

about copywriting technique number seven,

don't use big words.

Let's face it, big words don't impress anybody.

Um, yes, in this video I plan on demonstrating

the effectiveness of online vocabulary

and augmenting online transactions.

In fact, they make your content harder to read.

So instead of big fancy words like these,

use words that are easy to read and understand.

And now it's time for our eighth technique,

the A-I-D-A formula.

AIDA is a classic copywriting formula

that can help boost conversions on sales pages,

landing pages, articles, newsletters,

video scripts and more.

Here's what this formula looks like.

As you can see, A-I-D-A stand for Attention, Interest,

Desire and Action.

Let's take a look at a real-life example

of this formula in action.

I actually used the AIDA formula on this guide

from my blog.

First I grab people's attention with the first line,

then I create an interest with a bold promise,

and I fold it up buy tapping into a desire

that anyone reading this page wants.

Higher Google rankings,

and finally I cap things off with a called action

to keep reading.

Moving right along to technique number nine,

benefits over features.

There's no doubt about it.

When it comes to copy, benefits crush features.

In other words, features are nice, but benefits sell.

For example, let's say that you run a SAS company

that sells productivity software.

Here's how you can turn boring features

into powerful benefits.

Coschedule.com does a great job

of highlighting benefits over features.

Yeah, like any software product,

they outline key features.

But unlike most SAS companies,

the vast majority of their copy is benefit-driven.

Nice.

Moving right along to technique number 10,

get out of the friend zone.

We've all been in the friend zone before.

Or at least I have.

The friend zone is when you like someone

and they like you back, as a friend.

Well, as it turns out, the same thing happens

with potential customers and clients.

They like what you're selling, but not enough to buy.

What's the solution?

Address their objections.

I'm talking about objections like,

"It's just too expensive."

"It's not a good time for me."

"Yeah it sounds good, but will this work for me?"

or "I'm not ready to switch from another product.".

Most people pretend that these objections don't exist.

Instead, you wanna bring up these objections

and squash every one of them.

For example, here's an objection that we raise and squash

on a product FAQ page.

Let's get right into tip number 11,

talk to customers.

Remember earlier when I talked about

using Reddit for customer research?

Well, if you want to take this sort of thing

to the next level,

I recommend actually talking to your customers.

For example, I've recently hopped on Skype

with three people that graduated from one of my programs.

Fun fact, I was visiting my family in Rhode Island

when I did this interview,

that's why you can see my mom's amazing flower curtains

in the background.

And because we were chatting on Skype,

I could dig deep with follow-up questions.

Next up, we have urgency and scarcity.

Have you ever had someone tell you

that they're interested in what you're selling,

they just need some time to think it over?

In my experience, 99% of the time

that person doesn't end up buying.

Maybe they got busy and forgot,

maybe they found another product.

The exact reason doesn't really matter.

The important thing is that you do something

to get that person to convert right away.

The question is, how do you do it?

Add these words and phrases to your copy.

Needless to say,

these statements should be backed up with real limitations,

otherwise you're gonna loose people's trust.

But if you can use them, you should use them.

For example, this email

from one of our recent product launches

uses a clear to-the-minute deadline,

that creates a super high sense of urgency.

And now, it's time for our last copywriting tip,

solve the social proof paradox.

You need social proof to sell,

but you need sales to get social proof.

I call this the social proof paradox.

And it's a real problem for lots of business owners.

Fortunately, I found a simple way

to get around this problem.

Feature your strongest form of social proof.

It doesn't have to be sales.

For example, let's say that you just launched

a new nutrition coaching program.

And to get leads,

you offer people a free seven-day meal plan.

And if they wanna upgrade to a paid coaching plan,

they get a full 90-day meal plan

and personalized support from you.

But so far, only a few people

have upgraded to your paid plan.

Well, in that case you can showcase

how many people signed up for your free meal plan,

or maybe only have 20 total customers.

But three of those customers got amazing results.

Well, you can feature those three amazing results

on your homepage.

For example, when I launched my YouTube SEO course,

at that point we only had about 10 total beta users.

10 people isn't a lot of social proof.

But four of those 10 people got great results.

So we decided to feature those four people

on the sales page, and it worked.

And now it's time for a quick bonus tip,

use this proven, three-step testimonial formula.

It's no secret that testimonials can skyrocket sales.

In fact, BigCommerce reports that testimonials,

can increase sales by up to 62%.

That's the good news.

The bad news is that most people use testimonials

that simply don't work.

I'm talking about testimonials like this.

Now, to be fair,

there's nothing wrong with that testimonial.

But it's not gonna get anyone to whip out their credit card

and buy what you sell.

Instead, I recommend using this proven formula.

As you can see, this formula is broken down

into three main parts.

The three parts build on one another

to create one super-powerful testimonial.

First up, you have the before.

Here's where your customer talks about

where they were before they used your product or service.

That way, people can relate

to the person in your testimonial.

Here's an example.

Next, it's time for the after.

The after highlights specific results

that your customer got from your product.

Finally, it's time for the

"what they'd tell someone" section.

As the name suggests, here's what your customer

would tell someone that's on the fence.

And because this recommendation comes

directly from someone that used your product,

it's very believable.

Let's close out this video

with one more bonus strategy,

use crooked numbers.

Crooked numbers are numbers that haven't been rounded.

Here are some examples.

According to research,

crooked numbers are more believable than round numbers,

which means, whenever you can,

you wanna use them instead of round numbers.

For example, check out this intro from one of my blog posts.

I could have made this a nice round number

like over 200.000,

but I went with the exact crooked number instead.

So, that's it from my copywriting tutorial.

If you like this video,

make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel right now.

Just click in the Subscribe button below this video.

And if you want exclusive SEO techniques

that I only share with subscribers,

head over to backlinko.com and hop on the newsletter.

It's free.

Now I wanna turn it over to you.

Which technique from today's video

are you gonna try first?

Are you gonna use crooked numbers

or try using more benefits instead of features?

Let me know, by leaving a comment below right now.

Oh man.

With that, here's...

You good?

Aren't rounded, aren't rounded...

You wanna do lunch?

How the hell am I gonna say that?

But no one's...

Okay, that wasn't bad.