Give me 2 minutes and I'll show you how to write persuasive copy

Top of the morning, ladies and gents!

In today's email, I'm going to improve your copywriting skills by breaking down ProWritingAid's landing page.

Although this is a landing page, many of the principles I talk about are applicable to emails, social media, and other forms of writing.

ProWritingAid is my favourite editing software and I thought it'd be fun to give you concrete examples of copywriting in action.

I've broken the landing page down into sections. In each section, I've numbered different parts and expanded on what they did well or what could be improved (in my opinion).

By the end of this email, you'll have a better idea on how to write persuasive copy that gets you more clients and makes you more money.

Alright, let's dive in:

Section 1

1

The headline is 7 words and direct.

The fewer words you can use and still get your point across, the better.

People's attention spans are limited and will quickly leave your page if they're confused. Right away, this landing page is clear what it is and who it's for.

I also like how it's transformation based.

Every powerful story is centered around change. So if you can create a narrative that your offer is the tool to get someone's desired change, you become the obvious choice.

In the subheading, they do a great job calling out who this is for. So, the person reading thinks "Oh, this tool is for me!" and keeps reading.

2

This part displays a few features of their product.

However, it would've been more powerful to show a live demo of the software in use.

It's more engaging to visualize how something is used than showing what features it has.

Out of curiosity, I checked their competitor's site (Grammarly), to compare. Lo-and-behold, they had a live demo of their software.

You can check it out here.

3

ProWritingAid does a fantastic job at handling objections.

In their call to action it says, "Get started - it's free"

Humans are psychologically wired in a way that their fear of loss is stronger than their desire for gain. They don't want to lose their hard-earned money.

By saying it's free, they remove the risk.

They also reduce the friction by saying "no credit card required." This saves people time, and again, the risk of losing money.

Notice how the call to action button is also bold and stands out.

This draws your eye to where they want you to take action, increasing the chance you'll do so.

Section 2

1

By saying "Better writing in a few clicks" it implies there's little friction to get the benefit. Humans are wired to take the path of least resistance, so the more you can showcase how easy it is, the better.

2

Again, they show who this software is for. The students' block is great because it talks about the benefit of "Boosting grades easily."

But the other two blocks could have had stronger benefits.

Section 3

1

ProWritingAid handles objections once again.

A common question that'll come up for readers is, "Will this work for my situation?"

By showcasing how their software works with everything, it puts this objection to rest.

Section 4

1

The software is showcased in use, giving you a better visualization of what to expect. This reduces confusion and increases familiarity, which helps conversions. But again, they should've used a video demo of it in action to increase engagement.

2

I like how they say "Keep your readers hanging on your every word." This implies the benefit of increased status if you use their software. At our core, we want to be liked and seen in a positive manner.

If you can showcase an increase of status in how others will see you if they use your product/service, it can have a persuasive effect.

Section 5

1

This section is the most important part of this landing page.

Social proof is the most powerful form of persuasion. Showing others praising the software validates it and reduces the perceived risk for you.

Think about it, would you rather order food from a restaurant with no reviews or the one with 1000+ 5 star reviews?

ProWritingAid also showcases how to present their testimonials perfectly.

One big mistake many people make is not showing pictures of the person giving the testimonial. By showing their picture, you can visualize the person and it comes across as more authentic.

So whenever you can, use pictures for your testimonials.

The 2nd testimonial in the middle is the most powerful. By showing that Joel tried every other software and saying ProWritingAid is the best, it handles doubts someone who’s tried other solutions in the past and gotten poor results.

However, one thing they should have done was put social proof at the top of the page.

When someone lands on your website, in the first 10 seconds they’re figuring out if this applies to them.

If they had social proof at the top, it would give credibility to their claims and increase conversions.

Section 7

1

This section taps in the psychological bias know as Authority Bias.

This is people's tendency to attribute greater accuracy to the opinion of an authority figure, regardless of the actual content, and be more influenced by that opinion.

So by showing all these credible companies using their software, ProWritingAid instantly become more credible.

This can also be in the form of influencers or public figures using a product or service as well.

Section 8

1

Now it's time for the final ask...

ProWritingAid strategically placed the last 2 sections to build their credibility before asking you to get started.

When they make their ask, they target the feeling of using their software. "Feel confident..."

Many people are insecure with their writing. By tapping into the feeling of becoming confident, the desire to use their software is increased.

And once again, they use their call to action to handle objections.

Main Takeaways

• Right away, people should know what you do, who this is for, and why they should trust you.

• When you can, show your service or product in action. Ideally, video for increased engagement.

• Think of all the possible objections someone might have, then handle them one by one in your copy.

• Place social proof near the top of your landing page to increase credibility.

• Implying a transformation in the reader is a powerful persuasion technique.

• Use simple words, cut the fluff, and be clear on the value you provide.

• Attention spans are limited in today's world, so you need to make your copy as easy to understand as possible.

• When talking about features, emphasize the benefits of them.

• Always use social proof (testimonials, case studies, reviews, endorsements). When presenting social proof, make it more authentic by adding pictures or videos of the person giving you the social proof.

Wam bam, there you have it!

Hope today's email was useful and you got some value from it.

The main thing is to experiment with different techniques and structures, then analyze the data and make tweaks.

Aside from that, I hope you have a fantastic Thursday, my friend.