If you’re a business owner (whether you’re popping off past seven figures or opening a lemonade stand at the end of your driveway) you’ll have to write copy for your business.
But without the proper tools, framework, or skills, selling online can be awkward. The thing most business owners dread, is coming off as cringey, pushy, or salesy in their copy.
I see this as a good thing: if you’re worried about being salesy in your copy, it means that you care! You value being authentic, honest, and providing a great experience for people. You’re not relying on gimmicks or guilt in order to convince people to buy your stuff.
If you resonate with selling authentically, keep reading.
What does it mean to be salesy?
I have a theory about how copywriting skills develop.
Most of us start off subconsciously mimicking the marketing copy we’ve been consuming since we were babies staring at our iPads. (Ok, if you’re a 90s baby like me, then this probably wasn’t the case, but you get the point.)
We grew up around cringey, infomercial-type copy that definitely projected a salesy vibe into our marketing.
Does this sound familiar?
“Hey there, folks! Are you tired of the same old, boring life? Do you wish there was a solution to all your problems? Well, have we got something incredible for you today!”
“Introducing the ‘Swiss Army Wonder-Gadget’ – the all-in-one solution to life’s little challenges! It slices, it dices, it solves everyday problems with ease!”
“But hold on, folks! If you call within the next 10 minutes, you’ll get not one, not two, but three Swiss Army Wonder-Gadgets for the price of one! That’s right, three for the price of one! But you must act fast!”
Ew. Cringe. Salesy. Gross.
And even if it’s not a late-night infomercial you’re subconsciously channeling, it could be an influencer sell-out, a hustle-culture bro coach, or the same 3 ads you keep getting on YouTube for a month.
Point being, bad copy is all around us.
This salesy copy usually comes in the form of:
- Relying on gimmicks to sell
- Cliché or overused messaging
- Using guilt or scarcity to sell
- Feeling impersonal or formulaic
- Pressuring people to say yes before they’re ready
Now, I know you don’t want to go all Wolf of Wall Street on your ideal clients. So if you’re ready to sell without being salesy, here’s what you can do to inject some empathy, personality, and authenticity into your sales or website copy.
1. Write to one ideal person
The first rule of not being salesy is to speak to one person that matches your soulmate client archetype.
Even though you’re sending an email to your whole list, or your site gets thousands of visitors each month, you need to practice writing to only one person in your copy.
This makes the copy sound personal, conversational, and accessible to your ideal client.
To do this, you need to write in 2nd person a lot. As in:
- “I bet you didn’t know this about intermittent fasting”
- “Let me guess, you’re tired of feeding the algorithm in social media marketing?”
- “You deserve to feel fully comfortable in your skin on your wedding day”
At the end of the day, there is only going to be one person on the other side of the screen when they’re reading your words. Speak to them like you’re having a one-on-one conversation to help them feel seen and heard.
2. Use a conversational tone
Speaking of one-on-one conversations, you gotta dial back the corporate, professional, and rigid speak in your copy.
When you’re selling online, most people aren’t going to care how “professional” you sound. (We’re all just drinking coffee at home in our sweatpants, for goodness’s sake.) Don’t worry about sounding like a TEDx talk, and simply sound like a real person.
Especially in the age where many business owners are incorrectly using AI to cut corners in their copy, writing in a frank, conversational tone is going to be like a breath of fresh air for your readers.
People crave authenticity. So when you speak to them like a real person who’s trying to be helpful, they will trust you more.
I wrote a whole blog post on how to write conversational copy, so bookmark that baby right now.
3. Paint a word picture of the transformation you offer
What do your ideal clients really want? Like, really?
In our cringey infomercial example, we talked about getting “a solution to all your problems” but people are more realistic than that.
So yeah, even though your program is probably going to solve their problems, you should still paint a picture for them on how that’s going to look.
- “6 months from now, you could be rolling up to the office, coffee in hand, trusting that all your time will be spent on projects you love, knowing your operations are taking care of themselves in the background.”
- “So yeah, grab that margarita the next time you’re on a beach in another country. You’ll feel absolutely no guilt because we’ve crafted a fitness plan that helps you live life more fully, rather than depriving you of small joys.”
- “Nothing feels quite as good as putting in that 2-week notice at ye olde office job, so you can spend more time at home with your kids, running a creative business that energizes you with each new inquiry.”
Paint a word picture of what your ideal client really wants as a result of your services. Even if you don’t use that in your copy, it’s a good exercise to help keep your eyes on their prize.
At the end of the day, they don’t actually want your bookkeeping services, online course, or for you to “take something off their plate.” They want something bigger, more meaningful, and aspirational.
4. Being clear and helpful is a priority
As fun as it is to wax poetic about the amazing life your services unlock for your ideal clients, you want to be conscious of how much information you’re giving them at a time, and how quickly you give it to them.
There is an art (and a science) to giving people enough information to help them make their decision, without overwhelming them.
Your copy is most helpful when it is clear. So make sure you’ve covered the basics like these:
- What is your offer? And who is it for?
- What are the features and the benefits?
- How can they engage with you?
- What is the price point or time commitment?
- What is the first step in getting started?
I love getting creative with copy, but if you skip the basics, you’re not going to be helping anybody.
You would not believe the number of websites I visit that don’t have a clear call to action. It’s such a bummer to have a good message, great design, but actually skip the part where people get started working with you!
Before you hit publish, make sure you’re clear about the practical information your ideal clients need to make their decision.
5. Ignore the people who aren’t right for your offer
This is going back to point one about writing to one ideal person, but what many business owners forget is that you have to ignore the people you’re not speaking to.
The online space is noisy, and chances are, some randos may end up on your website or email list that are not a good fit for what you offer.
Your sales copy should not speak to them. Even if they are only slightly off from your ideal client, that doesn’t matter. You can’t waste your energy trying to convince them to buy.
Now, there is a difference between overcoming objections your ideal clients have, and answering questions from the peanut gallery.
Overcoming objections mean that you’re answering real questions and addressing hesitations your ideal clients need answered before they buy. This helps them gain trust in you and give them peace of mind about buying.
But answering every single question you’re asked or speaking to the peanut gallery is going to distract from your main message and serving the people you really want to serve.
For example, if you’re a web designer who works for affluent brands, don’t spend valuable copy space addressing questions like “why is web design so expensive.” Your ideal clients already know what web design costs, and the rest of your copy should back up that you are a high-ticket investment. Don’t spend your time talking about why you can’t get custom web design for $100.
Selling online can be fun and not at all cringe
If you’re on board with writing more authentic, empathetic copy for your business and staying away from cringey sales tactics, we should be friends.
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