All businesses have one problem in common – finding new customers. It doesn’t matter if you’re a dentist, builder, or an e-commerce store… you’re probably wondering where your next high-paying customer will come from.
There are two parts to the sales equation: the first is getting enough people who know about your business; the second is converting them.
While SEO copywriting will help more people find your business, direct response copywriting will convert them. If hundreds of people land on your website every month but they aren’t buying, these copywriting tips will make a massive difference.
1. Write a killer website headline
Your headline is often the first (and sometimes only) thing a reader sees. It must immediately capture attention and create a desire to read more. A killer headline should speak directly to the reader’s needs or desires, highlight a key benefit, and evoke curiosity or urgency. Whether it’s for an ad, landing page, or blog post, the goal is to keep people reading.
Check out Chase Dimond’s step-by-step guide on how to write website headlines that convert.
2. Highlight your unique selling points
A unique selling point (USP) is a reason a customer chooses you over your competitors. An example might be your prices, your guarantee, how fast you deliver your service, free shipping, free returns, or eco-friendly packaging. Make these USPs easily visible, so people scrolling through your website can still see them.
3. Lead with benefits, not features
When you’re selling a product or service, it’s tempting to focus on all the features you’re proud of. But customers care more about how those features benefit them. Always lead with the benefits: how will your product or service solve their problems or improve their lives? For example, instead of saying “Our vacuum has a 1200W motor,” say, “Clean your home in half the time with our powerful, high-efficiency vacuum.” Show them how your offering makes their life easier, saves time, or helps them achieve their goals.
4. Personalise your message for maximum impact
People respond better to copy that feels like it’s speaking directly to them. Personalising your message increases its relevance and emotional impact. For example, if you’re targeting busy parents, focus on how your product can save them time, help them sleep, or reduce stress. When your copy feels like a one-on-one conversation, it can significantly boost your conversion rates.
5. Agitate the customer’s problem, then solve it
Your customers are coming to you with a problem. Remind them how much that problem hurts before you offer a solution. This problem-agitation-solution framework is a highly effective direct response copywriting technique.
- First, remind the reader of their pain point (e.g., “Are you tired of paying rent every month with nothing to show for it?”).
- Then, agitate it by highlighting how it’s negatively affecting their life (e.g., “That’s hard-earned money going straight into your landlord’s pocket, instead of building equity in your own home.”).
- Finally, offer your product as the solution (e.g., “Our affordable homebuilding service can get you out of the rental cycle and into your dream home faster than you think, with low deposit options and flexible financing plans.”).
This approach targets the emotional and financial pain points renters feel and shows how your solution makes their lives better.
6. Write with specificity
The majority of your customers are smart. You’re not going to trick them into buying anything. The best way is to give them the information they need to understand how your product will solve their pain and fulfil their desires – without too much time, money or effort. To do that, you need to be specific. Here are a few examples of how specificity makes copy more compelling:
Get a fast quote ➡️ Get a quote in 60 seconds
Lose weight ➡️ Lose 5kg in 30 days
Save money ➡️ Save up to $100 per month
Improve your website’s conversions ➡️ Increase your conversion rate by 30% or more
7. Show, don’t tell
Claude Hopkins once said, “No argument in the world can ever compare with one dramatic demonstration.” I’ll give you an example to illustrate this point:
Imagine you’re about to walk across a bridge. It looks unsafe, rocks from side to side, and there’s a 100-meter drop below. A sign on the bride says, “Don’t worry, this bridge is safe. It’s made from the best materials and has been built by engineers.”
Now picture this instead. An entire stampede of elephants and hippopotamuses crosses the bridge safely right in front of your eyes, without any issue. The bridge supports their weight flawlessly.
Which of these two would convince you more: the sign or the demonstration? Most people would say the latter every time.
8. Use proof elements
A demonstration is just one type of proof. But you can also use customer reviews, case studies, before and after photos, money-back guarantees, affiliations with other trusted brands or authority figures, or scientific studies and statistics. Proof is by far the most powerful of all persuasion elements. If you only implement one tip from this list, stack your website full of proof!
9. Include a clear call to action
Once you’ve demonstrated you can solve pain points, offer benefits, and you provide proof, add a clear call to action (CTA) that directs the reader what to do next. This can be booking a consultation, adding to card, or getting a quote – whatever the next step in the buyer’s journey should be for your customer. You can check out our article with examples of how to use CTAs in direct response copywriting for inspiration.
10. Keep it simple and scannable
Does your website have too many options? Are you telling the customer to shop now, call you, sign up for your newsletter, claim a discount code, get a quote, download your free eBook, and book a consultation, all at the same time? More people will scan through your website than read every word. If you confuse them your conversions will drop off a cliff.
Boost conversions with a Melbourne direct response copywriter
Now you’ve got a number of direct response copywriting tips in your toolkit, you can drastically increase the conversion rates on your website. But if you’re short on time and want a copywriter to help, we can do it for you. We’ve been writing copy for businesses around Melbourne and Australia for 10 years combined. Send us a message and let us know what you need, and we’ll do the rest.