"The copywriter who swipes and tests EVERYTHING." - What can you learn from this "Marvel's" copywriting career?

Monday: MicroBusiness and Marketing Marvels FROM THE DESK OF MILES EVERSON: Hello, everyone! We hope you’re having a great day so far. Let’s start the week with enthusiasm by talking about our “Marketing Marvels”—outstanding people in business and marketing. Every Monday, we feature these professionals and highlight their experiences, insights, and contributions to the industry. Today, let’s focus on one of the leading voices in the copywriting world. Read on to know some conversion marketing insights from this copywriting guru. CEO, MBO Partners Chairman of the Advisory Board, The I Institute

"The copywriter who swipes and tests EVERYTHING." - What can you learn from this "Marvel's" copywriting career? Joanna Wiebe: Founder of CopyHackers No matter what your business does or sells, you need GOOD copy. High-converting copy makes the difference between businesses that succeed and those that struggle to get by every day. Besides, copywriting can happen anywhere—from blogs to fashion items to cereal boxes. It covers the entire world of marketing through words and helping brands build their reputations. That’s why copywriting is always an integral part of marketing. Without compelling and engaging content, many businesses would fail to deliver their messages and conduct their advertising campaigns. The Copywriter Who Swipes and Tests Everything Joanna Wiebe is the founder of copywriting websites CopyHackers and Airstory.co. She studied Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing at the University of Alberta, during which she won the James Patrick Folinsbee Prize in Creative Writing twice, and the Godfrey Prize. Her literary works were published in the university’s literary journal, “Fait Accomplit.” After graduating, she lived in the remote northern island of Hokkaido, Japan for a year, and that’s where she got her inspiration for the verdant Wormwood Island in her book series, “The V Trilogy.” Wiebe considers herself as a “conversion copywriter”—meaning, she writes content that drives conversions AND sells products or services. She has a lot to say about how to make words count, both in dollars and in sense. Since starting her copywriting career in 2004, she has written for companies like Wistia, Buffer, Crazy Egg, Shopify, Intuit, EMEX, and more. Aside from that, she has worked with over 70,000 people from early and growth-stage startups, big businesses, international agencies, and indie establishments to move their copywriting strategies forward. What are some of the copywriting hacks Wiebe commonly teaches to her clients? The best copywriting starts with research and discovery. According to Wiebe, this is the most significant part of the entire copywriting process. She says this step is simple, yet not everyone knows how to do it properly. So… how should you research and discover more about your target market? Start with customer interviews and zero in on the interesting parts that you hear from them. This doesn’t have to be a formal interview type, where you’ll sit down together, face-to-face, and the interviewee will answer all of your questions. It could be just striking up a normal conversation at a park, café, computer shop, salon, or anywhere else. … and take note: The customer you’ll talk to doesn’t necessarily have to be a stranger. You could also converse with a family member or friend, then casually talk to them about something they’re interested in. Along those lines, you’ll find something that would help you improve your brand’s messaging. After all, Wiebe says you’re actually never starting from scratch in copywriting. You’re just organizing raw, voice-of-customer data. Your messages must be organized. Once you’ve collected the necessary data from your conversations with your target market, how can you organize the messages you noted down? In this step, Wiebe shares her favorite framework to pull her copy together: PASO. Problem - This is where you state the problem you’re addressing for your target market. Here, you show them the value of your content and why they shouldn’t ignore you. Agitation - Simply stating the problem isn’t enough. You have to “agitate” the situation and make readers feel the pain if the problem isn’t solved. Solution - This is where you tell your readers the solution to their problem: A product or service that your brand offers. You also have to state how your offering would be beneficial to them. Outcome - This is where you support the solution you’ve presented. Explain what readers can expect to feel, get, or be once the problem is solved. Meanwhile, if there is no major pain point based on your conversations with your target market, you can use Wiebe’s classic framework, AIDA—the acronym for Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action. Here, you start organizing your messages based on what will grab your readers’ attention and compel them to act on your call-to-action. Editing is a crucial step before publishing copy. Once you’ve organized your messages, make sure to edit them. This is where you sweep through your messaging again to prepare for A/B testing, publishing, etc. In this process, you’re taking the clunky voice-of-customer data and ensuring it sounds smooth and still punchy. One of the frameworks Wiebe uses to execute a fast-moving copy review is The Seven Sweeps (we’ll talk about this in detail in a separate article, so stay tuned!): Clarity sweep Voice and tone sweep “So what” sweep “Prove it” sweep Specificity sweep Heightened emotion sweep Zero risk sweep By using this framework, Wiebe says she’s able to edit copies quickly and confidently. Conversion copywriting is about compelling someone to take action. As a copywriter, your role is to convince someone to say “yes” to your offer, whether it’s subscribing to your newsletter, buying your product, clicking a link to your recent blog, or others. Wiebe also says it’s all about getting inside people’s minds! According to her, the difference between writing persuasive copy and “meh” copy is how much you focus on your target market. It’s not just about the words you use to describe your product, but also the words your customers use. Apply Wiebe’s conversion copywriting hacks! Always remember that communication—both written and spoken—is one of the most important tools we have as humans. As marketers, communication is also crucial to ensure your advertising efforts succeed.     Hope you’ve found this week’s insights interesting and helpful. Follow us on LinkedIn.