Copywriting Basics: How to Attract the Right Audience with the What You Say & How You Say It

Are you stumped when it comes to writing copy for your business? If so, you’re not alone. In fact, some of the most common questions we get from fellow stationers and creatives are, “How do I write my social media posts in a way that attracts the RIGHT leads who are ready to work with me?” and “How do I write attention-grabbing website copy that encourages visitors to inquire?” That’s why today we’re tackling these questions and covering the basics of writing compelling copy. 

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What is Copywriting and How do Find Your Unique Brand Voice?

[3:30] Copywriting can be an intimidating term, but when it comes to writing copy for your business, don’t overthink it. Just think of copywriting as words that are intended to get a person to take action or do something – usually to inquire to work with you. 

When determining your brand voice or the tone you use when writing for your business, think about how you speak in text messages, emails, and personal social media posts. You can use some of your natural voice in your brand messaging. You want to incorporate some of the words and language that you usually use because it will help you avoid sounding robotic. There’s definitely a happy medium between too casual and too uptight and professional.

While it’s important to be aware of what kind of style other people in your industry are using in their copy, you want to be sure that your copy is original and authentic to you. Copying and pasting copy from someone else’s website is never a good strategy! 

You MUST Know who you’re trying to attract 

[34:00] When it comes to writing good copy, you must know exactly who you are trying to appeal to. For instance, there’s a big difference between the way you would talk to a potential stationary client and the way you’d talk to a peer in the industry who already knows the lingo we use in the stationery space. 

Remember, potential clients, don’t intuitively know or fully understand a lot of the things you do in your business. You’ll want to avoid overwhelming potential clients with excessive information on your website about things like wax seals, envelope liners, etc. You can discuss the different options they have for their invitations on a call, but On your website you want to keep it short and sweet – less is more! Too much text can be overwhelming to people and lead them to click away. 

You MUST know your objective 

[19:10] Before sitting down to write any kind of copy for your business you want to ask yourself a few questions so that you can get clear on your objective. This ensures that you’re not wasting your time and throwing spaghetti at the wall. Ask yourself:

What am I trying to get my audience to do? What action do I want them to take after reading this? How can I clearly compel them to take said action? 

What sentiment do I want them to take away from what I’m sharing? Am I trying to educate, inspire, motivate, or something else? 

Marrying your copy and Website Design – What you need to know! 

[38:08] When it comes to writing copy for your website remember the principles of font hierarchy! Remember that larger font will draw the eye and smaller font will function as supporting text.

You want text that’s in a larger font to be the important, eye-catching detail. Often these will be your headlines or calls-to action like Shop here! Sign up! Learn more! Packages include, X,Y,Z.  

The smaller text blocks on your website should include information that you wouldn’t be upset if people skipped over because more often than not, people will. 

Another design-level detail to think about when writing copy: in books, it’s standard for 10-12 words to be included per line for readability, and different thoughts/subjects are broken up by paragraphs. On your website, I’d recommend cutting that number in half! People don’t read text on screens – or they find it harder to read it – so you want to make it as easy as possible for them.