"Copy" is just the words you use to get someone to do something. Sign up, click, buy, reply. Every product page, email and post has copy, whether you meant to write any or not.
Most beginner copy fails in one of two ways. It's either so vague nobody knows what you're offering, or it's so hyped nobody believes it.
This lesson shows you a third way. By the end, you'll be able to write words that explain clearly, persuade honestly and sound like a real person wrote them. Because one did.
The short version
- Write to one specific person, start with their problem, and be concrete.
- Explain what your thing does for them, not just what it is.
- Never fake urgency, scarcity or reviews. Cut the hype words and read it out loud.
Write to one person
When you write "Hey everyone," you're talking to nobody. When you picture one person, your writing gets clearer and warmer.
Pick a real kind of person. Not "small business owners." Something like: "A guy in his fifties who just started selling woodwork at the flea market and has no idea how to take product photos."
Now write to him. Use "you." Use words he'd use. Skip anything he wouldn't care about.
You'll notice something. The people who aren't him still understand it fine. Specific writing works on more people, not fewer.
Lead with the problem
People don't wake up wanting your product. They wake up with a problem. Start there.
Weak opening:
"Introducing the Ultimate Garage Organization System."
Better opening:
"You can't find the tape measure. Again. It's somewhere under the kids' bikes and a box of extension cords you don't remember buying."
The second one makes the reader nod. Now they're listening. Then you can show them how your thing helps.
A simple order to follow
- Name the problem the way they'd say it.
- Show you understand why it's annoying.
- Offer your solution.
- Explain what's in it.
- Tell them exactly what to do next.
That's not a trick. It's just how a helpful conversation goes.
Be specific
Vague words slide right off the brain. Specific words stick.
- Vague: "Save time on your content."
- Specific: "Plan a month of posts in one sitting using a fill-in-the-blank calendar."
- Vague: "A complete guide."
- Specific: "A 12-page guide with a packing checklist, a budget sheet and a list of questions to ask the venue."
Only use details that are true. If it's 12 pages, say 12. If you don't know a number, don't make one up. Describe what's actually there.
Benefits vs. features, explained simply
A feature is what something is or has. A benefit is what it does for the person.
- Feature: "Includes a printable meal planner."
- Benefit: "Know what's for dinner before 5 p.m. hits."
- Feature: "Comes with 30 email templates."
- Benefit: "Stop staring at a blank screen when you need to follow up with a customer."
You need both. Features tell people what they're getting. Benefits tell them why they'd care. A good pattern is to say the feature, then add "so you can..." and finish the sentence.
"Includes a printable meal planner, so you can stop deciding dinner at the last minute."
Features tell people what it is. Benefits tell them why it matters to their actual life.
Keep benefits honest. "So you can save a little time on Sunday" is believable. "So you can transform your entire life" is not.
Honest urgency, honest proof
Urgency
Urgency means giving people a reason to act now instead of later. Real urgency is fine. Fake urgency is lying.
Honest urgency looks like:
- A launch discount that really ends on a stated date, and actually ends then.
- A live workshop with real limited seats because it's on a video call.
- A seasonal product that's only useful before a holiday.
Fake urgency looks like:
- A countdown timer that resets every time someone reloads the page.
- "Only 3 left" on a digital file that has no limit.
- "Price goes up tonight" when it never does.
Proof
Never write fake reviews or testimonials. Never invent a customer. Never imply a famous person uses your thing when they don't.
If you don't have reviews yet, that's fine. Say nothing, or say something honest like: "This is new. I made it because I needed it myself, and I'd love your feedback."
That line builds more trust than five glowing reviews from people who don't exist.
Edit out the hype
Hype words are a tell. They show up when the writer doesn't have anything specific to say.
Go through your draft and cut or replace words like:
- ultimate, revolutionary, game-changing
- secret, hack, insane
- effortless, overnight, guaranteed
- unlock, skyrocket, explode
- life-changing, mind-blowing
Also cut the stacked exclamation points and all-caps. If your words are good, they don't need to yell.
What do you replace hype with? Usually a plain, specific sentence. "This revolutionary system will skyrocket your sales" becomes "This is a step-by-step checklist for writing your first product page."
Less exciting. More believable. Believable wins.
Read it out loud
This is the best editing tool you have, and it's free.
Read your copy out loud, at normal speed. You'll catch:
- Sentences that are too long to say in one breath
- Words you'd never actually use in conversation
- Spots where you sound like a commercial
- Missing words and typos your eyes skipped
If you'd feel weird saying it to someone's face, rewrite it. That's the whole test.
Do this next
Say it plain, say it true, and let the reader decide.
Veteran. Gen Xer. Thirty-plus years building things on the web. I write these so you can skip some of the expensive mistakes.