Ever wondered why your web copy isn’t converting? It’s probably not your writing skills – it’s how you position your product. In the age of AI, anyone can write, but few can truly connect with their customers. Even fewer can write copy that sells products at scale.
AI makes copywriting fast and cheap, flooding the internet with endless ‘noise’. But easy content isn’t necessarily effective content:
- It is easy
- It is fast
- It is dirt cheap
But does it sell?
As a result, we’re now in a position where any founder can create near endless streams of copy about their Product ideas, and new websites (this one included) can be published in minutes using tools like Lovable and WordPress.
The Problem? It is not how you say what your product does that captures your Customer’s attention and money, it is what your product can do for your customers that matters.
How to write better copy (with or without AI)
The first thing you need to realise is that your web copy should NOT be about your product.
I know this sounds weird – how are you supposed to sell your product unless you tell people what it does?
But bear with me – and think this through:
- Right now, are you more interested in solving your most pressing problem, or;
- Are you more interested in learning about my wonderful new solution?
People gravitate toward problems, especially their own problems. Think about it – we talk about our problems with our friends and family, we share challenges that we’re trying to solve, and even most interesting stories are about problems being overcome, not about solutions.
- Star Wars would be a pretty dull story if Luke was only learning how to use a lightsaber so he can impress Leia with his cooking techniques, for example
Customer problems are the source of great Copy
Where do we find these problems? The best source is your own customers’ “Struggling Moments”:
- The only reason a customer buys from you is because they have a problem to solve
- Understand the story behind the problem:
- When did they first realise they had a problem?
- What did they do to try and solve it before buying from you?
- How well did that work, and what didn’t work?
- What language do they use to explain this challenge?
One example of this comes from our Growth Research:
- Startup founders (usually those that have founded more than one business) complete their own in-house market research before launch
- As the launch date grows closer, the panic starts to set in – most know they have blind spots and biases in their own research, and say they feel too close to their research to see the problem
- As a result of this, they go looking for help – specifically they want a fresh pair of eyes that can see their blind spots and biases and help the founder avoid an obvious mistake that they cannot see themselves
This makes copywriting so much easier – rather than me writing out all the things my service could do, I can focus on the PROBLEM a potential customer has in their own words.
Matt Lerner, of SYSTM, describes this as “Language Market Fit” – and when you do it right, customers feel like you’re reading their mind.
They lean in, because they felt listened to and understood. Your copy resonates, not because it’s written by some Ad Exec on Maddison Avenue, but because it’s laser focused on the language real people use to describe their struggles and the outcome they need.
Putting this to use
You can vastly improve your copy in 2 simple steps:
- First, interview ONE customer and understand their story from the moment they first thought there was a problem to solve through until they bought a product to solve it
- Record these interviews and transcribe them – you’re after the language people use, after all
- Next, once your copy is online, recruit someone (using tools like userinterviews.com or respondent.io) to view your website in real-time, and tell you what they think it says
- Ideally use the screening questions on these user interview platforms to focus on people that match your target market
The first step tells you the language people use. One interview is gold dust. 10-12 interviews will let you see different pockets of demand (each will have its own unique language).
The second step validates and verifies that you’ve gotten the words right. Remember – this is not about your copy sounding clever – it’s about whether it is clear enough to get the message home in the mind of your ideal buyer.
I’ll be posting some examples of these tests on the insights section in future – if you want to be the first to know about them, put your email in the box below and we’ll keep you posted whenever new content is released.