How To Write Copy That Makes People Take Action Without Being Pushy

One of the most important parts of any business is your copy. It’s what can make or break your sales page, website, and other marketing materials. 

If you want people to take action when they read your copy whether that means signing up for a newsletter or buying a product then it needs to be as clear as possible so they don’t get confused or frustrated. If you’re having trouble making sense of how to write effective copy for your business, here are some tips:

Takeaways
1. Balanced Approach: Effective copywriting strikes a balance between persuasion and respect for the audience’s autonomy.
2. Value Proposition: Clearly communicate the value your product or service offers, focusing on benefits that resonate with the reader.
3. Emotional Connection: Develop an emotional connection through relatable storytelling and empathetic language.
4. Compelling Call-to-Action: Craft a clear and compelling call-to-action that guides readers towards the desired action.
5. Inclusivity and Transparency: Create copy that feels inclusive and transparent, addressing concerns and providing information honestly.
6. Language Choice: Select words that empower rather than pressure, fostering a positive response from the audience.
7. Social Proof: Incorporate social proof such as testimonials and success stories to build trust and credibility.
8. Testing and Iteration: Continuously test different copy variations and analyze results to refine your approach over time.
9. Ethical Considerations: Prioritize ethical practices and avoid manipulative tactics, building a lasting and respectful relationship with your audience.

Use Short, Punchy Sentences

A punchy sentence is short and to the point. Short sentences are easier to read, understand, remember and process. That makes them perfect for copywriting.

Enhancing your copywriting skills involves understanding the nuances of different writing styles. To complement your knowledge on effective writing, explore our guide on writing effective legal guidance for valuable hints applicable across various domains.

To Write Punchy Copy, Follow These Three Steps

Identify what you want your reader to do (e.g., sign up for a free trial).

Break down that action into a series of simple steps (e.g., enter your zip code and phone number below).

Write those steps in a short, clear sentence or two (e.g., Type in your zip code & phone number below).

Make Your Copy Feel Effortless

It’s tempting to use big words or complicated sentences, but that doesn’t make your copy feel effortless. Instead, try to sound like you’re talking with a friend and use simple language.

Make your copy feel effortless by not trying too hard. Simple is better than complex. Using lots of buzzwords and industry jargon will make it seem as though you’re trying hard to sound smart but using simple terms makes it seem like you’re just having a conversation with your reader, not trying too hard to impress them with fancy words or long sentences (that may end up confusing them).

Make Your Copy Conversational

You’ve heard the phrase, “write as you talk.” It sounds like a no-brainer. But what does it mean?

There are two reasons why conversational copy is successful:

First, it’s friendly and easy to read. By creating a conversational tone in your writing, you make readers feel comfortable with you and with the topic at hand—and that makes them more likely to take action on your call-to-action than they would otherwise be if they felt unsure about either of these things.

Second, it’s easy for readers to understand what exactly you’re saying because the language is straightforward and clear rather than complicated or wordy (thereby making sure that people don’t get distracted from reading).

Crafting persuasive copy requires constant improvement. To become a better legal writer, delve into these 11 essential tips that cover a range of writing aspects, ensuring your copy captivates and convinces.

Speak Directly To Your Reader

You can do this by using the word “you”. This will help you to connect with your reader, and make them feel like you’re talking directly to them.

For example:

“You love eating pizza.” (This one is pretty obvious)

“You want a better job.” (A little more specific, but still personal.)

“We all want to be happy.” (Generic enough that it’s not super personalized.)

“I am going to write something else tomorrow.” (Super personal, because it’s me saying this!)

Say “you” more than “I” and “we.”

Let’s get one thing out of the way: there are no hard-and-fast rules when it comes to writing copy. The best copywriters have their styles, and you’ll need to find yours as well. But here’s one tip that many successful writers (like myself) have used to build trust with their readers, and it’s pretty simple: use the word “you” more than any other word.

Why? Because using “you” instead of “I” helps put your reader at ease and makes them feel like they’re being spoken directly to by a friend or professional who understands them. 

It makes sense when someone uses the words “we” or “us” in a sales letter, it can feel impersonal, whereas when someone is writing about their own experiences (like how amazing your product is), it can come off as self-centered and unhelpful for your potential customer.

If we were talking over coffee right now, I might say something like this: “You know what would be great? If you could go on vacation without worrying about money problems back home! Well, guess what…now you can! 

This new app lets people rent out unused rooms while they’re away so that they can earn extra cash every month from renting theirs out too! And did we mention this works anywhere in the world? 

So if you’re traveling somewhere awesome for work or for pleasure which is why most people travel in the first place this app will help make all those dreams come true! And even better? There’s no signup required whatsoever…just download it today!”

Use Everyday Language

Use everyday language. Don’t use jargon or industry-specific language. Keep it simple, and write for the average person.

Don’t use complex words when simple ones will do. The most powerful words are short and simple ones we don’t need fancy terminology to get our point across! This is especially true when writing copy that’s meant to motivate someone into action, whether that be buying something or doing something else entirely (like signing up to volunteer).

In the realm of effective communication, copywriting stands as a cornerstone. Discover the reasons behind its significance by exploring why copywriting is the key to success, shedding light on the transformative potential of this skill.

Don’t Worry Too Much About Being Grammatically Correct

Grammar is important, but not as important as making your copy easy to read.

The more you write, the better you get at writing. And with practice comes confidence and that’s an important element in helping people trust you and want to buy from you. So don’t worry about being grammatically perfect when writing copy that makes people take action without being pushy; just write it down!

Be Confident In Your Writing

The best copywriters are confident. If you’re in doubt about the quality of your writing, how can you expect anyone else to take action? Be sure that everything on your website and social media is written with confidence.

You should also have confidence in yourself and what you’re selling. Your product or service has value otherwise, you wouldn’t be selling it! So don’t shy away from mentioning its benefits: what it can do for customers and why they should buy it instead of something else (or nothing at all).

Your copywriting skills can help make or break any project: if people don’t believe in what they’re reading, they’ll quickly lose interest and move on without taking action.

Keep Your Sentences Short

Short sentences are easier to read, and they help make your copy more punchy. They’re also easier to remember, so you can keep the most important information front of mind when someone is reviewing it later. Plus, studies have shown that shorter sentences get shared more often on social media than longer ones do.

You should always aim for shorter sentences when writing a copy that aims to sell something (like an ebook or course). If this isn’t a requirement for what you’re writing about, then there’s no need to worry about it too much just keep in mind that shorter sentences tend to be easier on readers’ eyes and brains!

Don’t Use Unnecessary Punctuation, Exclamation Marks, Or Capitalization

If you’re trying to be pushy, don’t. Don’t use unnecessary punctuation, exclamation marks, or capitalization.

For example, if you’d like your reader to do something, don’t write “Please click here.” Instead, say something like “Click here.” If you want to announce for example, that your site is closing down then consider writing “We are sad to announce that our company is closing down after 14 years of business.” 

This type of message will have far more impact than simply saying “We’ve decided it’s time for us to close our doors.”

Elevating your writing involves making your content informative and engaging. To achieve this, implement the strategies outlined in our guide on 14 ways to make your content more informative, ensuring your readers gain valuable insights from your copy.

Skip The Unnecessary Adjectives And Adverbs (Most Of The Time)

A lot of people aren’t sure whether they should use adjectives and adverbs, or how often they should use them.

The answer is that it depends on the situation. In general, you should try to eliminate superfluous words from your writing. 

But if you do need a descriptive word, make sure it does more than just describe that is, make sure it adds meaning to your sentence. It’s better for people to understand what was done (verb) than for them to understand how something was done (adjective).

This may seem obvious but there are a lot of writers out there who still feel the need for every single word in their copy.*

Start Strong With Emotional Language And Active Verbs

Emotional language is a way to connect with readers by using words that evoke an emotion. Active verbs are the opposite of passive voice, which makes your writing less direct and less clear. The best copywriters use both emotional language and active verbs in their writing because they help you connect more effectively with your readers.

Vary Your Sentence Length For Better Flow And Readability

The two most important things to remember when constructing sentences are:

Don’t use too many short sentences in a row. Short sentences should be punchy, but if your copy is almost entirely made up of them, readers will get bored and stop reading.

Don’t overdo it with long sentences either. While long sentences can be used effectively to show off your writing chops or convey complex ideas, they also tend to put readers off because they seem overly verbose.

Use Contractions Where Appropriate To Make Your Copy Sound More Human And Less Robotic

Using contractions in your copy is a great way to make it sound more human and less robotic. However, using them too much can make the copy feel too informal and no one wants to read what they perceive as sloppy writing. 

When you’re writing a piece of content that’s meant to be read by an audience of all ages (like this article), I’d recommend sticking with contractions only when they add something extra to the conversation.

Vary Your Opening Lines To Keep Them From Sounding Repetitive And Boring To Readers

But how do you get the reader to care? This is where we need to be creative. You can use a hook to get the reader’s attention; a question, quote, story, or anecdote that makes them think and ask themselves “What if?” These openings will help your copy stand out from the crowd and draw people in.

Storytelling infuses depth and relatability into your writing. To master the art of storytelling in your copy, follow the steps shared in our guide on storytelling made easy, and watch as your narratives come alive with authenticity.

Don’t Use Complicated Words When Simple Ones Will Do Just As Well (Or Better)

Your copy shouldn’t be complicated, but it doesn’t need to be simple either. Keep it short and punchy: use everyday language, and don’t use unnecessary punctuation or capitalization (but do capitalize the first word of sentences). This creates a casual tone that will make your customer feel like they’re talking to you in person, rather than reading a dry sales page.

You should also avoid using complicated words when simpler ones will work just as well it might sound silly at first but it does help keep your copy easy to read and makes readers feel like they understand what you’re saying instead of being confused by overly flowery language.

Use Repetition (But Not Too Much)

Repetition can help you achieve many of the things we’ve already discussed. It will make your copy sound more human and less robotic, which is a good thing. If it’s too much though, it can get annoying very quickly. In general, you should use repetition only when it helps a reader to remember an important message or concept from earlier on in your piece.

In addition to using repetition effectively, make sure that you’re not repeating yourself over and over again with every paragraph (or sentence). One or two repetitions are fine but any more than that is likely going to be irritating for your readers.

Finally, if there’s something important or helpful that was mentioned early on in your copy but hasn’t been repeated since then it might be worth considering bringing it back into focus for one last time before moving on to another section of writing so as not to lose sight of exactly what made this particular point stand out from all others!

Copywriting is all about keeping things as clear as possible for your readers so they’re more likely to take action when you want them to.

When you’re writing, your copy must be clear and easy to understand. When people are confused about what you’re saying, they won’t trust you or believe what you’re saying. The more confusing your copy is, the less likely people will be to take action when asked by it.

It’s also a good idea to write in a way that’s not pushy or aggressive which is something many writers don’t realize until after they’ve finished writing their first draft of the piece! 

If someone feels like they’ve been pushed into reading something (or taking action), they’ll often just get defensive instead of listening with an open mind which means they might not take any action at all! 

You want people to feel like they have a choice in whether or not they read your message; if there’s even one element within the writing itself that makes someone feel like he/she doesn’t have control over his/her own choices, then all those feelings will come out negatively through his/her actions towards others (such as getting offended easily).

Finally: avoid being boring when possible! This isn’t always possible because sometimes we need information from our readers before giving them anything back; however, there are plenty of ways around this common problem without compromising quality too much (if at all).

Conclusion

I hope this guide has helped you to understand how you can write more persuasive copy. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes as long as you keep trying and learning from them, you’ll soon find your style!

Further Reading

Explore these additional resources to deepen your understanding of copywriting and its impact:

Inspiring Customers to Action: Copywriting Tips: Learn valuable techniques to craft compelling copy that motivates customers to take action.

B2C Copywriting Strategies: Dive into strategies specifically tailored for B2C copywriting, enhancing your ability to connect with consumers.

Effective Call-to-Action Examples: Discover a collection of real-world call-to-action examples and understand how they drive engagement.

FAQs

How can I improve my copywriting skills?

Enhance your copywriting skills by consistently practicing writing, studying successful copy examples, and seeking guidance from experienced writers.

What role does B2C copywriting play in marketing?

B2C copywriting focuses on engaging and persuading individual consumers, aiming to create emotional connections that drive purchases and brand loyalty.

How do call-to-action examples contribute to effective copywriting?

Call-to-action examples provide concrete instances of how to prompt readers or customers to take a specific action, leading to increased conversions.

What are some key elements of an impactful call-to-action?

An impactful call-to-action includes clear and action-oriented language, a sense of urgency, and a benefit that resonates with the audience.

How can I inspire customers to take action through my copy?

Craft persuasive copy by addressing the audience’s pain points, showcasing the value of your product or service, and presenting a compelling call-to-action.