What separates a good landing page from a great one?
If you said imagery, design, and UX, you’d be right. But there’s something else. Something that will either pull readers in or push them away.
That thing? Landing page copy. Your copy can be the make-or-break element when someone is deciding whether to take you up on your offer.
Today, I’ll show you how to write a landing page that not only sounds great but converts your visitors. As a bonus, I’m giving you twelve copywriting formulas that’ll make writing your next landing page a breeze.
What is the ideal word count for a landing page?
If you want your landing page to rank on Google, it should be at least 300 words. However, there’s no ideal word count. The best way to determine the length of your landing page copy is to experiment and see which length converts best.
How to write effective landing page copy
Landing page copywriting focuses on helping your audience take an intended action. Whether that’s purchasing your product or signing up for your email list, there are a few things you must do when copywriting for landing pages:
Step 1: Find a problem
Think about what your audience members tend to struggle with. What problems hold them back from learning something new or improving their life?
Write down any problems that come to mind and identify the biggest.
Step 2: Understand the pain points
Once you know which problem your audience has, consider what their main pain points are. What habits, patterns, self-limiting beliefs, or other factors contribute to their problem? What’s keeping them from solving that problem?
Make a list of pain points you can reference as you write your landing page.
Step 3: Offer a solution
Now, think of how your solution—which could be something like a lead magnet, a course, or a coaching package—alleviates your prospect’s pain points and solves their problem.
To get started, write down the answers to these questions:
What will this solution help your audience accomplish?
What features does your offer have that will alleviate their pain points?
How does your product differ from other solutions that already exist? This is known as your unique selling proposition (USP).
Step 4: Communicate the desired outcome
Your solution should help your audience solve a problem so they can achieve something bigger, which is their desired outcome. The desired outcome often relates to your audiences’ bigger vision, dreams, and goals for their business or life.
Delana Simmons communicates the desired outcome of her offer through easy-to-read bullet points, one of which reads, “it’s time to uplevel your systems so you can make enough money to support your family without worry.”
Jot down at least three points. You can use these on your landing page in sentences or in bulletpoints as Delana did.
Anatomy of user-friendly landing pages
After completing the above four steps, you’ll have a document packed with useful information and bits of copy. Time to plug that copy into different areas of your landing page.
#1 An engaging headline
Your headline copy should capture your audience’s attention and pique their interest. It should relate to your niche and explain how your offer will benefit your audience in a clear yet concise way.
Creator Sagan Morrow’s headline is straight to the point and calls out her target audience, so people know exactly who her offer is—and isn’t—for.
Headline formula #1: Worried you’ll never have [desired outcome]?
This headline hints at your audience’s struggle with reaching their desired outcome while allowing you to talk more about their pain points in the following description copy.
Image via Leeza Harrington
Headline formula #2: How to turn [problem] into [desired outcome]
Everyone wants to know how to get from Point A to Point B. Point A represents what problem your audience is currently having and Point B refers to where your audience wants to go.
Image via Nawal Mustafa
Headline formula #3: Feeling [pain point 1] or [pain point 2]?
If you want to lead with a pain point, make sure you use the description copy to fully explain how you will help your audience alleviate or completely eliminate said pain point.
This headline captures your audience’s attention by describing how they may feel before taking advantage of your offer.
Headline formula #4: The secret to [desired outcome]
This headline works well if you have an unconventional way to achieve the desired outcome of your audience. This way, you can play on the secret aspect and pique your readers’ curiosity.
Your description is meant to give your audience additional information they may need before they buy your offer or sign up for your lead magnet.
You want to give enough information in your description copy, so prospects feel confident converting without getting overwhelmed with unnecessary details.
Landing page description formulas
Description formula #1
Have you ever wondered how to approach [topic of interest] but struggled to know where to start? In my [offer], I’ll break down my top [number of tips], so you can achieve [desired outcome 1] and then [desired outcome 2]. Sign up below to access your free [lead magnet resource]!
After [your skill of practice] for over [years of experience], I have learned how to help [ideal audience] achieve [desired outcome]. Get instant access to my [lead magnet resource] to help you solve [problem].
Sick of feeling [pain point 1]? Want to achieve [desired outcome] without [pain point 2]? You can! I help [ideal audience] like you overcome [problem] with [solution].
Prepare for your next [pain point 1] using this [lead magnet resource] that will help you achieve [desired outcome] and ease your [pain point 2].
Image via Connect WK
#3 One strong CTA
After reading your headline and description, your audience will be looking for instructions on what to do next. That’s where your call-to-action comes in.
Writing an effective CTA is crucial because it will strongly affect your landing page conversions. Your CTA button copy should be written to invite your audience to click the button and sign up/pay.
Make sure that your button is:
Written with at least one action-oriented word in it
Only focused on one offer (it’s better for your conversions!)
In a color that is highly contrasted with your landing page’s background color
Easy to read, easy to see, and even easier to take action on
CTA button formula #1: [outcome] now
For this simple formula, insert the outcome you’re promising. Here are some examples:
9 tips and best practices for creating persuasive landing page copy
#1 Write about the benefits, not the features
Benefits paint a clear picture of how your offer will help your audience achieve their desired outcome.
For example, a feature of your course might be that all 50 modules are available the moment your student enrolls. The benefit? Perhaps students can work at their own pace or skip to topics they want to learn first.
On Perfect Cent Living’s opt-in landing page, she doesn’t say how long the ebook is or how many chapters there are (which would be a feature of her product). Instead, she mentions that her ebook will “help you uncover what subconscious money blocks are keeping you from reaching your money goals.”
Image via Perfect Cents Living
Benefits are often emotionally charged, and since humans largely make decisions based on emotions rather than logic, highlighting benefits tends to be more persuasive.
#2 Use numbers to be believable
When using numbers on your landing pages, the more precise, the better. Precision adds credibility, which we can see in action on Hotjar’s homepage:
Include how many people have signed up or purchased your offer (i.e., 107 people loved taking this course)
How much time it takes to go through your program (i.e., students improved their confidence in only 12 short days)
Your average star rating (i.e., rated 4.7/5 stars by 67 people)
#3 Add testimonials, social proof, or case studies
Showcasing stories from other people is a fast way to build trust and ease purchasing fears with prospects.
Copywriter Ema Fulga says that “people know they’re being sold to, so whatever companies have to say about themselves sounds less genuine [than] the opinion of another customer. People trust other people.”
Ema also experimented with testimonials on her homepage and tells me:
I used to have all my testimonials on my Services page but this December, I decided to add a few on my homepage. The results were surprisingly good. The button right below the testimonials of my homepage got roughly 15% more clicks, and once people got to my Contact page, I saw an increase of about 7% in conversions. – Ema Fulga
#4 Include your client’s words in the copy
Voice of customer (VoC) is where you use the exact words and phrases your clients use so they feel understood while reading your landing page copy. Here’s an example of a VoC file I created:
I collected online reviews and testimonials to understand how people describe their pain points in their own words. After sifting through the reviews, I grabbed the most common ways people described their problems and popped them into the landing page.
For example, if your audience describes their pain point as being “very tired” don’t use words like “exhausted” or “fatigued”—use the exact same verbiage they use, in this case, “very tired.”
#5 Make it simple to take action with a great CTA
Keep your CTA clear and easy to find. Even better, use the same CTA multiple times throughout long landing pages, so your reader doesn’t need to scroll all the way to the bottom to convert.
#6 Check your grammar
Grammar and spelling mistakes can decrease credibility and in some cases, hurt your conversion rates. Tips for spotting errors:
Use a grammar checker
Change the font of your copy
Read your copy backward
Have a friend proofread
Read your landing page copy out loud
#7 Write with the ‘rule of one’ in mind
The rule of one states all copywriting should focus on one idea, one reader, one promise, and one CTA. This way, your copywriting is clear and concise, and your reader doesn’t have to guess what your offer is and whether that offer is for them.
#8 Write for people, not bots
A big challenge with landing page SEO is writing for people, not bots. Your landing page should sound natural, even if it means sacrificing keyword placement. After all, there’s no point ranking high if your traffic doesn’t convert. To make sure you’re writing for people, not bots, write your landing pages in the same way you’d talk to your audience.
#9 A/B test copy elements
Don’t forget to A/B test your landing pages. An easy place to start is to test variation #1 for a set period of time (a month works well) and test variation #2 afterward for another month. Whichever variation brings you more conversions is the winner.
You can test things like:
Headers
Subheaders
CTAs
Variations in description copy
Imagery
Button colors
Start attracting people to your landing page
Growing an email list is the easiest way to drive warm traffic to your landing page. With your list, you can showcase your expertise and develop a strong relationship with your subscribers, so by the time they arrive on your landing page, they’ll want to take action on your offer.
Even better, with Kit, you can grow your list and create attractive landing pages all in one platform. Give it a try for free, today!
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Dana is a freelance writer who works closely with B2B SaaS brands to create content people enjoy reading. When she’s not working, you’ll find her sipping on a warm cup of tea and reading a good book (the scarier, the better). See what she’s up to at www.dananicoledesigns.com (Read more by Dana)
