What if I told you that, in order to write high-converting copy, you just needed 4 things?
It would simplify your world a little I guess.
Let me explain…
Some of you might know if you’ve been on here for a while, that in the past 3 months I’ve been going through a pretty rigorous diet and fitness plan.
Mostly for the mindset and growth aspects.
I REALLY care about principles over tactics.
Long-term benefits vs short-term rewards.
One thing I’m getting more curious about is food.
While my diet follows a pretty standard macro-based, calorie-restricted regimen, I found an interest in trying to get better at cooking, too.
Let’s face it, there can be so much chicken and rice on your table after a while.
In the book “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking.” Samin Nosrat talks about this very same principle-based approach when it comes to learning how to cook:
“A well-written and thoroughly tested recipe might tell you how to produce the dish in question, but it won’t teach you anything about how to cook, not really. Truth be told, recipes are infantilizing: Just do exactly what I say, they say, but don’t ask questions or worry your little head about why. They insist on fidelity and faith, but do nothing to earn or explain it.”
I think it’s the same with writing copy and copywriting formulas.
True, if you’re an entrepreneur or marketer in a rush to get a page out by end of day, then go ahead. Use copywriting formulas to get you there.
But in general, I think these are truly only good to get your head in the right space and your gears going.
What’s better I’ve found, is keeping in mind the core principles.
And turns out, there’s a surprising parallel between writing copy and cooking. Again, from the book:
“[there are] four basic factors that determine how good your food will taste: salt, which enhances flavor; fat, which amplifies flavor and makes appealing textures possible; acid, which brightens and balances; and heat, which ultimately determines the texture of food.”
How would I map these 4 key elements to good copy?
Here’s my framework:
- Heightened emotion is your Salt: it enhances the flavor of your copy, it makes it memorable and impactful.
- Clarity is your Fat: it spurs flavor right away and carries it for longer. I would add a pinch of specificity. This combo makes your copy’s “texture” truly appealing.
- Risk-reversal is your Acid: it balances flavor relative to other foods. You need it to make sure your positives outweigh the negatives (perceived or not).
- Proof is your Heat: it determines texture. And prospects only know your product or service is worth it when it’s cooked to perfection. Inside and out.
When you keep in mind these 4 factors and use them in your copy (hint: make a quick checklist you can use to edit any piece), you’ll always get good results.
You don’t need to be a Michelin star chef.
There’s only one caveat, however…
Before you use these – you have to know your product and market.
That’s where the intuitive knowledge to apply these will come from.
The next step when it comes to cooking is “Think about your goals in the kitchen in terms of flavors and textures. Do you want your food to be browned? Crisp? Tender? Soft? Chewy? Caramelized? Flaky? Moist? Next, work backward. Make a clear plan for yourself using sensory landmarks to guide you back to your goal.”
Your plan will be the result of researching your audience, your competitors and of speaking with your team.
What is your goal? (I’d love to know, just hit reply)
That’s a lot of the work I do for clients, so we can turn their messaging into mouth-watering website copy that converts.
Need help? Get in touch .
P.S.
Last week’s been a pretty busy one, if you missed any of the action, here are quick links to the entire step-by-step process I used (and am still going through) to optimize this newsletter’s funnel:
- Day 1: the plan
- Day 2 : landing page optimization – (Including the video teardown)
- Day 3 : welcome experience
- Day 4 : collecting data
- Day 5 : opt-in brainstorming
Quote and reflection of the day:
“First, you have to be prepared; second, you have to find the right opportunity; third, you have to come through at the moment of truth. Most people get plenty of opportunities during their lifetimes, so that’s rarely the issue. What counts is how well prepared they are and how good they are at taking advantage of opportunities when they make their appearance. – Robert Ringer, Winning through intimidation
When the work feels hard or pointless, remind yourself that you’re preparing for opportunity to strike. The harder the work the higher the chances of you taking advantage of the “luck” along the way.
Cheers,
Chris
