Use first person language in your CTA, especially on the action button or link: "Yes, I'm ready to…” or “Send me my free..." etc.

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Submitted by Timothy “Sully” Sullivan

Take the reader by the hand by appealing to their lazy side.

Action words often imply a lot of effort (e.g., “Start” + “Buy” + “Sign up”), whereas “Take me” or “Show me.” imply you don’t actually have to do much.

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Submitted by Kim Edwards-Buarque

Begin with the end in mind, meaning decide on the action that you want people to take when they finish reading your copy.

So, if it's a landing page, decide what you want people to do when they reach the bottom. Do you want them to drop their email in or do you want them to download an e-book?

When you start writing this way, you'll notice that it is easier to get through the copy because there is only one objective that you'd like to achieve. Similarly, having multiple CTAs throughout the copy can be confusing. Stay consistent throughout the copy and you'll have better results.

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Submitted by Karthik Subramanian

Keep testing your assumptions. I have been surprised by some CTRs on various tests I ran in the last few months.

For example, "See How" is a strong performer for various campaigns I ran, despite being less descriptive and benefit oriented as your suggested CTAs.

It all comes back to context. Use the right type of CTA based on the content it comes with (static or dynamic ad, landing page, web page, email campaign...).

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Submitted by Johan Abadie

Also check if "you" is singular or plural.

Determine whether you are writing for one person or more than one person. If you are writing in an American dialect, for more than one person, change "you" to "y'all," "you guys," "youse guys," or "y'ins."

Then close the search box.

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Submitted by Steve Czajkowski

Use bucket brigades. "What's that?" you ask. Let's break it down.

A bucket brigade is a simple copywriting technique to keep people engaged from start to finish.

Because here's the thing: Some people can get bored reading long-form content. Now, you'll see it's easy to keep them hooked.

Just do this: Every few paragraphs, use a short, conversational sentence that persuades the reader to keep going.

Like this:

• “Most people don't do this…”

• “You won't believe this next point…”

• “Why? Nobody knows, but here's one thing for sure:”

If you do it well, you'll make people curious — and get people to read to the bottom.

And here's why that matters: That's where your call-to-value is waiting.

Use Bucket Brigades to Get Buckets of New Leads.

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Submitted by Christopher John Haughey

When you get done writing your sales page, pull up your “Find on this page” search bar (⌘ + F on a Mac/Control + F on Windows) and type the word: you.

Take note of the number of times it appears on the page. Then scroll through each section and see it highlighted throughout.

If there are any sections without it, think about ways to add in ways to speak to the customer.

If you’re not sure how many times it should be included, do the same thing on multiple sales pages by big brands and use that as a reference point.

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Submitted by Skyler Reeves

CTA text is "Get Value!" or "Get Cost + Profit Margin sustained by Demand = Price!"

Everybody wants to click that!

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Submitted by Steve Czajkowski

Beware of acronyms and initialisms* ...many are company- or industry-related terms that aren’t familiar to your readers.

And, often the same letters have different meanings.

CIA ...Central Intelligence Agency OR Culinary Institute of America?

DOA ...Dead on arrival OR Date of application?

Back to the question Shrutika Joshi suggests you ask yourself: Is this understandable?

Answer: probably not if you inserted too many acronyms into the copy.

*Acronyms are read as words (e.g., ASAP, NASA)

Initialisms aren’t (e.g., FBI, TBD)

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Submitted by Norrie Feinblatt

Criticize your copy! Ask yourself, “is this understandable?” Or, “will someone even read this?”

When you criticize your copy as a reader, you get various fresh perspectives. This way, you keep innovating while writing.

Edit, edit, and edit some more. Rewrite it (if required). At the end, you must be completely satisfied with your copy.

Kill your creation to give it a new, better life!

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Submitted by Shrutika Joshi

Specifics sell.

You can say, "Get accurate online fraud prevention fast", or you can make it much more real and enticing to the reader by saying, "Get AI-accurate online fraud prevention in <1 second."

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Submitted by Rachel Grunbaum

Powerful, intriguing, meaningful words: Start with them. Draw readers in.

Save the "thanks" for later.

Often, those initial words are all readers can see (i.e., of a post, in a preview window, on a phone screen).

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Submitted by Norrie Feinblatt

When you begin writing anything — be it a blog, email, LinkedIn post — always say the most important thing upfront, right at the top. Never hold it back until the end. This way people can decide whether they'd like to read it or not.

At the same time, it prompts them to take an action based on what you write. This is called the 'inverted pyramid' approach where the most vital part of the writing is laid out on top of the cake like a cherry, before you move downwards towards the creamy portion (that adds to the waistline).

I have tested it many times and it works every time!

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Submitted by Karthik Subramanian

Unsure if an adverb in your copy deserves to stay?

If it informs, it can stay. If it reinforces, it should go.

For example: “She smiled sadly.” (informs a contrast) vs. “She smiled happily” (reinforces happiness which smiling already conveys).

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Submitted by Teesha Thomas

Data > Feelings.

Test two subject lines on a small sample size and redirect the remainder of your group to the winning test.

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Submitted by Marchy Comer

My tip: Get back to the grade school basics of Who, What, Where, When, and Why.

These questions are the building blocks for your whole brand!

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Submitted by Jules Costa

Optimize for unexpectedness. People are hardwired to seek novelty. The more unexpected your content is, the more it'll grab their attention.

Combining two or more things that don't belong together or challenging assumptions could be two examples.

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Submitted by Zhenya Zerkalenkov

Swap nouns for verbs.

Business writing is crawling with nouns (or nominalisations) and they weigh everything down. They tend to sit with the passive voice, which makes for a monstrous combo.

“Decide” instead of “decision”. “Consider” instead of “consideration”. Stuff like that.

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Submitted by Rachael Bull

Keep practising your brevity.

Revisit your texts and ask yourself, "Can I keep the meaning and use fewer words?"

Working within character limits (such as writing tweets, for instance) helps bring your attention to your character/word count and helps you practice saying more with less.

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Submitted by Michael Freason

My transition from copywriting to UX writing taught me: Get comfortable killing your darlings.

Sometimes your catchiest option won’t carry. Punchy lines drive compelling copy — but they’ve got to stick the landing.

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Submitted by Alana Fialkoff