| name | copywriting |
|---|---|
| description | Direct-response copywriting methodology for writing, rewriting, or critiquing any persuasive asset — sales pages, landing pages, emails, ads, cold outreach, video scripts, product pages. Use whenever the task involves convincing a reader to take an action. Covers research, offer positioning, AIDA structure, hooks, objection handling, pricing psychology, and a rigorous editing process. |
A complete system for writing copy that converts, distilled from classic direct-response principles (Eugene Schwartz, Joe Sugarman, Cialdini) as systematized in Stan Leloup's Copywriting Mania methodology (Marketing Mania).
One asset = one objective = one CTA. If the user asks for a page that "presents the product, builds the brand, and captures emails," make them choose. Multiple competing goals kill conversion.Never write before you know two things: who the reader is (avatar) and where they are in their buying journey (awareness level). If the user hasn't told you, ask — or state your assumptions explicitly before drafting.The reader doesn't care about the product. They care about themselves. Every draft must pass the WIIFM test ("What's In It For Me?"): for every "I/we/our" in the text, there should be roughly four "you/your". Talk about the reader's problem before you ever mention the product.Match depth to format. A 3-line SMS and a 3,000-word sales page follow the same logic (AIDA), compressed or expanded. Don't unroll the full methodology for a short email — apply it silently.When critiquing a draft: give a frank verdict first, then a rewritten version. A critique without a rewrite is useless.
These are not steps — they are constants. Check every draft against them.
Features vs. benefits. A feature describes the product; a benefit describes what the customer gets. Purchase decisions are made on benefits and justified with features. Formula: "[feature] so that you can [benefit]."
- Weak: "AI-powered order tracking."
- Strong: "Your customers get updates on their order automatically — without you lifting a finger."
Specificity builds credibility. Precise numbers, names, and concrete examples beat vague claims every time. "A client in Lyon cut support calls from 4 a day to 1 a week" is 10x more persuasive than "you'll save time." When you catch yourself writing a generality, replace it with a number, a name, or a scene.
External enemy — never blame the prospect. Their problem is never their fault. Blame a broken system, an outdated method, a widespread myth: "It's not that you're bad at follow-up — it's that no tool was ever designed for how you actually work." A blamed reader closes the tab; a vindicated reader keeps reading.
Mechanization — name your method. A concept with a proper name is perceived as more credible and unique than a generic description. Don't say "we automate your follow-up"; say "the 'Zero-Effort Follow-Up System'." Quotation marks strengthen the effect. One named mechanism per asset is usually enough.
Price recontextualization. A price is never judged in isolation — change the frame of reference. Compare to a more expensive alternative, break it down per day, or compare to what the prospect already spends: "$200/month is what you pay a part-time assistant for two hours a week — except this never takes a vacation."
Reciprocity — give before you ask. Free value (a useful tip, a free audit, a template) creates a psychological pull to reciprocate. The more genuinely useful the gift, the stronger the pull.
Remove friction. Every ounce of effort demanded from the buyer costs conversions. Done-for-you setup, data migration included, onboarding call — anything that says "you have nothing to do" sells.
For any substantial asset (sales page, landing page, email sequence, webinar script), work through these phases in order. For short assets, run phases 0–2 mentally and jump to drafting. You can't write persuasively about a person you don't know. Gather answers to the 5 key research questions:
- What is your biggest day-to-day challenge with [problem area]?
- What have you already tried to fix it?
- Why didn't it work?
- What would the ideal situation look like?
- What's stopping you from changing things today?
Sources: direct conversations with customers, online reviews of competing products (goldmine for objections and vocabulary), forums and niche communities, competitor promises (and what they leave out), testimonials for adjacent products.
Capture the customer's exact vocabulary. Use their words, not yours. If they say "clients keep blowing up my phone," don't write "optimize your client communication" — write "no more 8pm calls asking if it's ready." Exact customer language creates the strongest mirror effect (see Interest section).
Part 1: The avatar. Not a generic persona — one precise individual:
- Current situation (their daily grind, frustrations, routines)
- What they've already tried (and why it failed)
- Their fears (losing clients, looking unprofessional, being left behind)
- Their desires (recognition, higher prices, peace of mind)
- Their objections (too expensive, no time, "not for people like me")
- Their vocabulary (the exact words they use to describe their problems)
Part 2: The Unique Value Proposition. One sentence stating what makes this offer different AND better than every alternative — including doing nothing. Template: "The only [category] designed specifically for [avatar], that [core benefit] without [core objection]."
Part 3: The narrative arc. The story that takes the prospect from point A (their problem) to point B (their life after the product). This is the through-line of the ENTIRE message. Oral test: tell the arc to a friend once; if they can repeat it back, it's clear enough. If not, simplify.
The 3 levers to sell more (in this order): Increase the pain of the status quo— make the cost of not changing tangible: lost clients, damaged reputation, evenings sacrificed.** Reduce the friction of the solution**— make it as done-for-you as possible: "We set everything up for you in 48 hours."** Amplify the pleasure of the result**— make them visualize the after: "Imagine your client's face when they get a progress photo with a personal note — sent while you were busy doing the actual work."
Where the prospect is in their journey dictates where the copy must start:
| Level | State | What the copy must do | Where to start |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 — Unaware | Doesn't know they have a problem | Educate on the problem | A striking fact, story, or question that reveals the problem |
| 2 — Problem-aware | Feels the pain, knows no solution | Agitate the problem, make it vivid | The pain itself (mirror effect) |
| 3 — Solution-aware | Actively comparing options | Differentiate | Your mechanism / what makes you different |
| 4 — Product-aware | Knows your product | Prove and convince | Testimonials, demo, guarantee |
| 5 — Most aware | Ready to buy | Best possible conditions | The offer: urgency, bonuses, payment terms |
Critical rule: cold audiences are almost always level 1–2. They are not searching for your product category. Start with the problem, never with the product. Retargeting and email lists skew 3–5, where you can lead with differentiation and offer.
AIDA = Attention → Interest → Desire → Action. Every persuasive message follows this order, at every scale: a 3-line SMS, an email, a sales call script, a full sales page, an entire funnel.
Start with the "pizza margherita." Don't cram everything into a first draft. The minimum viable arc is: problem → solution → CTA. Complexify only once the base is solid.
The headline is the most important sentence. Most people read ONLY the headline. If it doesn't hook, everything else is invisible.
The 4U test for headlines:
Useful— a clear benefit or a problem to solve** Urgent**— a reason to act now** Unique**— something not found elsewhere** Ultra-specific**— precise details, numbers
The 6 hook types (always write several, then pick): Promise— the direct benefit: "Your clients will rave about your follow-up. Without you doing a thing."** Problem**— the prospect's pain: "How many clients have you lost because they heard nothing for 3 weeks?"** Story**— a captivating narrative: "A master craftsman told me: 'I do the finest work in the region — but my clients think I've forgotten them.'"Pattern interrupt— the unexpected: "A tradesman who never touches a computer just automated his entire client follow-up."** Open loop**— curiosity: "There's a reason the highest-paid people in this trade all changed ONE thing about their client process..."Mirror effect— describe the prospect's situation so precisely they think "that's exactly me": "Monday, 8pm. You're still at the workshop. The phone rings again — a client asking where their order is."
Power words — words that trigger emotion: secret, exclusive, guaranteed, proven, free, new, discover, finally, effortless, instant.
Process: write at least 6 different hooks (one of each type), pick the strongest, then write 4 variants of it by dialing up usefulness, urgency, uniqueness, or specificity. Never settle for the first headline you write.
Governing principle: every sentence has ONE job — make the reader want to read the next sentence. If the reader can stop without frustration, the slide is broken.
Structure of the Interest section:
Pay off the hook— deliver on what the headline promised.** Deep mirror effect**— describe the prospect's situation in their own words, in visceral detail, to create empathy: "It's not enough to do masterful work — if the client hears nothing, they assume you've forgotten them."The false good solution— show why the obvious alternatives fail: "You've tried spreadsheets, the notebook, sticky notes... and three weeks later, nothing is up to date."The real cause— introduce the external enemy: "The problem isn't you. It's that no tool was ever designed for how your business actually runs."Introduce the concept— the solution as a named mechanism, WITHOUT pitching the product yet: "There's an approach called 'Automated Client Follow-Up'..."Open loops— raise questions, give partial answers, open new questions.
Exit condition: by the end of Interest, the reader must be thinking: "OK, I understand the problem, I understand the solution — but HOW do I actually do it?" The answer is the product. That's the Desire section.
Transformation story / case study. Tell the story of one customer who lived the problem and found the solution: initial struggle → false solutions tried → the turning point → discovering the method → concrete result with numbers. This is the superhero origin story pattern: where they started (the mess), what they tried (the failures), the click, the method, the result today. It works for the founder's own story too.
Present the product by tying EVERY feature to a benefit. Never list features alone. Always: "[feature] so that [benefit]."
Bullet points — the 3-part formula. For each product element, write one line combining:
Benefit— what it changes for them** Twist**— a surprising or counter-intuitive angle, or a named mechanism in quotes** Boost**— a power word, a precise number, a visual or emotional detail
- Weak: "Automatic order tracking."
- Strong: "The 'Autopilot' that updates your clients at exactly the right moment — even while you're elbow-deep in real work at 6am on a Monday."
The crystal ball — 3 ways to make them visualize owning it:
Demo— show the product in action: screenshot, video, walkthrough. Make it concrete.** Unboxing**— narrate exactly what happens in the minutes after purchase: "You get your access, we configure everything within 48 hours, and by Monday your first client receives an automatic progress update."Before/After— sharp emotional contrast: "BEFORE: 4 calls a day asking 'is it ready yet?' — AFTER: your clients know exactly where their order stands, and they thank you for the follow-up."
The 6 credibility methods (use at least 2–3): Authority— titles, awards, media mentions, years of experience** Social proof**— testimonials, case studies, customer counts, reviews, logos** Superhero story**— your journey, where you come from, why you built this** Likability**— a personal, human tone; a direct relationship, not cold corporate speak** Consistency & commitment**— offer a small first step (trial, sample) before the big commitment** Risk reversal**— money-back guarantee, free trial, "you risk nothing"
Bonuses answer objections. Each bonus is a spotlight on one specific objection. Objection "I'm not comfortable with tech" → bonus "Full done-for-you setup + a 15-minute video training." Objection "what if my clients don't like automated messages?" → bonus "Customizable templates in your own tone of voice." Never add a bonus that doesn't neutralize an objection — it's dead weight.
CTA rules:
One page = one objective = one CTA. Competing CTAs kill conversion.- The CTA must be the most visible element on the page.
- Use an action verb that describes the action: "Book your demo," "Start your free trial."
- The prospect must know EXACTLY what happens after the click.
- Surround the CTA with credibility elements (a testimonial, the guarantee).
- Never vary the CTA wording within a page — repeat the same phrase.
The major objections and how to handle each:
| Objection | Method | Example |
|---|---|---|
| "It's too expensive" | Recontextualize + anchor | "$200/month = $6.50/day. One retained client pays for a year." |
| "It won't work for me" | Similar case study | Story of a customer with the same profile |
| "I don't have time" | Quantify the exact time | "15 minutes to set up, then 0 minutes a day" |
| "I've tried everything" | Mechanization (this is different) | "This isn't a generic CRM — it's a system built for your exact workflow" |
| "I can handle it myself" | Cost of inaction + coach analogy | "Sure. But how many hours a week do you spend answering the same questions?" |
| "Tech isn't for me" | Recontextualize + done-for-you | "If you can send a text message, you can use this. And we set it all up for you." |
| "I don't buy online" | Unique benefits of the format | Phone sales + personal onboarding instead of an impersonal checkout |
Price anchoring — a price never exists alone. The brain judges a price against a reference point (the anchor); even experts are influenced. The first number seen becomes the reference — control it.
The 3-price strategy: Middle option= the one you want to sell. Best value-for-money.** Lower option**= slightly cheaper but CLEARLY worse. By contrast, the middle looks like a great deal.** Higher option**= much more expensive (sometimes double), positioned "premium." Its presence makes the middle look affordable.- Diagnostics: if >50% buy the cheapest → your price is too high. If >50% buy the most expensive → raise your prices.
Single product? Create the anchor by comparison:
- Compare to the expensive alternative: "A part-time salesperson would cost you $1,500/month. This does the same follow-up work for $200."
- Compare to consulting: "A consultant would charge $3,000 just for the setup." Value stacking: list every component with its individual value (setup: $500, training: $300, templates: $200, support: $150/month = $1,150 total value), then reveal the real price ($200/month). The gap between perceived value and actual price triggers the "this is a steal" reflex.
Price presentation — the stacking method:
- Stack the value BEFORE revealing the price (list everything included, with the value of each element).
- Offer 3 options (anchor from the top): the majority should pick the middle one.
- Recontextualize: cost per day, comparison with the pricier alternative, ROI on a single customer.
Inclusion/exclusion — say who it's for AND who it's not for. Excluding a group strengthens credibility with the included group: "This is NOT for businesses competing on rock-bottom prices. It's for those doing high-end custom work who want their client experience to match their craftsmanship." The included prospect thinks: "That's exactly me."
The excessive guarantee — pattern-interrupt the standard promise. "Satisfied or refunded" has become invisible through overuse. Craft a guarantee that surprises, tied to a precise outcome: "If after 30 days your clients haven't said 'wow, what great follow-up,' I refund you — and you keep the setup." A result-linked guarantee is memorable; a generic one is wallpaper.
**Urgency (FOMO) — always justified, never fabricated:**
- Limited spots (justified by onboarding/coaching capacity)
- Launch pricing with a deadline (justified by the early-adopter discount)
- Market timing ("Those who move now get ahead of everyone else")
- NEVER manufacture fake urgency. Sophisticated buyers smell fake scarcity instantly, and it poisons everything else you wrote.
The cost of inaction — the closing argument. Don't say "you can't succeed without this" (not credible). Say: "You can keep doing things exactly as you do now. But in six months, you'll still be answering the same calls and losing the same clients — while others have a follow-up process that impresses." This reverses the burden of proof: it's no longer the product that must justify itself, it's the prospect who must justify not changing.
The three versions:
V1 = Structure. Write the first draft FAST — no editing, no rereading, no judging. The goal is raw material. It's the skeleton.V2 = Logic. Work the argument flow and the objections. Does each section lead inevitably to the next? Any holes in the reasoning? Any objection left untreated? The argument chain must be airtight.V3 = Emotion. Strengthen the writing: fluidity, rhythm, reading pleasure. This is where the text goes from "correct" to "excellent."
Non-negotiable rule: let it rest between versions. Never edit right after writing — you have no distance from your own flaws. Minimum one night of sleep between the first draft and the edit. (Stephen King rests his novels for 6 weeks; for a sales page, one night is enough — but that night is mandatory.)
The 4 editing passes (on V2 and V3): Cut— remove non-essential sections, then sentences, then words. If a paragraph doesn't advance the narrative arc, it goes.** Subheads**— each subhead must be understandable when scanning the page AND create curiosity.** Internal structure**— each section must start strong and end strong. The opening hooks; the ending propels into the next section.** Style**— reinforce with power words, metaphors, unexpected examples. Vary sentence rhythm (short for impact, longer for flow). The text must read well ALOUD.
Frequent errors to eliminate in editing:
- Telling your own story end-to-end with no relevance to the reader
- Explaining the obvious
- Lack of concreteness (no numbers, no examples)
- Verbose sections where attention dies
Hypnotic writing style rules:
- Short paragraphs (2–3 sentences max)
- Short sentences for impact, longer ones for rhythm
- Simple words — write like you speak
- Every sentence makes the reader want the next one (the slide)
- Address the reader directly ("you")
- Specific beats vague — always
- Visual and sensory details create mental images
- Read it aloud: if it sounds fake or stilted, rewrite it
The same AIDA logic, compressed:
Cold email / DM: Attention = subject line + first sentence (mirror or problem hook). Interest = 1–2 sentences of empathy/problem. Desire = one benefit, one proof point. Action = one low-friction CTA (a question beats a meeting link).Ad: hook (one of the 6 types) + one benefit + one credibility element + CTA. The image/video carries Attention; the copy carries Interest→Action.Landing page: headline (4U) + subhead (benefit) + 3–5 bullet points (benefit/twist/boost) + social proof + one CTA repeated.Sales page: the full methodology above.Follow-up / reminder message: skip Attention theatrics — restate the one benefit, add ONE new element (a proof point, a deadline, an answered objection), one CTA. Never just "bumping this."
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Ask buyers WHY they bought → double down on that angle.
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Ask non-buyers WHY they didn't → treat that objection in the copy.
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Identify the most powerful angle and promote it to the headline.
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If one objection keeps coming back, give it a full section — not a line in the FAQ.
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One objective, one CTA, repeated verbatim
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Starts with the reader's problem, not the product
- ~4:1 ratio of "you" over "I/we"
- Every feature tied to a benefit ("so that...")
- At least one precise number, name, or concrete scene per section
- Awareness level matched (no product pitch to a level-1 audience)
- Objections handled — especially price (anchored and recontextualized)
- The prospect is never blamed; an external enemy is
- Urgency, if present, is real and justified
- Reads naturally aloud; paragraphs of 2–3 sentences max
- Nothing in the text that only serves the writer's ego
Credits: this skill distills the direct-response methodology taught by Stan Leloup in Copywriting Mania (Marketing Mania), which itself builds on Eugene Schwartz's awareness levels, Joe Sugarman's slippery slide, and Robert Cialdini's influence principles.