Welcome to the golden age of UX Copywriting!
Digital marketing is a $400 billion industry at the center of everything. It’s growing fast, with no end in sight. UX Copywriting (ux=user experience) and design is a close second. It too is growing in importance in the digital marketplace.
Which means as a copywriter or just someone looking to create their own copy, you have to keep up pace with what’s happening in the online marketing world.
You need to stay a step ahead of the “good” writers and stand out as a writer who is great. You need to understand how to connect your readers with the user experience they need to make decisions.
Having the ability to create stories that stir emotions show you understand and listen to your buyers. This in turn will elevate the customer journey to a level of empathy and conversation vs. talking at them.
Right now, everywhere, someone is looking for a way to leverage their story
They have an idea they want to turn into a profit or gain a level of awareness around, and they need a highly-skilled UX copywriter to do that!
They also need:
- Someone with actual knowledge of what real connection and deep engagement with their ideal buyer looks like.
- A talented writer who will craft copy that inspires and leads to action.
- A strategic thinker who will take their vision and turn it into powerful content and copy.
Are you that copywriter?
Additionally, if you’re a business owner, are you that copywriter for yourself?
Before I was a UX Copywriter
When I started out in online business as a dating coach back in 2013, I had some experience in marketing, website building and social media selling. This made my learning curve on content creation quite small.
In starting from scratch, I still had to establish a unique selling proposition and message…and distribute it in all the right places. So I wrote my ass off.
In total I produced nearly two hundred articles and blog posts for websites and platforms. All of which was to help me gain traction and eyes on my website. Probably another 100 or so for my own website.
I was on Twitter, Instagram, facebook, LinkedIn, Periscope, you name it! In retrospect it was exhausting. It worked, but now I know better than to spread myself so thin. Content creation and digital copywriting is so much more about the quality than the quantity of your work.
I used to considered myself “just” a digital copywriter
I’ve been a copywriter since 2017. It wasn’t until I completed my master certification in UX Copywriting that I realized I have essentially been a UX copywriter this whole time.
Let me explain the difference:
A digital copywriter is a writer who specializes in creating written content for online platforms and digital media. The usual suspects – websites, social media posts, email campaigns, online advertising, etc.
A UX copywriter is also a writer, but one who specializes in UX fundamentals, combined with conversion, optimization and persuasion. The credo in a nutshell is to be concise and purposeful, remove roadblocks to conversion and improve the user experience overall.
Both types of copywriters create compelling and effective written content that engages and persuades your ideal humans. The main difference is that a UX copywriter prioritizes the users goals over the company goals. Always.
I was actually a UX copywriter all along
I write copy for mostly online creatives, course creators and coaches. I have always had to write with empathy, through storytelling and getting a 1000 foot view of my clients and their ideal humans.
These types of clients don’t come with typical selling agendas. Their nature is to help, give, help and give some more long before the sale is made.
As a writer, this makes my job fun and a hell of a lot easier. When you write from a place of curiosity, value and empathy, the words flow better in my opinion.
I never feel like I am questioning the process – mine or the clients’. That’s because the driving factor is always how can this copy be of service before it sells a thing!
In terms of my copywriting process, the first question I’m usually asking is “What is the reader’s moment”? Really, why are they here reading these words?
Coincidentally, in UX copywriting, it is the same starting point.
- What is their state of mind?
- What is the current conversation in their head?
- What is the inciting incident?
- What’s their mood?
- What’s their desired outcome?
- How are they finding this copy/offer/product?
- What are they being promised?
- What’s the next step?
All of the above has to inform the copy. It has to be the path of least resistance to an obvious and easy YES!
Understanding these key things, you can better craft copy to address specific needs and concerns. The result will increase your chances of converting them to the desired goal. This will also help you build trust with them and make your path to engaging them much simpler.
It’s important to prioritize clarity over cleverness
Whether you are focusing on UX Copywriting or not don’t get caught up in being flashy. Your most important job in writing is to be human.
While it can be tempting to try to impress your audience with clever language or cute turns of phrase, this often backfires and results in confusion.
Instead, focus on writing clear, concise, and easy-to-understand copy that gets your message across effectively. The old adage is true in the case of digital copywriting – sometimes less is more.
Using simple, straightforward language that is easy for your audience to understand, will help you avoid resorting to using jargon or cliches that may cause you to lose connection with the reader.
In addition, be sure to organize your content in a logical and clear manner. Use headings and subheadings to help guide the reader through your copy. This will help ensure that your message is easily accessible to your audience, because more often than not, readers are skimming pages looking for the bits that are important to them.
Clear the path for the reader
Imagine that you are trying to get from point A to point B, and you are following a path. The path represents the user journey, and your goal is to reach the end.
If there are obstacles or distractions along the way (such as confusing content or CTAs), it can be difficult to stay focused and motivated to reach your goal.
To “clear the path,” you need to remove these obstacles and distractions, by making the path as clear and easy to follow as possible.
By making way for clarity over cleverness, you can effectively communicate your message and persuade your audience to take action and stay on the path.
And taking action is where we want them to end up. Effortlessly.
There’s no need to get fancy with calls to action, when your copy has already laid the groundwork for the easy “yes”.
You do this by using action-oriented language that is specific and prompts them to do something, such as “sign up now” or “order now.”
Additionally, any action you want them to take should be relevant to the content of your page. If you’re promoting a product or service, your CTA should relate to that product or service.
The end game is always to make the reader feel like their needs are being prioritized, so making next steps unclear will ultimately end up in confusion or worse….page exits.
The added bonus is that UX can help ensure that your copy and content is effective at communicating your message, improve your overall SEO, and keep the brand voice consistent throughout, all while increasing conversions.
UX copywriting can help create a more engaging and enjoyable user experience, which can encourage users to spend more time on a website or app and increase their loyalty to your brand.
By following these tips, you can create relevant, effective copy that helps you connect with your audience and persuade them to take action.
