AI has already replaced people in so many industries, like agricultural and automotive industry. But will they replace us in more creative industries like marketing and advertising? And will I soon be out of a job? 

Many copywriters don't seem too concerned about robots taking their jobs. After all, copywriting requires thinking and creativity, which are things that robots have not yet evolved to do. Or have they? 

Recently, the Chinese company Alibaba revealed it's AI-powered copywriting tool. This software can generate up to 20,000 lines of copy per second. It's already being used by major brands to write their product descriptions.

The AI copywriter uses deep learning and natural language, processing technologies gleaned from millions of examples on the Alibaba website. Brands and advertisers can insert a link from any product page, and click the 'Produce Smart Copy' button to immediately see dozens of copy ideas.

And Persado, the American marketing company has said that their AI-generated content has outperformed a human copywriter, time and time again. The platform works with more than one billion words, sentences, and images that have their highest click-through rate recorded after over one billion impressions.

So, will AI replace human copywriters? Will I soon be out of a job? Well, I don't think so, and here's why.

Copywriting is so much more than just structuring sentences and data. A skilled copywriter is someone that takes the time to understand their audience on a deep, emotional level. And then uses creativity and empathy to relate to their audience through words. 

I don't believe that even with all of their sophistication and deep learning, I don't think that robots are at the stage yet. Where they can think, use creativity, and also empathy in the words that they write.

Even Persado's Marketing Director, Julia Spano said herself, "We're never going to replace a creative agency that creates something like the Nike slogan, 'Just do it!'."

If you've enjoyed reading this blog post, please give it a thumbs-up, like it, and share it with other people. And if you would like to work with a team of real human writers to help you with your website content, blog, or marketing copy, then feel free to reach out to us. 

In today's blog post, I'm going to answer the question, what comes first, content or design? 

Whether you're building a new website from scratch or revamping an existing website, you might be wondering what comes first, content or design? 

Now, at the end of the day both are important. You can't have one without the other. Your website needs both, content and design. But in this blog post, I'm going to cover what should you prioritize, what should you focus on first? 

I've personally worked on countless websites, both for my own business and also for client's projects. And I'm sure some web designers are going to disagree with me when I say that I firmly believe, content should come first. Now to prove it to you, let me give you four reasons why. 

1. Your website is a communication tool.

The purpose of your website is to communicate with you visitors. And only words can effectively communicate your unique message, the benefits of your products and services, and why people should choose you over the competition. Words can do that, design cannot. 

2. Google ranks content, not design.

Did you know that there are over 200 factors that Google looks at when deciding on who it should rank in it's search engine. And the most important factor, still today, is unique and quality content. And that's why you need to focus on content first when you're building or rebuilding your website. Because it's such an important factor in your success as a website.

3. People come for the content, not for the design.

There's a variety of reasons why people visit websites. They're in search of information. They want answers to their questions, or solutions to their problems. And only content can really convey that to them. They might enjoy the design, but they come for the content. 

4. It's much easier to write your content first.

It's so much easier to write and edit your content, even share your content with other people in programs like Microsoft Word or Google Docs, than it is to in Adobe Photoshop or Adobe InDesign. And that's what makes so much more sense and is a far more efficient work process, is if you write your content in those programs, Microsoft Word, Google Docs first. Write, edit and finalize your content, so everyone's happy with it, before you then move it onto the design process. It's not so easy to really collaborate and work on content when it's in Adobe Photoshop or InDesign.

I want to end this blog post with a quote from a famous web designer who says that, 

"Design in the absence of content is not design, it's just decoration." 

And I think that really seals the deal on all of the reasons why I believe as a copywriter, who is probably biased, that content should come first before design does. 

But what about you, what do you think? If you enjoyed reading this blog post, then please like it, give it a thumbs up and share with other people. 

And if you would like some help with writing content or copy for your website, your blog, or marketing and advertising campaigns, send us a message at support@copywritingcrew.com.

Should you write drunk and edit sober? 

Could drinking really help you overcome writer's block and become a better writer, and have I ever been drunk while writing? 

Write drunk, edit sober was at quite first attributed to the great Ernest Hemingway. But according to his granddaughter, he never wrote while under the influence. He preferred to write sober usually in the early hours of the morning. But that hasn't stopped Hollywood from portraying artists and writers as tortured souls who rely heavily on alcohol and drugs to produce great work. 

Just look at the hit TV drama Mad Men. It's a show about a New York advertising agency set in the 1960's. Much of the show glorifies a drinking culture amongst the team of copywriters and executives including Don Draper. We can regularly see the cast drinking before, during, and after office hours.

Even David Ogilvy who is considered the godfather of advertising is guilty of promoting the idea of writing drunk, editing sober. Listen to what he wrote to a friend when asked to describe his writing process.

"I am terrified of producing a lousy advertisement. If all else fails, I drink half a bottle of rum and play the gramophone. This generally produces an uncontrollable gush of copy. The next morning I can get up early and edit the gush."

So is write drunk, edit sober actually good advice? 

No, it's terrible advice. Just look at Brooklyn based writer Crissy Van Meter who documented in a blog post her week of writing drunk, editing sober. What she noticed was she did write more words than usual but the output was actually unusable gibberish and she had more hangovers than usual. The idea of write drunk and editing sober really just glorifies addiction and alcoholism.

There are no shortcuts to becoming a better writer and drinking doesn't improve your creativity or your writing output. In fact, it's only procrastination and escapism from doing the difficult work of sitting down and writing. 

Now if you feel like writing is difficult, time consuming, and even driving you to drink, then why not outsource it to a team of professional and sober writers? My team and I would love to help you with any of your writing needs such as websites, marketing, or advertising materials. 

Looking for inspiration and ideas for your next Facebook Ad campaign? Want to uncover winning Facebook ad examples from your industry? If so, then you’re going to love this! 

Facebook ads recently launched a 100% FREE tool that will help you spy on your competitor's campaigns and ad creatives. Why would you want to do that?

• Get inspiration and insights on how to create your own effective Facebook advertising campaigns
• Learn ideas on how to promote your own services and products
• Discover the current trends and what's happening in the marketplace

Facebook Ad Library Step-By-Step Tutorial

First, make sure you’re logged in your Facebook account and then go to Facebook Ad Library.

Now, you can start spying your competitor’s Facebook ads.

1. Select ‘ALL’ on the country to know where are they advertising on this social media platform.
2. Go to the search field and type your chosen competitor’s page.

Tip: Make sure to choose the legitimate page that has the most amount of likes and often has a blue check on it.

Once you click on the Facebook Page, you can start scanning the results where you will see all the activities and paid campaigns.

You’ll get to uncover all of the past and present ad sets your competitors are running. Take advantage of these insights and generate ideas on how to create your own high-converting Facebook ad campaigns and creatives.

Tip: Hover the mouse pointer on the ‘information’ icon, you’ll see which ad is the most effective and the best performing.

Every ad will show you their ad copy, image, call to action and the link that will lead you straight to the landing page or sales page. This is where you can take a look at how they promote their business such as the headline, video, call to action, etc.

Spying on your competitors Facebook Ads is just the first step. The second step is to actually create your own original and compelling Facebook Ad copy (don’t just copy someone else's campaign!) If you’re busy and would like some help, we’ve got your back!

Need Help Creating Facebook Ad Copy? We can help!

​Click here to find out more about our Facebook Ad Copywriting services.

In today's blog post I'm answering the frequently asked question, "Long copy versus short copy. What works better?" 

Look, this debate has been going on forever, between marketers and copywriters. Some people say that long copy definitely works better than short copy. Other people say that no one has time to read long copy, therefore, shorter copy will work better too. So, what's my opinion? 

Well, my opinion as a professional copywriter with over 15 years experience, is it really depends. It depends on many factors. There is a time to use long copy and there is a time to use short copy. In this blog post I'm going to help you understand when you should use both.

When to use short copy

When your brand is already established, when it's already well-known in the marketplace. 

If you look companies like apple.com when they came out with the iPad or even the iPhone, they didn't need to use long copy. And that's because consumers are already aware of apple.com. They trust the brand. And therefore if you look at their landing page for either the iPhone or the iPad, you'll notice that they don't use a lot of copy. They don't need to, because consumers already know, like, and trust the brand.

When what you're offering is free.

If you're offering a free gym membership, or maybe a free digital lead magnet, such as a video course or white paper, an eBook, or even a checklist, then you don't need a lot of copy to justify, and to sell, something that's free. In that instance, I think short copy can work really well.

When your product or service, or whatever it is that you're offering, is simple and straightforward to explain.

When you don't require a lot of copy because it's so easy to understand​ what you're selling, the benefits and the problems that it solves, you don't need a lot of copy to sell it.

When to use long copy

When you're new in the marketplace, and you need to establish your brand, your products and services. 

See, when people don't know who you are, then you have more explaining to do. And that's going to justify using longer copy, because you need to build trust, you need to build rapport, you need to gain people's trust in the marketplace, and long copy allows you to do that because you have more room to say what you need to say to build your trust.

When what you're selling is complicated, difficult to understand, or even expensive.

Just look at some of the products or gadgets for sale on kickstarter.com. These are completely new products. Often they haven't been created yet, they just have a concept or a blueprint for the product. And what they do is they use a lot of copy on the product page on Kickstarter, in order to what the product is, how it works, the manufacturing process, and all that information, and questions that potential buyers might have.

There you have it. Long copy versus short copy, the debate rages on. But at least now you have an idea of when you should use short copy and when you should use long copy in your marketing.

If you enjoyed reading this blog post, then please like it and share it with other people. And if you'd like some help with either writing short copy or long copy, in your blog website, business, or online marketing campaigns, then definitely reach out and get in touch with us over at copywritingcrew.com.

Are you a coach, speaker or business owner thinking about running an event? Are you looking for event landing page examples to inspire you? You’ve come to the right place! 

Your event will only be a success if people show up. And while there are many ways to market an event, from paid advertising, email campaigns and sponsorships, one of the most effective ways is by creating an event landing page that converts.

Here at Copywriting Crew, we love beautifully-designed landing pages. Who doesn’t want an attractive landing page they can show off to their friends?

But if you want your landing page to convert, then you need more than just a pretty design. You need compelling and engaging copy that works with the design to convert your visitors into attendees. 

In this blog post I’m going to share with you:

• 5 High-Converting Event Landing Page Examples 
• 6 Questions Your Event Landing Page Needs To Answer
• 5 Ways To Boost Your Conversion Rate & Ticket Sales

Need help writing the copy for your l​​​​​anding page? We can help! Check out our landing page copywriting services.

5 High-Converting Event Landing Page Examples

These 5 examples are a mix of the landing page copy we wrote for our clients’ events and other event landing pages that we admire.

1. Web Copy Workshop

Industry: Advertising and Marketing

‘Web Copy Workshop’ was a 1-day copywriting workshop that I held in Sydney back in 2015. And while it’s hard to critique my own work, I’ll be sure to give you my unbiased opinion of what worked and what didn’t in my points below.

What’s great about this workshop landing page?

• The pre-headline copy clearly states what it is: ‘One-ay Copywriting Workshop’. The main headline mentions the benefits of attending: ‘How To Write Powerful Web Copy That Turns Your Visitors Into Customers And Clients’.
• The short explainer video includes testimonials from previous attendees who talk about what they loved about the workshop.
• The landing page copy does a good job of answering the question, ‘What makes this workshop different?’ by providing five unique reasons why it’s different along with the benefits of attending.

What could be improved?

• Photos taken at the previous workshop could be added to the landing page to create social proof and to humanize the event.
• A countdown timer that counts until the event date could increase the conversion rate by creating a sense of urgency to purchase tickets.
• An early bird discount or payment plan option may also increase ticket sales by making it more affordable to attend.

2. Home-Grown Heroes

Industry: Real Estate Investing

‘Home-Grown Heroes’ is a 1-day conference held every year in Western Australia. The event organiser, Ryan Thompson, hired us to update the landing page copy for this year’s event. So while I might be biased in analysing the landing page (since we wrote it), here are my two cents:

What’s great about this event landing page?

• The landing page follows an unusual comic book design. And while this may not work for every event, it’s definitely memorable and more engaging than other, more traditional (aka boring) real estate events. 
• The main image on the page is the speakers as ‘Avengers’ superheroes! This suits the ‘hero’ theme of the event and is bound to grab attention.
• There are many convincing testimonials from noteworthy attendees who recommend both the event and the speakers.

3. Fast Growth Summit

Industry: Sales and Marketing

The ‘Fast Growth Summit’ is a 2 1/2 hour event presented by my friend Kerwin Rae. The big promise of the event is that Kerwin will be ‘revealing my exact step-by-step blueprint for sky-rocketing your sales with social media’. The seminar happens multiple times per year and attracts hundreds of eager-to-learn attendees.

What’s great about this event landing page?

• The headline mentions specific results ($500k from snapchat, $10 million from Facebook, etc.) which the audience probably wants to achieve themselves.
• Scarcity is used effectively below the headline with the mention of, ‘Limited tickets are selling out fast, so act now’.
• There are many video testimonials from attendees (I counted 9 on the landing page!) which is overwhelming proof that the event is worth attending.
• A ‘double your money back guarantee’ is an ambitious and sure-fire way to remove any lingering doubt about attending because if you’re not satisfied, you’ll actually walk away with a small profit.

4. Super Fast Business LIVE

Industry: Online Business and Marketing

‘Super Fast Business Live’ is a 2-day event organised by James Schramko and held in Manly, Australia every year. I attended a few years ago and it was definitely a worthwhile event, full of actionable insights and strategies.

What’s great about this event landing page?

• James uses short and engaging videos throughout the page to effectively sell the benefits and provide ‘reasons why’ to attend the event.
• Video testimonials from previous attendees are provided.
• The ‘Featured Speakers’ section reads like a ‘Who’s Who’ of the online marketing world, and their presence alone would definitely draw a crowd.
• A comprehensive FAQ at the end of the landing page is a great idea to reduce support emails and answer any final questions potential attendees may have.

5. DMDU - Digital Marketers Down Under 2019

Industry: Digital Marketing

‘Digital Marketers Down Under 2019’ is a 2-day conference featuring some of the biggest names in online marketing, to be held on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. Use the coupon code 'copycrew' upon checkout to get a $100 discount.

What’s great about this event landing page?

• The 1-minute upbeat explainer video at the top of the page is engaging and does a great job of selling the benefits of attending (world class speakers, actionable content, best practices, etc.)
• The speakers are an impressive lineup of recognisable, industry-leading names whose star-power is sure to attract more ticket sales.
• The bright green call-to-action button is repeated throughout the page in strategic locations. The button copy ‘Get Tickets Now’ creates urgency too.
• The landing page copy answers an important question that most attendees ask: “Why should I attend?” by providing some convincing answers in their ‘7 Reasons To Attend’ section.

6 Questions Your Event Landing Page Needs To Answer

Your landing page needs to answer the questions that attendees are likely to ask themselves when deciding whether or not to attend your event.

Ideally, your event landing page should be divided into several sections to answer the following 6 questions. 

1 . Who is speaking?

In this section, you explain who is speaking, why they are worth listening to (expertise) and what they will cover during their presentation (topics). The purpose of this section is to give the reader the confidence that they will learn something valuable from this event.

Whether your event features multiple speakers or a single keynote speaker, it’s a good idea to include a short bio and explanation of what the speaker(s) will cover during their talk. Here is an example of the ‘Speakers’ section from the ‘Digital Marketers Down Under 2019’ event landing page:

2. What will I learn?

People attend events to learn (and to network with others) ,so it’s important to explain what new information is going to be shared during the event.

And while you don’t want to give away everything on your landing page, you can share the presentation titles and a few bullet points from each of the modules. Here’s an example from my ‘Web Copy Workshop’ landing page:

3. Who should attend?

No one wants to attend the wrong event or feel like they’re in the wrong room. 
If your event caters to a range of people or target audiences, be sure to mention the different groups on your landing page. Doing this will help to reassure the right people that your event is for them. Here’s an example from my ‘Web Copy Workshop’ landing page that answers the question, ‘Who should attend?’:

4. Why should I attend this event?

In some industries, new events are happening all the time. With an overwhelming amount of choices, people are more selective about which event to attend. That’s why it’s important to explain the many reasons why YOUR event is different or better than other similar events in your industry. Here is an example from James Schramko’s ‘Super Fast Business Live’ event landing page:

5. What are other attendees saying about the event?

It’s one thing for us to say how great our event is going to be. It’s another thing for previous attendees to say how great the event was or will be. If you have testimonials from attendees (written text or video recording), then be sure to include them on your landing page. Here is a video testimonial that appears on the ‘Super Fast Business Live’ event landing page: 

6. How much does it cost to attend? 

Pricing is a big factor in influencing ticket sales and your attendees’ expectations of the event. When it comes to pricing, be sure to do your research. A well-thought-out pricing strategy will increase ticket sales, while events with prices that are too low may struggle to make money or even cover their expenses.

On the landing page for ‘Digital Marketers Down Under 2019’, they mention the price and also the significant savings they offer on ticket prices:

4 Ways To Boost Your Conversion Rate & Ticket Sales

So, you’ve finished writing the copy and building your event landing page. Now it’s time to get the word out! But before you send traffic to your event landing page, you want to make sure that it has the best possible chance of converting visitors into paying attendees. Here are five proven ways to boost your conversion rate:

1. Video

Adding a video to a landing page has been shown to increase conversions by 80%. Adding a 1 to 2-minute video is an effective way to engage visitors while selling the benefits of your event. The speakers, up-to-date content, and networking opportunities are all things you can feature in your video.

2. High-Quality Photos

Invest in a professional photographer to come along and capture photos of the speaker on stage, an engaged audience and people networking. Adding real and authentic photos helps to humanize your event and create social proof. Avoid using stock photos, which can feel fake and cheesy to your visitors.

3. Real Urgency or Scarcity

Procrastination is the death of the sale. People naturally procrastinate when it comes to making a buying decision (like signing up to your event). But one sure-fire way to counter procrastination is by creating a sense of urgency or scarcity to your landing page.

One simple way to add urgency or scarcity is to mention that you have a limited number of seats and expect the event to be sold out. Another way is to add a countdown timer that counts the number of days until the event begins, showing people that time is running out.

4. Social Proof

Social proof is one of the most effective principles of persuasion. But what is it?

“The Social Proof Theory, popularized by psychologist Robert Cialdini, maintains that a person who does not know what the proper behavior for a certain situation is, will look to other people to imitate what they are doing and to provide guidance for his actions”
​(source Psychologynoteshq).

In simple terms, people are sheep. When unsure of what to do, they will look at what other people are doing for guidance, and then do the same. So, how can you use social proof on your event landing page?
​

One way is to add video or written testimonials from former attendees to your page. But what if this is a new event and you don’t have any testimonials yet? Another effective way to use social proof is to add a little pop-up that alerts visitors about the recent activity of other users on your event landing page.

Booking.com uses this strategy when visitors are looking at accommodation on their website: “55 people are looking at this room right now”. You can also use an app like Proof to alert visitors whenever someone registers for your event with a message like “John S, from New York, just registered for the event”.

How To Get Your Event Landing Page Copy
Written In 5 Days

Need help writing landing page copy for your event?

Choosing the right landing page copywriter is no easy task. You can waste a lot of time searching, interviewing and hiring a copywriter who may not have relevant industry experience. And you’re probably too busy to write the copy yourself.

At Copywriting Crew, we take the time to research and understand your business, target market and unique message, before writing conversion-focused landing page copy for your next event or marketing campaign.

Our experienced Native-English copywriters and editors are from the US, UK and Australia. Our dedicated project managers are on-hand to provide support as well.

Check out our Landing Page Copywriting services!

Did you know that your homepage is the #1 visited page on your website? And that up to 50% of visitors will leave within seconds of arriving? 

In this blog post and video, I’m going to help you write an effective homepage headline using 2 proven formulas and fill-in-the-blank writing templates. 

Your homepage headline is important because it’s the first words that your visitors will read. If your headline is weak or confusing, then people won't stick around to read the rest of your website.

The first writing formula is...

1. Say what it is and who it’s for

Let’s look at an example from FreshBooks.com

Example 1:

Now let’s look at another homepage headline example from SnackNation.com

Example 2:

And finally, a third example from CampaignMonitor.com.

Example 3:

OK, so here is a fill-in-the-blanks template you can use to write your own homepage headline...

[Say What It Is, i.e. Copywriting] For
[Who It’s For, i.e. Small Business Owners]

Formula #2 is...

2. Say what you can do with it

Let’s look at an example from our website www.CopywritingCrew.com 

Here’s another example from Trello.com

OK, so here is a fill-in-the-blanks template you can use to write your own homepage headline...

[Say What It Is, i.e. Copywriting] That [What You Can Do With It,
i.e. Turns Your Website Visitors Into Customers]

Summary

​So as you can see, writing your homepage headline is much easier when you have a proven formula and writing templates to follow.

What was your favorite headline writing template?