Hey it’s Brian Dean and welcome to another bonus video. In this Module you learned how to create a Power Page that you can use to generate high-quality backlinks and first page Google rankings. And when you download the worksheets underneath each Content Framework, you’ll get a step-by-step blueprint that shows you how to implement each one.
Now, in my experience the topic and structure of your content are two things that ultimately make or break your success. That’s why Modules 1 and Module 2 focus on these two critical elements. But here’s the deal. Even though the topic and structure of your content are both important, the quality of your writing also makes a difference. And in this video I’m going to share my best copywriting tactics with you.
Not a lot of people know this, but before I started Backlinko, I worked as a freelance copywriter. I wrote sales letters for information products, copy for e-commerce sites, and more. And over my years as a copywriter, I learned secrets that most copywriters will never share.
You see, most copywriters shroud their work in mystery so it looks like they have some sort of ninja copywriting skills. But the funny thing is, I learned firsthand that effective copywriting is all about implementing a handful of proven tactics. And when you use these tactics in your writing, whether it’s a blog post, video script, product page or Facebook post, they’ll make your content more clear and compelling.
And now it’s time for me to reveal my 5 favorite copywriting techniques. OK so let’s jump right in with tactic number one, information gaps. The simple fact about content is this. When someone reads your content, you’re asking them NOT to do a million other things. Things that are a lot of times really fun and interesting.
For example, when someone lands on your article, you’re asking them NOT to see what their friends are up to on Facebook. You’re asking them NOT to watch cute cat videos on YouTube. And you’re asking them NOT to check out what’s happening on CNN.com.
What does this mean? It means that it’s really hard to keep people on your page. Because if you bore them for a second, they’re gone for good. Fortunately, there’s a simple technique that keeps people reading your content. It’s called an information gap.
The simple definition of an information gap is this. An information gap occurs when there’s a gap between what we know and what we want to know. Shows like Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad include TONS of information gaps in every episode.
That’s why it’s so hard to stop watching. And you can use the same tactic that these TV shows use in your content. How? Preview something that’s coming later in your article. This may sound simple, but in my experience, this makes a HUGE difference in how long people stick on your page.
You see, whenever you reference something that’s coming up later in your post, it opens up an information gap. And research by scientists like Dr. Lowenstein from Carnegie Mellon University show that people will do ANYTHING to close an information gap. So how can you include these information gaps in your content? First, make sure to include one information gap in your introduction. For example, take a look at this post from Backlinko.
Then, you want to include 1 to 2 information gaps later in your post. These information gaps should reference something you’re going to cover later on, like you can see in this post on Backlinko. Another example. OK with that, let’s move onto tactic number two, personal pronouns.
This probably won’t surprise you, but I’ll say it anyway. People LOVE reading about themselves. Even though it’s not possible to write a personal article for every single person that comes to your site, you can make it FEEL that way. How? Use lots and lots of personal pronouns (especially “you”).
This may sound simple, but I’ve seen it make a HUGE difference in how people respond to content online. For example, which sentence sounds more compelling to you. It’s well known that to lose stubborn belly fat, cutting out added sugar is important. Or. I’ve found that, if you want to lose stubborn belly fat, you need to cut out added sugar. Obviously number two right?
OK so where should you use words like “I”, “she” and “you”. The short answer? Everywhere you can. It’s almost impossible to include TOO many personal pronouns in your content. For example, take a look at this post from Backlinko. In that introduction I speak directly to you.
I don’t say, “This is a case study…”. Instead, I say, “First, I’ll show you how Perrin used this technique to boost his organic search engine traffic by 963%.” In fact, I use the word “you” in that post more than 50 times. Bottom line? Include as many personal pronouns as you can in your content especially the word “you”.
OK now it’s time for advanced copywriting tactic number three, laser-focused introductions. Here’s a mistake that I see A LOT of people make. Instead of a brief intro that quickly segues into meaty info, most intros that I come across go on and on and ON.
Needless to say, you lose a lot of people when you don’t jump into the meat of the article quickly. That’s why I always make my introductions super short. In fact, I have a rule that my introduction can’t be more than 8 lines total. Any more than that and you start to lose people.
Like I mentioned earlier, your introduction should contain an information gap that previews the content. Besides that one info gap, you simply want to quickly cover why the topic you’re covering is important and then jump right into the real content. For example, the intro to this post has 5 total lines. Let’s look at another example, my first post on The Skyscraper Technique.
Again, the intro is brief and to the point. I briefly touch on why the topic is important, open an information gap, and move on.Bottom line? Your intro should briefly outline why the topic is important and open an information gap. That’s it. With that, let’s move on to advanced copywriting tactic number four, Bucket Brigades. This is one of my favorite strategies.
So, what are Bucket Brigades? Bucket Brigades are like mini information gaps that you include in your content. But instead of building up anticipation for something that’s coming later, you make your reader curious about the next sentence. For example, in my post, 21 Actionable SEO Techniques You Can Use Right Now, I include two bucket brigades in my introduction.
And I sprinkle in more bucket brigades throughout in the post. Thanks to bucket brigades and the other tactics from this lesson, the time on page for that post is over 7 minutes. So how do Bucket Brigades work, exactly? Each bucket brigade ends with a little cliffhanger that makes the reader want to see the next line. For example, when you use a bucket brigade like “Here’s the deal”, it makes the reader want to see what the deal is.
Or if you use a bucket brigade like “What’s the bottom line?”, it makes the person want to know what the bottom line is so they read the next line. Here are more bucket brigades that you can include in your content. Of course, those are just examples.
You’re free to come up with your own and use them in your content. With that, it’s time for advanced copywriting tactic number five, subheader hacks. I’m not sure where I first heard this quote, but it’s been really influential for me. People don’t read content online. They skim.
This is so true that it hurts. Unless someone is really, REALLY interested in what you have to say, they’re simply not going to read every word of your content. And that’s fine. I turn skimmers into subscribers and customers all the time.
But here’s the deal. Information gaps, bucket brigades and the other tactics I laid out for you in this video will help keep people reading your stuff. But when you combine these tactics with subheader hacks, you’ve got a piece of content that even the most hardcore skimmers will stop and read more of.
So what are subheader hacks and how do they work? Basically, subheader hacks are words and phrases that you include in your subheaders words that stop skimmers in their tracks. While the exact words and phrases will be different depending on your industry, they have one thing in common: they convey a clear benefit to the reader.
For example, most people use random words and phrases in their subheaders, like this. To be fair, including subheaders, any subheaders, break up your content which makes is easier to read. That’s why sales letters from 100 years ago all the way to today use lots and lots of subheaders. That being said, the words and phrases that you include in your subheaders make all the difference in the world.
For example, in this Expanded List Post, I make sure that my subheaders stand out and grab attention. Now I could have used a subheader like “Use Reddit for Keyword Research”, but I made sure to make the subheading benefit-driven. Another example. In my Trademark Technique case study on The Skyscraper Technique one of the first subheadings is this.
I could have simply used “the 3 steps to The Skyscraper Technique”. But I wanted to emphasize the BENEFIT of the section. Bottom line? Make sure every subheader clearly states the benefit of reading that section. That way skimmers will see the subheader, stop, and read. OK so those are the 5 advanced copywriting tactics that I use in my content marketing. See you in the next lesson.
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