Want to write better marketing copy … and practically eliminate writer’s block? Write your Frequently Asked Questions first.
According to legendary copywriter Robert Collier, the secret to successful copywriting is “Always enter the conversation already taking place in the customer’s mind.” FAQs are like taking a shortcut into the heads of your website visitors and prospective customers.
When copywriting, many people think first about the benefits or headlines. This puts the pressure on you as the copywriter to figure out what will connect most with your audience.
But if you know what your prospects’ questions, challenges or barriers, and/or problems are before you start writing – as you will when you start with FAQs – you’ll gain valuable insights into how to write the rest of your marketing copy.
A good FAQ list will mirror the conversation in your first-time visitor’s mind. It will answer questions. It will raise and shatter objections.
So think about what questions your visitors will ask most frequently. Ask your customers to share their #1 question about what you’re selling.
Tip: Write to your first-time visitor – not the third-, fourth- or fifth-time visitor, not your member, but the first-time visitor. These individuals are the most skeptical and hardest to sell, so write your copy to them.
When writing the copy for your FAQ list, write the questions in first person, in a conversational voice. In other words, mirror the conversation in your prospects’ heads.
The answer should be posted right below the question. Many of my web sites use scripting that allows visitors to click on the question they want answered. When the question is clicked, the answer drops down for instantaneous reading. (See this in action by .)
One final note: Your FAQ list must be one click away to your order page. At the end of each answer, include a call to action that will take the visitor to your order page.
When writing copy for the AudioGenerator™ sales page, I created a list of the 5 most common questions about the service. I put the most popular question at the top, listed the second most-asked question second, and so on. Questions included things like, “What is AudioGenerator and how does it work?” and “How long does it take for my phone testimonial to become live?”
Do these questions raise objections? Yes – and the answers shatter any objections visitors may have in advance.
FAQs also can be used to write the rest of your sales copy. Before I wrote my first course, Marketing With Postcards, I talked to a bunch of direct marketers. I said, “I’m about to put up a site to sell a course on marketing with postcards. What is the number-one question you would ask me if you visited that site without knowing anything else?”
Even though I did not have a Frequently Asked Questions section on that site, most of the copy was directly related to the questions that I got, to the barriers I received and to the level of resistance I got.
They said, “Well, I want to know case studies.” So I included case studies in the sales letter. “I want to know specific benefits of what can happen.” I added specific benefits. “I want to know who else has used postcards and succeeded.” I added a lengthy list of the types of professionals who used postcard marketing. “I want to see what it looks like. I want to see a product shot.” So I incorporated product shots too.
Did I have any writer’s block? No way. All I had to do is ask questions. It was very simple. The best part was that those questions didn’t come from my mind. They came from the mind of prospects and customers.
Do you use FAQs in your marketing? If so, how? Share your thoughts below! ~ Alex
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