The Career-Expanding Discovery Many Profitable Writers Have Made

The struggle when I started my freelance writing service business looked like this:

• I was fascinated with crafting words that accurately conveyed a message.
• I hadn’t extensively studied journalism or entertainment writing because those weren’t career paths I wanted to pursue.
• I knew that offering basic content writing services for businesses — filling up pages with words — would not pay high rates.

And I completely understood why filling up pages with words was not valued. Nothing is worse than paying for a service that doesn’t produce results.

When writers charge low fees for content writing that doesn’t persuade prospects to take action, two dangerous things happen:

1. It’s difficult to support yourself through your writing services.
2. Your clients don’t make new sales.

If a client thinks that the money they paid you was a waste because they didn’t make it back in sales, they’ll view you as interchangeable with any other writer — and there’s probably someone else who charges even less than you for a comparable lack of results.

This situation perpetuates the cycle of writers thinking that making a living off of their craft is unrealistic and businesses devaluing writers because they aren’t familiar with the power of the right words.

When clients see what the right words can do, though, everything changes.

Smart businesses value copywriting

To end the disappointing cycle, you need to offer the proper balance of content marketing and copywriting.

As Jerod wrote yesterday:

“Copy’s for closers.”

Once I learned about copywriting, my writing business benefitted in two main ways:

1. I was able to write copy that persuaded people to hire me.
2. I had a skill set that justified competitive rates and delivered a return on investment for clients.

If the work you do for a client makes them a profit that exceeds the cost of paying you, everyone wins. You get paid what you’re worth and they are happy to pay high rates for your services.

Copyblogger’s Certification program teaches you how to be the kind of writer that businesses value.

If you’re interested in joining our list of Certified Content Marketers who we recommend to businesses, make sure to add your email address at the end of this post. You’ll be the first to know when the program reopens to new students.

3 resources to help you take control of your writing career

If you’re anything like I was, you’re looking for enjoyable, artistic writing work, but you’re also disciplined and practical.

So, you’re asking yourself questions like:

• What types of new clients would I like to retain in the next year?
• Am I open to learning new skills to attract those types of clients?
• How can I prioritize the different steps I need to take?

You may even be thinking about possibilities down the road like becoming a different type of entrepreneur or joining a larger organization. (I joined the Copyblogger team after running my freelance business for six years.)

Here are three resources that will help you bridge the gap between the writing career you have now and the one you want in the near future.

7 Real-World Ways to Think Like an Artist for Better Content Marketing

Somewhere along the line, we got the idea that marketing was another word for lies. Don’t buy it.

Smart marketers don’t accept the excuse of “It’s just marketing” to hide the truth or produce crummy work that benefits no one.

Wise marketers embrace art as integral to what they do, as much as strategy and execution are.

5 Writing Techniques that Stir Your Audience to Action

Emotion moves us to act.

In fact, the Latin root for the word emotion means “to move,” because emotions motivate what we do. We don’t necessarily want to make them seethe with anger or burst into tears, though.

The goal is not necessarily to get someone to feel, but rather to want — and to act on that want.

How to Run a Sustainable Writing Business (Where the Backbone of Success Is Simply … You)

The success of a writing business depends on so much more than your ability to write.

It’s often difficult to balance writing for your existing clients and attracting new clients. Consequently, your writing income may vary at different times throughout the year and the work you love to do never quite feels sustainable.

Whether you’re just starting your writing business, or you’ve been building it for a while and are hoping to make it more financially secure, these 15 tips support a healthy, productive solopreneur venture.

Writers: Looking for even more proven ways to position yourself for greater success?

Our Certified Content Marketer training is a powerful tool that helps you learn new writing strategies and position your business for greater success.

We’ll be reopening the program to new students very shortly — add your email address below to get all the details. Registration will be open for a limited time, so procrastination is not advised.

Find out when our Certified Content Marketer training program reopens:

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Your Content Marketing Won’t Work Without This

“What is copy?”

My wife asked me this a few days ago.

I had been going on and on at dinner, hands gesturing, spittle flying, talking about something work-related. She waited patiently until I was finished to ask.

Her question jarred me. It had been a while since I’d thought about what “copy” is. And in that moment, my immediate reaction was to remember how I used to hate the word.

It always felt … pretentious … to me.

I used to hear phrases like “ad copy” and “website copy” and cringe. I’d think:

“Just say ad text or website text. Who calls it ‘copy?’ That doesn’t even make sense.”

Then I started working for Copyblogger. I also binge-watched Mad Men right around that time.

Needless to say, I quickly got what “copy” meant. And it’s made all the difference.

It’s also easy to take for granted.

Because it’s easy to get so focused on the latest content marketing technique that we overlook the most important element of any single piece of content marketing that actually works: the writing.

The copy.

So let’s refresh …

What is copy?

Copy is a type of writing intended to drive a specific action.

Simple.

Email copy includes words sent in an email that have a specific goal in mind (getting you to click on a link, for example).

Website copy includes words published on a website that have a specific goal in mind (getting you to fill out a contact form, for example).

Ad copy includes the words I read during a podcast ad spot that have a specific goal in mind (getting you to buy tickets from SeatGeek, for example).

There is text — flaccid, lazy, directionless text.

And there is copy — words with a purpose that drive a result.

Copy’s for closers.

Who should write copy?

Everyone.

I mean it.

Even people who aren’t marketers will benefit from internalizing copywriting principles.

Take my aforementioned wife. She has an accounting background. She works as a consultant. Unless she someday branches off on her own, she’ll never have to write one word of marketing copy.

Yet every day in her job she encounters situations in which she needs action to be taken. Thus, she needs to understand how to write words that will drive the specific actions she needs. In other words, she needs to be able to sell the person on the other end of her email on why they should take the requested action.

It’s all copy.

And the fundamentals of good copywriting — empathy, clarity, diction, focus on benefits, etc. — apply to any situation in which you want (or need) a person to take a specific action.

When should you write copy?

Any time you want (or need) someone to take a specific action.

That’s easy.

Where should you write copy?

Any place words are used to drive a specific action.

• A blog post (like this one) in which you have a very specific and beneficial action you want readers to take — more details on that in a bit
• A podcast — to convince someone to join your list or support your sponsor
• An ebook — to drive readers back to your website or to connect with you on social media
• A video overlay — to drive subscriptions or donations
• Even direct mail flyers, which professional copywriters have been using for decades with great success (otherwise you wouldn’t keep getting them in your mailbox!)

The examples could go on for weeks, and they aren’t constrained to the types of online content you and I spend our days creating.

But you didn’t come to Copyblogger to have me convince you to consider subtly slipping copywriting into your text messages and personal emails … although, if you’re hoping to drive a specific action, why wouldn’t you?

You came to Copyblogger to learn how to write words that work, and how to communicate those words over time via a content marketing strategy that teaches people what they need to know to do business with you.

Which leads to our next question …

Why write copy?

Because all good content marketing starts with good copy.

Content marketing without good copywriting as its foundation is like a house built on a sink hole. Sonia said it best.

You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t trying to convince other people to pay attention to, and possibly invest in, something you know or something you’ve built. Those are specific actions. Smart copy is how you’ll drive them.

How do you write good copy?

Start here.

What should you do next?

If you’re a serious content marketer who knows the value of great copy — the kind that people will pay big bucks for — then our Content Marketer Certification training may be perfect for you.

But don’t guess right now if it’s right for you. Find out for sure.

Enter your email address below and we’ll send you some information before we reopen the program. Then you can make an informed decision before you make a commitment. We’re opening the doors again soon, but they’ll only be open for a short period of time.

Find out when our Certified Content Marketer training program reopens:

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Memorial Day: A Time to Reflect and Remember

The last Monday in May is Memorial Day in the United States — a day to remember the men and women who have died in military service.

It’s our tradition at Copyblogger to take today off, to honor those sacrifices and to take time for family, community, and gratitude.

We’ll have a full calendar of content for you this week … we look forward to reconnecting tomorrow!

Image courtesy Hugh MacLeod.

The post Memorial Day: A Time to Reflect and Remember appeared first on Copyblogger.

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• A Day to Be With Family and Remember

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A Big Week at Copyblogger

Ever been frustrated with putting a site together and wished someone could just do the whole thing for you? With custom graphics, copy, marketing automation, and even content strategy — all using Copyblogger principles?

Very soon, we’re going to be able to make that happen.

Our big news this week is that we’ve entered into a relationship with a new partner that will allow us to offer you an extensive range of done-for-you services in the very near future.

There’s plenty to talk about, including a significant price increase coming for new Rainmaker customers (but not for you if you’re already a customer or start your free trial shortly), so get all the details over on Brian Clark’s Thursday announcement.

On Monday, the editorial team revealed some of their “pet peeves” around content and writing. It’s always fun to gripe a little, but I also thought it would be interesting to explore what those peeves said about our values, as individuals and as a company.

On Tuesday, Beth Hayden let us know how she came to love writing sales pages — with three critical points we need to look at in our own efforts.

And on Wednesday, Brian let us know about an elegantly simple way to create excitement and dramatic tension in your content. This is one of those techniques that creates a massive impact with a modest effort, so do go check it out.

Over on the podcast, I talked with Tara Gentile about her new community for digital business owners. She had some interesting thoughts on where she thinks digital business is going, and some of the challenges and rewards of building online communities.

— Sonia Simone
Chief Content Officer, Rainmaker Digital

Catch up on this week’s content

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Pet Peeves from the Copyblogger Editorial Team, and What they Reveal

by Sonia Simone

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3 Tips on High-Conversion Copy from a Sales Page Specialist

by Beth Hayden

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The ‘Pulp Fiction’ Technique for Engaging and Persuasive Content

by Brian Clark

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Last Chance to Get the Rainmaker Platform at the Current Pricing

by Brian Clark

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Should Online Entrepreneurs Write a Book?

by Sean Jackson & Jessica Frick

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Talking Community and Digital Business with Tara Gentile

by Sonia Simone

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How Bestselling Fantasy & Sci-Fi Author Catherynne M. Valente Writes: Part Two

by Kelton Reid

---

How to Immediately Become a More Productive (and Better) Podcaster

by Jerod Morris & Jon Nastor

---

The Biggest Mistakes Online Entrepreneurs Make and How to Fix Them

by Sean Jackson & Jessica Frick

---

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Last Chance to Get the Rainmaker Platform at the Current Pricing

TL;DR version: The Rainmaker Platform is shifting from a pure technology play to software with services included before the end of June, at much higher pricing. That means if you want Rainmaker at its current pricing, you should start your free trial now.
_________________________

When we rebranded from Copyblogger Media to Rainmaker Digital in September of 2015, it was a firm statement that put the Rainmaker Platform at the forefront. But it was also a foreshadowing of where we saw things going.

We knew we were headed from software-as-a-service (SaaS), to software and service to create complete solutions. People need sophisticated marketing technology, yes — but they also need done-for-them services such as design, content, and lead generation strategy.

The technology is only getting more sophisticated, and we plan to remain at the forefront of that with Rainmaker. But sophisticated technology calls for equally sophisticated strategy and execution — and not everyone has that kind of expertise in-house.

Our original goal was to create marketing technology for entrepreneurs and small businesses that are doing content marketing themselves or via freelancers. In the meantime, we’ve been turning away businesses happily willing to pay for a more complete solution.

Our go-forward strategy is to follow what the market is telling us. We’re going to offer you the services that we’ve been teaching and doing for ourselves over the last decade.

A complete Rainmaker solution provider

We’ve been doing service work for our Rainmaker Platform customers for over a year, but it’s been very cautious. There are many ways to develop a client services department, but given that we’ve been product-focused for so long, we weren’t arrogant enough to think we could just pull it off effortlessly.

In that last year, we’ve explored several viable ways to do more for our customers and prospects as a hybrid technology and digital marketing service provider. After careful deliberation, we’ve come up with a path that allows us to expertly provide anything that a Rainmaker user needs.

Rainmaker Digital has entered into a letter of intent to partner with an existing digital agency, Nimble Worldwide. We’ve had a long relationship with Nimble, as they were our email marketing provider for years before we developed our own solution, RainMail.

Effectively, the Rainmaker assets of the company (excluding StudioPress, Synthesis, Copyblogger, Authority, and DCI, which are not affected by this move at all) will be combined with Nimble assets into a new entity, with us as the majority owner.

First of all, that means you can rest assured that the company you know today remains the company you’ll be doing business with going forward. Plus, the Rainmaker side of things will be where I’ll be putting much of my personal attention and effort.

That said, this deal provides instant access to an experienced team of digital marketing professionals and a network of talented contractors that ensures our service solutions are expertly crafted and delivered. This grows the Rainmaker team significantly, without the pain and uncertainty of building an agency from scratch.

The change in business model unfortunately left four of our existing employees without positions, along with the loss of some of our own contractors. That was certainly no fun, and our operations leadership preserved every job possible despite the significant reorganization.

On the brighter side, this will open up a lot of work for our Certified Writers and members of the Genesis design community as we get rolling. We’re very excited to provide additional freelance and employment opportunities to the large ecosystem we’ve cultivated over the years.

To sum up, I’m 100 percent certain that this is the smarter move compared with trying to build an internal agency from scratch. And ultimately, the clear winners in the deal are our customers and prospects.

What can we help you with?

The first meaningful impact of this will be that we’ll be able to do just about anything you need related to your digital marketing efforts. That includes:

• Design
• Development
• Strategy
• Content creation
• SEO and social
• Adaptive funnel sequences
• Digital advertising and media planning
• Turn-key digital marketing packages

On that last point, we’ll be able to provide clearly defined service bundles that allow you to quit thinking about marketing and focus on the rest of your business. If the ROI is there, why would you say no?

We informed the thousands of existing Rainmaker customers about these new services last week, and the response has been enthusiastic. That means if you decide to get on board with the Platform before the switch, you’ll have the benefit (but not the obligation) of access to these services as well.

We’ll be rolling out access to both project-based and retainer-based solutions in the coming months. Once things are live, we’ll let you know here.

The end of “off the shelf” Rainmaker

All of this restructuring is aimed at offering you more options from a trusted source. Of course, with any major escalation in value, there are changes to the way things have been.

The biggest change is that going forward, we will no longer sell the Rainmaker Platform “a la carte.” In other words, the sales process will become more hands on, and less like a “pull out your credit card and sign up online” SaaS.

All future sales of the Platform will be bundled with services, and at a significantly higher price. We’re anticipating that this change will happen before the end of June, 2017.

So, if you’ve been contemplating the Platform, but don’t feel like you need additional service components, you should start your free trial before the switch happens. We’ll naturally send out reminders before the point of no return.

Exciting stuff to come … stay tuned! Feel free to ask questions in the comments, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

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The ‘Pulp Fiction’ Technique for Engaging and Persuasive Content

You’ve seen Pulp Fiction, right? It’s the classic 1994 black comedy crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino.

The film is highly stylized, presented out of chronological order, and filled with eclectic dialogue that reveals each character’s perspectives on various subjects. And yes, it’s profane and violent.

Pulp Fiction was nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture. Tarantino and his co-writer Roger Avary won for Best Original Screenplay, which is truly the foundation of an exceptional film.

Despite the groundbreaking inventiveness, Pulp Fiction also expertly uses a common writing technique that grabs attention right from the beginning, and magnetically holds that attention through a form of psychological tension generated by our short-term memories.

This simple strategy is something you can use in your marketing content, your sales copy, and your live presentations. You’ll not only increase engagement, but also add enhanced credibility to the persuasive point you’re trying to make.

Opening the loop

Back during the aftermath of the tragic effects of Hurricane Katrina, I came across an interesting article about some less-than-inspiring aspects of the devastating storm. It began with this:

“An Illinois woman mourns her two young daughters, swept to their deaths in Hurricane Katrina’s floodwaters. It’s a tragic and terrifying story. It’s also a lie.”

Now, any article that details accounts of fraud in the aftermath of Katrina would contain compelling information. But that opening had me riveted, and it got me reading what ended up being a detailed and lengthy piece that I might have otherwise skipped.

The article went on for 1,136 words before explaining that opening statement. It finally came as the initial bullet point in a list of false claims for relief after Katrina.

This type of opening with a delayed resolution is called an open loop, and it works for just about any type of content or copy. No matter the medium, you always want to grab attention quickly and hold it while you provide the surrounding facts, lessons, or supporting evidence.

The information is the same, but the level of attention and even fascination on the reader’s part is greatly heightened by the structure, leading to better retention and potential for persuasion.

Bond … James Bond

Open loops are used all the time in the movies. Think about James Bond, dangling over a vat of sharks.

While the villain monologues, Bond saves himself by cutting away the ropes with the buzzsaw hidden in his Rolex Submariner watch. Why do we accept, much less embrace, this ridiculous resolution?

It’s because the buzzsaw feature of the watch was introduced to us earlier thanks to the new technology presentation from Q that happens in every Bond movie. The implausible becomes credible thanks to the setup earlier in the film.

These setups create open loops that will keep your audience itching to find out what happens in the end — a need-to-know phenomenon called the Zeigarnik Effect by psychologists.

In a nutshell, the Zeigarnik Effect means that we hold things in our short-term memories that lack closure. For example, waiters can easily remember the orders of each of the tables they’re serving — until the food comes out that is, at which point retention and recall diminishes greatly.

So, when you use the setup and payoff structure of the open loop, your audience is driven to keep going with you. And that’s what you want, right?

Think about cliffhanger endings, where a loop is opened without being closed. Not only do you want to know what happens, you remember to tune in next time.

The setup and subsequent payoff of an open loop is incredibly satisfying. And that’s why open loops are also powerful persuasion vehicles, because we embrace the payoff in a way we wouldn’t without the setup and time-lapse in between.

Think back to the James Bond example; the open loop made an implausible escape perfectly acceptable. As we’ll see in the next example, it can also make a commercial claim more credible, and even prompt the holy grail of direct response copywriting — action.

Loops that move people to act

So, how can you use an open loop in your copy to not only persuade, but also prompt action? Take a look at the copy for this radio ad written by Roy Williams for a diamond merchant called Justice Jewelers:

“Antwerp, Belgium, is no longer the diamond capital of the world.

Thirty-four hours on an airplane. One way. Thirty. Four. Hours. That’s how long it took me to get to where 80 percent of the world’s diamonds are now being cut. After 34 hours, I looked bad. I smelled bad. I wanted to go to sleep. But then I saw the diamonds.

Unbelievable. They told me I was the first retailer from North America ever to be in that office.
Only the biggest wholesalers are allowed through those doors. Fortunately, I had one of ’em with me, a lifelong friend who was doing me a favor.

Now pay attention, because what I’m about to say is really important: As of this moment, Justice Jewelers has the lowest diamond prices in America, and I’m including all the online diamond sellers in that statement.

Now you and I both know that talk is cheap. So put it to the test. Go online. Find your best deal. Not only will Justice Jewelers give you a better diamond, we’ll give you a better price, as well.

I’m Woody Justice, and I’m working really, really hard to be your jeweler. Thirty-four hours of hard travel, one way. I think you’ll be glad I did it.”

Okay, so the ad starts off by setting up an open loop. If Antwerp is no longer the diamond cutting capital of the world, which city is the new one?

But here’s the thing … we’re never told the city, or even exactly how low the prices are. To do that, you need to take action by heading over to the Justice Jewelers website, combined with a challenge to find lower prices anywhere else online.

Less artful ads would lead with the claim of the lowest prices thanks to an exclusive source of diamonds. Skepticism would naturally abound.

Here, the storytelling setup is incredibly engaging, even if you’re not in the market for diamonds. If you are in the market, the lingering open loop means the listener is more likely to retain, recall, and act on the information.

Can you see how this might work on a landing page aimed at getting an email opt-in? You open the loop, and the only way the visitor can close it is to sign up for the lead magnet.

That’s just one example of the many uses of open loops. As I mentioned earlier, you can incorporate open loops in your marketing content, your sales copy, and your live presentations, all making you inherently more engaging and persuasive.

And speaking of earlier, what about Pulp Fiction?

Pumpkin and Honey Bunny

So I saw Pulp Fiction on opening night back in 1994, and oh man … that first scene. I’ve never before or since experienced a theater full of people bursting into applause after the opening of a film.

As a refresher, Pulp Fiction begins with a man and a woman sitting together in a diner. The two are known only by the pet names they call each other — Pumpkin and Honey Bunny.

They’re discussing the relative dangers of robbing various places, revealing that the two are criminals. They’ve been holding up liquor stores, which Pumpkin thinks is too dangerous and will eventually result in them or someone else getting killed.

After sharing a story about a man who robs a bank with a telephone, Pumpkin proposes that they start robbing diners. In fact, he suggests that they rob the diner they’re in, right now.

Up to this point, Honey Bunny has been nothing but sweetness and light. She suddenly jumps up with a gun and shouts some particularly shocking threats to the patrons. Cut to Dick Dale’s iconic rendition of “Misirlou” and the opening credits.

Now, the rest of the film proceeds. Some of what follows actually occurs before the opening scene, and some occurs after, but don’t worry about that right now.

The point is, much of the rest of the film plays out without returning to Pumpkin and Honey Bunny. Even though the film is riveting, in the back of your mind you’re thinking … what the hell was that about?

What happened to Pumpkin and Honey Bunny?

Finally, we arrive at the last scene of the film. It’s the same diner from the opening.

Turns out, this is where gangsters Jules and Vincent have decided to have breakfast after escaping The Bonnie Situation and disposing of a headless guy at Monster Joe’s Truck and Tow.

Cut to Pumpkin and Honey Bunny, just as Honey Bunny leaps up with the gun and makes her threat. Ironically, in their bid for safer crime options, these two fools have picked the exact wrong diner to rob.

The scene plays out and the film ends, which closes the open loop. Incredibly satisfying.

So, in case there was any doubt, you can also use open loops when crafting tutorial content as well — because I just demonstrated one for you. The headline and opening of this article promise you an example from Pulp Fiction, but I didn’t actually close that loop until the very end.

• Maybe you were wondering when I would get to it.
• Maybe you knew I was demonstrating an open loop in my usual meta way.
• Maybe (hopefully!) you got so caught up in the article that it was only nagging you somewhere in the back of your mind.

Anyway, do you use open loops in your content and copy? Let me know in the comments.

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36 Facebook Ad Hacks (for when you’re fresh outta ideas but desperate for brag-worthy CTRs)

I was struggling hard with Facebook ads when I ran across this Facebook ad copywriting guide by Joanna.

Since then, I’ve made it my goal to master Facebook ads.

The whats. The whys.

And especially the many, many hows of crafting compelling Facebook ads.

And in the last 6 months, I’ve taken my cost-per-click for blog promotions down from $1.20 to $0.65, on average.

I’ve also increased my monthly Facebook leads by over 200%.

I didn’t do anything you wouldn’t do. I just did what you don’t WANT to do: I spent dozens and dozens of hours studying Facebook ads. (Heuristic analysis is a totally valid part of conversion rate optimization.) I learned a helluvalot via close observation of other top brands’ Facebook strategies. And I’ve since tested many of my findings IRL.

In fact, I’ve done so much Facebook ad spying with my marketing team that we’d kinda-sorta consider ourselves secret agents. According to our spy intelligence, although copy’s always a big deal, a failing Facebook ad design can kill even the best copy in the world. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone:

At This Point in History, Facebook Ad Design Will Make or Break Your Campaign

Consumer Acquisition found that images are arguably the most important part of your ads. They’re responsible for 75%-90% of ad performance. Which means this: if your Facebook ad image fails to grab attention, nobody will ever read your amazing ad copy.

That’s not necessarily a 100% evil thing.

If you look it as a glass-half-full kinda thing, creating a high-converting ad design can make up for not-so-perfect ad copy. For instance, take this ad by Upwork:

That Facebook ad delivers the key value offer right in the ad image: End payment headaches. It sounds like a pretty valid argument for starting to use a new service, especially if you’re a freelancer.

Here’s another one by Jobbatical:

Aside from the fact that the ad’s featuring a beautiful Paris panorama, it’s drawing attention to a captivating offer: Travel. Work. See the world. Sounds like a sweet deal.

Takeaway?

Copy and design need to work together. As always. 

Now let’s say you’ve got your image in a pretty good place and you’re ready to optimize your Facebook ad copy. Cool. I’ve been there, and I’m going to show you today how you can apply any / all of these 36 Facebook ad hacks to develop ad copy ideas worth testing. Let’s start with an easy one:

Facebook ad hack #1:
Add your value prop to the image.

By adding your unique value proposition right in the ad image, it will get noticed the moment someone looks at your Facebook ad.

If you’re unsure where to start, read the guidelines by ConversionXL. A good value proposition:

• Explains how your product solves your customers’ problems or improves their situation (relevancy)
• Delivers highly specific benefits (quantified value)
• Tells the ideal customer why they should buy from you and not from the competition (unique differentiation)

Make sure your UVP is customer-focused, not just showcasing your product’s features. A good USP is not easy to pull off.

Facebook ad hack #2:
On the image, offer a quick lead magnet.

Appealing to your target audiences will get easier once you offer a high-value deal, such as an eBook or other downloadable content.

Marketo, for example, offers a free social editorial calendar.

By using Facebook Lead Ads, Marketo’s social editorial calendar can be downloaded without leaving Facebook. This significantly reduces the friction between the first glance on the ad and the final download –> more new leads at a lower cost.

Moreover, free content downloads have a lot lower threat levels than offers that scream, “Buy me! Buy me!”

Facebook ad hack #3:
Going cold? Sell soft.

If you’re targeting a cold audience, starting with soft sells might be the key to potential customers’ hearts.

Clanbeat’s Facebook strategy follows this very principle, priming past website visitors with promoted blog articles.

And they’re not the only ones doing it. KlientBoost created a HUGE marketers’ holiday calendar to appeal to potential clients and build brand awareness:

Which leads us to…

Facebook ad hack #4:
Hook people with a “data” image.

Promote low-risk offers with high value to increase brand awareness and collect new leads.

Images tell stories, and according to the artificial intelligence pioneer Ray Kurzweil, our brains are primed to look for patterns in search of helpful advice.

What if you could make your Facebook ad designs tell a story as well?

For example, check out this ad by SumoMe:

That’s a nice growth curve, isn’t it? Gets you a tad jealous, doesn’t it?

Good. Psychology Today explains that people rely on emotions, rather than information, to make brand decisions. That’s why it’s important to get them link your brand to positive things (such as a company’s rapid growth).

After seeing this ad in their news feed, people are more likely to associate SumoMe as a brand with growth. Easy win. Good for clicks.

Facebook ad hack #5:
Hook people with an emotive image.

Use design elements that spark positive emotions to have people associate said emotions with your brand.

This Facebook ad by Blue Apron showcases delicious-looking ingredients. What feelings do you get when you look at it?

Maybe you feel hungry. Maybe you feel like eating healthy doesn’t have to be a pain in the butt. Maybe you even feel joy because the bright colors are joyful.

Are any of those feelings bad for Blue Apron? Unlikely.

Are any of those feelings bad for click-thrus? Unlikely.

Facebook ad hack #6:
Use symbols to be memorable.

People are quick to build new associations between everything they see. That’s why you should include “positive symbols” in your ad design to make your audience remember you with positive emotions. Positive symbols can include:

• Checkmarks
• Smiley emojis
• Celebration emojis
• Stars

Asana’s Facebook ad creative displays a growth curve together with a checkmark icon. What does it make you feel? If you’re a prospect for Asana, you’re likely to feel the relief of completing work in time.

By now, you’ve probably noticed how colourful all the Facebook ad examples in this article are.

There are two reasons for that:

1. I’m in love colourful ad designs because my lizard brain loves color
2. Your target audience will also love colourful ad designs because all lizard brains love color

Research has discovered that people make up their minds within 90 seconds of their initial interaction with either people or products. And guess what: anywhere from 62 to 90% of their decision-making is based on colors alone. Sound crazy? Well what’s the last pale brown ad you looked at?

If you’re able to make colourful Facebook ads align with your branding, doing so should be your go-to strategy. It’s an easy, easy win.

BONUS: According to colour psychology, green signifies a calm and professional approach. More reason to go green!

Facebook ad hack #7:
Make it rain colour.

Okay, so you’re getting that color is a thing on FB. Cool. Because it is.

You need to create brightly coloured ads to catch people’s attention in a crowded Facebook newsfeed. CoSchedule’s built their entire brand stylebook around bright positive colours. Check out this eye-catching beauty:

As you can see when looking at the ad above, creating colourful (and engaging) ad designs doesn’t have to be super difficult. You don’t need three years of Photoshop training before you can create a Facebook ad that gets attention. A simple colourful background with stellar ad copy will do the job – Holini’s Facebook post proves the point.

Learn colour psychology to know which colours appeal to specific audiences and match with your offers.

Talia Wolf has created some great content on colors and emotion

Facebook ad hack #8:
Forget color – try a white ad image.

Create ads that have no colour. At all. When we created super-simplistic Facebook ad images for Scoro, we saw an immediate increase in CTRs. These ads were so different from other news feed posts, they grabbed attention.

Facebook ad hack #9:
Less. Is. More.

Test creating simple ad designs that are basic to their bones and differentiate from other news feed posts.

The New York Times seems to be using this very approach, focusing people’s attention on the ad copy – rather than a shiny ad image.

Once you’ve found an ad design that works, it’s not the end of your journey to sky-high Facebook ad results.

Here’s what happens next:

Match Your Ad Design With the Right “Ad Type” and Target Audiences

A great Facebook ad isn’t merely the sum of the colours and images you use.

What about the ad type – is it even matching with your unique value offer? There are several different ad types you can create on Facebook:

• Newsfeed Ads
• Right Column Ads
• Lead Ads
• Carousel ads
• Dynamic Product Ads / DPA
• Page Like Ads
• Canvas Ads
• Event Ads
• Mobile App Install Ads
• GIF Ads

This means that you could get creative to come up with magnetic carousel ads that people can’t help but like and click, just as Shutterstock has done:

Ask your design team to create new custom GIFs and animations to make your ads more memorable.

Facebook ad hack #10:
Try a different ad type.

You might’ve been told that X type of ad works best, so you’re sticking to that advice religiously.

But what if you tried testing different ad types? You might actually see what makes YOUR target audiences click.

Facebook ad hack #11:
Go niche.

Don’t be afraid of creating ads with a niche focus. These could be your best-performing campaigns.

FreshBooks’ Facebook ad starts by saying: “FreshBooks makes online accounting easy so you can stay focused on running your business.” It also clearly states that it’s an online accounting software for non-accountants. That’s a solid niche to target – and target clearly.

Even if FreshBooks’ ad reaches other professionals across Facebook as well, it’s their ideal audience – small business owners – who will be more likely to click the ad and convert.

Facebook ad hack #12:
Nail the ad-audience match.

Make sure your ad’s offer, design and messages match with your Facebook target audience.

Johnathan Dane from KlientBoost likes to divide Facebook audiences into three distinct groups:

1. Ice cubes – people who have never heard of you and haven’t visited your website before
2. Lukewarm audience – people who know who you are, but can’t exactly tell what it is that you do
3. Volcano lava traffic – people who have bought something from you before or are way down the conversion funnel, on the path to becoming a customer

Each of these channel temperatures requires a different offer and approach.

Facebook ad hack #13:
Create location-specific ads.

Another case that calls for special measures is location-based targeting.

Hired’s ad combines a specific audience (software engineers) with location-based targeting. The result? A Facebook ad that will likely get a lot more clicks than a generic ad promoting their platform would’ve produced.

If you’re targeting a specific location, test the inclusion of location-specific images and messages in your Facebook ads.

In collaboration with Merchenta, Mazda created customized ads based on geographic radius to target people who were likely to visit a specific Mazda dealership. Visitors who saw these ads converted at a 53% higher rate than the control group. Almost 1 in 5 consumers interacted with the personalized ad.

Airbnb’s Facebook ad is targeting people living in Bangkok, inviting them to join a hosts’ meetup.

Facebook ad hack #14:
Combine Custom Audiences with locations.

Use Facebook Custom Audiences to combine location-based targeting with retargeting past website visitors for best results.

When I noticed this Facebook ad by Web Summit presenting other Estonians attending the conference (after having checked their website), they had my curiosity.

Facebook ad hack #15:
Repeat your headline in the image.

We already discussed the importance of nailing your unique value proposition. However, I had never thought about including the UVP both in ad image and ad copy until I read this advice by conversion copywriter Gavin Helm-Smith:

So I always integrate my headline into the image because if Facebook users are gonna stop and look at the image first, the copy will get them to click. The headline in the image is usually the same message as the body headline, but it’s longer.

Gavin gets insane results testing Facebook ads at Agora. It’d be crazy not to test his findings to see if they work for you, too.

Facebook ad hack #16:
Deliver 1 key message throughout the ad.

AdEspresso’s Facebook ad delivers one key message across the image and ad copy: Get our free eBook.

The image grabs your attention and presents the offer. The copy repeats the offer and expands on it. At no point do you read about anything but how and why to get this free ebook. Perfect.

Facebook ad hack #17:
Showcase your offer throughout the ad.

Select one key message you’d like to deliver and repeat the offer across your ad image and headline to make it more memorable and clear.

Read this Udacity ad to see how this works in practice:

The offer is strong to start, and it’s strengthened further by the incentives and urgency of the deadline.

Facebook ad hack #18:
Repeat time-sensitive offers in the image and copy.

Use deadlines to make people click now. Here’s how Target has done it:

The best thing about limited time offers is that they really work. Applying scarcity and urgency on a website helped Marcus Taylor, an online entrepreneur, increase sales by 332%.

As I suggested in this article on the KISSmetrics blog, you can create a sense of urgency in your Facebook ads by following some of these principles:

• Define clear dates, e.g. “Today only” or “Offer ends in 24h”
• Offer a great discount, e.g. “Get 60% off today”
• Keep your offer simple and brief
• Place your best offer in the ad’s headline or the image
• Match the ad’s offer on the landing page

Facebook ad hack #19:
A/B test your Facebook ad offer.

Test multiple offers to find the best ways of creating a sense of urgency and making your ads irresistible. You can:

• Emphasize or de-emphasize deadlines
• Emphasize or de-emphasize scarcity / limited quantities
• Add or subtract a promised outcome
• Reposition the benefits
• Tap into FOMO with social proof
• Try two or more completely different offers (just be careful to match the landing pages appropriately)

Facebook ad hack #20:
Make your offer about the buyer, not you.

Make sure your offer is one that speaks to your audience, not just a list of your product’s features. Make it about them.

Remember that your offer and ads should not be a long list of your product’s features or new UX updates. Google manages to turn their rather technical offer into something that’s actually about the reader.

Google’s Facebook ad makes it crystal clear that it’s all about you, you and you.

• New domains that tell your story
• Get your domain today
• Find a domain name for your story

Facebook ad hack #21:
Use the curiosity gap.

Have you ever wondered what makes Upworthy and Buzzfeed headlines so irresistible?

Here’s one of their secret weapons: the curiosity gap.

When NewsWhip analyzed the amount of shares, likes, comments, tweets, pins, etc. on the top 50 media websites, they came to a clear conclusion: Upworthy’s average post had over 18 000 social shares.

Build a curiosity gap into your Facebook ad copy (especially the headlines) to earn people’s full attention. Copy Hackers was able to get a 927% boost in clicks on a client’s pricing page after applying the tactic.

Uber’s Facebook ad targeting potential drivers is a great of example of a curiosity gap in action. As someone who’s heard about this new cool ride sharing service, you’d be compelled to simply find out whether your car qualifies. A single click and voila! You’re in their conversion funnel.

HubSpot’s used a similar approach on marketers by asking: How well do you rank for SEO? You have to click to find out.

A study from Caltech found that curiosity increases to a point where knowledge increases and then drops off. Your takeaway? Aim to give people part of the mystery, but tell the end of the story on your landing page.

Facebook ad hack #22:
Make your copy fascinating with questions.

Ask questions to create compelling Facebook ads that people can’t help but click. This ad by Cooking Love features a compelling video and the quick, imperfect but oh-so-real copy to make anyone nod along: Do you like #pancake?

Also try reinforcing the question throughout your ad. Use a similar or identical question on your video (or image), like Promo does:

Facebook ad hack #23:
Test short vs. long ad copy.

A good story isn’t necessarily a long one. The same rule applies to Facebook ads. The more clear and concise you can keep your ad copy, the greater the chance people will read it.

This Facebook ad by 99designs is certainly on the short side of ad copy:

But there are also times when longer ad copy can work. Intercom’s Facebook ad steps out of the bounds of traditional ad copy with longer copy, a minimal headline and no link description. The effect is that there’s more attention focused on the image and the single block of ad copy:

Test both shorter and longer ad copy to know what appeals to your target audience. And make sure your ad copy supports your offer, emphasizing the key points.

Facebook ad hack #24:
Eliminate all objections before they even form.

Try to eliminate common objections and risks even before they become top-of-mind. One of the reasons people change their minds about making a purchase last minute is that they come up with new objections not to make the purchase.

As Peep Laja explains on ConversionXL:

Whenever there’s a transaction, there’s risk. Usually, the vendor has the buyer carry most of the risk. If the risk seems too big, the purchase won’t take place. Offer guarantees to eliminate or reduce the perceived risks your prospects might have.

Lyft counters the objection “will I even make any money?” by offering new drivers a $500/week payment guarantee:

If you’re a coffee lover, Blue Bottle Coffee’s Facebook ad will win you over: it’s got a free trial. Yes, a free trial of a hard good. This neutralizes objections around having to go into the store to try the coffee out.

Moreover, the ad copy reads: Choose your coffee. Pick your frequency. Skip a shipment. Cancel whenever. Enjoy anytime. Noticed it? – Skip a shipment. Cancel whenever. That’s the perfect guarantee showing a potential buyer they’re free to cancel the subscription anytime.

Whether you’re in SaaS or ecommerce, what objections can your offer help prospects overcome?

Facebook ad hack #25:
Make the customer feel safe.

Try offering your prospects a money-back guarantee or subscription cancellation offer.

Dollar Shave Club’s Facebook ad uses a no-strings-attached strategy with this line: No commitment. No fees.

But the real value of this Facebook ad hides in the sense of belonging it creates. The Dollar Shave Club’s ad copy tells a story about an exclusive set of members who enjoy awesome benefits of using the service, making you want to belong.

According to an article in Psychology Today, the need to belong is a fundamental human need to form and maintain at least a minimum amount of lasting, positive, and significant interpersonal relationships.

By turning your product into a bigger story of community and tribes, you’ll attract more people who want to be part of something. Which brings us naturally to:

Facebook ad hack #26:
Create a feeling of a community.

Create the sense of a belonging around your product, and make all your followers feel like they’re part of a bigger cause or community.

Now, doing this doesn’t have to be intensely philosophical. It could be as simple as showing people your audience wants to befriend doing or feeling something your audience also wants. Eventbrite’s ad does this well, with colourful images of people having fun together at a relatively casual event:

Facebook ad hack #27:
Create ads that help people aspire.

Shopify uses positive language and powerfully simple words such as “dream” and “fun.”

The folks over at Buffer put together this massive list of 189 magnetic words that make your copywriting more engaging and memorable.

They also noted that the five most persuasive words in the English language are:

• You
• Free
• Because
• Instantly
• New

Keep these in mind when writing your Facebook ad copy.

Facebook ad hack #28:
Don’t be afraid to be inspirational.

Write copy the includes compelling adjectives and uncommon wording.

However, take caution not to get too carried away with nice words, forgetting about why you created the ad in the first place: to make people convert.

 

Facebook ad hack #29:
Keep your eyes on the success metric.

It’s incredibly important to select the right calls to action. What I mean by “right” is that your CTAs should focus not only on high CTRs but also on the end conversion.

While A/B testing Facebook ads at Scoro, we discovered that an ad with a “Sign Up” CTA outperformed an ad with a “Learn More” CTA by 14.5%. That is, “sign up” got us what we wanted most: sign ups.

Your choice of CTA depends on what you offer. This Facebook ad by Unbounce announces a new integration, making it logical to use a “Learn More” call to action.

However, when promoting their landing page tool, Unbouce clearly offers people to sign up for a free trial.

Facebook ad hack #30:
Match your CTA to expectations.

Select calls to action that match your offer. Otherwise, people might get confused when landing on a post-click page that offers, say, a download where they expected a trial sign-up.

Facebook ad hack #31:
Include customer testimonials for greater trust.

While Unbounce’s Facebook ad text promised “Our amazing tool will help you do incredible things!” there’s no real proof it actually delivers.

That’s why it sometimes makes sense to include a client’s testimonial in your Facebook ads. If you can prove that ordinary people are happy with your product, it’s a sign you’re worthy of trust.

Facebook ad hack #32:
Real people beat stock photos.

When advertising testimonials, use images of real people instead of stock photos.

Marketing Experiments found that using a real person associated with your product instead of a stock photo increased conversion by 35%.

Facebook ad hack #33:
Include fun facts and research results.

Conduct small surveys to get new interesting facts to use across your paid advertising campaigns.

Here’s an example by Grammarly:

Now let’s wrap up this list of Facebook ad hacks with my three favorites…

FAVE! Facebook ad hack #34:
Use more numbers across your ad copy.

Research shows that by starting your headline with a number, you’re 36% more likely to have people click on your ads. And it’s proven true, as far as we’ve tested it at Scoro.

SumoMe’s Facebook ad states that over 150,000 websites use their software to increase traffic. Numbers like that can help trust and validate a prospect’s interest in the offer.

FAVE! Facebook ad hack #35:
Hook your audience with odd numbers.

Outbrain collected data from 150,000 article headlines and discovered that headlines with odd numbers have a 20% higher clickthrough rate than headlines with even numbers.

That’s why we always prefer to keep our blog posts comprehensive and use headlines with odd numbers.

FAVE! Facebook ad hack #36:
Stand out with emojis.

At Scoro, we conducted a split test to see whether emojis would help increase Facebook ad click-through rates. For us, they did. Our Facebook ad headline that included an emoji had 241% higher click-through rate than the ad with no emoji.

Facebook allows you to place emojis in all parts of your ad copy:

• Headline
• Ad text
• Link description

To get started with your first emoji-ads, here’s a quick guide to using emojis in Facebook ads.

Now you’ve got 36 Facebook ad hacks to apply to your next FB ad campaign. However, no magic trick or hack can sell an offer that’s irrelevant to the target audience. So don’t forget to ensure you’ve got a good offer and audience match, before you even start to create the first ads. And to make it really easy for you to implement these tricks, we’ve worked with the crew at Venngage to put all these hacks into a single infographic you can download now.

~karola

The post 36 Facebook Ad Hacks (for when you’re fresh outta ideas but desperate for brag-worthy CTRs) appeared first on Copywriting For Start-ups And Marketers.

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https://copyhackers.com/2017/05/36-facebook-ad-hacks/