Lead Generation Copywriting: A Brief But Comprehensive Guide

Lead gen and copywriting go hand in hand. The whole purpose of copy is to convert, and converting without good copy is rather tricky (unless you have a unique and amazing product or service, no one in the world can say no to).

As important as it may be, lead generation copywriting isn’t always done well (or not as efficiently as possible).

How do you win more leads for your agency using the power of copywriting?

Here’s the briefest, but most comprehensive guide on writing copy that brings the quality leads home (and helps your agency sell more).

Start with research

One of the single, most important copywriting tips ever is this: every good piece of copy starts with good research—because if you don’t know your client, you won’t be able to write anything that resonates with them. It doesn’t matter if you’re writing the copy for a lead gen page, a homepage, a sales letter, or an email: your lead generation campaigns should be thoroughly researched.

It’s important to find out who your target audience is, how they talk, the pain points that keep them awake at night, the topics they enjoy discussing, and the types of content they consume. Once you have this information, crafting your message in a way that speaks to them will be much easier.

Here are some tips on how to run proper research before you start writing any piece of copy:

1. Talk to your customer: Interview current customers, prospective customers who have dropped off, and people who opted out.

2. Look into customer support interactions: What questions do customers have? What problems are they trying to solve?

3. Conduct surveys: Sometimes, a quick survey of your target audience can provide you with invaluable insights into their needs and wants.

4. Go through customer reviews: These will give you a better idea of what people think about your product/service, and how you can address their concerns with your copy.

5. Analyze the data: Look at the numbers and find out which lead generation channels are doing well, what kind of content works, and how often you should post.

6. Listen to the conversations: Use social listening tools (like BuzzSumo) to identify relevant conversations and understand what people say about your product or service.

7. Create buyer personas: Use the data collected from your research to create detailed buyer personas, which will give you an understanding of who your audience is and how you should communicate with them.

8. Check out their LinkedIn profiles: What do they share or interact with on the platform, and what are the topics they’re interested in? How could you use this to your advantage?

Use the KISS method

KISS (Keep It Simple, Sweetie) is an acronym that can be very useful when writing copy.

The best way to write effective copy is by trimming the fat as much as possible. Keep your sentences short and sweet, keep your paragraphs no longer than a few sentences, and aim for a copy that compresses a lot of information into a few words.

This way, you can make sure that your message is clear and easily understandable by everyone.

Hook the reader with the first sentence

Joseph Sugarman, famous copywriter and author of the best-selling book, The AdWeek Copywriting Handbook, famously said that the first sentence in every piece of copy has one goal: to make the reader want to read the next sentence.

The second sentence’s goal? To make the reader want to read the third one. And so on.

So, when writing lead gen copy, it’s important to capture the factor that will make your audience move from one sentence to the next, and ultimately, take action.

To do this, you have to write an attention-grabbing first sentence that makes the reader curious.

Always use active voice

Active voice is key when it comes to writing copy. It makes your message sound more direct and helps you get your point across more simply and efficiently.

So, instead of using passive voice (e.g., “The leads were generated by the copy”), use active voice (e.g., “The copy generated the leads”) to make sure that your message has the intended impact. 

In the same line of thought, avoid gerunds and participles, as they can make your writing clunky and difficult to read—which may make the reader lose interest and not take action.

Answer the questions readers have

Remember the research?

No matter how masterfully well-crafted your copy is, it will never generate leads if it doesn’t actually answer your audience’s questions or pain points.

The best way to craft copy that resonates with your readers is by understanding their needs and wants and writing copy that suggests you have the solution. You shouldn’t push your solution from the first line—walk your audience through the narrative, remind them how important it is to find a solution to their problem, and only present your solution when their minds are primed to say yes.

Educate your audience

As a general rule, content marketing and copywriting are seen as different sides of the same coin.

Even if your copy is written to sell, it’s sometimes important to include educational content (as this will help you build trust and credibility with your readers). Most often, the lead gen copy that educates doesn’t run very in-depth on the information but picks the bits and pieces your audience needs to know to make an informed decision.

Write how you talk

Avoid jargon and industry-specific buzzwords your readers may not be familiar with. To ensure your message resonates, you need to write the way people talk: in simple words, without pompous phrases and any sort of fluff. Be direct, conversational, and transparent with your message.

Add social proof to your copy

People buy things because other people have already bought them. Social proof is a powerful concept; adding it to your copy can help you boost conversions. Everyone wants to be assured that they’re making the right buying decision. The best way to do that is to show them that people with similar interests have made it already.

There are many ways to include social proof in your copy: testimonials, case studies, reviews, or ratings. All of them should be relevant to the context, adding credibility to your message.

Use the right copywriting framework

There are many copywriting frameworks you can use, but some of the most popular ones include:

• AIDA (attention, interest, desire, and action)

• FAB (features, advantages, benefits)

• PAS (problem, agitate, solution)

• The 4 C’s (clear, concise, compelling, and credible)

• The five basic objections (time, money, usability, trust, need)

• PPPP (picture, promise, prove, push)

Choosing the right copywriting framework depends on who you’re targeting and the product you’re selling. For instance, if you run an SEO agency and are trying to score leads already involved with other agencies, you could use the Five Basic Objections framework. If you target C-level executives, the 4 C’s framework is the better choice.

Make sure to include a clear CTA

No matter what framework you choose, every piece of lead gen copy should include a clear call-to-action. This is the button or link that tells your readers what action they should take next (to achieve the promise/reap the benefits you describe in the copy).

The action can be:

• urging the audience to download a white paper

• sign up for an email newsletter

• schedule a call or appointment with you

• sign up for a trial

Conclusion

There are many lead generation challenges, and one of them is writing copy that converts. When it comes to lead gen copy, you must be mindful of how you word your message, the words you use, and the information you include to make it more compelling.

Keep in mind that your main goal is to engage and convince your readers to take action and become warm leads. They should be the ones to inform your copy, so make sure to do your research before you write and take the time to craft a narrative that resonates with your audience.