Copywriting - Macrocopy
Macrocopy term includes texts that are marketing the product e.g. slogan, case stories, benefit listing, testimonials. More about copywriting in copywriting notes.
Macrocopy should most importantly follow the rules of good writing style.
Macrocopy should push user to a single specific action.
- First second impression is the most important. It is made with graphical design and fast load times.
- Your main message should be clear in 10 seconds by mere scanning. How are you going to solve my problem? Why should people trust you? Who are you and why do you exist?
- Past 2 minute mark, you may go to secondary messaging.
Macrocopy can be written in various styles:
- Plain Macrocopy: Introducing the product in the simplest form possible.
- Story Macrocopy: Introduce the problem, have a dialogue and show the solution, your product.
- Conversation Macrocopy: Writing as if the website were a conversation between the reader and the writer. Includes remarks like "I know how you must feel" and "But it all changed when...".
- Imaginative Macrocopy: Write how the product will make the reader's life easier. Usually starts with lines like "imagine" or "close your eyes for a second".
- Directly-To-You Macrocopy: Create your macrocopy look like a letter from the CEO.
- Frank Macrocopy: State that the problem is not simple but you are solving it. Improves the trust visitors have in you.
- Superlative Macrocopy: Making outlandish claims about your product and the benefits. You must include testimonials, statistics and research.
- Rejection Macrocopy: Stating that the product or service is not for everybody. This can make people even more interested.
Conversion is the key. The goal of a macrocopy is to convert visitors into customers. You can make a minimal macrocopy for a product promotion website by including:
- Headline: get people interested and curious.
- Explanation: max three sentence text explaning what this is about.
- Benefits: bullet points containing key benefits of the product. Do not list features or solutions, but benefits, what can the user achieve with the product.
Optimal macrocopy length depends on the product price. Costly ($500+) products use more informative macrocopy to build up trust. With cheaper products, aim to deliver your message in the smallest word count possible. There are also notable cultural differences e.g. in Asia, building up trust is important also with the cheaper products.
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Split macrocopy to paragraphs. Good starting point is to have between 250 and 400 characters per paragraph. 5 visible lines is a good paragraph length.
The most important message should be the first sentence of each paragraph. People skim and scan websites and rarely read whole paragraphs. The first sentence of the first paragraph should be the most important info you want to communicate. You can also consider highlighting the main point in the middle of text if you cannot start with it.
Use images to replace parts of macrocopy. Text can easily be ignored, but you must make an effort to ignore images. Images are very good for explaining your message. Smiling people build up trust, if it does not look a stock photo.
Surprise your reader to keep him engaged. Do not go over your head with this one.
And the iPod touch loop makes it all even more un-put-downable.
Communicate value before the price. When people are expecting a higher price, the price will feel more reasonable. But never exclude the price.
# bad
Copper vase price: $990
# good
Designed by Andy Warhol.
Copper vase price: $990
# bad, it is not clear how much you need to donate
Would you be willing to help by giving a donation?
# good
Would you be willing to help by giving a donation? Every penny will help.
Nudge the visitor to make a micro-commitment. There are different levels of micro-commitment you can aim for: asking for a tweet, Facebook like, name, email or about your preferences. But note that people hate when you force stuff on them so it should be subtle.
# bad
[ Buy Now ]
# good
[ ] Yes, Jack. I am ready to melt of my belly fats for special price of $37.
Align yourself with a mission that the customers can agree with. Then they will more likely align with your solution also.
CrossFit, a high-way to a ripped body.
CrossFit begins with a belief in fitness.
# If you are anti-CrossFit, you are anti-fitness.
People care about the future, not the past. People care about your current level of skill and what you can do for them. Keep the focus on the people, while showing that you are good in what you do.
- Do not write about the history of the company.
- Communicate that you have affordable prices.
- Tell about employees and expertise you currently have.
- Tell about projects you have handled well in the near past.
# bad
A better way to learn how to cook.
# good
Do you know why you can't cook?
Consider altering the customer point of view to the future. It might even help to write your copy like user would have already brought the product by using words like "when" instead of "if". This might change customer mind set away from the purchase to real benefits of the product.
Real Estate Agent:
"When you have a BBQ in your new home, make sure to invite me."
Sensations are easier to remember than ideas. Use sense related adjectives make abstract ideas more memorable.
Enjoy entertainment in dazzling full HD on a large screen.
Tell about benefits you provide. Do not just list features, users want to know about the benefits. Benefits should focus on regular new users, not on advanced users. Understand what the visitors want and state that you deliver what they want. Experiences are also benefits.
# bad, a feature
Up to 100 cycles per minute.
# good, a benefit
Faster production.
# good, an experience
Getting more product out the door per shift means you will blow away
your productivity goals and be a hero. You might even get a promotion.
Use measurable terms to describe your benefits. Add specific technical details for creditability. But keep in mind who your audience is.
IKEA FAKTUM cabinets are made of sturdy 18mm board with white melamine
foil for a hard-wearing, moisture-proof and scratch-resistant finish.
Give us two weeks and we'll have you going strong.
How to outsource your life for a year, only to return to
a bank account 50% larger than before you left?
How to easily avoid the top 7 career-killing mistakes.
Train yourself to eat less and reduce your monthly food bills by 50%.
Know the common concerns that your visitors have. Anticipate their hesitation and call out their excuses.
# visitor: "Do I have to live near the service provider?"
Anyone with an Internet connection and the willingness to try can join us.
# visitor: "I don't know if this is meant for me..."
You dont need better genetics or more discipline.
You need immediate results that compel you to carry on.
# visitor: "I know weight watchers, but I have so many business lunches..."
Eating out? No problem.
Our app makes it easy to order anywhere and still stay on track.
# visitor: "But will that address <PROBLEM>".
Many of you are probably worried about <PROBLEM> right now.
Do not worry, we got you covered.
Keep humor in check. Your message voice and tone should reflect the current user mind set. If the user might be irritated or confused, avoid humor.
# Mailchimp makes a small joke when an operation was a success.
Fine piece of work. You totally deserve a raise.
# But Mailchimp is really clear and strict where it is needed e.g. errors.
We’re experiencing a problem at one of our data centers.
Our engineers are on it, and will have things back to normal shortly.
# Mailchimp press profile is clever, not silly.
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# Mailchimp is friendly and honest in news as only most loyal users read those.
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We’re pretty excited about this.