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Would You Take Your Copy on a Date?


Eyeball Glue: 7 Tips to Get Prospects to Read Your Copy


Sex up your copy. Make it look good. Make it easy to approach. Say the things your prospect wants to hear.


Get a prospect’s attention with these 7 Tips. If you can put them above the fold, even better. Pretend they’re looking into your eyes.


1. Headlines: Effective headlines catch the prospect’s attention. If they don’t, they’re outta here. Eyeball Glue sounds kind of creepy. But, it roused your curiosity. It bought me a second of your attention, but there has to be more.


The title, 7 Tips to Get Prospects to Read Your Copy, immediately does two things. The non-interested will bail out. That’s fine. The interested will read on and know there’s value ahead. That’s who you want to talk to.


2. First Sentence: Your headline was strong. Congratulations, but you haven’t sold anything yet. I write a lot of great headlines. For some clients, that’s all I write, but this time, you’ve been hired to write the whole page.


Every sentence you write has to lead the reader to the next and keep their attention. A great headline will not make a sale. Your goal is to take them all the way to the call to action. When they get there, they need to WANT to take action. Ahem, done right, they’ll do whatever you ask…use this opportunity wisely.


3. Conversational Tone: Talk to your reader in the tone they want to hear. Use the words they use, but also talk to them like you would in a conversation. “Buy this NOW!” is not very conversational.


Stories are a method that work for me. At some point today, somebody will ask you, “How’s your day?” If you answer more than “fine,” you’ll tell them a story. Can you weave a story into your copy the prospect will relate to? Warning: Your date will get bored if you only talk about yourself.


4. Readability: A long time ago at a dance club, a guy asked my friend to dance. She said, “No, but she will.” What was he to do? We danced, and he gave me his number. She did the equivalent of looking at the webpage for a few seconds and said, “nope” and moved on.


She didn’t like what she saw. Does your client’s prospect like what she sees? Is there a WALL of copy? A lot of folks just left. Can the reader scan the copy to find what they seek? If they can, you’ll get a second look. In fact, if the section they read helped them, they may read more.


Readability includes white space, headlines, sub-headlines, bullets, pictures/graphics, and more. Despite what the word sounds like, it’s really that first look. Does the prospect want to engage with the copy? Will they talk, or are they just two ships that pass in the night?


5. Bullets: Technically, you’re reading a listicle. You were advised you’d be given 7 Tips. The tips are numbered with sub-headings and followed by fuller explanations.


Bullets are typically shorter. They’re quickly digestible. The appetizers if you will. They’re important. They introduce you to the entrée. Written well, they’ll leave you hungry for more.


Bullets should be concise. They should deliver essentials. They aren’t the entire piece of content, but they can drive the prospect deeper into the website.


Information shared in the bullets should let the prospect know they’ve found the website that can help solve their problem.


6. Images/Graphics: Not everyone is a reader. You’re writing copy/content. How do you entice a non-reader? You already know about readability. The prospect has consented to reading the headline. Show’em a picture. Keep their attention.


The image should share helpful information. It can be a graph or chart. If it’s a photo, give it a short caption with question answering/problem solving information.


Silly, scary, or even sexy photos are fun, but make sure they’re relevant to your product. If not, you might get another second or two of attention, but then the prospect moves on without another glance.


Enticed by pictures with motivating copy. Given easily digestible bites of copy. There’s a good chance you’ll make it to the dance floor.


7. Customer’s Eyes: Step back from your computer. Look at your webpage from across the room. Does it catch your eye?


This may seem silly, but if you want to spend some time with your client’s prospect, you’ve got to catch their eye. You’ve only got a few seconds to get them to commit.


Look at your website on a computer monitor and a phone. Would you swipe right or left?

Do you believe what you see? Do you want to know more about the product or service? If you do, is the company easy to reach or the product easy to buy? This is not a time for your copy to play hard to get.


If you’ve ever created a profile on a dating app, you put words and images to appeal to a specific audience. You did everything to attract them. Take any pictures taken in the bathroom off your profile NOW.


Webpages require the same attention.

Websites can’t be written for each individual prospect. Individual pages can. However, the tips here apply to any market. To be successful, webpages must be accessible. They need to be appealing. They must catch the attention of your client’s prospects. If your landing page doesn’t work, your prospect won’t dig any further into your website. Aim for love at first site.


Synthia Dove works with Eyeball Glue on a regular basis. She applies it to website copy, emails, blogs, and articles. Despite worldwide supply chain issues, she feels confident she can meet your needs. Contact her at synthia@dovecopywriting.com if you’re only getting glances instead of full-fledged stares.


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