Writing website copy is exciting yet challenging. Why? You use your creativity to come up with a catchy headline. You’re excited about it. But you’ve no clue if a prospect who lands on the page can make sense of the headline before reading further.
So you assume the identity of a prospect and read it. That’s where the problem is – how much ever hard you try, what you’ve written is obvious to you, and you’d tell yourself, “Hmm, this makes sense.”
Now, that’s a blind spot.
Solution? Always experiment. Share your copy with your friends, or best, your family members.
If they respond with “Great job!” but have no clue about what you’ve written, don’t get carried away with the compliment.
As Rob Fitzpatrick rightly states in his book ‘The Mom Test,’
“Compliments are the fool’s gold of customer learning: shiny, distracting, and worthless.”
Rework on the copy. Simplify the message.
If they ask relevant questions, it’s a good sign. Still, rework on the copy to make it clear.
If they clearly understand what you intend to convey, give yourself a pat on the back. The copy has done its job.
So the next time you write headline copy, think of a prospect with an attention deficit who constantly switches tabs. The job of your headline is to have their attention and create a delightful reading experience.
Akkshaya Varkhedi 