Copy Needs
In this lesson we are going to:
Map the layout of our homepage
Write first draft copy for home, about and contact pages
Copy Writing: Home, part one
Action Steps:
Gather a pencil, paper, scissors, tape
Pull up your Pinterest board, with your website inspirations
Create a long paper to emulate your home page
Sketch out a plan for your home page layout, using your website inspirations, keeping in mind your intended offerings
You are not doing any copy writing with this exercise, just mapping the layout and understanding the scroll flow you will be building
Copy Writing: Contact Page
Now we're getting into actual copy writing, but we're going to start off with an easy one! You can use the same mapping exercise as we did for the home page, or just create the copy that you will design in later.
The contact page copy is usually just a short blurb inviting someone to reach out. Here are some examples, but feel free to go check out some of your favorite sites and see how they did theirs.
Copy Writing: Short Description of Offerings/Services
Here's another short and sweet copy writing assignment. You are going to have full pages dedicated to the services you provide. That's another copy writing journey for another day.
For this module, I want you to write very short descriptions, that you will have on your home page, that will let someone know a 'little bit' about what that offering is and make them want to click that button which takes them to the sales page.
You might not end up using every description on your home page, but this is a good exercise in describing what you do, in a concise, easy to understand way. Aim for no more than 3-5 sentences.
Copy Writing: About
Your 'About Page' isn't just about YOU. It's about your ideal client and the problem they are facing and how you are their to support them with it.
I like about pages that are fun and go outside the old norm of a bio, written in the 3rd person. Unless you are starting to appear as a guest on podcasts, invited to speaker gigs, or some other reason that one would need to easily pull your professional bio from your about page... you are free to make this page feel and read like you.
So who are some of your web-loves? The personalities on social and the web that you gravitate towards. Yours will be different than mine, so I invite you to do an exploration exercise, checking out how some of your most inspirational or beloved web-friends have set up their about pages.
Mockup an 'about page map', like we did for the home page, then create your copy - keeping in mine the about suggestions for what to include in the copy.
It will be about you...but really about them and how you support them.
Copy Writing: Home, part two
Now we come to our crowning moment of copy writing. Surround yourself with your home page map, your navigation map, and the various applicable writings from our branding process. Remember to keep things concise, giving enough information to let your ideal client know who you are, what you do, why you are for them, how you serve them and take them onto the next places of your website.
In your first draft let the words flow out of you, but with each piece you are writing, check in with that home page layout map, so you are only creating what is needed. AND also, you will be finding a compromise between that layout map and what needs to be added and included on the home page.
Final Thoughts: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Copy Editing and Trusted Sounding Boards
After finishing up the final draft writings above, take a breath, or a walk, or a day or two... then come back for copy editing. Be sure to look at it with fresh eyes, this is important. Sometimes what comes out of us in a writing frenzy can be a bit much or run into tangents when we revisit.
If you have someone that you trust, that knows and loves what you do, ask them to give it a read and let you know if it, a) makes sense, b) gives an accurate description of you, your brand and offerings, and c) feels inviting and connects with the reader.
Pull Excess Copy onto Other Pages & Stockpile Marketing Copy
If and when you cut down your original draft, be sure to save the parts you 'really love', but don't work for the home page. These writings can be used on sales pages, blog articles and throughout your marketing content.
I like to keep a doc for sales page copy and a separate doc for marketing content writing, as a running list of great sound bites that have come through me.
Also... if you are working with a social media scheduler, it is a great opportunity to plug some copy in with an image and get it on the calendar to post!
Seriously though: GOOD JOB! You have single-handedly worked through some of the most uphill copy writing tasks of your website. That's amazing!
