How can you write unique copy that follows industry standards?

1 Know your industry

Before you start writing, you need to research your industry and understand its goals, values, problems, solutions, language, and trends. This will help you craft copy that is relevant, accurate, and engaging for your target audience. You can use sources like industry blogs, magazines, reports, podcasts, webinars, and social media to learn more about your industry and its best practices. You can also look at the copy of your competitors and industry leaders to see how they communicate their messages and what makes them unique.

2 Know your audience

Another key factor in writing unique copy that follows industry standards is knowing your audience and what they want, need, and care about. You need to write copy that speaks to their pain points, desires, emotions, and motivations, and that offers them a clear value proposition and a compelling call to action. You can use tools like buyer personas, surveys, interviews, reviews, and analytics to create a detailed profile of your ideal customer and tailor your copy accordingly. You can also use techniques like storytelling, humor, metaphors, and questions to connect with your audience and make your copy more memorable.

3 Know your voice

Your voice is your unique way of expressing your personality, tone, and attitude in your copy. It reflects your brand identity, values, and message, and it helps you differentiate yourself from your competitors and build trust and loyalty with your audience. You need to write copy that is consistent with your voice and that adapts to the context and purpose of your copy. You can use a voice guide or a style guide to define and document your voice and its elements, such as word choice, sentence structure, punctuation, and formatting. You can also use tools like Hemingway, Grammarly, or ProWritingAid to check and improve your voice and readability.

4 Know your format

The format of your copy refers to the type, length, structure, and layout of your content, depending on the medium, channel, and platform you are writing for. You need to write copy that follows the format requirements and conventions of your industry and that suits the goals and preferences of your audience. You can use templates, examples, or best practices to guide you in writing copy for different formats, such as web pages, blog posts, emails, social media posts, ads, landing pages, or brochures. You can also use tools like CoSchedule Headline Analyzer, Yoast SEO, or Unbounce to optimize your format and performance.

5 Know your value

The value of your copy is the benefit or outcome that you offer to your audience and that sets you apart from your competitors. You need to write copy that showcases your value and that convinces your audience to take action. You can use techniques like USP (unique selling proposition), UVP (unique value proposition), or FAB (features, advantages, benefits) to highlight your value and how it solves your audience's problems or fulfills their needs. You can also use techniques like social proof, testimonials, or guarantees to back up your value and increase your credibility and authority.

6 Know your feedback

The feedback of your copy is the response or reaction that you get from your audience and that helps you measure and improve your results. You need to write copy that invites and encourages feedback and that uses it to refine and enhance your copy. You can use methods like A/B testing, split testing, or multivariate testing to compare and evaluate different versions of your copy and see which one performs better. You can also use methods like surveys, polls, comments, or reviews to collect and analyze feedback from your audience and see how they perceive and respond to your copy.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?