Lead Generation Copywriting: Why it’s Simpler Than you Think

Copywriting is an undervalued skill.

It’s the reason why so much web copy is boring and drab, while emails from thousands of talented copywriters are sent directly to spam folders.

Often, it’s seen as an afterthought once the strategy and research is done. But instead, it should be a part of the strategy from the get-go and help steer it in the right direction.

And when it comes to lead generation, this is DEFINITELY the case.

What is Lead Generation Copy?

Put simply, lead generation copy is just as the name sounds. It’s the words and messaging that helps drive prospects to take a specific action.

You see it every day. It’s that landing page that’s asking for your name and email address before sending you a free resource. It’s the follow-up emails that educate you and want you to take action, like sign-up for a free demonstration or subscribe to their service.

And no… I don’t mean spam emails.

Although it’s easy to understand the confusion.

Nigerian princes and Russian mail order brides have infected our inboxes to the point where any email that doesn’t come from a 100% trusted source automatically becomes spam. Red flags automatically get thrown up when we see an email with generic copy that starts out with a stale greeting and even more stale body.

Even if it’s not spam, it’s usually written by someone who doesn’t understand (or appreciate) the nuances and skill that comes with being a professional copywriter. ?

So How do You Write Lead Generation Copy?

Well, for starters, there is no magic formula. There’s no specific way to guarantee that as soon as prospects open your email, their interest will be piqued, their bank account information will instantly populate, and you’ll begin a wonderful relationship that will be advantageous for everyone involved.

Sorry.

But the good news is that there are a few simple things you can do to inject some personality and enthusiasm into your lead generation copy.

Lead Generation Copy Tip #1: Write How You Talk

Here’s a scenario:

You’re meeting a friend/acquaintance/coworker/whatever for happy hour.

You’re catching up, sharing some hors d'oeuvre, and they ask, “So how’s things going?”

In the real world, you’re not going to answer something like:

“It’s going good. It’s going good because today I had a pretty light schedule. A light schedule is something that rarely happens for me because I’m usually pretty busy on a Tuesday. Typically, I am very busy and don’t have a lot of free time.”

Zzzzzzzzz…

In the real world, in an ACTUAL human conversation, it sounds something like:

“Pretty good. Today was pretty light for a Tuesday. Typically, I don’t have a lot of free time on Tuesdays.”

Sounds casual and to the point, right?

When you’re trying to write copy, think about how you would say it if the person was in front of you.

Lead Generation Copy Tip #2: KISS Keep it Simple Silly

The tao that I follow is simple…

“If you can say it in four words, you can say it in three. If you can say it in three, you can say it in two.”

No one has to see how many revisions you’ve made to copy before you send it to them. So condense, condense, condense.

Remove any unnecessary fillers. Send it back to the Department of Redundancy Department. ?

Going back to the happy hour convo and what NOT to say, you can see how trimming the fat really helps to make the sentence and idea easier to digest… no matter if it’s long copy or short.

Lead Generation Copy Tip #3: Make it Active

Sound the alarm… Avoid Passive voicing!

This is something that I always keep in mind when I’m writing copy.

But don’t get me wrong, there are times when I find it’s useful. Typically, I’ll use it for emphasis.

So let’s put our elementary school caps back on and take a trip to Grammersville.

Passive voice is when the subject is a recipient of a verb's action.

For example:

“The cat is sitting on the fence.”

Nothing too wrong with a sentence like that. Probably a great start to a Dr. Seuss book.

But try this…

“Sitting on the fence, the cat…”

This would be active voice, which is when the subject actively performs the action of the verb.

It definitely raises a bit of interest and starts to make you think a bit.

One simple rule of thumb that I like is to just take the part of the sentence with the verb – in this case, “sitting on the fence” – and put it at the beginning of the sentence. This forces you to think about your copy a bit more and how you can combine it with the next sentence.

These are just a few of the things that you can do to stop writing like a robot and start writing lead generation copy that actually converts.

Do you have any tips that you like to follow? Let me know below.