Liz Willits’ Post

Marketer: That's a fragment sentence! We need to fix it. Copywriter: Why? Marketer: It's not grammatically correct! Copywriter: True. But it's easier to read. Marketer: That doesn't matter. Copywriter: Do conversion rates matter? Marketer: Well, yeah ... Copywriter: Then, readability matters. 🙃 Readability increases conversion rates. Break grammar rules.

Tell me you're a marketer ... Without telling me you're a marketer. I'll go first: People with zero experience tell me how to do my job.

There's no room for ego in marketing. Your ideas, strategies, and opinions are just hypotheses. Test them. If they work, double down. If they don't, go back to the drawing board. Be willing to test ideas — even if you don't agree with the hypotheses. We often make assumptions and sweeping generalizations about our audiences. That can lead us to ignore winning ideas. Because we're biased. So test everything. No ego.

This is a test. That’s what all marketing is. Marketers are scientists. This is our process: 1. Research. 2. Hypothesize. 3. Test. 4. Analyze. 5. Repeat. Often, CEOs don't get this. - They want instant results. - Sure things. - And ROI guarantees. But that's not marketing. It's a recipe for risk-averse, stressed marketing teams. Want a marketing team that gets results? Give them time and budget to test.

As a young copywriter, EVERYBODY edited my copy. The designers. The CMO. Even the CEO. 😂 But people rarely edit my copy now. I even have a few clients who provide ZERO edits. Why? I pitch my copy. Pitching your copy builds trust, demonstrates your expertise, and significantly reduces feedbacks/edits. Before ever showing my clients fresh copy, I schedule a 45-minute meeting with them. Here’s the outline for my pitch deck during that meeting: 1. I explain my proven methodology. What it is. Why it’s different. Why it works. 2. I show proof. I share data and case studies from prior clients that PROVE my method works. 3. I position copy as a test. I remind my clients that new copy is simply a temporary test. If my copy doesn’t convert better, we can always revert, adapt, and try again. Positioning copy this way mentally reduces the risk for clients. 4. I overcome nerves. I warn clients that my copy may make them nervous. That’s OK. That’s good. If the copy doesn’t make you a little nervous, it’s likely too safe. (Because most B2B copy is WAY too safe.) 5. I share the copy. Finally, I give my client a link to the copy document. 6. I invite feedback. I tell the client to digest it. Step away from it for a bit. Then, leave any edits/comments in the copy document. Start pitching your copy like this. It demonstrates the amount of research, effort, and skill that goes into each word of copy. And it cuts back on those bothersome edits. Feel free to steal my pitch deck outline. ✌️ (For context, if you're NOT a copywriter and you're reading this and thinking, "What's wrong with feedback?" Good question. There's nothing wrong with good feedback. It's actually helpful. The problem is that most feedback isn't helpful, and it actually weakens copy. The people providing the feedback aren't copywriters and don't understand why a copywriter made a certain decision. Pitching copy helps overcome this. Because now you understand WHY and HOW a copywriter makes decisions.)

We all face writer's block. Here are 12 tips to defeat it: 1. Research first. You can’t write about a topic unless you understand it. And researching while writing is a recipe for disaster. It’s SO easy to get distracted and lose focus. During research, collect data, examples, and quotes too. 2. Outline. This is the MOST important tip. An outline organizes your thoughts. It eliminates the overwhelm of a blank page. It keeps you focused. DO NOT write content without one. It works for short-form content too. I used an outline to write this social post. 3. Block time. Schedule a time period on your calendar for drafting. Your goal: Write the ENTIRE draft in that time period. Then, schedule a different time period for editing. Ideally, you'll wait a day or two to edit. That way, you get space and perspective. I use a tool that automatically time blocks for me — Motion 4. Write at your best time. Draft during periods of high focus, creativity, and energy. Morning person? Write in the morning. Night person? Write at night. 5. Eat that frog. When you start your workday, do your writing first. It's tempting to do easy, busy work first. But that makes it too easy to put off writing. Yes, you should write at times of high creativity. BUT studies have found our willpower is a limited resource. By the end of the day, we don't have as much willpower. And it's difficult to do difficult things — like writing. 6. Eliminate distractions. Close unneeded browser windows. Mute Slack notifications. Keep your phone in a different room. 7. Use the Pomodoro Technique. Set a 25-minute timer. You must write during those 25 minutes and nothing else. Once the 25 minutes is up, set a timer for 5 minutes and take a break. Repeat. 8. Use formulas. Ever heard of PAS? Or AIDA? They’re formulas that give you a structure to follow. They eliminate the blank page. Try them. They work. 9. Use AI. AI doesn't replace writers. It's a tool that make writers more effective. 10. Use positive self talk. Olympians and pro athletes use positive self talk to increase performance. For good reason: It works. You can use it as a writer too. Tell yourself: “I like writing. I’m a good writer. I can’t wait to write.” 11. Write a messy first draft. Don’t be a perfectionist at this stage. Just get it written. Constant editing during drafting is a distraction and messes up your flow. 12. Do 2 rounds of edits. During the 1st round, focus on: 👉 readability 👉 clarity 👉 punctuation/grammar issues 👉 and brevity. During the 2nd round, focus on adding: 👉 tone 👉 voice 👉 metaphors 👉 and examples. 13. Reward yourself. Once you finish drafting and/or editing, give yourself a small reward — like a 20-minute break to do something fun. That’s a wrap! Writing is tough. Everyone faces writer's block. Use these strategies to defeat it.

ChatGPT won't replace your content team. Here's why: A content marketer's job is NOT to create content. Their job is to: 1. turn your company into a thought leader 2. flip the buying relationship The result of that flip: Your company doesn't need to chase down leads. Instead, leads come to YOU. ChatGPT won't do this. However, it WILL be a great tool for your content team.

Hey Marketers, Study copywriting. You'll get paid more. 5 copywriting resources I recommend: 1. Making Ads Pay 2. Scientific Advertising 3. The Ultimate Sales Letter 4. How to Write a Good Advertisement 5. The Adweek Copywriting Handbook Any resources to add? Drop them below. 👇

All marketers must pass this test.

What the job listing says: - Must thrive in a fast-paced environment - Ability to work under tight deadlines - Comfortable wearing many hats What the job listing actually means: - You will work crazy hours. - And we won’t pay you fairly.