Brand, Web & Presence

What are the rules of good marketing copy?

A starting point

Harry Dry's three: make it visual (words people can picture), make it falsifiable (specific claims a competitor couldn't copy-paste), and make it unique to you. Vague, safe copy is invisible copy. Write like you're talking to one real person, not addressing a market.

Go deeper

Hand-picked from around the web, each with a note on why it's here.

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How to build a landing page (Startup Handbook)

From julian.com by Julian Shapiro 25 min read

Why we picked it

Julian Shapiro's deeply practical framework for landing pages, including the desire-minus-friction conversion model, a canonical growth resource.

  • Purchase rate = desire minus (labour plus confusion)
  • The hero header must be fully descriptive; visitors have short consideration spans
  • Show the product in action and test copy on both outsiders and insiders
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People also ask

How do I write copy that explains what my product does clearly? Say what it is in the plain words your customer would use, not corporate abstractions like 'empowering synergies'. Lead with the concrete benefit, ... Beginner 2 resources → How do I write a headline / value proposition that grabs attention? A great headline states the specific outcome for a specific person, clear beats catchy. Julian Shapiro's advice: make the header fully descriptive ... Intermediate 1 resource → How do I find the exact words my customers use to describe their problem? Mine their language directly, sales calls, support tickets, reviews of competitors, Reddit and community threads. Then feed their phrases back into... Intermediate 2 resources → How do I structure a message so customers care (story / framework)? Make the customer the hero and your product the guide that helps them win, that's the StoryBrand framework in one line. Frame it as: they have a pr... Intermediate 2 resources → How do I learn copywriting quickly without a marketing background? Study before/after rewrites of real landing pages, you learn faster from watching a pro fix bad copy than from theory. Harry Dry's Marketing Exampl... Beginner 2 resources → What should actually go on my startup's landing page? Above the fold: a clear headline saying what you do, a subheadline saying how, a visual of the product, social proof, and one call-to-action. Below... Beginner 2 resources →