WistiaFest 2017 Keynote

1. CONVERSION
COPYWRITING
and the end of…
JOANNA WIEBE @copyhackers
¯_(ツ)_/¯
“Shorter!!”
“I like it”
“I don’t like it”
“What’s Apple doing?”
“Longer!”

2. • Scripting a video
• Writing a VSL
• Writing the embed / landing page for your
video
• Writing video captions
• Writing emails that drive to videos
• Writing sales pages that sell video-based
training
Use copy to get
more views, less
drop-off and more
take-up on your
CTAs
@copyhackers

3. You go to a quiet place to write.

4. (Because to write, you need to be alone with your thoughts.)

5. Yet, somehow, genius doesn’t strike.

6. Turns out the copy in your head…
sucks.

7. So you give up. And find something else to do.

8. That’s “creative” copywriting.
And it has no place in
business.
@copyhackers

9. Contrary to legends
about drunken
genius,
WRITING IS
STRUCTURED

10. spellling

11. vacuum
neighbor

12. The “I-A-O” Rule:
Ding dong
Tick tock
Dilly dally
Mish mash
Flip flop
Knick knack

13. The “Little Red Riding Hood” Rule:
Opinion > Size > Age > Shape > Color > Origin > Material > Purpose > Noun

14. Olympic-sized rectangular swimming pool
@copyhackers

15. Cheetos-colored Russian-made president
@copyhackers

16. Those rules are as baked in as
1+2=3
@copyhackers

17. To build a bridge, an engineer adds new
rules to 1+2=3.
TO CONVERT A PROSPECT,
MARKETERS ADD NEW RULES
TO WRITING.
@copyhackers

18. One Reader
One Offer
One Promise
One Guiding Idea
The Rule of

19. One Reader: Product-aware trial user
who does not know about custom player
colors
One Offer: Change your player color
One Promise: Get more views
One Guiding Idea: Yes, Wistia’s tech
can get more people to watch your
videos

20. Everything depends on your
one reader.
@copyhackers

21. _____________________________
___
Unaware
Pain
Aware
Solution
Aware
Product
Aware
Most
Aware
To convert your reader,
you need to know how aware they are:
@copyhackers

22. You join your reader in their
starting stage. And you move
them to the next stage.
In a single page, ad or email…
@copyhackers

23. UnawareIf your reader joins the convo…
…your job is to move them to…
Problem
aware

24. Problem
awareIf your reader joins the convo…
…your job is to move them to…
Solution
aware

25. Solution
awareIf your reader joins the convo…
…your job is to move them to…
Product
aware

26. Product
awareIf your reader joins the convo…
…your job is to move them to…
Most
aware

27. Most awareIf your reader joins the convo…
…your job is to move them to…
Most aware
with high
intent

28. You cannot lead with your
product if your reader is unaware,
problem- or solution-aware.
This rule holds that…
@copyhackers

29. You cannot ask for a purcha$e
until your reader is at least
product aware.
This rule holds that…
@copyhackers

30. If you need to move a prospect
through multiple stages of
awareness, you need longer copy.
This rule holds that…
@copyhackers

31. One Reader: Product-aware trial user who
does not know about custom player colors
One Offer: Change your player color
One Promise: Get more views
One Guiding Idea: Yes, Wistia’s tech can
get more people to watch your videos
Lead not with
incentive or pitch but
with intrigue re: feature
Write as much as is
needed to move along
spectrum toward next
stage
Offer to try this feature

32. The result? >3x the
paid conversions.
We tested 6 emails that nurtured Wistia
trial users from product-aware to MAHI.

33. _____________________________
___
Unaware
Pain
Aware
Solution
Aware
Product
Aware
Most
Aware
@copyhackers

34. _____________________________
___
Unaware
Pain
Aware
Solution
Aware
Product
Aware
Most
Aware
@copyhackers

35. _______________________________
____
Pain
Aware
Solution
Aware
Product
Aware
Most
Aware
MA w/
High
Intent
@copyhackers

36. PRODUCT
AWARE
Educate on
product
(features,
benefits) to
move
prospect
toward Most
Aware. Offer
is to try or
purchase.
Customizable
video player
Turnstile
Calls to action
Try Buy Buy
MOST
AWARE

37. MOST
AWARE
Sell to your
now-
nurtured
reader,
increasing
their intent.
Offer is to
purchase.
MA w/
HI
Upgrade to
remove branding
Outshine other
options
Buy Buy

38. MOST AWARE
with HIGH INTENT
Stop selling
and close.
Offer is to
purchase.
Buy
Incentive

39. Text “WISTIAFEST” to 44222
@copyhackers

40. start from scratch Frameworks
Formulas
Old-school copy

42. WITH HEADLINES, ASK YOURSELF:
Do you need + want to keep reading, or is
the story already told?
@copyhackers

44. did what?

45. this __________
Curiosity gap

46. Problem
Agitation
Solution
@copyhackers

47. @copyhackers

48. Problem
Agitation
Solution
@copyhackers

49. Control Variation B

50. (Delaying the product reveal is uncomfortable
for every online business on the planet.)
@copyhackers

51. Control Variation B
49% more paid conversions

52. Always Be
Swipe files
VOC data
Eavesdropping

53. What do you do with the mad that you feel
When you feel so mad you could bite?
When the whole wide world seems oh so wrong,
And nothing you do seems very right?
What do you do - do you punch a bag?
Do you pound some clay or some dough?
Do you round up friends for a game of tag?
Or see how fast you go?
It's great to be able to stop,
When you've planned the thing that's wrong,
And be able to do something else instead
And think this song:
I can stop when I want to,
Can stop when I wish,
Can stop, stop, stop anytime.
And what a good feeling to feel like this,
And know that the feeling is really mine -
Know that there's something deep inside
That helps us become what we can.
For a girl can be someday a lady,
And a boy can be someday a man.
@copyhackers

54. While others talked down to kids,
Mr Rogers talked to kids using their own
words.
@copyhackers

55. Don’t talk.
Listen.

56. @copyhackers

58. Message mining
@copyhackers

59. Here’s how you mine for your
message.
@copyhackers

60. 1. On one or more sites with reviews,
find products / services in your category.

61. 2. Go through the reviews and clip
the most memorable insights.

62. 3. Organize them in your framework.

63. 4. Tag your swiped messages
so they’re handy whenever
it’s time to “write” your copy.

64. When you script
your videos or
write your sales
pages, don’t look
inside your head
for your copy.
@copyhackers

65. Never write. Swipe.
Start “writing” with a framework.
Begin with the Rule of One.
@copyhackers

66. Thanks!
JOANNA WIEBE
@copyhackers
joanna@copyhackers.com
Text “WISTIAFEST” to 44222