Two signs your launch copy is working against you

When the numbers don't add up...

Image credit: NASA via Unsplash

It’s so frustrating, isn’t it?

People replied to emails, said how excited they were about your offer, posted comments and liked all the social posts, and yet when the offer launched, the cart barely filled up. You made fewer sales than these positive responses led you to believe you would.

For me, this stings worse than if no one said a thing, or even flat out rejected it. At least you wouldn’t have lured yourself into a false sense of security, thinking that it will work.

What’s gone wrong then?

• Must be the offer, right? That’s why they engaged at first but didn’t buy?

• Maybe the price was wrong?

• Maybe you didn’t explain the features well enough?

All of these are possibilities, and it’s worth checking if the offer has been set up competitively. But there is also another variable worth looking at…

The copy.

You could argue that a great offer will sell itself, and that is true – it can. But it won’t sell as well as it would with a great copy behind it. Weak copy really can ruin a great offer. And when a warm audience responds below the level you expect, it is likely that your copy needs a lift.

Here are two signs that it is in fact your copy, and not the offer, that is holding your revenue back.

1. Metrics look good but the revenue is low

We’ve touched on this already. This is where people told you they loved the idea, but didn’t buy. The copy made a connection – they loved it – but didn’t persuade. The messages were likable but didn’t create certainty that the offer is worth investment.

The words made elaborate explanations that made the prospect feel seen and excited but, unfortunately, didn’t answer the questions they had at the back of their mind: why this, why now, etc.?

The first instinct is to look at the sales page, and see where the weak spots are.

But, it might not be the sales page that is a problem, though.

This can be a sign that the prospects came to the sales page unprepared. They still were sceptical, they still didn’t know enough…

There is also one very important job earlier touch points need to do – they need to allow your audience to self-select correctly, so only those who can actually benefit from your offer are guided to the sales page to say yes and buy.

2. Your open rates look good, but your click-throughs are struggling.

If open rates are high, then your subject lines, headlines, first paragraphs, hero sections, etc., are strong. They created curiosity and interest, and your audience wanted to know more.

The problems started further down. If people didn’t click the link, they were not compelled to act. Perhaps the headline grabbed attention with something that was not carried through the rest of the copy. Or maybe, the messages did not build enough confidence to make that click a no-brainer.

A warm audience will often give you hints about this. You will start receiving questions you thought your copy answered:

• “How soon can I start seeing results?”

• “Are there any guarantees?”

• “Will this work for me and my circumstances?”

Every question shows where the copy didn’t deliver. It didn’t pre-empt objections or didn’t articulate your offer in a way that helped the prospect see that this purchase is the right choice for them.

Hesitations mirrored in questions can easily turn into reasons not to buy. Addressing them in copy strengthens the funnel overall.

When the numbers don’t add up, the problem is not necessarily with your offer.

Look critically at your copy first. Perhaps the tone was slightly off, like it’s trying to be something it’s not. Everything sounds too perfect or too good to be true. The argument is built in an awkward way, or the emotions feel superficial… Prospects can sense these things even if they can’t quite put their finger on it. It’s those little things that will leave crumbs of hesitation that over the purchasing journey will become reasons not to buy.

Problems with copy can be easily turned around without starting over.

The trick is to know where to look.

Sometimes that means reaching out to someone who can hear what your audience heard, and spot where the certainty dropped out.

That’s what I do. If your launch didn’t perform the way you thought it would, I’m only a message away. Start a conversation and let’s find out what the copy was working against.

Speak soon,
Dot