FF #005: 5 Deadly Copywriting Mistakes Killing Your Sales and Engagement

Let's talk COPYWRITING today.

Only fitting since I've been writing a ho lotta copy for some exciting stuff launching later this month.

Today marks FF issue #005 since it's been newly renovated...

So we're gonna jam on...

5 Deadly Copywriting Mistakes That Are Killing Your Sales (...and how to fix it)

I've made every one of the following mistakes.

Once I fixed them?

My sales improved. Engagement shot up. And audience grew at a much faster pace.

People seem to like me more too :-)

I've been seeing those "Little Miss X" memes going around.

So I thought why not make one for this list of mistakes?

Each one is labeled as "Mr. [The Mistake]".

I had fun writing this one (like every issue) so I hope you enjoy reading it.

Let's dive in.

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1.) Mr. Unbelievable.

Almost every newbie... myself included... goes through the phase of trying to make claims as BIG as they can.

"I will 100x your leads and sales!"

It's EZ to make big claims. Not EZ getting someone to believe them.

There are 2 things a person MUST believe before buying.

1. Your claims.
2. Their ability to achieve your claims.

If you tell a 400lb dude he's gonna lose 200lbs in 30 days if he takes your workout program?

There's almost 0% chance he buys.

One... because you have an outlandish claim he doesn't believe.

Two... because he doesn't believe it's possible for HIM to do.

"There's no way in hell I'm losing 200lbs in one month!"

On the flip side if you have a claim such as "lose 10lbs in 30 days while eating bacon"?

With proof to back up your claims?

It's a lot more believable and doable.

So try making your claims smaller and more doable.

You still want it to be exciting and different.

But don't forget it must be believable or the claim won't matter.

2.) Mr. Lecturing Dad.

I was a naughty kid growing up lol.

Constantly grounded, scolded, and lectured for breaking the "rules".

My parents would pull me aside every day and give me a stern talking to.

"Don't run down that street after 6pm or you're grounded for 3 weeks!"

It always had the opposite effect on me.

Because I felt rebellious and the urge to do it MORE.

"You can't tell me what to do!"

When I started out writing copy and creating content?

I made this same mistake of using Lecturing Dad tone.

And I see a lot of copy/content in the wild making the same mistake.

When you lecture, scold, and point fingers?

You make people more resistant.

NO ONE likes being told what to do.

The only time this MIGHT work is if you're someone with an immense amount of respect like a celebrity or high-ranking politician.

Because people will listen to you regardless of what you say.

But if you're not in a position of power?

Best not to do it because you'll repel more than attract.

The way I like to think about it is if I were sitting at the bar with a good friend, having a brewski and chatting it up...

How would I explain something to him?

How would I tell him a story?

How would I convince him to buy a product I've been using?

Taking a "friend at the bar" stance vs "lecturing parent" will work wonders for your copy and make people more receptive to your message.

3.) Mr. Confusion.

Yesterday my wife and I met up with one of her friends and her new boyfriend.

We were having a couple drinks and having the usual small talk.

He asked me what I do for work.

I always struggle with this question and have a different answer depending on who's asking...

But responded with, "I teach people how to write online. What about you?"

He said how cool it was and asked for some deets on how to learn more.

Then he went into what he does...

...and I have no freakin clue what that is lol.

He spent what felt like 5mins explaining it.

Using words and phrases like "well basically... essentially... I do [word I've never heard of before]... you know?"

Lol nah brah I don't know.

Nice guy.

He was really jazzed up about it... but I didn't understand a shred of what he said.

All Jackie and I could do was smile and nod.

Which brings me to the mistake...

Confusion is the killer of sales and engagement.

If the reader can't understand what you're saying?

Nothing else matters.

And they won't be back to read your next piece.

So don't try to be clever. Or cute. Or smart by using big words no one knows.

CLARITY should be your #1 priority.

I like to imagine I'm explaining it to a 5th grader.

Helps me make it clear and simple to understand.

4.) Mr. Never Gets To The Point.

I have a friend from college who loves to tell stories but takes foreverrr to get to the point.

Whenever he starts talking people just roll their eyes and think "here we go again..."

He spends an eternity talking about details that have no relevance.

If he were telling a story about something that happened at dinner it might sound something like this...

"So yea I was walking down the street and see this lady with yellow workout gear on. Or was it red? I dunno red or yellow can't remember. Looks like it coulda been Lululemon or something. Then this dog ran past and I swear it was like a pitbull. Super muscular and boy it was FAST. I always wanted a pitbull as a kid. Anywayyy..."

*repeats about 10x throughout the story*

Get to the damn point mannn!

He's our friend so we forgive him and know what to expect.

But people reading your copy and content won't be so forgiving.

If you read my LinkedIn posts you'll see I get right to the meat.

I don't waste any time sharing irrelevant details or clearing my throat.

I try my damndest to capture attention right away and keep it throughout.

And you want to do the same thing.

Don't waste your audience's time by sharing irrelevant details.

Get to the point. To the meat of why they're reading.

Or risk losing them forever.

5.) Mr. Generic.

This last mistake is one I made quite often... and probably the most common one I see out in the wild.

It's being generic instead of specific.

What sounds better?

"I'll help you make more money online."

OR

"I'll help you make an extra $5k/mo writing simple 5th grade emails for other biznesses."

Option A is generic.

Option B is specific.

We want specificity in our copy and messaging!

My rule is if I can't easily draw it out... it's not specific enough.

Sure I might be able to draw "making money online" out. But there's a million ways to draw that.

Option B would be much easier to draw out because of the specificity.

So to fix this... just remember the line:

"When in doubt - draw it out."

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Now you can avoid making these 5 deadly copywriting mistakes.

Start using the fixes to beef up your copy, sales, and engagement.

Then shoot me a message to thank me later :-)

That's gonna wrap up today's action section.

Hope that helps 🤙

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When you're ready, here are 5 ways I can help you...

1. Build and monetize audiences in my Audience Rainmaker community here.

2. Learn my multi-million dollar formula to write emails that sell here.

3. Launch a tiny digital product to Get Paid Everyday here.

4. Get paid to write simple 5th grade emails that sell here.

5. Join the waitlist for the next Leveraged Offer Launch workshop here.