In the marketing world, we all know that our words are the sharpest tool in our toolbelts. Particularly the first words our potential clients read–our ads, our cards, and most importantly, our websites. In the digital marketplace, your website acts as a storefront, a salesperson, and a brand ambassador all rolled into one. This is why crafting compelling website copy is non-negotiable. This becomes even more pertinent for websites embracing the StoryBrand framework, where compelling storytelling is the primary goal.
Here at Good Agency, we understand that writing copy that sells requires a strong understanding of your target audience, the needs they have, and how you can meet them with your product or service. It’s about finding the balance between forging an emotional connection with readers while delivering practical value through thoughtful storytelling.
The Debate Around StoryBrand Copywriting
Some critique the StoryBrand framework for its formulaic approach, fearing it could lead to inauthentic or overly sales-focused copy. However, this approach is not about manipulation; it’s about clarity and understanding the customer’s journey. The key is to write copy that sells without feeling like it’s selling.
As the copywriter for Good Agency, a StoryBrand Certified marketing agency, I want to walk you through some key strategies our team has adopted over the years to help our clients:
1. Focus on The Customer
Copy that resonates with its audience starts with a deep understanding of the customer’s needs. In a world of AI-generated copy and high-quantity-over-quality output, the copywriter’s intuition and insight into their audience demographic is an invaluable asset–One that cannot be replaced with artificial intelligence. The more AI fills the marketing sphere, the higher the demand will be for clients to feel heard, understood, and tangibly guided by a human presence.
As the copywriter for Good Agency, I always recommend first establishing an understanding of the customer’s needs–diving into the customer’s frustrations and fears. Use surveys, customer interviews, and feedback to inform your copy. But most of all, begin by making sure the customer feels heard. No one really wants to be sold anything; everyone wants to be understood.
Empathetic copy does more than speak to needs—it connects on a human level. When your website speaks directly to the customer’s challenges, it’s no longer just a sales pitch; it’s a conversation.
2. Structure Copy to Highlight Problems & Funnel to Solutions
The StoryBrand model acts as a script for your copy. It’s structured as a three-act play:
- Act 1: The customer’s problem is set as the central conflict.
- Act 2: Your product or service is introduced as the resolution.
- Act 3: A call-to-action that leads to a resolution, effectively closing the narrative loop.
This script keeps the customer engaged, following the narrative to its logical end: the purchase. While we consistently deploy this model as a StoryBrand Certified agency, one of the keys to writing StoryBrand content that isn’t cookie-cutter is by knowing the ins and outs of this framework. As a wise person once said, to break the rules, you’ve got to know them! Once you have a solid understanding of the framework and the principles guiding it, you have a ton more freedom to see where there is breathing room for the copy.
By beginning to structure your copy in this framework, you’ll begin to see your website’s main theme clarify. Whether you are writing for an entire website, a blog post, a one-liner, or a brand script, this structure wins every time.
3. Use Emotional Hooks
It’s no novelty notion that emotion is what drives marketing. Your product isn’t just a list of features; it’s the solution in the customer’s story. However, what many copywriters do not always realize about emotion is that it shouldn’t just be something that is sprinkled throughout one’s copy; emotion should be the driving storyline. Your customer is the hero; you are the guide, leading your customer to your service or product, which is the answer they have been looking for.
Use language that taps into the feelings of triumph, relief, and satisfaction that come with solving the customer’s problem. For example, a great emotional hook to grab a potential customer’s attention is to appeal to their emotional state. How could your potential customers be feeling as a result of not having what they need? How will they feel after utilizing your product or service? How will they feel if nothing ever changes?
Another way to hook your customer is to appeal to their visual stimulation through your words. Help customers paint a mental image of their success story with your product. Use vivid descriptions and emotional words to make the experience feel tangible. Even if your copy is information-heavy, you can still incorporate these hooks throughout your copy to be sure your customer is emotionally engaged. A way to keep your informational sections available is to organize them in a way that is accessible, but not the main focus. Better yet, use emotional hooks to get your customer to respond to your call to action, and lean more heavily on the information distribution within step two of the customer’s engagement.
Remember, you want your customer to act. Emotions are like hinges on a door. The stronger the emotions, the easier it is for your customer to get through the door of your call to action; the sooner you can get your customer through the door, the sooner you can begin converting your prospective clients into satisfied customers.
4. Align Your Messaging
How we tell our brand’s story is perhaps the single most important thing we will ever do as a company. You see, every bit of copy we put out there, from the welcome message on our homepage to the tiny details in our privacy policy, is a piece of our brand’s bigger story. It’s like we’re taking our customers on a journey with us, and we’ve got to keep it interesting and make sense every step of the way. We’ve got to keep our tone consistent, our information relevant to what is at the heart of what we offer, and our guarantees unique. If we start sounding inconsistent from one page to the next, it’s going to be confusing for our customers. They might not get the full picture of what we’re all about.
Here’s the thing: we do a lot of stuff, right? But when we’re telling our story, we can’t throw everything at our audience all at once. It’s like when you’re at a party and someone starts telling a story – if they go off on a million tangents, you lose the plot. We need to pick a few things that we do really well, the stuff that makes us ‘us’, and focus on that. Our uniques are invaluable and deserve to be highlighted and re-iterated, not buried beneath a pile of other information.
Our customers remember what we repeat, which is why every piece of writing, every update on our website, and every little idea we put out there should hammer home what we stand for. This way, we stay on track, and our message comes across loud and clear. That’s how we make sure our story not only gets heard but sticks with our audience. So take the time to go through your website pages, from fine-line details to H1 taglines, and ask the question: does this align with my brand’s voice, uniqueness, and core values?
5. Balance Authenticity
When you’re writing about your brand, think of it as a one-on-one chat with a friend. People are drawn to connections that feel genuine and personal. They want to feel like they’re being spoken to, not spoken at. Imagine this blog as a casual conversation over coffee, where every word resonates with you on a personal level. Nobody really wants to slog through a five-page document that feels detached from their reality. As a reader, you want content that speaks to you, that understands your needs and interests.
And when it comes to backing up what we say, it’s all about real experiences over flashy claims. This is where social proof comes into play. Testimonials, case studies, and endorsements aren’t just filler content; they’re the heartbeat of authenticity. They give life to our brand by showcasing real people who’ve experienced what we offer. Think about it – when you’re about to buy something, don’t you often check out the reviews first? It’s human nature. We’re drawn to real stories and experiences. They’re way more convincing than any polished stock photo or an exaggerated product description. These real-life testimonies not only add credibility to our brand but also make our messaging come alive, creating a more human and relatable brand experience.
Conclusion
The StoryBrand framework is a powerful starting point, but the magic happens when it’s combined with the human touch. Even as a framework, StoryBrand is inherently human because stories are evidence of the human experience. If you want to create copy that doesn’t just fill space but converts leads into customers, then authenticity, emotional resonance, and a deep focus on customer needs are crucial. By employing these strategies, you’re not just selling a product, you’re offering passage to a better story for the customer.
Good Agency: Crafting Your Brand’s Story
In a world cluttered with noise, your brand’s story is what makes you heard. This is where Good Agency comes in, leveraging the StoryBrand method with our unique marketing approach. We believe that a good story is more than a narrative; it’s a strategic tool that can drive business and resonate with hearts and minds.
Our StoryBrand Certified Guides specialize in the StoryBrand method, crafting clear, compelling messages that cut through the clutter. We go beyond templates to tailor a brand message that aligns with your values, engages your audience emotionally, and compels them to action.Let Good Agency elevate your brand with the StoryBrand method, crafting a narrative that doesn’t just tell — it sells, engages, and endures. Ready to see your copy convert? Schedule a call today, and let’s tell a good story together.
