RickyRicky is the founder of SaaSwrites. A SaaS founder himself, Ricky found it difficult to grow and market his product after building it. When he arrived on Twitter, he realized there was a lot of great information but not organized in a way that can truly help SaaS founders and makers. He started SaaSwrites as a curation of all the best marketing and growth resources to help other founders with their SaaS growth. Ricky runs two SaaS products - Beejek (a digital receipt platform for retail stores) and IntroSend (a community engagement tool for businesses and community managers). Say hi to Ricky @rickywrites on Twitter.
Table of Contents
- 1. Formula: Problem, Agitate, Solution
- 2. Formula: Be X Without Y
- 3. Formula: Anaphora
- 4. Formula: Attention, Interest, Desire, Action.
- 5. Formula: Feature, Advantage, Benefit
- 6. Formula: Verb, Value, Urgency
- 7. Formula: Before, After, Bridge
- 8. Formula: Outcome-With-Process
- 9. Formula: Bucket Brigades
- 10. Worms taste better than steak.
- 11. Write like a 5th grader
- 12. Write for One
- 13. The Big 7
- 14. Research is King
- 15. Slippery Slope Concept
- 16. The Money is In The Cutting Board
- 17. Open More Loops
- 18. The Lead > The Copy
- 19. Fill The Gap
- 20. You’re Doing Them a Favor, Not The Other Way Around
- 21. Objections = Selling Points
- 22. Numbers Sell
- 23. Always Bring a Pitbull
- 24. Keep Going
We curated the best strategies and formulae for your SaaS copywriting from experts.
Note: SaaSwrites is a curated growth marketing hub and resource built to help SaaS founders grow their products. We sincerely thank all our experts for their constant value addition to this world.
Updated on: 01/03/2022
1. Formula: Problem, Agitate, Solution
P: identify main problem your audience has.
A: agitate with emotions & stressors.
S: offer your product as the solution.
Use for: landing pages
2. Formula: Be X Without Y
Be [solution] without [pain-point]
Focus on what your audience wants to become and how they can achieve it with no stress.
Use for: headlines
3. Formula: Anaphora
Anaphora is the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of each sentence, helping to solidify your message.
"Big skies. Big Scenery. Big Possibilities."
Use for: ads
4. Formula: Attention, Interest, Desire, Action.
Get attention via a bold statement. Tease the solution to spark interest.
Build desire via wants and needs. Then show them how to take action.
Use for: body text
5. Formula: Feature, Advantage, Benefit
Don't just list features. Highlight the advantages those features bring, and the end-result they achieve (benefit).
Use for: body text
6. Formula: Verb, Value, Urgency
Verb → get
Value → graded
Urgency → today
Use for: CTAs
7. Formula: Before, After, Bridge
BAB is a storytelling formula that shows a user where they are now, where they can be in the future, and how your bridge (offer) gets them there.
Use for: email marketing
8. Formula: Outcome-With-Process
This formula focuses on concise clarity. Explain what will happen and how, pointing to your product as the solution.
Use for: headlines
9. Formula: Bucket Brigades
Bucket brigades drive the person's attention to read line after line.
They're great for writing compelling long-form content.
Examples:
- Now: • Truth is: • Here's why: • Think about it:
Mark William shares great copywriting mantras
10. Worms taste better than steak.
I like steak.
but for some strange reason, fish prefer worms.
So when I go fishing, I don’t bring steak.
I bring worms.
Think about what your audience wants, NOT what you want.
11. Write like a 5th grader
Contrary to what you were taught in school,
Complex words ≠ Better writing.
Want to write better copy?
Dumb down your writing.
A 5th grader should be able to read your copy and understand every single word.
12. Write for One
“Selling to everyone is selling to no one.”
True?
Absolutely.
The best copy is written with ONE person in mind.
Here’s a thought exercise for you:
Write as if you were solving a problem for someone right in front of you
13. The Big 7
For every single piece of copy you write, always be clear on these 7:
- Big Problem
- Big Idea
- Unique Mechanism
- Big Promise
- Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
- Irresistible Offer
- Solid Proof
Sprinkle these in your copy every time you can.
Read:
14. Research is King
Most people think copywriting is about writing.
False.
In fact, copywriting is 10% writing.
The other 90% is research and getting to know your customer better than they know themselves.
Research is where you make the money,
Writing is just a formality.
15. Slippery Slope Concept
What’s the goal of the headline?
To get people to read the subheadline.
What’s the goal of the subheadline?
To get people to read the first sentence.
What’s the goal of the first sentence?
And so on...
Read:
16. The Money is In The Cutting Board
Most copywriters’ first draft sucks.
Big time.
The big money is not on the first draft,
But after you edited, deleted, added and trimmed.
17. Open More Loops
People’s attention span sucks.
So what do you do?
Open more loops.
For example:
End paragraphs with...
- Here’s what I mean: -But then you realized… -Here’s the truth:
Open loops.
Get them engaged.
Win.
18. The Lead > The Copy
Great lead with okay copy
Will always convert more than
Okay lead with great copy.
Why?
Because it’s easier to catch someone’s attention than to keep them reading.
Recommended reading: Great Leads by Michael Masterson.
19. Fill The Gap
Your customer is at A.
He wants to get to B.
Your job as a copywriter is to get them from A to B in the most simple, straightforward and trustworthy way.
Copywriting is convincing someone that you can get them from A to B.
Simple.
20. You’re Doing Them a Favor, Not The Other Way Around
Too many copywriters fail before they even start to write.
Why?
Because they position themselves as inferior to their customer.
Big mistake.
You’re the one with the solution.
You're helping THEM.
Never forget that.
21. Objections = Selling Points
People are afraid of objections,
I call them blessings.
Every objection they have is an opportunity for you to convince them that you’re the right fit.
22. Numbers Sell
Helped someone 10x their revenue?
Put it in your copy.
Helped someone lose 15 pounds of body fat?
Put it in your copy.
Whatever numbers you have, put it in your copy.
Remember:
People buy emotionally and justify logically.
23. Always Bring a Pitbull
You’re asking people to jump a fence.
But they won’t jump unless you release the pitbull (i.e.urgency.)
Let them know if they don’t buy
Their lives will remain the same,
They’ll never get this opportunity again,
Or worse, they'll regret it forever.
24. Keep Going
The best copywriters have been writing for months, years and decades.
It’s like a muscle:
You can’t expect it to grow just by going to the gym once.
Be patient.
Keep going.
And before you know it,
You’ll make more money than you ever thought possible.
Written by
Ricky
Ricky is the founder of SaaSwrites. A SaaS founder himself, Ricky found it difficult to grow and market his product after building it. When he arrived on Twitter, he realized there was a lot of great information but not organized in a way that can truly help SaaS founders and makers. He started SaaSwrites as a curation of all the best marketing and growth resources to help other founders with their SaaS growth. Ricky runs two SaaS products - Beejek (a digital receipt platform for retail stores) and IntroSend (a community engagement tool for businesses and community managers). Say hi to Ricky @rickywrites on Twitter.
