Conversion copywriting: how to write copy that converts, starting with research

What is conversion copywriting?

Conversion copywriting is writing for a page, email or ad whose success is measured by one action: a sale, a sign-up, a download or a booked call. It begins with research into what customers want, fear and say, puts their language on the page, and is judged by conversion data and tests rather than by whether the team likes it.

That last part is the difference. A conversion copywriter does not ask "does this sound good?" but "does this get more of the right people to act?" The answer comes from evidence: what customers say in reviews and interviews, where visitors drop off in analytics, and what wins when two versions of a page are tested against each other.

In audits, copy problems are among the most common things we find, and they are rarely about grammar. They are about a headline that does not say what the product is, benefits that are really features, and a page that never answers the question the visitor arrived with.

By Kurt Philip, Founder. Updated October 9, 2026

The conversion copywriting process in 8 steps

The conversion copywriting process puts research first and writing second. Collect what customers say, decide the one action the page must drive and who it is for, organize the message in the order the reader needs it, write in the reader's words, then edit hard and test. Most of the time goes into the steps before the first draft.

1. Research the customer

   Read reviews of your product and your competitors', survey recent buyers, listen to sales calls and read support tickets. Collect exact phrases about the problem, the desired result, the alternatives people tried and the doubts that nearly stopped them. This is the raw material for everything else.

2. Define the one action

   Decide what the page should get the reader to do, and what counts as success. "Book a demo" and "start a trial" need different copy. If a page has to drive two different actions, it probably needs to be two pages.

3. Identify how aware the reader is

   Someone who has never thought about the problem needs a different opening from someone comparing you with a competitor. Match the first lines to where most of the page's traffic comes from (see the awareness table below). If you have not mapped those stages yet, start with customer journey mapping.

4. Build the message hierarchy

   List what the reader must know, believe and feel before they act, in order of importance. Put the most important point in the headline, the next in the subheadline and the rest in the body. Cut anything that does not serve the action.

5. Write the headline and value proposition

   Say what the product is, who it is for and the result, in the reader's words. Write ten or more headline options before choosing one. The clear version usually beats the clever one.

6. Write the body from the research

   Turn the collected phrases into benefits, proof and answers to objections. Every claim needs support: a feature, a fact, a named review or a case study with its source.

7. Write the call to action and microcopy

   The button label, the line under it, form labels and error messages are all copy. They are read at the moment of decision, so they deserve the same care. See our guide to call to action buttons.

8. Edit, then test

   Cut every sentence that does not move the reader forward. Read it aloud. Then put the riskiest choices, usually the headline and the offer, into an A/B test if the page has enough traffic.

Match the copy to the reader's stage of awareness

Readers arrive knowing different amounts. Copywriter Eugene Schwartz described five stages of awareness in Breakthrough Advertising (1966), and the idea still decides how a page should open. The less aware the reader, the more the copy has to start with the problem rather than the product.

Traffic source is a good guide. Brand searches and returning visitors are mostly product aware or most aware. Broad informational searches and social ads often bring readers who are only problem aware. One page can rarely serve all five stages well.

How to write headlines that convert

A headline that converts tells the reader what they get and why it matters to them, in words they already use. Its first job is to keep the right reader reading and to confirm they are in the right place. Clarity beats cleverness almost every time, because a confused reader leaves.

• Lead with the result: "Payroll for small teams, done in minutes" says more than "Reimagine payroll".
• Name the audience when it helps: "Bookkeeping for Shopify stores" filters in the right readers.
• Match the source: repeat the promise of the ad or search result that brought them.
• Use their words: pull phrases straight from the voice of customer sheet.
• Be specific, with real numbers only: a specific claim is believable when it is true and sourced; an invented one destroys trust.
• Write many, pick one: draft ten or more options, then choose the clearest. Test the top two if traffic allows.

Conversion copy for each kind of page

Conversion copy changes with the page's job. A homepage has to route many kinds of visitor; a product page has to answer one buyer's last questions; a form has to keep someone going. The table shows where the copy effort pays off most on each.

Benefits vs features: before and after rewrites

A feature is what the product has. A benefit is what the customer gets from it. Conversion copy leads with benefits and uses features as proof that the benefit is real. The examples below are illustrative rewrites of common patterns, not client copy.

Any promise in an "after" version, such as a reply time or a returns period, must match what the business actually does. Conversion copy that over-promises wins the click and loses the customer.

How to edit conversion copy

Editing conversion copy means cutting everything that does not help the reader decide, and making the rest impossible to misunderstand. Most first drafts are too long in the wrong places and too short where the reader has doubts. Edit in passes, each with one question.

1. Clarity pass. Could a reader who skims only the headings and the first line of each section say what you offer and what to do next?
2. Reader pass. Count "we" and "our" against "you" and "your". Rewrite sentences about the company into sentences about the reader.
3. Proof pass. Underline every claim. Is each one backed by a feature, a fact or a named source? Cut or support the rest.
4. Objection pass. Check the list of objections from your research. Is each one answered somewhere near the decision?
5. Plain language pass. Replace jargon, long words and hedges. Short sentences, one idea each. Read it aloud.
6. Action pass. Is the call to action clear, consistent and repeated where a convinced reader would look for it?

How to test conversion copy

Test conversion copy by changing the words with the most influence on the decision, measuring the action that matters, and letting the test run to the sample size you set at the start. On most pages, the headline, the offer and the call to action have more effect than the body copy. For real tests to learn from, see these A/B testing website examples.

• High traffic: A/B test headlines, value propositions and button copy. Change one idea per variant. Check you have enough traffic first with the A/B test sample size calculator.
• Low traffic: use five-second tests, user tests and on-page polls to find where the copy confuses people, then fix the clear problems without a test.
• Every page: measure orders, sign-ups or qualified leads, not only clicks. A headline that wins clicks from the wrong readers has not helped.

Keep a record of every copy test, including the losers. Over time, the record tells you which messages your customers respond to, which is worth more than any single win.