Copywriting 101: What Every Startup Founder Needs to Know

Here’s a statistic to ruffle your feathers: 90% of startups will fail (thanks for the fear mongering, Forbes). And while there can be a lot of reasons why that happens, there’s one potential reason I want to focus on in this blog post: bad copywriting.

There’s so much power in good copy. It can:

• Show how valuable you are on autopilot, so you don’t have to keep repeating yourself
• Turn website visitors and social media lurkers into clients and loyal fans
• Build your credibility, authority and, subsequently, the trust people have in you

But when your copy:

• Focuses too much on features and not enough on benefits
• Has all kinds of jargon your audience doesn’t understand
• Is boring or generic
• Has no clear value proposition
• Misses the strategy and heart that makes great copy

And when you:

• Are too close to your business to write good copy
• Assume your clients and customers will know what you’re talking about
• Are great at your job but… not the best at selling

You wind up risking falling into that 90% nail in the coffin. So let’s fix that! Here’s some copywriting 101 for the startup founder who wants to startup smart.

Copywriting 101: Fundamentals Every Founder Should Know

Know your customer better than they know themselves

Your first lesson in copywriting 101: some of the best copy is relevant and resonant to the people reading it. It speaks to their pains and frustrations, their hopes and dreams, their patterns and habitual behaviours. It uses the language they use, answers their objections before they can even think them, and appeals to their buying decisions.

Speaking from experience, I started booking more of my dream clients when I got specific on who I wanted to work with, and did more research into the details of who they are!

So, before you write any copy, create a persona for your target customer:

• Their demographic info (age, gender, income level, where they live, etc.)
• Psychographic info (values, personality style, etc.)
• Content preferenes
• Buying behaviour
• The language they use

The Value Proposition Formula

This wouldn’t be copywriting 101 without some cheat codes! If you can’t figure out how to communicate the unique benefit you bring, use this formula:

“We help [target customer] achieve [desired outcome] by [unique method] so they can [ultimate benefit]”

Let’s give it a try with my value proposition ⬇️

“I help female entrepreneurs & BIPOC small businesses clarify their message, captivate their audience, and sell their stuff with research-fuelled, personality rich, high-converting copy with a storyselling focus.”

Now, it may take you a few tries to really hone in on the best value proposition—so A/B test a few options until you land on the best-performing one!

Translate your features into benefits

Next up in this copywriting 101 lesson: features vs. benefits. Features tell people what they get out of a product or service, but it’s the benefits that really sell it for you.

Now don’t get me wrong, it’s important to say that your digital workspace comes with 3 TB worth of storage and an AI chatbot with the free version.

But it’s even better to say “Carry everything that matters and answers to all your questions in the palm of your hand.”

So, when listing out all the features of your offer (what it does), and the advantage (how it works), you can get to the benefit (what that means for the customer).

Leverage psychology to build trust

Next up in copywriting 101 for the startup founder: sales psychology.

Our brains are lazy and constantly inundated with information—so they like to rely on hacks to get through the day.

Like customer reviews, statistics, and brand logos to help us decide whether we should trust you.

Certifications, awards, and media mentions that tell us you’re credible.

Money-back guarantees, free trials, and FAQs to reverse any risk people associate with buying your stuff.

And urgency and scarcity that tell us to ACT NOW—however, you want to use this ethically, in moderation.

Psychological techniques used here: Social proof (number of leading organizations that trust them) and client success data

So whenever you write something, you have to use psychological techniques like the ones mentioned above to help validate your claim.

For example, when you want to prove that people like your products, use customer reviews and UGC.

When you want to prove that you’re a credible authority, you can use media mentions, certifications, experience & expertise badges, and content that leans into the E-E-A-T rules that Google lives by (more on that in next week’s blog post).

Essential Copy Startups Need

Website copy that converts

A website is ESSENTIAL for startups and small businesses, because it’s one of the first thing’s people search for when looking into a brand. So having a website can:

• Increase credibility and authority
• Broaden your reach and increase brand awareness
• Get you more leads and sales than social media
• Give you a sustainable home for your business, where you can link to and from your other digital channels
• Give you insight to create better marketing strategies, content, and offers

You can check out this post from the Storytella Studios© Copy Blog for all the essential web pages your site needs, but if we’re getting down to brass tacks:You need to cover the above-the-fold essentials. This is anything at the top of the web page that a reader sees before scrolling—otherwise known as your hero section. It should have a headline, subheadline, hero image, CTA. You need ALL these elements, and they have to be good.

Here’s an example from my own website:

Speaking of, you want to nail your headline. If your hero section is the most importnat piece of real estate on your web page, the headline should be the staple piece that captures everyone’s eyes and encourages them to explore. Think problem + solution + outcome = a killer headline.

Your navigation copy should also be clear, customer-focused, so your site visitor can clearly get to where they need to go.

And just how we mentioned leveraging psychology in your copy—like social proof—you want to be strategic with where you put it. Like, should a testimonial go right below the hero section? Or above the final CTA at the bottom of the page (trick question: it can be both, if you have enough social proof 😉 ).

Product/service pages that sell for you

Whether you’re a service provider or a product brand, you want to create a through line from what your target audience is going through to them buying your product or service. If you follow this framework, you’ll have a product/service page that does its job:

Client problem → the solution → offer features → offer benefits → proof → CTA

Here’s an example:

• Problem: “I’m not booking enough clients, and the ones I am booking are red flags”
• Solution: My website copywriting service
• Features: Extensive research, brand voice guide & content strategy, up to 10 pages of website copy, launch content, 30 days worth of content post-launch, speed-dial support for a month after your project ends, and a FREE copy audit within 1 year of your project ending
• Benefits: Clarify your message, captivate your audience, establish your authority and credibility, attract more dream clients, and book your services more often
• Proof: Testimonials from past clients
• CTA: Book now

A value-driven email newsletter that engages

You don’t NEED a newsletter… but given that email newsletters give small businesses an estimated $36 for every $1 spent, and that they outperform social media by an insane degree when it comes to customer acquisition, I’d say it’s a VERY good idea to have one.

You can email subscribers once a week, and give them more value than what you share on social media. Or share your journey, exciting milestones, or what’s new and happening in your business.

But no matter what, make sure you have:

• Personalized subject lines that spark curiosity
• Emails with a hook, are beefy with value, and have a call to action
• A welcome sequence for when people first sign up
• An email sequence when you need to nurture your subscribers
• Sales sequences when you want to sell to and convert your subscribers

Social media pages that build community

Where you show up online, and how, is VITAL in this social-first era that thrives on storytelling and community.

Where should you show up? Ask your favourite search engine to discover the best social media channels to help achieve your goals.

Want to build your authority and credibility, get clients, and expand your network? LinkedIn and Facebook groups are great for that. Whereas Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube or awesome for brand awareness, value-driven education, entertainment & inspiration-focused content, and community building.

Wherever you plan to show up, you want to be strategic about it:

• What are the best practices for that platform?
• How can you be consistent with your engagement?
• How can you naturally integrate conversion tactics so you soft sell instead of cringing from always doing the hard sell?

Quick Copy Fixes You Can Make Right Now

Audit your copy in 5 minutes

• Is your value proposition clear within 5 seconds? If you need an outside pair of eyes, ask me! You can book a free 20-minute Pick My Brain session and we can clear that right up for you.
• Do you speak to customer pain points? If not, ask your past clients and customers what they went through before investing in you. If you don’t have any, do some research to see what your target audience’s pains are.
• Are your CTAs specific, strategic, and compelling? You can ask someone from your target audience to get an outside opinion that matters. But simply put, you want your CTAs to be action-oriented, and tell the reader exactly what happens next. You want to place them strategically. In the hero section, after your value proposition, at objection points (like when you reveal the pricing). But really, the only way to make sure your CTAs work is to test them! A/B test different button options every 6-12 months to see which performs better!
• Is your copy scannable and easy to read? Keep your paragraphs short. Use bulleted lists whenever possible. Break up chunks of copy with imagery. And keep it simple, sweetie!

Use power words and visceral language

• Use a mix of high-impact words, everyday language, and industry-specific words your target audience will actually know
• Lean into emotional triggers like fear, desire, urgency, and belonging
• Tap into the five senses: sight, sound, taste, smell, and touch

Consider your copy in the mobile space

Optimization is a recurring copywriting 101 topics—but for now, I want to focus on mobile optimization. 96% of people go on the web from their phones (Data Reportal), so there’s a good chance they’ll be looking at your website and content from a mobile device. So you’ll want to optimize for that!

• Have shorter headlines
• Keep your copy scannable
• Make your CTAs thumb-friendly. Considering how someone usually holds a phone or mobile device, how big your CTAs are—and where you put them—is a biggie

Copywriting Tools and Resources for Startup Founders

Listen, you have to make a $1 out of 15 cents as a startup founder, so I get needing to find free tools and resources wherever you can. So, here are my favourites:

• Content Ideas — a 100% free content discovery tool that lets you find trending and high-performing content that’s relevant to your niche by a simple search with keywords, domain, author or a combination of these
• Answer the Public — a search listening tool that visualizes questions people ask on places like Google, Bing, and YouTube, helping content creators and marketers discover popular topics and long-tail keywords for SEO and content ideation
• Ubersuggest — an SEO tool that offers keyword research, competitor analysis, and content planning features to help users improve website traffic and search engine rankings
• Google Trends — a free tool that allows you to analyze the popularity of search queries on Google and YouTube over time and by location
• Headline Analyzer® from Coschedule — this tool helps you write headlines that drive more clicks, ROI, and results while also sounding human.
• Headline Swipe File — my free resource that comes with 50+ tried-and-trusted headline formulas
• Hemingway Editor — a free app that makes your writing concise and correct. by highlighting lengthy, complex sentences and common errors.
• Grammarly — this helps you work smarter with personalized AI guidance and text generation on any app or website
• Pro Writing Aid — ProWritingAid helps you craft, polish, and elevate your writing with in-depth analysis and feedback and seamless integration into your favourite apps like Google Docs.
• Power Thesaurus — a free, fast, comprehensive and easy-to-follow online thesaurus for writers.
• SERP Simulator — a free Google search snippet optimization tool that lets you see how your organic listings will look in Google search results.
• Social Proof Calculator — my free guide that shows you which social proof points to use for any claim you make
• Quick n’ Easy (But Never Sleazy) FREE Sales Email Sequence Template — a FREE bundle of 6 easy-to-customize sales email templates that you need to have in your marketing funnel
• Creative Copywriting 101 — 21 creative copywriting techniques are tried and trusted by award-winning agencies, big-name brands, and me to help you write cooler copy

When to DIY vs. Hire An Expert

The final consideration in this copywriting 101 is knowing when to hold ’em… and when to fold ’em.

Money is a big concern when you’re a startup—but sometimes, you need to invest in external help, even if it’s hard to part with your funds. Other times, you can keep doing it yourself with the right tools and support! So how do you know when it’s the right time to hire a copywriter?

If you have a limited budget, don’t have many copy needs, and want to actually learn how to write killer copy, then keep going on the DIY train!

However, if you have complex sales funnels, high-stakes launches, and don’t have the time to write all the copy you’ll need to make everything go off hitch-free… then I’d say you should hire a copywriter.

Wrapping It Up

I hope you enjoyed this copywriting 101 lesson! Remember that copy is a vital part of your startup’s online presence. It’s just as important as branding or web design or funding.

And you’re not alone in this. I’m here to help you!

• You can ask me anything during a free 20-minute Pick My Brain session. You can book your slot on any Friday!
• Keep reading this blog for more self-education, and check out my YouTube channel (coming soon!) if you’re more of an auditory + visual learner
• Like to DIY? Subscribe for exclusive deals on my copywriting templates (coming soon to the Storytella Studios© Shop!)
• If you’ve decided the DIY route is not for you, inquire for my 1:1 copywriting services. Some as quick as 90 minutes, 8 hours, or as intensive as you need it to be without a ticking clock