Lead Generation Copy Writing Tip

Writing copy for lead generation is a real challenge. The way most of us were taught to write doesn't help in the battle to overcome human inertia, which is the main challenge in lead generation.

In this article, you'll discover a copy writing tip that works for me right across the English-speaking world.

Write in the present tense

It sounds so simple, doesn't it? I can assure you, it's quite a challenge! Consider the following sentences...

We will work on the solution
We're working on the solution
We've discovered the solution

The first sentence promises action in the future. Human beings don't get excited about vague promises of future reward. It encourages us to sit back, and take a 'wait and see' approach. This is the last thing you want in lead generation!

The second sentence tells us that something is happening right now, but the solution is still out there in the future. It's more promising than the first, but still encourages our prospect to 'wait-and-see'.

The third sentence works best, because the solution is available right now (i.e. the benefit is offered in the present). In lead generation copy, it's essential to write sentences fixed firmly in the present tense.

In the above example, it's obvious why the present tense carries more power. The tricky part comes when you try to apply this rule-of-thumb in a real ad.

The following is a real example. The objective is to get a person to fill out a form and submit it. It demonstrates the problem faced by amateur copy writers when they try to overcome human inertia using a style of writing they learned at school.

Whether you are a complete beginner or an experienced enthusiast, becoming a member will benefit you.

There are many problems with this sentence other than tense. As we're focussing on tense in this article, I'm going to pretend these other issues don't exist.

The above example uses the word 'becoming', which pushes the act of joining into the future. By implication, the benefits of joining are also pushed into the future.

How can such a sentence be rewritten so a future act (joining) is brought back to the present? Here's how I'd write it...

Join now, and you instantly enjoy all the benefits of membership...

In the rewrite, the act of joining (future tense) is brought into the present by eliminating the 'ing' word, and adding extra immediacy via the word 'now'. Another word that pulls the reader back into the present is the use of 'instantly'.

I've reinforced this adding the word 'all' to make it clear that every benefit is enjoyed right away. In other words, there is no reason to sit back and take a 'wait-and-see' attitude.

The phrase 'join now' is essentially a command. Rather than leave the reader to make up his/her own mind, I've assumed the sale.

One way to spot a sentence that pushes action and benefits into the future, is to look for words that end in 'ing'.

Find all such sentences, and rewrite them using the non 'ing' version of the word, or find a shorter punchier alternative (e.g. I changed 'becoming a member' to 'join now' in the example).

You win a secondary benefit when do this. It's often necessary to rewrite the surrounding sentences, and/or simply the entire paragraph. You end up with a far more powerful sales message as a result.