You put your hands on the keyboard and youâre about to writeâŠ
But nothing happens. đ±
Itâs that pesky writerâs block!
Unfortunately, it delays projects, pushes back other tasks, and reduces morale.
It doesnât have to be that way though. There is a quick fix.
And, itâs called a checklist.
Great sales copy is emotional but that doesnât mean you canât be organized.
Templates, checklists, and similar resources help writers zip through projects without sacrificing quality.
I mean, who doesnât want to save time and energy?
Thatâs why I enjoy using copywriting checklists every time I begin a new product and you should, too.
They contain all of the most important information to add to make copy pop. đ„
Use this seven-point copywriting checklist to see the results yourself:
1. Clearly define the audience
Who are you selling to?
And no, â35 year old males in the United Statesâ doesnât fly.
Thatâs a guaranteed way to produce generic copy and campaigns.
You need to zoom in a small hyper-segment of customers like using a telescope.
As a matter of fact, companies that dedicated 81.6% of marketing budgets to personalization receive a 2x ROI or greater!

Unfortunately, marketers are guilty of aiming at large crowds and taking a shotgun approach.
On the flipside, copywriters need to place small segments under a microscope to understand their feelings, pain points, questions, and values.
Campaigns can be engineered around these elements to resonate with customers on a deep level and increase engagement.
But, youâre probably thinking âHow do I do that?â
Firstly, I love leveraging market and industry reports.
These contain all of the latest data, trends, and opportunities within your market.
And no, you donât have to spend thousands of dollars on Ibis reports.
Search for âkeyword + free industry reportâ on Google to see what I mean.

There will be endless resources for you to study customers through like this:

Use these to understand who the customers are, why they purchase products, and what they look for in brands.
Better yet, study competitor reviews to directly see what customers are saying.
These can be found on Google, Yelp, TrustPilot, and any major review website.

Reviews and testimonials directly mention the customerâs problem, how it was solved, and what they enjoyed about the overall process.
Use this data to create the most persuasive sales copy possible.
2. Define the problem youâre solving
What does a product do?
But, itâs not always the problem youâre thinking of.
For instance, what does a t-shirt do?
It keeps customers clothed, right?
Not really.
It gives them confidence, self-esteem, easily matches with other attire, and gives them a certain image. (Professional, young, etc.)
Clearly mentioning the problem a customer is experiencing will get them glued to the page.
Check out the sales pages for this weight loss product, for example:

It clearly states losing weight in both the headline, popup, and video sales letter.
This works becauseâas I mentioned beforeâit resonates with the reader.
Theyâll think âAh, yes! Finally, a business that gets me.â on a conscious or subconscious level.
This is also whatâs called priming in neuro-linguistic programming.
It foreshadows what the rest of the material and interaction with a business will entail. Learn more in my NLP copywriting article.
And remember, think emotionally.
Think deep.
What primal things are you solving?
Keep in the mind the seven deadly sins, as they are often why someone is buying something:
- Lust: âGet your ex-boyfriend back with this secret texting strategyâ
- Gluttony: âMake so much cash with affiliate marketing you can make a money bedâ
- Greed: âLamboâs and private jets await youâ
- Sloth: âMake $10,000/month with 5 minutes of effortâ
- Wrath: âShow your bullies whoâs tough with our 3-month muscle programâ
- Envy: âDonât you wish you looked as good as him?â
- Pride: âEveryone will be drooling over your new bodyâ
3. What are the features and benefits?
Features = factual.
Benefits = emotional.
And, if thereâs one thing Iâd hope you learned so far, is that sales copy is heavily emotional.
Yeah, customers need to know what specs and features a product has.
But, itâs not truly why theyâre buying it.
Theyâre purchasing it for the experiences and emotions it creates.
For example, is someone buying a gaming computer because of the insane graphics card and power supply?
Partly. However, itâs mostly because those components allow them to play their favorite games non-stop at high FPS (frames per-second) with friends.
They donât get slowed down. They donât get interrupted. They can enjoy their hobby.
This Amazon listing nails this strategy perfectly:

Some of the best lines include:
- âUp to 30x Faster Than Traditional HDDâ
- âCapable of running all your favorite games ⊠at High to Ultra settings, crisp 1080p Full HD resolution and smooth 60+ FPS gameplay.â
- âGet amazing performance and image quality while livestreaming to Twitch or YouTube.â
Next time youâre writing sales copy, clearly state the features followed by what benefit it creates for the customer.
4. What is the unique selling proposition?
What makes your product unique?
Does it blend into everything else on the market?
Displaying a unique value proposition communicates to customers why they should purchase from you and not a competitor.
Unfortunately, so many companies donât mention a UVP and look basic.
UVPâs come in all shapes and sizes, too.
It doesnât have to be a new technology thatâs going to take us to Venus. It can be related to:
- Materials
- Craftsmanship
- Quality control
- Customer service
- Features
- Technology
- Content
- Branding
- Pricing
- Return and refund policies
- Personalization
- Etc.
Explain why any of these stand out from whatâs on the market.
After all, customers want something new and fresh.ânot what theyâve seen a million times before.
We love the latest and greatest. Look at iPhones and similar products.

People line up all over the world because thereâs a new product. Even if they donât need it!
5. Overcome objections
As nice as it would be for customers to read our copy and whip out their credit card, it doesnât always happen that easy.
The higher the price is, the more objections they will have.
They want to ensure their hard-earned money is in goods hands.
So, you have to earn it.
This goes back to my first point about understanding your customers.
They will object to things like pricing, features, benefits, etc.
And, you have to be ready with sword and shield to deflect them.
This plays into user experience, too.
Improving the customer experience and reducing churn are the two biggest priorities for companies right now.

If readers can flow through the material with few questions and concerns, theyâll get to the point of sale faster.
Look at this landing page for John Crestaniâs webinar:

A user might ask themselves âIs this legit or worth it?â and its overcome in a few ways:
- Using a logo bar as social proof. If those brands trusted them, why shouldnât the customer?
- Real-life examples will be included as proof the system works.
- Names of successful customers are used.
- Itâs a live presentation and not recorded.
- Itâs 100% free to attend.
As youâre writing copy, consider where customers will stop and demand more information. Provide it and you will gain their valuable trust.
6. Answer every question customers have
Think about the last time you bought something.
You probably wanted to know every little detail about the item.
This is especially true for larger purchases.
Itâs critical to answer every possible question a customer would have for this reason.
They may include:
- What are the features?
- How much does it cost?
- How much does it cost to maintain?
- What are the shipping options?
- How long does shipping take?
- What are your return and refund policies?
- How can I contact your customer service team?
- Is the product safe?
- Who is the product for?
- Are there any discounts or coupon codes?
- What payment methods you offer?
- How do I use the product?
Some companies opt for an FAQ page to neatly summarize answers like Browns Shoes does here:

7. Calls to action
Last but not least, the call to action.
This is a staple copywriting technique that needs to be used as much as possible.
They are simply words or phrases that tell the customer what to do next.
They include:
- Click here
- Buy now
- Buy today
- Sign up
- Register
- Reserve your spot
- Donât wait
- Get it now
- Get it today
- Shop
- Check out
- Etc.
Calls to action can range from a single word to an entire sentence, as well.
SEMrush uses the âRegisterâ CTA on this page for a webinar:

A call to action should be found approximately above every fold, too.
As you can see on the Moz homepage, thereâs a clear CTA and then the fold is at the bottom:

When the user scrolls, they will see new content and another fold.
Having a call to action above every fold ensures the maximum amount of action can be taken on any given page.
Wrapping up this copywriting checklist
Copywriting is difficult.
Thereâs no shortage of steps, processes, and material you have to analyze.
But, you can make it easier on yourself by using a checklist.
This makes sure that everything you write includes the most important information.
Hereâs a summary of the checklist I covered today:
- Clearly define the audience youâre targeting to maximize personalization.
- State the problem that is being solved by using your product.
- State the features and benefits of the product.
- Explain any unique selling propositions.
- Predict and overcome objections.
- Provide answers to questions customers normally have.
- Add a call to action above every fold.