Conversion copy math: why you need these 3 elements for copy that actually converts

It’s a hard thing to admit for a recovering perfectionist, but sometimes “Launch fast and fix it later” is a better approach. But that doesn't mean that it doesn't have a cost:

• missed opportunities to convert

• lack of direct feedback on what's not working

• additional production costs

• bias towards tweaking instead of fixing

However, for early-stage startup founders and marketers, the cost of delaying their marketing campaigns and finding the right channels can be even higher.

The challenge here is figuring out when your copy is “good enough” and defining “good enough.” That, I think, is different depending on the stage of growth.

And for early-stage startups, “good enough” is “can we test this channel / positioning / messaging / approach without self-sabotaging ourselves with bad copy?”

For scaling startups, “good enough” is more of a “can we optimize this copy / page / campaign that are working to get more conversions?” — unless they’re expanding to a new segment.

Whichever “good enough” is the right one for you, I think it’s worth following the same process to make sure that you’re not launching half-baked copy into the wild only to wonder why it’s not working.

Specific approaches may vary from project to project, but I'd argue that you need all 3, and in this order:

• Research

• Best practices

• Validation

This is what I see happen when folks focus on just one step (especially relevant for early-stage startups):

• Only best practices (swiping templates or using competitors' websites as a reference) = easily accessible, but copy won't be relevant to your audience

• Only message testing (as a stand-in for validation that actually has a qualitative feedback component) = direct comments from your target market, but if you don't follow best practices, 90% of the comments will be about not following best practices (like "Show me your product")

• Only talking to customers = a website that’s a mess because it ignores best practices or prospects' needs

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Even two out of three is not risk-free:

• Research + best practices = pretty solid, but doesn't help uncover blind spots (thinking the copy is clear when it’s not)

• Following best practices + validation = guesswork-based copy that may or may not resonate

• Research + validation = potential for copy that's hard to follow or setups that ignore UX principles (like forcing prospects to sign up for an account before they’re allowed to see your pricing)

I help B2B SaaS startups research, de-risk, optimize and launch their copy to increase conversions.