You don’t have a crystal ball to predict the *exact* copy that will resonate with your client’s audience. But, you do have a different tool that can help: A/B testing.
A/B copy tests—comparing one element of copy to the same element with different copy—helps you learn what makes your client’s audience tick. (For example, you may have two ideas for a subject line—how do you know which one is better?! Test!)
Now, as a copywriter, you don’t need to run these tests. But you can certainly recommend tests to your clients—and provide the copy for them. It’s another way to show you’re a strategic partner (and another way to potentially land some more work with your existing clients!).
Listen in to hear five email tests you can recommend to your clients. Nicki and Kate break down what these tests are, how you can pitch them to your clients (very low key!), and what you need to deliver copy-wise to thrill your clients.
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A Sneak Peek at the Episode
[05:40] Because things differ from audience to audience. They differ from offer to offer, they differ from business to business. And like I said, they differ from day to day. So testing is crucial for a business. And as time goes on, things change, the world changes what resonated. I was gonna say five years ago, certainly what might not resonate today, but even something that resonated, five months ago things may have changed.
[06:38] Now, I will say that you can offer testing as kind of a value add, which I will sometimes do if I’m writing copy for a client. If I’m writing copy for an email, for example. I will often just send along that additional subject line and say, Hey, if you’re gonna run a test, I would test it against this one. So that’s always an option, just a regular demonstration of the fact that you are adding additional value.
[10:50] Follow up with your clients on some of the projects, all of the projects, quite frankly, that you’re doing with them and say, Hey, I’m just curious. I wanna see how that performed. Do you have a month after you delivered?
[13:42] By an AB test we just mean one element of the email is being compared against the other. So you’re not changing, if you’re running a subject line test, it is email A has this subject line, email B has this subject line, but the content of those emails remains the exact same.
[14:50] Basically, the subject line’s job is to get them to open the email, right? But there’s no guarantee that once they get into the email, they’re gonna read the whole thing. So what the first line, the hook, has to do is to hook them and draw them in to read the rest of the email.
[16:43] In addition to kind of the style that you’re writing it, maybe you are in agreement on whatever; the most important thing is you have two different ways of leading into it and of grabbing that audience’s attention and seeing which method is most effective.
[19:17] There are all kinds of different options, depending on what the customer journey is, what the customer experience is, what the purpose of the email is, all of these kinds of things. Maybe you can test having one main call to action at the bottom or one main call to action at the top, or adding in two calls to action and just seeing how that impacts the click through rates.
[25:07] Testing the friendly from the from line. So the first thing is that sometimes companies will send from the company name, sometimes they’ll test sending from someone within the company.
.[28:05] Look past what you usually do on a daily basis. Look for ways that you can shake things up. Now obviously things that you do differently can become gimmicks really quickly. But look for ways to be creative, look for ways to be your client’s partner in copy and marketing. As we always say, not just someone who takes orders and delivers your copy.
[31:32] Last thing you can test with the copy of an email is the subject line/ preheader text. A, Including it at all, seeing if that makes a difference. If you include it, recommend doing so, it’s another opportunity to get more information in front of your readers and get them to open kind of supporting that subject line. But again, what are you putting in that pre-header? it’s the copy that populates in the reading pane. It’s the copy that populates right after the subject line.
Must-Hear Takeaways
As with every episode, we highly encourage you to listen to the entire conversation! But here are a few of the highlights:
” Depending on the business of the industry, what your client’s doing and what their messaging is, they might just need to revamp it slightly. It might be slight word choices that make a huge difference. It might be the same message said in a slightly different way.” Kate
“ Your client should always be testing copy as much as possible in as many ways as possible. Whether it’s with their email funnels, with their opt-in pages, with their sales pages, with any of their communications, where people are consuming them to make sure that A, their message is getting across in the most effective way possible.
But B, that people are taking the action that they want them to take from whatever that piece of communication is. So there’s just so much opportunity for increasing. Even the tiniest percentage makes a big difference.” Kate
“You’re not making a guarantee, we never make a guarantee but you’re offering them that option, that ability to test, because as Kate said, all of our clients should be testing.” Nicki
” You are providing this so that they can do it on their end. That’s the role of a marketing assistant or whoever in the company might be dealing and setting up that tech on that end, the marketing technology person.” Kate
“One of the reasons we really suggest starting with subject line is because the subject line is the most important part of the email. If the subject line doesn’t get someone to open an email, if it gets them to delete it instead, then it doesn’t matter what other great copy you’ve put in the email, they’re never gonna read it.” Nicki
” When your client is testing subject lines, they’re looking for open rates. When you start testing within the body, often the copy within the body you’re looking to measure the action that you want them to take within that email.” Nicki
Mentioned in the Episode
Related Links
- Top 3 Biggest Email Mistakes Copywriters Make
- The Most Important Piece of Email Copy
- Why You Need to A/B Testing
- What’s a Copy Test?
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Last Updated on November 8, 2024
