How to Write Impactful Popup Copy That Gets High Conversions

We’ve all been there.

Making our way around the internet to look for something to buy or researching a specific topic and find a website that looks good and might have what we’re looking for and BANG, a popup appears out of nowhere.

I hate cookies now that they pop up on every website I visit. pic.twitter.com/dlrlHO3RqK

— Keonté Smith (@IamKeonte) August 17, 2020

You scan over the popup, click it away, and carry on with your day. This is what a lot of people do when popups arise.

But, what if you can create popup content that grabs your reader’s attention and draws them in, piquing their interest, and making them want to know more. In that case, your website and content are going to be offering a completely different experience – a more positive one.

Statistics show that when done well, popups work great. A study carried out on over two billion pop up ads found that the top 10% of popups had a conversion rate of 9.28%, whereas the main average is around 3.09%. Only 3 out of 100 popups have a conversion rate of over 11%.

The average popup converts 3% of site visitors but the top popups have a conversion rate of over 9%! Click To Tweet

This might not sound like a lot, but looking at this from a cold-hard facts perspective, if you get just 150 visitors onto your website every day, that’s 418 signups per month, and that’s not to be ignored.

While you can deep-dive into technical aspects like timing and colors, and fonts, today we’re going to focus on the core of your popup ads: The copy.

Without further ado, let’s get into how you can write such copy that will take you from the average 3% into the top 10%.

Short and Punchy and Impacts Within Seconds

Go through the process of what you do when you come across a popup ad. You scan it over, and if nothing catches your eye, you close it and move on. Don’t worry, while I’m not saying your attention span isn’t low; I am saying that this is what everyone does.

This means you have an extremely short time to work with, so you don’t want to scare your readers and potential leads away with long-form content. When it comes to punchy ads that spring up, you need punchy copy to suit.

Start with the headline. Aim for a headline with between seven and ten words maximum. Then keep the actual descriptive copy short and sweet. You want to aim to get your message across within a few seconds, so two or three sentences is all you’re going to be working with.

You need to avoid presenting your leads with a wall of text because you’re only going to make them want to close the ad as soon as possible.

Writing Crystal-clear Ads That Get to the Point

Within the short time span you have to grab your reader’s attention and make them want to click, you need to make sure you’re not misleading your readers in any way. If a reader is even slightly confused about what you’re offering or what you’re asking them to do, you know where their mouse is going to go next.

Psst. It’s the close button.

For example, if you’re telling someone to click here to download a free eBook, and they get to the other side, and they have to sign up for your premium service or give a load of information, then they’re not going to convert. Chances are they won’t come back to your website ever again, either.

Outline what you’re offering and then follow through with that promise. Be absolutely clear with your text, and remember, failing to deliver what you promise will cause distrust among your customers. This can lead to high bounce rates, which will negatively affect your SEO, and your business will start to sink down the results pages.

Don’t Be Scared of Emotions

It’s all well and good writing down and sharing what makes your products or services great, but the truth is that nobody cares. I’m sorry, that can be a hard truth to swallow. Think of this way, my pressure washer offers 3,000psi and comes with an ergonomic handle. 

Do you want to buy it?

No, probably not, unless you’re desperate for a pressure washer. On the other hand, if I tap into your emotions and say:

Are you tired of constantly scrubbing your patio and cleaning your car and waste hours doing it all by hand?

Do you want to make your life easier, save time, and maybe even enjoy your cleaning chores? Then, check out this pressure washer.

In the latter, I’m tapping into your emotions and making the product relatable. Of course, you want your life to be easier, and sure, saving time is a great idea. Might I actually enjoy cleaning the car? Sign me up to where? Oh, wait, in this pop ad right here. Awesome.

When you’re trying to make your product and service sound more appealing, always create emotional connections with readers. Think about what power words you can use, such as ‘easy,’ ‘free,’ and ‘exclusive,’ and always talk to the reader on a one-on-one basis by referring to them as ‘you.’ 

You want to make your ads all about your reader. Finally, make sure you’re talking about the perks and benefits of using your products, not simply providing them with a boring features list.

Get Creative With Your CTAs

We love a good CTA button. Don’t you always get excited for some strange reason when you see a CTA button that speaks to you and is so much more interesting than the generic ‘click here’ and ‘yes’ buttons.

Are you ready to start living an intentional life? Followed by a button that reads;

YES! I’M READY!

“Creative CTA buttons like this have far more impact on the reader and are way more effective at drawing people in and making them want to get involved with what you have to offer. Always try to create a CTA that has an actionable word in it, so the reader knows what they’re going, and always try and tie the copy back to whatever it is you’re trying to sell or promote,” explains Ben Lincoln, a journalist at DraftBeyond.

Get. Creative. Boring copy is never successful copy. Inject some personality in what you do.

Walk as They Do. Talk Like They Do.

Think about your customers and who they are as individuals. Think about your ideal customer and who that person is, really taking time to consider how they talk and the type of language they use.

All these people and potential leads are at different stages of their lives and will be looking for different things. You need to tap into how your leads are feeling, which should be relatively easy when you figure out why they’re coming to your website in the first place, and then express your message in a way that’s going to relate to them.

After all, if someone is coming onto your fintech banking website looking for serious information and you’re talking to them like someone who wants a holiday, you’re not going to get the results you’re looking for.

For this point, think about the language you’re using and your tone of voice. Think about the tense you’re using, plus what kind of age or generation you sound like. If customers find you relatable and connected to them, you’ll boost your conversion rates so much more.

Reviewing your buyer’s persona will help with this step. Don’t have a buyer’s person? Check out our guide to building your buyer personas.

Implement the Pressures of Urgency

Creating urgency in your copy has long been hailed and regarded as one of the most successful ways of marketing to people. When potential leads have time to think about what they’re doing, they can very easily talk themselves out of doing it.

This is why companies will host limited-time offers and 24-hour sales. If a customer believes they don’t have much time to act, and if they don’t act now, then they’re going to miss out, they’re far more likely to click on your popup ad. This is how the sense of urgency works.

“This is a psychological principle that basically makes customers fear missing out. Sure, they’re fine now, but what happens if they miss the deal you’re offering? What happens if they never get a deal like this again? Best to take a chance and opportunity now than miss out on it forever,” shares Tina Marrison, a tech writer at Writinity.

Check out our article on Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) for ideas on using FOMO in Popup Maker.

Tell People Why to Act

We’ve semi-covered this point already between the lines of the point above, but when you’re writing your ad content, make sure your ‘why’ is fresh in your mind, and therefore, fresh in the minds of readers.

For example, if you’re selling a fitness watch, are you helping people get healthier, to exercise more, to boost their energy levels, or to help them counter a medical condition? Are you focusing on building a health-conscious community? Never forget your why in every word you write.