How to Write Landing Page Copy That Converts

Landing page copy is the highest-stakes writing in your content stack. Unlike blog posts that bring people in gradually and nurture them over time, landing pages have one shot: get the visitor to take action, now.

And most startup landing pages fail at this. They describe features instead of benefits. They bury the value proposition under a hero that says "The Future of Work." They have five different CTAs that cancel each other out.

This guide shows you how to write landing page copy that converts visitors into signups, trials, and demos.

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The Core Principle: Conversion is About Clarity

The #1 reason landing pages fail to convert is that visitors don't quickly understand exactly what the product does and who it's for.

Visitors spend an average of 15 seconds on a page before deciding to stay or leave. In those 15 seconds, they're answering: "Is this for me? Does this solve my problem? Can I trust this?"

Your job is to answer all three questions — instantly and clearly.

Every word on your landing page should earn its place by moving a visitor closer to "yes."

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Step 1: Define Your Conversion Goal and Visitor Segment

Before writing a word, clarify:

One primary CTA per landing page. Not "Sign up" AND "Book a demo" AND "Watch the video." One. Pick the action that matters most for this specific page and focus everything on driving that action.

Who is this visitor? Where are they coming from? A visitor from a Google Ad for "content marketing tool for startups" is different from a visitor from a LinkedIn ad targeting CMOs. Different visitors need different copy angles, different value props, and different CTAs.

What stage of awareness are they at?

• Unaware: Doesn't know your category or product exists. Needs education first.
• Problem-aware: Knows they have a problem, doesn't know your solution. Lead with the problem.
• Solution-aware: Knows solutions exist, evaluating options. Lead with differentiation.
• Product-aware: Has heard of you. Lead with trust signals and conversion.

Match your copy to the visitor's awareness stage. If you get this wrong, even well-written copy won't convert.

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Step 2: Write a Headline That Does Three Jobs

Your headline is the most important element on the page. It needs to:

1. Communicate the core value proposition — what does this product do?
2. Identify the target customer — who is this for?
3. Create a reason to keep reading — why should they care?

Headline formulas that work:

The outcome headline: "[Specific outcome] for [specific audience]" → "10x Your Content Output Without Sacrificing Brand Voice"

The "how" headline: "How [specific audience] [achieves specific outcome]" → "How Startup Founders Build a Content Engine That Runs Itself"

The "for" headline: "[Product action] for [specific person]" → "An AI Content Engine Built for Startup Marketing Teams"

What to avoid:

• Vague headlines ("The Future of Content Marketing")
• Feature-led headlines ("AI-Powered Content Generation with Advanced NLP")
• Generic headlines that could apply to any product

Test your headline with this check: if you covered your logo and showed the page to a stranger in your ICP, would they know immediately what the product does and who it's for?

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Step 3: Write a Sub-headline That Amplifies

Your sub-headline picks up where the headline left off. It adds one more dimension of clarity:

• Adds specificity to a broad headline
• Calls out a secondary benefit
• Addresses a likely objection or concern
• Adds a "how" to the headline's "what"

Example:

Headline: "10x Your Content Output Without Sacrificing Brand Voice"

Sub-headline: "Averi learns your brand voice, tone, and ICP — then helps your team create and publish more content that sounds exactly like you."

The sub-headline expands on the promise and answers an implicit question: "But how does it not sound like generic AI?"

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Step 4: Structure Your Value Proposition

The value proposition section — typically 3 feature blocks or benefit columns — is where you expand on the headline's promise with specific capabilities.

Common mistake: Listing features ("AI writing assistant," "Brand voice training," "Publishing integrations")

Better: Leading with the benefit, backed by the feature:

• "Write in your voice, always — Brand Core learns your style so every AI-assisted draft sounds authentically you."
• "From idea to published in hours — A full drafting workflow that takes you from keyword to polished post without constant back-and-forth."
• "Publish anywhere, without copying and pasting — Connect to WordPress, Webflow, Framer, HubSpot, and more."

Each point leads with what the customer gets, not what the product does.

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Step 5: Use Social Proof Strategically

Social proof is one of the most powerful conversion levers on a landing page. Use it in multiple forms:

Logos: "Trusted by teams at [Company A], [Company B], [Company C]" — social proof through association.

Testimonials: 2–3 specific, detailed quotes from real customers that speak to different objections. Not "This tool is amazing!" but "We went from 2 posts/month to 12 in 90 days. Our CAC from organic dropped 40%."

Metrics: "X customers," "X posts published," "X average time saved" — concrete numbers beat vague claims.

Case study snippets: A one-line result from a named customer, with a link to the full story.

Where to place social proof:

• Near the headline (high-visibility)
• Near the primary CTA (near the conversion point)
• After each major claim (to back it up immediately)

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Step 6: Address Objections Proactively

Every visitor has objections. Common ones for SaaS products:

• "It won't sound like our brand."
• "It'll take too long to set up."
• "My team won't actually use it."
• "The quality won't be good enough to publish."
• "It's too expensive for what we're doing now."

You don't need to address every objection in the hero — but you need to address the most common ones somewhere on the page, either in the body copy, a FAQ section, or a dedicated "How it works" section.

FAQ sections are highly effective landing page elements that:

• Surface objections in the visitor's own language
• Allow detailed, honest answers that build trust
• Generate FAQ schema markup for SEO
• Keep the hero clean while still handling complexity

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Step 7: Write a CTA That Drives Action

Your CTA button is the last step in the conversion funnel. Two elements:

CTA headline (the value statement): What will they get?

• "Start your free trial" ← Generic
• "See your content strategy in 5 minutes" ← Specific and compelling

CTA button text:

• "Start free" ← Good (clear, low friction)
• "Get started" ← Acceptable
• "Submit" ← Never. It sounds like a form to be graded.
• "Try Averi free — no credit card required" ← Best (specific, addresses the commitment objection)

Supporting text below the CTA: Handle the last-second objection.

• "No credit card required."
• "Set up in under 5 minutes."
• "Cancel anytime."

These friction-reducers can meaningfully increase conversion rates on an otherwise identical CTA.

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

Generic hero copy: "Grow your business with AI-powered content" describes every AI tool in existence. Be specific.

Feature overload: Don't list every feature. List the 3–5 benefits that matter most to your ICP and resist adding more.

No social proof near the CTA: The moment before a visitor decides to click is when social proof matters most. Put at least one testimonial or metric within scrolling distance of your primary CTA.

Mismatched message and audience: Landing page copy written for everyone converts no one. Know your specific visitor and write specifically for them.

Long paragraphs: Landing pages get scanned, not read. Short paragraphs (2–3 sentences max), bullet lists, and bold keywords help visitors extract value fast.

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How Averi Helps

Averi's landing page drafting workflow — available through the "Plays" section — generates conversion-optimized copy frameworks based on your brand voice, ICP, and product position. You get a starting point built on copywriting best practices, not a blank page.

More importantly, Averi's Brand Core ensures that landing page copy sounds like you — not like a generic SaaS template.

Create landing page copy →

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FAQ

How long should a landing page be?

As long as it needs to be to answer every question a prospect needs answered before converting. High-consideration products (expensive, complex, enterprise) need more copy. Simple, low-cost, low-commitment products need less. A common mistake is making pages too short — addressing all major objections usually requires at least 800–1,200 words of body copy.

Should I have multiple CTAs on one landing page?

Have one primary CTA (the main conversion action) and optionally one secondary CTA (lower commitment, like "Watch a demo" or "Read case studies"). Multiple primary CTAs of equal weight create decision paralysis and reduce conversions.

How do I know if my landing page is converting well?

Industry benchmarks for SaaS landing pages: 2–5% conversion rate is typical, 5–10% is good, 10%+ is excellent. Measure your baseline, then test changes. Even small copy improvements (headline changes, stronger social proof, better CTA text) can meaningfully move conversion rates.

Should I write long or short headlines?

Long enough to communicate the core value proposition, short enough to read in 3–5 seconds. Most high-converting headlines are 8–12 words. Keep sub-headlines under 20 words.

Do I need a designer to make a high-converting landing page?

Not necessarily. Many high-converting landing pages use simple, clean layouts with strong typography. What matters most is copy quality, not design complexity. A simple template with strong copy outperforms a beautiful template with weak copy every time.