There are certain summers that stick with you—not because everything went smoothly, but because life had a way of handing you exactly the lessons you needed. My internship in the state of Washington, the summer of 1980, was one of those. Back then, I was a junior at Iowa State, trying to line up all the things I thought would guarantee a good job after graduation: solid grades, some campus involvement, and most importantly, that golden ticket on any engineering résumé—an internship in your field. So I spent the spring sending out application after application, collecting a thick stack of rejection letters in return. It became routine enough that some days I’d find myself laughing at how efficiently companies could say “No thanks.” My dorm room wall was full of “flush letters” and I treated it like it was a badge of honor.
The Essential Elements
of Copywriting
The Essential Elements
of Copywriting
If you’re building a digital business, you’re not just selling products; you’re selling ideas, transformations, and trust. That’s where effective copywriting becomes your greatest ally. Let’s break down the essential elements of copywriting using a Venn diagram as a quick guide you can use to help you write emails and sales page copy that genuinely connects and converts.
1. Know Your Audience
Before writing a single word, ask yourself:
- Who is going to read this?
- What do they hope for or struggle with?
- Are they discovering you or your brand for the first time, or are they already familiar with it?
Emails and sales pages that don’t resonate with the reader’s current mindset will not achieve their desired impact. You’re not writing to impress; you’re writing to connect.
2. Define the Aim
What is the goal of the copy?
- To get a click?
- To make a sale?
- To build trust or spark curiosity?
Every sentence should serve your objective. Don’t write just to fill space—write to engage your audience.
3. Evoke the Right Response
Consider what you want your reader to do, think, or feel. If it’s an email, maybe you want them to feel inspired and compelled to click through. If it’s a sales page, perhaps you want them to feel confident and ready to make a purchase.
4. Speak to Benefits, Not Just Features
Features = what something is.
Benefits = what it does for your reader.
Always translate features into real-world outcomes that resonate with your audience. For example, “24/7 customer support” isn’t merely a feature—it’s a source of peace of mind.
5. Craft a Clear Strategy
Consider your copy as a journey. What information should come first to capture someone's attention? What social proof or offer details will sway the decision? Regardless of whether it’s a cold lead or a warm one, the structure is important.
Bonus Tip: These principles also apply to community posts, social media content, lead magnets, and other formats.
This article is copied from Cuan Petersen and reposted here for visibility and accessibility.
We respect your privacy and will never share your information.
You can unsubscribe at any time with just one click - no hassle, no questions asked.
Leave a Comment 👋
Leave a Comment 👋
Leave a Comment 👋
Leave a Comment 👋
The Internship That Changed Everything
Long Lake Summers
There are seasons in life you don’t see coming—chapters that don’t announce themselves with fanfare, yet settle so deeply into your memory that years later you can still smell the lake water, feel the pull of the tow rope, and hear the hum of a boat engine echoing across a still summer evening. For me, one of those chapters began the moment I graduated from Iowa State in May of 1981 and took my first real job at 3M. I was barely 22, carrying that mix of confidence and cluelessness that only a new graduate can pull off, and ready to step into the adult world.
Hero of the Beach
When I think back to my childhood— maybe around nine years old—there’s a very specific smell, a very specific feeling, that comes rushing back: the scent of ink and old paper from a stack of Marvel comic books. It’s funny how memory works. I can’t remember what I ate last Tuesday, but I can still picture—clear as day—the cover of The Amazing Spider-Man #56 with the Daily Bugle headlines screaming "Spidey joins Doc Ock" sitting on the floor of my bedroom, or the way the corner store rack looked when I spun it, hoping for a new issue of anything with the red-and-blue web-slinger on the front.