How to Write Copy for Web Pages
Debbie Lucas 
Implementing the 'hero's journey' format when learning how to write copy for web pages needs thoughtful planning and strategic execution.
How to Write Copy for Web Pages
In the vast and ever changing landscape of the internet, knowing how to write copy for web pages plays an important role in how you share information with your prospective clients, encourage engagement, and build relationships.
Storytelling has been an integral part of human culture since the dawn of time and the concept of the ‘hero's journey’ has found a new application in the world of copywriting for website. The ‘hero's journey' format, is a narrative framework that is often used in literature and film. But, it has also proven to be a compelling and effective approach for structuring web pages that guide users on a transformative journey. If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know that I will often say that your website is about your clients, not you.
How to Write Copy for Web Pages Using the ‘Hero’s Journey’ Format
The ‘hero's journey’ uses a writing process that traces the path of a ‘hero’ through a series of stages, challenges, and transformations. It was made popular by mythologist Joseph Campbell. This framework identifies key elements that consistently appear in myths, legends, and stories across cultures. The 'hero's journey' typically involves stages such as the HERO who has a PROBLEM and a GUIDE/MENTOR shows up to give them the FORMULA /STEPS and CALL TO ACTION in order to AVOID FAILURE and ACHIEVE SUCCESS.
Using this process when learning how to write copy for web pages is a very easy way to create a captivating user experience. Visitors to your website need to see themselves as the ‘hero’ with a problem and only then do you introduce yourself as their guide or mentor showing them how they can avoid failure and achieve success . By weaving the 'hero's journey' elements into the design, content, and user flow, you can create engaging content that resonates with your prospective clients.
Every successful web page begins with a strong call to action – a compelling introduction that generates curiosity in your prospective client and invites them to explore further. This can be achieved through a combination of visually appealing design, concise and impactful headlines, and a clear statement of the page's purpose.
As your prospective client reads further, they should be able to see why you are the right guide/mentor to help them with their problem. This is where you tell them more about yourself and why you are qualified to help them avoid failure and achieve success.
No 'hero's journey' is complete without trials and tribulations. Similarly, web pages should present your prospective clients with challenges or barriers that they can overcome with your help as their guide or mentor. By addressing potential pain points and providing solutions, your prospective clients will feel confident that they are able to overcome their challenges and ultimately achieve success.
In the 'hero's journey', transformation is a pivotal stage where the hero learns, grows, and gains new insights. Web pages should offer the same transformative value to your prospective clients. It’s not enough to simply list the features of your offers, you need to show them how working with you is going to transform their lives.
In the 'hero's journey', the hero returns to their ordinary world transformed and armed with newfound wisdom. Web pages should encourage a similar outcome – guiding users towards taking action based on the information you have provided on your page. Whether it's signing up for a newsletter, making a purchase, or sharing content on social media, the Return phase is where your prospective clients become active participants, empowered by the journey they've undertaken on the web page.
Integrating the 'hero's journey' format when learning how to write copy for web pages offers a range of benefits that extend beyond how your website looks.
This approach uses the power of storytelling, tapping into the innate human fascination with narratives that follow a familiar structure. Here are some key advantages of embracing the 'hero's journey' when learning how to write copy for web pages:
1. Engaging User Experience
By structuring web pages around the 'hero's journey', you can create a cohesive and engaging user experience. The narrative flow captures your prospective clients’ attention, making them more likely to continue reading and stay on the page longer.
2. Clear Communication
The 'hero's journey' format provides a logical and intuitive structure that helps convey information more effectively. Your prospective clients can follow the storyline, making it easier for them to understand complex concepts, processes, or offers.
3. Emotional Connection
Stories have a profound ability to evoke emotions, and the 'hero's journey' is no exception. By guiding your prospective clients through stages that resonate with their challenges/pain points and aspirations, your website copy can foster a deeper emotional connection.
4. User-Centric Design
The 'hero's journey' puts your prospective client at the centre of the narrative, aligning perfectly with user-centric design principles. This approach ensures that the information on your website addresses your prospective clients’ needs, pain points, and goals, creating a more meaningful interaction.
5. Higher Conversion Rates
When prospective clients are emotionally engaged and find value in the information on your website, they are more likely to take desired actions, such as signing up, subscribing, or buying. This can lead to increased conversion rates and better overall performance.
How to Write Copy for Web Pages Using the ‘Hero’s Journey’
Implementing the 'hero's journey' format when learning how to write copy for web pages needs thoughtful planning and strategic execution. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you craft your own transformative website copy:
1. Define Your Call to Adventure
Identify the main purpose of your web page. What do you want your prospective clients to achieve or experience? Craft a compelling headline and introduction that grab their attention and communicate the value of the journey they are about to embark upon with you.
2. Design the Crossing
Map out your prospective client’s journey through your web page. Write copy that guides your prospective clients through different sections. Use images, icons, or animations to visually represent the threshold-crossing experience.
3. Develop Trials and Tribulations
You know your prospective clients’ challenges or pain points. Address these challenges with informative content, interactive elements, or step-by-step guides that allow them to see that it is possible to overcome them with your help.
4. Facilitate Transformation
Show them the transformation they will achieve if they engage with you and your services. Really put yourself in their shoes and think about their ultimate goals and aspirations. Don’t just list a series of features.
5. Encourage Atonement and Return
Clearly present the actions you want your prospective clients to take once they have all the information. Whether it's signing up, downloading a resource, or making a purchase, provide clear and compelling calls to action that align with the transformative value you've provided.
Conclusion on How to Write Copy for Web Pages
The 'hero's journey' format brings a new dimension to the world of web page design. By leveraging the power of storytelling and aligning you prospective clients with this archetypal narrative structure, you can captivate, engage, and guide them through a meaningful journey. As your prospective clients venture into the vast expanse of the internet, web pages that embrace the 'hero's journey' format become beacons of transformation, offering valuable insights and empowering them to conquer the their pain points. So, take up the mantle of the storyteller and embark on a quest to create web pages that inspire, inform, and ultimately, guide your prospective clients towards their own heroic successes and transformation.
Categories: website