Writing for screens that have to convert

Conversion copy fails in two directions. It either sounds like a template, or it sounds like the brand and never asks for anything. The useful version does both jobs in the same sentence.

We write the first line for recognition. A visitor should know, quickly, whose site this is and what it is for. Cleverness that delays that recognition costs more than it earns.

The next lines earn the action. We name the outcome, the proof, and the next step in that order. If a paragraph cannot do one of those three, it does not stay on the page.

Tone is a constraint, not a coat of paint. A brand that is quiet should stay quiet in the button label. A brand that is direct should not suddenly become polite in the form.