The Curious Engineer

All blogs / Misc

Write like a human

copyhackers.com

Discover your most powerful messages, and share them with the world. Work with Joanna Wiebe to differentiate and grow your business.

Misc

’15’20’25
Posts
289 from 12 Oct 2011 to 14 Apr 2026
Posting
monthly (9 in the last year)
Kind
company blog
Feed
https://copyhackers.com/feed/

2026 1

  1. Positioning 101: How to live rent-free in your best clients’ minds

2025 11

  1. 73% of your ecommerce emails are broken (and your customers can’t tell you)
  2. AI’s trust problem: The cost of outsourcing your message in a SaaS recession
  3. How copywriters attract leads right now: Proven 10x plays (not 2x tactics)
  4. The authority book move that separates you from every copywriter with a ChatGPT account
  5. 10 ways your peers and mentors are using AI today – swipe them to grow your copy business
  6. Brains vs. Bots: AI Founder Warns Replacing Copywriters With Artificial Intelligence Is Bad for Your Brand
  7. 5 international copywriters prove the power of Copy School
  8. 10 AI Opportunities That Make Your BRAIN More Valuable (Not Just Faster Hands)
  9. The conversion glow-up your SaaS pricing page is begging for
  10. SaaS Pricing Page GPT: Use this custom GPT to audit your SaaS pricing page for conversion gaps
  11. Where do I start when I want to optimize an email automation?

2024 1

  1. I spent 60+ hours analyzing onboarding emails for 127 SaaS trials. This is how the top SaaS retain users.

2023 14

  1. The ‘Ship It’ Manifesto: How to get your content assets out of Marketing Purgatory
  2. How To Write Emails: The Conversion Copywriter’s Approach
  3. Simplifying User Journey vs User Flow for Newbies
  4. From Rookie to SaaS Copywriter Pro: A Newbie’s Blueprint
  5. How to prepare for Black Friday & Cyber Monday. Hint: Focus on lead gen.
  6. Copywriting for Startups: 7 Lessons To Drive Conversions
  7. Demand generation vs lead generation: Do you need both?
  8. Can I make money from copywriting? (Yes) A look at the possibilities
  9. Social Proof: 5 new studies that prove its continued persuasive power
  10. Best copywriting niches for new freelancers
  11. Copywriting: the best side hustle for writers in 2025
  12. How to grow your list (with good leads)
  13. Attention Interest Desire Action: Use this to get, and keep, people reading
  14. Take the guesswork out of book cover design with user testing (a Copyhackers case study)

2022 73

  1. The 7 best ways to make money online in 2023 without a degree
  2. Your guide to SMS marketing: Tools and tips for your next campaign
  3. Facebook ad strategy. 5 Ideas to use in your 2023 Facebook campaigns.
  4. Tool roundup: Best email marketing software for small businesses
  5. 5 key elements of high converting landing pages (with examples)
  6. 6 best landing page builders for generating conversions
  7. 8 lead generation ideas you can use to grow your email list
  8. 7 ways to grow your email list (if you’re a new coach)
  9. 12 tips to write an “About Us” page that builds trust (and turns visitors into buyers)
  10. Are copywriting jobs in demand?
  11. The email click-through rate formula recommended by ActiveCampaign
  12. Running a headline test? Use these tools to perfect your headline
  13. What it says about you when you call it “user journey” instead of “funnel”
  14. Snackable content: What it is and how to make it (with examples)
  15. The top 5 Conversion XL articles to improve your copywriting
  16. What is direct response copywriting? Lessons we still use today.
  17. 3 value proposition formulas to differentiate your brand
  18. 5 Tips From Copyhackers Ebook 1: Where Stellar Messages Come From
  19. Use this value proposition formula to get more yeses
  20. 5 headline formulas to test on your home page today
  21. What is a value proposition? Plus 5 tips to write your own
  22. Write emails for money: Start bringing in cash with these tips
  23. How to increase open rates using DMARC authentication
  24. Copywriting jobs: How to find them if you’re a new freelancer
  25. Email CTRs: How welcome emails differ from nurture emails
  26. 7 copywriting research techniques conversion copywriters love
  27. Writing emails for money: Can you make a living doing this?
  28. What does click thru rate mean? Understanding CTR for PPC ads
  29. What is conversion copywriting? Definition from the OG
  30. Can brand voice be your differentiator? If it’s unique enough.
  31. Why fighting through my fear of customer interviews was 918% worth it.
  32. A user journey example if you’re new to the term “user journey”
  33. Trust signals boost conversions. Use them to back your copy.
  34. Website copywriting 101: A guide to writing for the web
  35. Analytics questions all copywriters should ask their clients
  36. How to hire a conversion copywriter in 2022 (insider info)
  37. The best abandoned cart emails in 2022 (examples & tips)
  38. What are the best CTAs for your emails? (Examples included)
  39. Improve conversion rates in emails with these 3 techniques
  40. Copywriters and messaging strategy. How involved do you get?
  41. Newsletter copywriting 101: useful tips to get you started
  42. Copywriters you can hire to increase your conversions in 2022.
  43. Do countdown timers even work? Understanding urgency in 2022
  44. 404 page examples you need to see before writing your own.
  45. How to become a copywriter this year (without any experience)
  46. I landed three new clients and closed $12K using Facebook groups. This morning. Here’s how. ​​​​​​​
  47. What’s the onboarding flow to follow for onboarding emails?
  48. Conversion copy course takeaways: Lessons that stuck with me
  49. How to write launch emails that sell out your next launch
  50. Poo-Pourri commercials: Creating a stink-free brand voice.
  51. Abandoned cart email example (+ 6 more) for your swipe file
  52. The new SEO for SaaS
  53. How to write welcome emails that engage your subscribers
  54. What is a leading question? How to avoid bias in research.
  55. Humans behave like humans. Duh?
  56. Email Segmentation 101: A beginner’s guide to sending better emails
  57. Messaging strategies: An advanced look at your brand’s message
  58. What is the CTR average for emails? And how to improve yours.
  59. Messaging strategy 101: How to think first, then write.
  60. Get more newsletter subscribers with these 3 techniques
  61. How I made money in high school by convincing companies to pay me big bucks for copywriting
  62. What’s an open-ended question? How can you use them in your research?
  63. 4 ways to bring your brand voice to life on your website
  64. Write like a good therapist guiding people to change
  65. What is copywriting? Why it’s critical to your bottom line.
  66. What are psychographics? How they make your copy better.
  67. Email copywriting vs website copywriting: The big differences
  68. Content writer or copywriter? Which are you? Why the difference matters.
  69. The Ann Handley newsletter and other newsletters we love for pro writers
  70. The Ultimate Guide to Email Copywriting: Optimize Your Email Copywriting with Hard Numbers
  71. The Ultimate Guide to Email Copywriting: Let’s See It In Action: Email Copywriting for Every Kind of Email
  72. The Ultimate Guide to Email Copywriting: Advanced Email Copywriting: How to Increase Email Open Rate
  73. The Definitive Guide to Email Copywriting

2021 6

  1. How a busy freelance writer reduced burnout and increased vacation time
  2. I despise cold pitching. Here’s how I made $19,000+ in 46 days from referrals alone… without sending a single cold email.
  3. How rest – not hustle culture – made me a better copywriter.
  4. Going for the cold with Facebook Ads
  5. Why I’m quitting traditional buyer personas.
  6. I am an introvert. Here’s how I went from fearing authority to speaking on stages.

2020 10

  1. 29 Quotes That Perfectly Explain What Copywriting Means
  2. SaaS Websites: Is shorter copy really better?
  3. How to write a landing page for problem-aware visitors
  4. How a Unique Selling Proposition for Our Content Marketing Doubled Revenue
  5. COVID Memes: Why we’re using laughter to get us through a pandemic
  6. Speaking the Language of Coronavirus: An analysis of the words and phrases that spread viral content
  7. How to Survive Your First Recession (or Any Other Disaster) as a Freelance Copywriter
  8. How to spot bad headlines before they make your visitors bounce – an intro to easy copy validation
  9. Breakthrough-or-bust emails
  10. Hire a freelance writer: Copyhackers trained, conversion copywriters.

2019 12

  1. The ‘Complete-Nobody’ Guide to Guest Posting Fame and Fortune (By the Guy Who Built a Career Out of It)
  2. What Is a Swipe File? And Why Does Every Copywriter Need One?
  3. What Is UX Copywriting?
  4. You Don’t Need Ads on Your Site to Monetize Your Blog. Here’s How Bloggers Make Six Figures.
  5. In Favor of Long, Image-light Ecommerce Emails
  6. How I Turned Dozens of Bad Reviews into Hundreds of New Customers
  7. The User-Centric Delight Audit for SaaS
  8. Instagram Captions for Ecommerce: Why Visuals Are Only Half the Picture
  9. How to Engage Instagram Followers with Copy So They Love Your Brand and Buy Your Products
  10. I’ve Helped Create 150+ Case Studies. Here’s (Almost) Everything I’ve Learned.
  11. Inclusive Buyer Personas: Where new product ideas live and growth happens
  12. Long Copy for Facebook Ads Works – better than images

2018 8

  1. How to be a freelance copywriter when you suck at doing what freelancers are “supposed” to do
  2. How I grew CoSchedule into a $5MM+ SaaS company using this framework
  3. How I slashed my evergreen course refunds with 7 gamification hacks
  4. How to Listen: A guide for marketers who want to know what their customers want
  5. How I turned my wedding into an email marketing case study (with a slightly epic mistake)
  6. These are the 16 painful lessons I learned writing 10,211 headlines in 100 days
  7. “But who’s gonna write it?” 6 methods to find your business’s next top-notch freelance writer
  8. Beyond BuzzFeed: How I used quizzes to generate 10,000+ qualified leads

2017 10

  1. Is $5000 a lot to charge for a sales page? We asked 14 marketers who hire freelancers. What they revealed could help you land your next project.
  2. I used cold emails to 14x my freelance copywriting business. Here’s how. (Includes templates.)
  3. How We Repeatedly Launch 6-Figure Courses With Just 2 People
  4. Could these 3 little-known conversion triggers jack up sales in your email campaign?
  5. We did these 7 things to a SaaS onboarding email sequence, and it tripled paid conversions
  6. These client management techniques worked for Mad Men – will they work for you?
  7. Are Your Free Trial Emails Making You Look Desperate? Here’s How to Fix That
  8. 36 Free Facebook Ad Hacks to Win your 2023 Ad Campaigns
  9. When you learn to write copy with a “reluctant hero,” you’ll never go back to flat writing
  10. Today, We Are Fools. Happily. (Why we built and are finally launching Airstory.)

2016 28

  1. 10 Tried and Tested Time Management Strategies for 2021
  2. These techniques make it 10x easier to beat Writer’s Block
  3. How to Set Up Your Home Office: The guide for productive freelance copywriters
  4. 3rd Annual Freelance Copywriter Salary Survey (Updated 2017)
  5. Quote Higher Rates: If you close more than 50% of your leads, you’re not charging enough
  6. 6 things clients say that are nothing like what they mean
  7. 15+ reusable ideas to find copywriting clients who pay well
  8. I tried branding my freelance copywriter business. And even I was surprised by what happened next.
  9. When you find your niche, you’ll never sell yourself as a generalist again – here’s my story
  10. We sent an email some people hated. Others loved it. Here’s what it did for our business.
  11. Use these 7 hacks on your thank you pages to boost retention. #3 is beyond easy.
  12. Here are 3 simple steps for writing lead gen pages. And they’re backed by examples.
  13. You’ve heard about the Freedom Economy. Here are 6 steps to use it to promote yourself as a freelancer.
  14. Pro Facebook marketers would never launch a campaign without these 7 conversion-boosters
  15. 3 steps on how to use Facebook Ad Targeting so you never run out of clients again
  16. Our Facebook ads experiment. I didn’t expect what I found.
  17. 5 strategies that will change the way you write copy
  18. How do you turn great home page copy into killer home page copy? (Case Study)
  19. We used these 3 copywriting principles on a home page. And doubled ecommerce revenue. (Case Study)
  20. Once you know how to support copy with images, you’ll never separate art and words again
  21. Storyhacking: I show you how to crack the code behind the irresistible selling power of stories
  22. Here’s why it’s so hard to write convincing copy
  23. Here are 19 growth hacks for your SaaS startup. They’re backed by science.
  24. When you learn about fighting content fatigue, you’ll never put off blogging again
  25. This Is What I Learned About “Engaging Content” After Writing 500+ Pieces of Content
  26. Should you publish on Medium… or only on your blog?
  27. Seth goes short. Buffer goes long. Here’s what you should do with your content.
  28. The All-in-One Content Marketing Playbook for Startups

2015 17

  1. Why Your Copy Needs to Pick a Fight
  2. Every Copywriting Formula Ever (or The Ultimate Guide to No-Pain Copywriting)
  3. This approach to “empathy in marketing” makes your page 10x more effective
  4. The Question of Asking Questions
  5. I use a Diva List. Every freelance copywriter should use a Diva List. Here’s why.
  6. How to write copy: A copywriting crash course by Mad Men (Infographic)
  7. Choices, Consequences and the Reason Every Pop-Up Box Needs 2 Buttons: Opt In, and Opt Out
  8. Here is the one and only way to measure your copy’s converting power (infographic)
  9. Is your About page embarrassing? Here are 7 mistakes you may be making
  10. How to Write a Successful Kickstarter Campaign
  11. 70% of SEO Is Easy. Here’s What One SEO Pro Swears You Should Do to Master the Other 30%.
  12. 5 split tests that will change the way you think about reciprocity and persuasion
  13. Calculate how much high-converting copy may be worth to you
  14. New Year Challenge 4 of 4: Make Yourself Really, Really, Shockingly, Nauseatingly Uncomfortable
  15. New Year Challenge 3 of 4: Stop Building Something That “May” Solve a Problem for People You Don’t Even Know
  16. New Year Challenge 2 of 4: Build Something That Solves a Problem for People You Know
  17. New Year Challenge 1 of 4: Loosen the Reins

2014 19

  1. The Non-Scuzzy and Totally True Story of How I Earned 6 Figures in 12 Months by Mastering the “Hidden Upwork Economy”
  2. When you learn the magic of managing attention, you’ll never go back to plain-jane marketing again
  3. And You Thought “Jobs to Be Done” Was Just for Product Development…
  4. Amazon review mining for copywriting. What it is, how to do it and where to use it in your copy.
  5. I Spent All Summer Running A/B Tests, and What I Learned Made Me Question the Whole Idea
  6. Is the Seemingly Humble Button More Powerful Than the Headline?
  7. How Long Should Your Pages Be?
  8. How to Name a SaaS App, or How to Avoid the Bloody Mess That Brought Us, at Last, to “Disco”
  9. If You Charge 10x More Than Your Competition, Should Your Copy Be 10x As Compelling?
  10. How We Optimized the Mad Mimi Pricing Page
  11. The Quick and Dirty Guide to Turning Your Website into a Persuasion Powerhouse
  12. Should You Use a Curiosity Gap to Persuade Your Visitors to Click?
  13. Get A “Peek” Into Your Site’s Usability: A Review
  14. “Proof of Heaven”, Propaganda and Feeding Your Audience Exactly the Meal They Asked For
  15. If You Think All Bullet Lists Are Created Equal, This Data Will Change Your Mind
  16. How I Optimized the Crazy Egg Home Page
  17. Are Webinars Part of Your Growth Hacking Plan This Year?
  18. Have You Fallen For This Scuzzy Design Trend In Pop-ups?
  19. Conversion Copywriting Hacks: A To-Do List for the First Half of 2014

2013 41

  1. Our 13 Favorite AB Tests of 2013 (Plus, a Giveaway)
  2. Swearing, Euphemisms and Writing Something That Actually Sounds Like You
  3. The Bootstrapped Startup’s Crash Course in AdWords
  4. Thank You Pages: The Good, The Bad, The Swipe-Worthy
  5. The Day a Text Link Outperformed a Button
  6. Mobile Ecommerce Copywriting: How to be a welcome addition to your visitors’ mobile experiences
  7. Are You Giving Your Videos A Chance To Perform?
  8. Is Keyword Research Still Important Now That Google’s Encrypting All Keyword Searches?
  9. Teardown Tuesday: Can a Landing Page Ever Be Too Short?
  10. 5 Criteria for Writing Powerful Headlines: Introducing Our “Headline Scorecard”
  11. Teardown Tuesday: Product Detail Pages Are the Gateway to Your Cart
  12. Content Strategy for the Web: An Interview with Rackspace’s Melanie Seibert
  13. Home Page Teardown: How to Get More Donations Online
  14. Can This Keyword Optimization Exercise Triple Your Page Traffic?
  15. How Much of Your Copy Is Totally Irrelevant ? A Case for Web Personalization
  16. How to Promote Your App: Unconventional Wisdom from People Who’ve Done It
  17. Persuasive Writing: 4 Copywriting Techniques Swiped from Psychology
  18. The Simple “Work Backward” Trick for Writing Landing Pages
  19. Testing Ain’t ALL That
  20. The Ultimate Guide to Shameless Self-Promotion for Startups
  21. Is Your Headline Suffering from “TMI”?
  22. The Great Copy Debate: Clear Vs. Clever
  23. Writing with Tone at MailChimp: An Interview
  24. MASSIVE EXPLOSIONS! …Or 5 Ways to Grab Attention in Your Copy
  25. Free Beer: Could your generosity be your biggest driver of success?
  26. How to Sell… Without Selling Your Soul
  27. Long Copy + Short Copy = “Hybrid Pages” (With Instructo-Graphic)
  28. Vote on a USP (Value Proposition) for “ZapFlash”
  29. Dang Grrl, How’d U Get That Sexy Body [Copy]?
  30. How Much Copy Should You Use On Your Landing Page?
  31. Email Subject Lines: A Quick Assessment of 7 Split-Tests
  32. Copywriting: 2 Big Reasons “Show Don’t Tell” Is BS
  33. SEO Agency Case Study: Why Should Prospects Choose You?
  34. A Quick Trick for Writing 1 Page for 2 Audiences
  35. Differentiation: Can Your Visitors Distinguish You from the Other Guys?
  36. Your Most Overlooked Home Page Opportunity
  37. Never Underestimate the Power of Being Helpful
  38. Tone of Voice 101: How to Write Copy That People Can Connect With
  39. Email Marketing: Broadcast Emails vs Transactional Emails
  40. The 3 Lies That Block Startup Success
  41. Don’t Be a Freakin’ Wallflower! Write Sticky Copy That Gets Noticed

2012 31

  1. The 3-Step Hack for Startups Bootstrapping Their Design
  2. Conversion Rate Optimization: 4 Essential Ways to Be a Better Salesperson Online
  3. Home Page Split Test Reveals Major Shortcoming Of Popular Testing Tools
  4. How to Find and Eliminate “Friction Words” in Your Web Copy
  5. Copywriting Lessons From (Not For) The Holidays
  6. Stripe Kicks The Crap Out Of Competing Solutions, But It’s Not Just For Developers
  7. When to Get Specific vs When to Summarize
  8. If You Want Amazing Results, Stop Asking “What Should We Test?”
  9. Why “Save Time & Money” Is Lazy-Ass Messaging
  10. Why You Rarely See That Amazing Conversion Lift Your Testing Tool Promised
  11. The Only Time to Use the Word “We” in Web Copywriting
  12. Headline Formulas and the Science of CRO Copywriting
  13. 5 Sales Copywriting Lessons Courtesy of the “Barter Kings” (A&E)
  14. Writing Email Subject Lines: 6 Ways to Improve Your Open Rate
  15. How to Name a Product – Do This, Avoid That
  16. Copy That Converts Lives in UIs That “Frame”
  17. The Tools I Use to Run My Ecommerce, Copywriting & Consulting Business
  18. How to Write an App Store Description (For iTunes)
  19. RADically Rethink Your CTAs
  20. Rules of Copywriting: 101 Copywriting Dos & Don’ts
  21. My “Real Life as a Startup Founder” Playlist: 23 Songs for Entrepreneurs
  22. Why Your Competitor’s A/B Testing Program Is Doomed
  23. Because Only A$$holes Should Be Called A$$holes
  24. Growing Your Client Base: An Ode to Getting a Backbone
  25. Ebooks for Affiliates – How to Increase Your Revenue with This Proven Strategy
  26. How to Become a Freelance Copywriter
  27. Value Propositions and USPs: “My Product Is the One That…”
  28. Copy Talk Episode 4: How to Write and Use Testimonials That Actually Work
  29. My Guest Post on KISSmetrics – Ultimate Home Page Headline
  30. The Reason You Should Never, Ever Give THIS Most *Useless* Piece of Feedback
  31. Like Copy Hacking, A/B Testing Doesn’t Need to Be HARD

2011 7

  1. Reduce Bounce and Improve Engagement with an “Ideal For Statement”
  2. Make Your Phone Number Big and Put It in Your Header to Increase Trust
  3. Stop Your Subscribers from Bailing on Your Site… with This 1 Word
  4. Use these 5 tested “ingredients” to boost conversion on your home page today
  5. Copywriting Infographic: By KISSinsights / KISSmetrics and Smashing Magazine
  6. How 1 HN post compelled me to leave Intuit and create a new startup for startups
  7. How to Stop Shooting Bullets Right Through Your Customers