Good copywriting comes from user research!

I often hear that there are four stages of learning: ignorant and unaware, not yet learning (unaware of lack of ability); known but not aware, learning (aware of lack of ability); known and aware, already learned (consciously using ability); unconsciously, using it freely (unconsciously using ability). Most of us start our careers in ignorance, or without realizing how ignorant we are.

I will never forget the experience of going from “ignorance” (unawareness of one’s own incompetence) to “knowledge” (awareness of one’s own incompetence). At the time, I was working as an office manager for a small software company, and the director of sales and marketing was impressed by my writing skills and asked me to write a press release welcoming the new CEO.

The four stages of learning new knowledge, summarized by Noel Burch at Gordon Training International

At 23, I considered myself a pretty capable writer. I have 18 years of experience in editing and writing, including stories, poems, book reviews, fan fiction, correspondence with pen pals, essays, essays, and scientific experiment reports. However, I had no idea about a press release and had no idea how to write one.

I read through some of the company's early press releases, but still had no clue. What is most difficult for me is that I can’t imagine who will read this press release. Later I found out that I was facing a common problem among copywriters – lack of understanding of users.

In this article, I will introduce one by one the methods that copywriters need to master in user research. I’ll also highlight which types of user research methods are most valuable to copywriters and how to apply them.

1. Content strategy is not about writing copy

Copywriters write copy. They type words, write microfilms, advertisements, and articles. On the other hand, content strategists create copywriting schedules, screen and manage copywriting content. The content here includes not only text, but also videos and images.

As a content strategist, I now do a lot of user research. Clients want me to discover who the people are who are using their websites and apps. I create personas to show clients how these users go about their daily lives. What keeps users up at night, what they think about, who they hang out with, what they do online, what they buy, and why these users use your product.

Every project I work on uses some user research method, whether I’m working alone or with a formal research team. Sometimes I’ll watch users use the product; other times I’ll design and run tests to see how users react to the words and terminology I use. After the research is done, I work with the client to build the copy for what they want to deliver. I synthesize the data from end-user research into reports or guidelines, and then work with the client to review the newly designed pages and determine how to best deliver the content.

Although in the end I create the personas, research and guidelines which are then given to the copywriter. But most of them don’t work with content strategists and therefore don’t have access to the raw data from user research. More importantly, when I was making reports and guidelines, I didn't take copywriters into consideration, but in fact, copywriters are the ones who actually talk to users. Shouldn't they have direct access to original materials? Furthermore, shouldn’t copywriters be given the opportunity to listen to users, understand how they communicate, what questions they ask, and the vocabulary they use?

(The answer is yes.)

2. User research: taking charge of the overall situation

User research is critical throughout the UX design process and it comes in many forms. Christopher Rohrer, one of the authors of the Norman Group, believes that user research methods are some combination of the following four forms:

• Behavioral research, observing what people do.
• Attitude research, observing what others say.
• Qualitative research to analyze why people do things and to develop improvement plans.
• Quantitative research quantifies measurable elements and analyzes research data, such as how many potential users convert to actual users, or how many units of a product are sold.

This image is from Christian Rohrer and the Norman Group

From user research, we get detailed information about the target users of the website and product. Designers, content strategists, and developers use the results of user research to improve designs, design specs, and prototypes.

3. User Research Methods Suitable for Copywriting

User research is a great tool for copywriters because it helps them better understand how users express themselves and what their wants and needs are. Next, we’ll review some common research methods and see how they can influence content creation and benefit copywriters.

3.1 Ethnographic research

Ethnographic fieldwork is unique in that it takes place in users’ homes or offices, with the goal of seeing users in their real-life environments. Just like researchers on an expedition, they hope to see the real status of users in the wild. For a UX designer or content strategist, ethnographic research can provide valuable data to understand the problems in users’ lives, how these problems affect their daily lives, and how users are accustomed to interacting with them.

For copywriters, this type of research can also help them understand what content users usually read, what websites they frequently visit, and the words they come into contact with on a daily basis. For example, by interviewing a lawyer, you can learn about the legal terms that lawyers use in daily communication and how they use these terms. This way, copywriters will be able to use the same vocabulary when designing headline copy for attorney websites.

Ethnography (fieldwork) is particularly useful in the following situations:

• When redesigning a brand, you need to design a “friendly tone” for your stakeholders.
• The target users come from a completely different cultural background than the copywriters.

3.2 Diary Study

Diary studies are useful for allowing participants to share how they use a product or service without feeling embarrassed or inhibited. Because of the personal nature of diaries, they are often used to personalize products or services, or to conduct research on sensitive topics, such as research on devices that help people with diseases or personal hygiene devices. Diaries are less intrusive than in-person interviews and can also allow researchers to identify patterns in users’ lives over days or weeks.

Copywriters can undoubtedly benefit from diary research: they can use diaries written by target users as samples to better understand the type of copywriting that target users accept. For example, an author who doesn't use abbreviations may prefer a site with a more formal style; an author who doesn't use punctuation and capitalization may feel more comfortable with a less formal site.

Diary studies are particularly useful in the following situations:

• Users use technically complex products or services and use complex technical terms.
• The language style of the users is very different from the style used by the company.

One thing copywriters should be aware of is that diary research is not really suitable for products that are very personal or private. Words that users feel comfortable with in their diaries may make them uncomfortable when they put them on a public website.

3.3 User Feedback

Copywriters rarely have the funds to do their own research, but user feedback is based on the information that has already been collected, which is perfect data for copywriters. Typically, a company will have its own customer service department that collects information about all frustrated or angry users through phone calls or questionnaires. However, there are always two sides to a coin. In this case, we can dig up a lot of data from these unhappy users, including what they expressed, how they expressed it, and in what situations.

Another benefit is that copywriters can learn from user feedback what is missing from the current copy and what user problems it has not solved. This is useful for prioritizing content. For example, if several customers called to ask how to get a tax refund on their products, the copywriter knew to make this information easier to find on the website. But it’s important to make sure the users providing feedback are real readers of the copy you’re writing. For example, if you are writing copy for potential users, existing users may not be able to provide representative feedback.

User feedback is particularly useful in the following situations:

• Companies that share a lot of content on the site.
• Projects where the client or team cannot determine user priorities.
• Project for old users.
• The company has a bad reputation or has a large number of customer or user complaints.

3.4 User Interviews

User interviews are often the most effective source of user information for UX designers. Copywriters are also eager to understand users’ needs, demands, concerns, and preferences! Their goal is to have a natural, familiar conversation with a complete stranger. What better way to create an atmosphere of friendship than by listening to your users?

Although copywriters don't have the budget to interview users, if the team is ready to interview users, the wisest thing to do is to sit in the interview room and listen to their voices. Don’t just look at the key conclusions of the research output. Considering the time limit of the research, marking the important sentences and words in the user's original words can also enable copywriters to have a good understanding of the interview process and results.

For example, before reporting on the results of an interview, a user researcher could include verbatim quotes from five participants in her report so that the copywriter can review them.

Interviews are particularly useful in the following situations:

• The research team is already preparing to conduct interviews for other projects.
• Finally, the website needs to appear conversational.
• The team didn’t know what content to deliver to the target audience.

3.5 Focus Groups

Many UX teams don’t like to use focus groups because they find it hard to understand the true thoughts of different types of users. The reason is:

• Group pressure, where users are easily influenced by others in the group;
• The voices of powerful (or just loud) users within a group often drown out the voices of less vocal and influential users. But these have no impact on copywriters.

Focus groups are still a great way for copywriters to hear from different types of users. For example, if I have the opportunity to reach out to different types of people in my target audience before writing a press release, I will ask them to help me find as many reasons as possible why this press release is valuable and organize them into a list. If the test encourages more voices and answers from the beginning, users are less likely to respond to just one dominant voice.

Focus groups are particularly useful in situations where:

• Projects with a public purpose (like writing a press release or newsletter).
• The target users already know each other or can collaborate.

3.6 Participatory Design

The boundary between users and designers is becoming increasingly blurred. One way to bring them closer together is through participatory design, where users participate in the designer's day of brainstorming, sketching, and even prototyping. Although it is still the designer who ultimately decides the next steps for the product (because the final decision needs to take into account both the product experience and practical feasibility), participatory design allows designers to hear the voice of users.

Members of the design team frequently participate in participatory design workshops. Copywriters can also be one of them. Copywriters need to take notes, observe how users interact with the prototype, pay attention to the questions they ask, and the things that the product "must have". Participatory workshops can be as useful as interviewing users for copywriters because the workshop environment often makes users feel relaxed and more able to interact and respond naturally to the product being designed.

For example, a copywriter might hear users ask questions about a product (Is it waterproof? Where can I change the battery?) and write them down, which can then be included in a Q&A page or product description.

Participatory design is particularly useful in the following situations:

• The product or application is under design.
• Users have very specific needs and strong opinions.

3.7 A/B Testing

Most of the research methods recommended in this article are applicable to copywriters before they start writing copy. A/B testing is a great way to optimize your copywriting. There are two types of A/B testing: closed testing and open testing.

• Closed testing is like usability testing: researchers typically interview users and ask, “Which page do you like more?” or “Tell me what you see on each page.” Closed A/B testing can help copywriters understand more specifically why users are attracted to one version rather than another.
• Open testing is also valuable. In an open A/B test, the researcher does not direct the user's actions. For example, a user might get a URL and see one version of it on the screen. The team can observe and analyze how many users completed the goal in version A and how many users completed it in version B.

Whether open-ended or closed-ended, A/B testing can help copywriters improve their wording and expressions so that target users can better understand the copy. For example, a copywriter might write two headlines for a new security system. One is reassuring (We’ll keep your family safe), and the other is terrifying (Do you know what’s out there?) The results of the A/B test will tell the copywriter which one is better.

A/B testing is particularly suitable for the following scenarios:

• The copywriter knows exactly what he wants to convey to the user, but can't decide between several options.
• The project has a technical team who can work with copywriters to implement A/B testing and analysis.
• Brand redesign. Multiple brand styles were redesigned for well-defined target audiences.

User Research Tools for Creation

Once the research is complete, it’s time to put the user information you’ve gained into actual creation. Some copywriters work when inspiration strikes; others simply type away. However, there are many tools available that can make the creative process easier and more fun. Many of these tools are inspired by user experience and content strategy, making them better able to translate user research into content that resonates with your audience.

There are no mandatory tools. They are suitable for different types of creators, and you can choose them to complete different types of projects.

4.1 Characters

Personas present the research results in an easy-to-use way. Each persona is a hypothetical person that represents your target users. It includes everything that makes up this unique person: their needs, wants, goals, expectations, and frustrations. But the premise is that the character roles based on research results are valid. In other words, don’t make up a persona! The creation of personas should be based on the information output from user interviews.

A few simple examples of personas. (Image credit: meetinBytes) (View large version)Personas typically include a photo, name, occupation, average age, and information about how this type of user spends their day. Make it as detailed as possible so that you can always reference the character when you’re struggling to figure out who to write for.

Once copywriters have a persona, they can call them by name and imagine them as a real person. For example, at the end of a paragraph, the copywriter might think, "Now that Joe knows the price of the lawnmower, what else will he ask?" Then, whatever question Joe asks, the next sentence will provide the answer.

Personas are particularly useful in the following situations:

• There are multiple user types, and each user type has clear goals.
• It is unclear what the user is like.

4.2 Core Model

The concept of the core model was proposed by information architect Al Haran as a tool to help determine what content should be presented on a specific page. It’s especially valuable when you’re struggling with why a company would want a feature page. It can also help us connect pages by understanding the paths that users take to enter and leave the page (in other words, understanding where the user comes from and where he or she is going).

Core Model, grouping list. (Image credit: Ida Aalen) ()Many content strategists ask stakeholders to fill out a Core Model worksheet. However, copywriters are just as capable of making decisions as stakeholders. The core model connects business goals and user tasks, so it is a good tool before the product or copy is actually launched (Editor's note: it can help designers or copywriters design pages and page content that meet both business goals and user tasks).

Copywriters can start thinking from the path that users take to enter the page: From which page did the user come to this page? What attracted them to this page? What problem do they have now? If the persona comes in from the home page, the core content of this page should help guide them to additional pages with more details or complete the product's feature selection.

The core model is particularly useful in the following situations:

• The project has clear business goals, but no clear user goals.
• The website has many pages, but there is no obvious connection between the content of the pages.
• The website does not provide a clear path for users to use.

4.3 Glossary

Many copywriters are provided with many keywords when they are creating. They are usually defined by the marketing department and validated during user interviews, focus groups, or A/B testing. These words are mainly used to support SEO optimization. However, a glossary includes more than just a list of keywords. Typically a glossary has four columns: preferred term, definition, synonyms, and related properties.

Example of a glossary. (Image credit: Marli Mesibov) (View large version)

Preferred terms are keywords, which are defined by stakeholders or the marketing department. The definition column is to explain what the internal team means when using these keywords, not necessarily the definition in the dictionary! Synonyms come from user research, and copywriters can use these synonyms to enrich the user language vocabulary. Finally, the related attributes are: For example, if the keyword is an adjective, the related attribute is selling the product that you want the adjective to point to.

The glossary gives meaning to each keyword, which can help copywriters use keywords more flexibly when writing page content. In addition, it can also build a bridge of communication between user language and business language: you can use the preferred term three times and a common synonym once to refer to the same content to ensure that the target users can understand the copy content.

The glossary is particularly useful in the following situations:

• The vocabulary and terms used by users or their backgrounds are very different from those of copywriters.
• When copywriters feel like they are using the same adjectives and words to describe everything.

A glossary is a great reference tool for copywriters. When you feel like you’ve used the same word six times on a page, check out the glossary for alternatives.

4.4 Content Map

Templates are a fantastic tool that content strategists love because they streamline the content creation process. Designers love it, too, because it makes it simple to design a cohesive website. But templates are troublesome for copywriters. How do you spread original content across multiple pages and keep it consistent?

Content mapping can help you solve this problem. It is a way of thinking - how to correspond different content to different positions in the template. Literally, it means putting a piece of content into a certain area in the wireframe.

When content strategists have a lot of content but are unsure how to organize it, they use content mapping to help them organize the content. Copywriters can use content maps to discover the connections between content on different pages and form an overall impression of the website content.

Content Map Template. (Image credit: The Image Kid) (View large version)For example, if a copywriter knows the 7 benefits of the product they are going to write about, but there are 5 pages targeted at different users. Through the content mapping tool, copywriters can map the seven advantages to their respective pages and plan which page will mention which product advantage, so as to maintain consistency between the copy and the page.

Content mapping is particularly useful in the following situations:

• The website has many pages.
• The project contains a lot of important content, but it is unclear how to organize it.
• The website does not provide a clear path for users to use.

4.5 5W

"If you want to be a professional creator, you need to always ask the 5Ws: who is the character, what happens, where does it happen, when does it happen, and why does it happen." I heard this teaching again and again when I was a student. It turns out to be correct and even more useful when applied to specific personas. When you are at a loss as to what to write or how to organize the content, go back to the most basic 5Ws.

• Who are your readers?
• What is the main message you want to convey?
• Where does the behavior occur?
• When does it happen?
• Why is it important? (For example: What is the goal?)

When you try to answer these five questions, you will have an idea of ​​what content should be placed on a given page. Next, as you create, think of your page content as a conversation between you and your target audience. For example, let's say you're writing a commercial for an upcoming Little League baseball game.

• Who are the users: Parents, relatives and friends of baseball players.
• What Happens: The baseball league is worth the $10 because it gives you an afternoon of fun, warmth, and friendship.
• Where it happens: Online forums before the game, the actual game at the downtown stadium.
• When it happens: From now on, in the week after the competition, when the Postcode Lottery will also close.
• Why it matters: Because the more people who attend events, the more profitable it is for the community as a whole.

However, when we create for children participating in competitions, the same message is expressed in a different way.

• Who is the user: Player.
• What to Happen: Make sure to arrive an hour before game time.
• Where it happens: A notice will be given at practice or emailed to you.
• When it happens: From now until the day the competition ends.
• Why it’s important: Because you need to warm up before a game.

5W is particularly applicable in the following situations:

• Projects have several different types of users
• Copywriters encounter writing bottlenecks

4.6 Storytelling

Everyone encounters bottlenecks when writing, but few encounter them when speaking. A journalism professor once suggested that I “try telling this story to a fifteen-year-old.” When I finished telling the story, he asked me to describe it more simply, "tell it to a ten-year-old." This takes more time. Afterward, he wanted me to “tell it to a five-year-old.

It's not just children who need different ways of telling stories. We also need to have different approaches when we tell stories to our parents, colleagues, mentors or friends. When you feel overwhelmed, it's okay to speak up. Imagine you are talking to someone you know, then try to have a conversation with your persona. Saying what you want to say will make it easier to put it into words.

For example, let’s say I need to explain why users need to fill out a form on a contract page, but I don’t know how to explain it on the page. I might first try to explain to my colleagues why I designed a table in the first place. This way, the guiding copy at the top of the page will appear.

Storytelling is particularly useful in situations where:

• The page is more complex and professional
• The concept is abstract and vague
• Copywriters have encountered a bottleneck in their creation

Using the tools described in this article, copywriters can learn more about their readers. Of course, remember that user research is not a magic wand. User research must be very detailed and must ensure that the research results truly reflect the users. As a copywriter, you can evaluate whether the interviewed users are representative by understanding the user recruitment channels and the number of users interviewed.

5. Invest in research

Research often influences our work. For copywriters, whether we’re writing homepage copy or press releases, research is key to helping us create copy that engages and inspires users to read it. Not every project has (or needs) a content strategist, but that’s no excuse for writing sloppy copy.

If you have the opportunity, find a content strategist or user researcher; if the research is already underway, they will be happy to have you join. If there isn't a project yet, now is the time to join one. Both research processes and tools will help you understand your users better, which will ultimately improve the quality of your output.