By Mehdi HassanHow do you write landing page copy that converts?
You write landing page copy that converts by doing the research first, then filling a fixed structure with your buyers' own words, then cutting everything you can't prove. Most guides jump straight to headline formulas. The formulas only work when you already know what your buyer calls the problem and what almost stopped them from buying.
This guide gives you the full process: the inputs to gather, a fill-in template for each section, and the edit pass we run before a page ships. It's one part of our wider guide to SaaS website copywriting, which covers positioning and tone across the whole site.
The process assumes one landing page with one job, such as booking demos from a paid campaign or getting trial sign-ups from a launch. If you're rewriting a homepage that serves several audiences, the same steps apply, but expect more work on the hero and navigation.
What research do you need before writing landing page copy?
Before writing, you need a swipe file of real customer language: how buyers describe the problem, what triggered their search, what they compared you with and what made them hesitate. This is voice of customer research, and it's the input most landing page guides skip. It turns writing from invention into selection.
- Five recent customer interviews. Ask what they used before, what made them look for something new, and what nearly stopped them.
- Sales call notes or recordings. List the questions prospects ask most. Each one is an objection the page should answer.
- Reviews of you and your alternatives. Copy phrases verbatim, especially complaints about the alternatives.
- Support tickets from new users. These show where expectations and reality differ.
- Your positioning decisions. Target customer, main alternative and the one thing you do better. See positioning vs messaging if these aren't settled.
Put every quote in a spreadsheet with columns for source, theme (problem, trigger, outcome, objection, alternative) and the exact words. Highlight phrases that appear more than once. The full method is in our guide to voice of customer research.
What is the step-by-step process for writing the page?
The process runs in seven steps, from defining the page's job to editing in the design. Do them in order. Skipping the first two is the most common reason a page reads well but doesn't convert.
Define the reader and the action
Write one sentence: 'This page helps [specific buyer] who [situation] to [one action].' If you can't fill it in without 'and', you have two pages.
Match the visitor's awareness
Decide whether visitors know the problem, know solutions like yours or already know you. This sets the hero angle and page length. Our guide to awareness levels maps each level.
Write the core message
Draft the value proposition in one line, then three supporting points, each tied to proof you actually have.
Fill the template section by section
Use the template below. Pull language from your swipe file before writing anything new.
Attach proof to every claim
Next to each claim, note the evidence: a number, a named quote, a screenshot, an integration or a mechanism. Cut claims with no evidence.
Write the CTA and its microcopy
Say what happens after the click ('See a 20-minute demo', 'Start free, no card'). Add one line under the button that removes the main fear.
Edit inside the design
Put the copy in a wireframe at real sizes. Cut headlines that wrap to four lines, and move proof next to the claims it supports.
What is a landing page copy template you can fill in?
A landing page copy template is a fixed sequence of sections, each with a prompt that tells you what to write. Use the prompts below with your swipe file open. The goal of a first draft is completeness, not polish.
Section | Fill-in prompt | Length |
|---|---|---|
Headline | The outcome [reader] wants, or the problem they're stuck in, in their words | 6–12 words |
Subheadline | How the product delivers it: the mechanism in one sentence | 15–25 words |
Primary CTA | What happens on click, plus one reassurance line | 2–5 words |
Problem | The current workaround and what it costs them | 40–80 words |
How it works | Three steps from sign-up to first result | 3 × 15 words |
Outcomes | Three features, each paired with the result it produces | 3 × 30 words |
Proof | Named quote, specific result, logos, integrations | Varies |
Objections | The top four doubts from sales calls, each answered | 4 × 40 words |
Final CTA | Restate the outcome and repeat the action | 1–2 lines |
For a visual version of this outline that a designer can work from, see our copy-first wireframe template. For hero options, our landing page headline formulas give nine patterns with SaaS examples.
For example, suppose you fill the template for a compliance tool
Hypothetical example: a SOC 2 automation tool for startups selling to enterprise. The swipe file shows buyers saying 'the security questionnaire is blocking the deal'.
Headline: 'Answer enterprise security reviews without stalling the deal.' Subheadline: 'Connect your cloud and HR tools, and we collect the evidence auditors ask for automatically.' CTA: 'See how it works in 20 minutes', with 'No prep needed' underneath. Problem: a founder pasting screenshots into spreadsheets the week before a renewal. Objections answered: which auditors accept it, how long setup takes, what it costs, and what happens to access if you cancel.
This is an illustration of how the prompts get filled, not a real page or result.
How do you write each section so it sells?
Each section sells when it answers one buyer question specifically and hands off to the next. The hero earns the scroll, the middle earns belief and the end earns the click. Weak pages usually fail in the middle, where features are listed without outcomes or proof.
Hero
Lead with the outcome or the problem, never the company name or category alone. Show the product, not an abstract illustration. If the headline could appear on a competitor's page unchanged, it isn't finished.
Middle sections
Turn every feature into a result and add the mechanism that makes the result believable. Our guide to features vs benefits covers this. Keep paragraphs short and let subheads carry the argument for skimmers.
Proof and objections
Specific proof beats volume: one named quote describing a before and after does more than a wall of logos. Answer objections in the body where they come up, then collect the rest in a short FAQ near the final CTA.
What are the best landing page copywriting tips for the edit pass?
The best edit pass is a set of questions you ask of every line: can I picture it, can I prove it, and would the buyer say it this way? Lines that fail all three get cut. Most first drafts get shorter and clearer in this pass, not longer.
- Read the headline and subheadline alone. Does a stranger know what the product does and who it's for?
- Highlight every adjective. Replace each with a number, a name or a detail, or delete it.
- Check that every claim has proof within one scroll of it.
- Read the page as a skeptical buyer and list the questions left unanswered.
- Count the CTAs. There should be one action, repeated, not several competing ones.
- Read it aloud. Rewrite anything you wouldn't say to a customer on a call.
How do you know if the copy is working after launch?
You know the copy is working when the right visitors take the action and sales conversations start further along. Track the primary conversion as an event from day one, and watch what prospects say on calls. If they still ask what the product does, the page hasn't done its job.
Set up tracking before launch using our guide to landing page conversion tracking. Compare your rate against your own baseline rather than an industry average. Unbounce's benchmark report gives a median of 6.6% across industries and about 3.8% for SaaS, but rates vary widely by traffic source and offer, as our conversion rate benchmarks explain. If traffic is low, use five-second tests and customer feedback to judge changes rather than waiting on an A/B test that may never reach significance.
