If you study the home page copy of the most successful internet influencers’ websites, you learn how to refine your own page and copywriting skillz.
One of the best ways to learn is to study the best!
These are the people who pay top dollar to copywriters and designers to make their websites sparkle.
They know how to run the internet.
So, they’re the best people to consult for copy advice. (Even if we can’t consult them personally, we can consult their copy itself.)
Let’s look at what makes their home page copy so effective.
Here are the top influencers’ home pages we’re studying today:
10 Home Page Copy Lessons from Some of the Internet’s Top Influencers
#1: Create An “Easy Yes”
Each one of the influencers in this study has an opt-in at the very top of their home page, “above the fold,” as we say. The offer is foundational to their brand and everything they stand for and it encourages people to get on their email lists. As you’re probably already aware, your email list is your golden ticket, so you want to funnel as many people to your list as possible.
Your home page opt-in should be an easy yes for the majority of your desired audience (not everyone in the world, just your specific audience).
Each of our influencers’ opt-ins has a button with an easy yes. The “no” even felt a bit shameful, in some instances.
Neil Patel, for example asks:
Do you want more traffic?
Derek Halpern uses a similar question, but the answer is either a “gimmie” or an “I reject the free ebook.”
That rejection seems rather harsh, so most people won’t reject it. And who doesn’t want free traffic?
It’s an easy yes.
Action step: Include a valuable opt-in at the top of your home page that’s a direct answer to your desired audience’s most basic question. Include an “easy yes” and a “difficult no.”
#2 Distilled message
After the opt-in, a headline or tagline that distills your entire message is a must. Mine is “full-bodied living.” Marie Forleo’s is “The world needs that special gift that only you have” which she repeats in all her videos and other content as well. Your tagline should distill your entire message down into one descriptive phrase.
Action step: Distill your message to one phrase. Include at the top of your home page.
#3 Personable picture
These guys know that real-life pictures of themselves create more trust with their audience. An avatar, a picture from behind, or a picture of your dog doesn’t work as well as a forward-facing, approachable picture of you. Smiling. Competent. Trustworthy. A picture that says “this is the type of person I would consult.”
Like Marie’s picture above. Or Amy Porterfield’s picture. Looks like someone you’d want to know, doesn’t it?
Action step: Include 1-2 pleasant pictures of yourself on your home page. At least one should be of you looking at the camera.
#4 Mini bio
A little further down your Home page, include a little bio. Not just any bio will do either. You need to use your elevator pitch here. Two short paragraphs max. To maximize that space, include only your most relevant, impactful information and then your most relatable, interesting information.
If you’re a home designer, you should include major credits, projects, or awards.
If you’re a midwife, list your certifications and how many babies you’ve successfully delivered.
If you’re Amy Porterfield, list what you’re known for and how many people you’ve helped.
You also need to be relatable and interesting as a person. You’re not a corporate-bot or a flat character. You’re a real, well-rounded person. So, include an interesting snippet about yourself.
Just don’t get too wordy here. Save your more “peripheral” information for your About Page {Here’s how to nail that page too}. That’s what your About Page is for.
Action step: write out a bio with your most relevant achievements and certifications. Now, refine it even more.
#5 Mad about YOU
Every one of these home pages speaks in second person directly to “you” and your goals. Not “me, me, me,” not “others,” not “those of us,” not “someone,” not statistical “people.” You.
If you’re a freelance writer or a businessperson, use second person as much as possible. Your job is to reach out to your reader, not talk all about yourself. The second person “you” is vital.
Even if you’re Oprah, your readers want to know what you’re going to do for them.
Action step: look through your Home Page copy and pinpoint where you talk about yourself. Can you reframe and talk about how that benefits your audience instead?
#6 Name drop
If you and Oprah are tight or you’ve hung out with Richard Branson, um, that’s the first thing to flaunt! When your audience sees that, they automatically assume you’re legit. They put you on a similar level as those people. You’re credible by association. After all, Oprah doesn’t put her arm around your waist if you’re not.
Name dropping is one form of social proof, proving to your audience that you’re accepted, admired.
You can also use social proof in testimonial form, picture form, or “featured in” form.
Action step: name drop and add some social proof to your home page to show “other people trust me, so you can too.”
#7 Sense of direction
Your reader needs to now what to do next. Read more. Click here, You need to direct your reader to the next step, what they came for.
It’s time for your call to action.
Neil Patel offers several directions based on where you’re at. He even gives them an order, so you know exactly what to do next.
Whatever you do, do NOT leave it up to the reader what to do next, because if they don’t know, they’ll just leave.
Give them direction. Show them where to go next, based on their needs, so they don’t leave with a clear call to action: Read the Blog, Listen to the Podcast. Be direct with an imperative statement.
Also make sure you send your readers somewhere important. Send them to posts with crucial information, your most popular articles, the course that’s open for enrollment NOW, or a contact page.
Action step: what are the 1-3 things you want every member of your audience to see on your website? Direct them there with a CTA.
#8 Speed and simplicity
Your entire home page can be consumed in a matter of seconds. You have 7 seconds to grab your readers’ attention, so use short and snappy attention grabbers.
Most of the influencers in this article break their home pages into 3 sections. Marie Forleo had the most at 7 sections, but all the websites were fast reads and uber-scannable.
Use little snippets.
Lighten heavy text and use plenty of white space (like this).
Make sure nothing is confusing.
Use one or two sentences here and there with calls-to-action thrown in.
Make your one big-picture message at the top and include supporting info from there.
Action step: have a friend or someone in our Facebook Group look over your page to get their feedback. Ask them a few questions such as “What is this website about? Did anything confuse you? Does any of this make you want to know more? Refine your Home Page copy from the feedback.
#9 Personalized experience
Each of the websites here offer you a personalized experience based on what stage you’re in in your business or what you want to work on next. Neil Patel offers those steps we showed above.
Kimra Luna gets even more personalized. She lets you choose a spaceship and an avatar that represents “you” so whatever he/she does on the page, the reader feels like they’re doing.
Psychologically speaking, this is brilliant! The reader becomes personally more involved in and can “see themselves” doing what they’re doing on the website. Your readers become more personally invested.
Action step: personalize the experience on your website. Give people a way to connect on a personal level. Some examples are a quiz with a personalized landing page, a custom map, or at the very least three “click here” options based on audience needs.
#10 Branded design
Branding should always be on-point and consistent among all the places where you have a web presence. The colors, fonts, and images should all look like they belong to you, and you only.
All our influencers are expert brand-makers, so you shouldn’t be surprised to see spaceships on Kimra Luna’s page (her name is Luna, after all!), that distinguishable orange color on Neil Patel’s page and the dark colors, dot grids, and the tongue-in-cheek cavalier presence of Derek Halpern on his home page:
Action step: go back through your home page and use the same three colors, patterns, and three fonts across the board. Weave the words you use in real life and the adjectives you use to describe your business through the page. Put your personality into it!
#11 Trigger words
In honor of Derek, we’d be remiss to miss this important factor: trigger words. Trigger words get people excited and motivated to act. They’re a call-to-action with a bonus psychological trigger. They include words like:
- Free
- Join
- Let’s go
- Start now
[Check out Kajabi’s comprehensive list of trigger words and explanations]
All of these words not only inspire your readers to act, but they also have psychological benefits built into them. The reader either wants to be associated with or desires what you offer. Your trigger words call them to act because they want what you have. They want to “start now” as opposed to put their dreams off for another 5 years. They want to “join” because joining makes them feel like they’re getting a personal invitation and a sense of belonging to something.
Let’s analyze Derek Halpern’s call-to-action and trigger words to explain:
First, he uses the word “free” several times to reassure the reader that there are no strings attached. He also insinuates that if you don’t click, you’re not “with the program.” Then he says “join our…” which makes the reader feel like they’re joining others with similar interests. The entire phrase “what are you waiting for?” is a trigger because it’s basically saying if you don’t act, you’re passing up on an easy opportunity. “Click” is another trigger word for a call-to-action that basically tells your reader what to do and what they get for doing it.
The trigger words lead your audience to the “easy yes” we talked about in #1.
Action step: Decide which trigger words are relevant to your website and/or opt-in and incorporate them into your home page where they fit naturally (typically in place of the “subscribe” button).
#12 Me too
A few of our online influencers use a brilliant technique involving identification. If your readers identify with you, or you identify with their struggles, they figuratively link elbows with you. They join your side. They’re thinking, “oh yeah, me too!” and figure you already “get them” so they should pay attention. That has a profound psychological effect.
It’s like going to a party, overhearing the lady next to you say she loves moscato, and you exclaiming “me too!” and then launching into a conversation with her. You feel like you’ve made a connection, found something in common, and identified with each other.
Some examples of me too language include:
- Yep, been there!
- I’m on your side.
- Raise your hand if…
- Do you feel that way too?
- You’re here because
Use language that helps you and your audience identify with each other, that lets them know you get them, you can commiserate. They’ll presume you know what you’re talking about and know how to overcome it.
Action step: Add a “me too” statement to your website copy.
A few final words:
Remember the techniques above are genius, but they won’t work if you don’t have a basic Home Page framework in place. Your home page needs to have a specific goal and answer the main questions your readers have when they land on your home page.
Questions your Home Page needs to answer:
- Who are you?
- What do you do?
- Do I belong here? (if you’re talking to smart, ambitious women, then yes. If it’s for stay-at-home dads, then no)
- What do I get out of this?
- What should I do next?
Even though putting together a solid Home Page seems like a simple task, it really takes a lot of nuanced wording to make it work most effectively.
Hopefully this guide gives you a solid foundation on which to build a thriving home page!
[BTW, If you need help honing your home page copy, either leave a comment below or contact me here!]
What do you think?
What copy do you think is essential for the home page?