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How to create a landing page that converts

The above the fold of your landing page is the most important section - and can be hard to get right. Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating a killer opening that will boost your conversions.

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My love for Harry Dry's work? It's huge. Honestly, for years, I've practically shoved his Landing Page copywriting guide at every SaaS founder struggling with their DIY site.

But here's the catch: Harry wrote that fantastic guide for marketers. For folks who already know their CTAs from their messaging.

So, Harry, I hope you'll forgive me, but I went in and made some serious additions. I've basically beefed up your guide with actionable how-tos and client-tested adjustments.

This new version is for those copy-averse CEOs who (not-so secretly) just want AI to handle everything.

So, CEOs, to get the fullest use out of this guide, start with…

Customer Research before Copy

You need to have your customer info down—something I talk about in Website in a Week.

Here’s how to do that:

  • Read the notes from calls with your best-fit customers.
  • Find the real words customers used. Look for their problems, what they liked, and times they really 'got' your product (the aha! moment). Also, note any worries or issues they had when buying or using it.
  • Put these words into your main plan for writing landing pages, so you’ll know what to say.
  • Make notes on anything you want to change later.
  • Change the words you use for your brand or create a minimum viable brand.

To make this even easier to organize, you can use a messaging matrix. This is especially helpful if you are writing the landing page to hit multiple target audiences and need to be able to see the throughlines between them all → that’s what you speak to and save the individual bits for your use case sections.

A messaging matrix helps you organize and understand your customer research. It's a tool that makes it easier to use what you've learned from customers in your marketing efforts. This matrix gives you a clear picture of what to say to different people, which parts of your product to highlight, and what quick marketing messages you need.

Learn more about it here: The B2B Messaging Matrix (or "Wrong Number, Who's This?").

Okay, now you have your research, it’s time to get started writing.

These are the recommended sections and how to cover them.

Your Landing Page’s Anatomy

A landing page has two main parts:

  1. What you can see without scrolling, aka, above the fold
  2. What you scroll down to see, aka below the fold

Let’s start with writing copy for the first part:

Above the fold

Rule one, keep it simple. So simple that one glance is enough for a customer in any stage of awareness to understand what you’re saying.

Here’s the things that make up an above the fold section:

1. Title

Your landing page title is super important! It's the first thing people see. A great title grabs attention and tells visitors why they should stay.

There are a few ways to make it powerful:

1. Function-First Headlines

If your product is very new or unique, sometimes the best title just explains exactly what you do. Keep it simple and direct.

Examples:

  1. Doodle: "Professional scheduling made easy."
  2. Calendly: “Easy scheduling ahead.”
  3. FreshBooks: “Accounting software that makes the hard part easy.”

2. Desire-Driven Hooks

Most products aren't totally unique. So, a "hook" makes your title stand out. The easiest way to create a hook is to address something your customer worries about or strongly wants. Think about their biggest fear or strongest desire related to your product.

Examples:

  1. Buffer: “Build your audience on (insert social media platform name)”
  2. Todoist: “Clarity. Finally.”
  3. Kit (formerly Convertikit): “For creators who mean business”

3. Claim Your Authority

For some products, you can be bold. You can claim to be the best solution in your specific area. Write with strong belief. Show you are the answer.

Examples:

  1. Zapier: "The most connected AI orchestration platform."
  2. Basecamp: “Wrestling with projects? It doesn’t have to be this hard.”
  3. Ghost: “Independent technology for modern publishing.”

How to Find Ideas for Your Title (Desires, Fears, & Objections)

To write a great title, you need to deeply understand your customers. Think about what they desire (what they want to gain) and what they fear (what they want to avoid).

Common Desires Customers Have

  • Money: They want to make or save money.
  • Time: They want to save time or spend it better.
  • Knowledge: They want to learn new things or feel informed.
  • Power: They want to feel in control or stop bad things from happening.

Common Fears Customers Have

  • Money: Losing or wasting money.
  • Time: Wasting or losing time, or making a wrong decision that costs time or money.
  • Knowledge: Being confused, ignorant, or uninformed.
  • Power: Feeling powerless or unable to manage things.

Where to Find These Ideas for Your Title:

  • From Your Customers: Look at what your best customers say in reviews or feedback. What are their top 2 goals when using your product? What are their top 2 concerns that your product solves?
  • From Competitors' Users: Look at what people complain about with other products. Where do other products fall short for users? What missing pieces or unfixed issues do users complain about?

Making Your Title Even Stronger: Answer Worries Right Away!

Sometimes, you can make your title even better by quickly answering a common worry a potential customer might have.

A sale can be lost because of these big reasons:

  • Too expensive: Customers worry about the cost.
  • Not trustworthy: They don't believe your claims.
  • Too confusing: They think your product is hard to use or understand.
  • Not enough time: They think it will take too much effort to try or use.

If your title is short enough, you can add a quick answer to their top worry.

You can use phrases like these:

  • For "Too expensive": "Low cost to try," "Can't afford to not try," or "For less than the price of [a common item like a coffee]."
  • For "Not enough time": "Little time required to try," "Saves more time than it takes," or phrases like "...in 5 minutes" or "in the time it takes to finish your coffee."
  • For "Not trustworthy": Show number of results, or mention that your product is "built on best practices from [an expert]."
  • For "Too confusing": "Too fast/easy to be complicated," "No [special skill] needed," or "Easy enough your 5-year-old could [use it]."

💡 Your Action: Take these ideas and add specific details from your own company. Combine them to create a clear, strong headline. Your main headline should be one sentence long and can include an answer to a top worry.

2. Subtitle

Your subtitle works with your main title. It's where you introduce your product and explain how it creates the great value you promised in your title. This is where you get specific and talk about your product's features.

How to Write Your Subtitle (Explain the "How"):

This part is all about explaining how your product delivers on its promise. Think about your product's features and how they solve customer problems or help them reach their goals.

💡 This is where your product features come in, so have your list ready.

You should show how your product delivers a solution to your customers' needs:

  • Their top desire/fear (1)
  • Their second desire/fear (2)
  • Their top worry (objection)

Subheader Phrasing Examples

Adobe: [feature name] [does x]

Rocket Money: [product action] [solves problem]

Asana: [product gives ability] [to do task]

💡 Your Action: Combine the three "hows" (how your product speaks directly to the customers' 2 fears/desires and their top objection) into a single sentence. It should be 1-2 sentences at most.

3. Visual

For your visual section, put your product on full display! The goal is to show it as it truly is in real life. Skip the fancy drawings or abstract pictures. Instead, feature actual screenshots of your software or clear photos of your physical product.

Even better, show your product in action – demonstrating how it's used and the benefits it delivers.

Cleanshot gifs work great for this.

Or, you can get all fancy with a Supademo or Arcade.

Examples

Slack: Their landing pages often feature direct screenshots of their app interface with messages and channels, clearly showing team communication in action.

Notion: They frequently display interactive or static views of their flexible workspace, illustrating how users organize and create content.

Why a "Value-Add" Visual is KeyThis kind of visual is so powerful that you don't need to explain a lot of features. If your product solves one main problem, your visual just needs to show it fixing that one problem. The best visuals clearly show the value.

💡 Think of it as: Core Desire + Top Feature.

How to Create a Strong Value Visual (Short Video or GIF)

  1. Pick a Feature: Decide which product feature best shows the value your customers want.
  2. Write a Script: Plan out a short story that shows this feature in action. (Tools like Tango can help with this planning).
  3. Record a Quick Video: Make a a very short (5-10 second) video or GIF of that feature clearly delivering the value.

Tools to Help You Record

My top suggestion for this is Arcade. My second choice is Tango, and a good third is Loom.

To make your video:

  • Plan out how a customer would use your product to solve their problem (like a "hero's journey").
  • Screen record that journey.
  • Keep it 10 seconds or less.

4. Social Proof

Social proof is like having a trusted friend vouch for you. It adds instant trust to the good things you promise on your landing page. It helps prove you can deliver what you say.

What Makes Good Social Proof

The social proof you pick should actually show that your product works. It needs to prove you are helping with one of the main desires you talked about in your heading, and that you do it in one of the special ways from your subheading. Just saying "someone loves the product" is not enough; it needs to explain how the product fixed a problem or helped them.

What if You Don't Have Social Proof Yet?

If you don't have strong social proof, don't try to fake it.

Instead, here are some things you can do:

  • Get Help from Experts: If you can, mention an expert who helped build or supports your product, like "built with [expert's name]".
  • Make Getting Proof a Top Job: Work hard to get good social proof from your very first 5 users.
  • Get a Review from a Respected Person: Try to get a trusted person in your field to give you a review.
  • Talk About How Many Use It (Hard to Do): Sometimes, you can change how you talk about how much your product is used. For example, instead of just "new users," you could say "500 time managing masters joined in the last hour".
  • Show "As Seen In" Logos: If your company or product has been in the news, blogs, or magazines, even small ones, show their logos. This helps people trust you more.
  • Show Key Partners or How You Connect: If your product works with other well-known and trusted tools, showing their logos can also make people trust you more.
  • Share Early User Numbers: Even if you don't have millions, showing a quick growth in "early users" or "sign-ups" can show that many people are interested.

5. CTA

Your Call to Action (CTA) button tells people the next easy step to make their desires come true. It helps them take the next step on your landing page.

Make Your CTA Strong

While many buttons just say "Sign Up" or "Start Trial", you can make yours even stronger:

  • Call to Value (CTV): Instead of just an action, focus on the value people will get. The trick is to promise the same value your main title offered.

Example: Instead of "Sign Up," try "Get Your Free Schedule" (for a scheduling app) or "Start Saving Money" (for a finance app).

  • Answer Worries: Add a few words to your CTA that answer a user's biggest worry about clicking.

Example: To ease concerns about cost or commitment, try "Start Free (No Credit Card Needed)" or "Get Instant Access (No Download)".

💡 Also: You can use very small text (sometimes called 'mouse text') right under or next to your CTA to quietly remove worries. For example, below a "Sign Up" button, you might see "No spam, ever" or "Cancel anytime."

  • Easy Email Sign-Up: Sometimes, you can put a simple email signup box right next to your CTA. This makes joining super easy. You can ask for more details later when they set things up.

Example: This might look like an email box followed by a button such as "Send Me The Guide" or "Get Started via Email".

How to Create Your CTA

A good CTA tells the user exactly what to do and what they will get. To make yours, follow these steps:

  1. Think about what action you want the user to take next (like "Start" or "Download").
  2. Remember what your customer wants – you can copy this from your main heading's desire phrase.
  3. Combine that action with what they want to create your CTA words. Make it as short as possible, so it fits on a button.
  4. Aim for 5 words or less.

💡 Your Action: Write your final 5-word CTA.

“Above the fold” recap

In only five seconds, people quickly figure out if your product can help them. So, make it simple for them. Always be clear, not just fancy.

Here's what your landing page needs right at the top:

  1. Show what good your product does (Title)
  2. Tell how you make it happen (Subtitle)
  3. Help them see it (Visual)
  4. Make it trustworthy (Social Proof)
  5. Make the next step simple (CTA)

Ready to create a landing page that talks to the right audience and proves your product's worth? Head to our version of the Harry Dry landing page (Below the fold).

Conclusion

So, there you have it! This guide was made to help CEOs like you quickly build a landing page that works. We took Harry Dry's amazing advice and made it super simple and easy to use, especially if you're looking for clear steps without getting lost in too many confusing marketing words.

Remember, everything starts with truly understanding your customers. Knowing their exact words, fears, and desires from your research is the secret sauce.

Ready to make a landing page that talks right to your audience and shows how good your product is?

Time to get those customers!

Let’s connect and brainstorm more ideas!

How to create a landing page that converts
How to create a landing page that converts

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