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Using Transition Words to Keep Your Readers Engaged

Posted: November 27th, 2020, 1:53 pm
by SARubin
connecting-words-copywriting.jpg
Reading Time: About 3 minutes


Your headline pulled me into your copy…

Your opening lede acknowledged why I’m here, and peaked my interest…

… Now you need to keep me reading your entire sales page until I decide to buy…



You see, when we write copy, we often have a lot of information we want to stuff into our sales letter. But we need a way to keep the flow moving so our reader naturally wants to keep reading.

Enter the mighty copywriting transition word (aka. conjunctions or connectives)…


In copywriting, transition words and phrases keep our reader interested in what’s coming next. And they also help us change direction without losing our readers attention.

Basically, transition words and phrases link other words and phrases together.


When we talk about conjunctions we usually mean words that tie 2 ideas together like “this and that” or “not this but that” or “if this then that”.


But we’re going to take it one step further and use transitions to keep the flow of our copy smooth and easy, from start to finish.

Do you see what I just did there? I started a sentence with the word “But”

Of course my old English teacher would give me a failing grade for that one. But as a copywriter I write for reaction and response, not to impress grammarians (unless I’m selling to grammarians, in which case proper grammar is a must).

And for most people, starting a sentence this way creates a touch of curiosity and keeps them reading, because most people at least want to see what the contradiction is going to be.

Ahhh… Transition words…


The word “And” is another great sentence starter that keeps people reading. Because where the word “but” invokes contradiction, the word “and” means continuation.

They both have their purpose, it just depends on which way we want our copy to go.


The point is this…

Using transition words is a great way to keep people reading your sales copy.



Here’s a few more common transitions you can use in your copy…


Which means…

Here’s how you can…

Let me explain…

However…

Also…

And of course the ever popular “But wait, there’s more…”


These are just a few examples. I’ll give you a few more down below so you can see how they might work for you and your copy. But first let me just add one more thing I’ve discovered over the past 25 years in this game we call copywriting…


The most effective use of connectives come at the beginning of a sentence to draw readers in, or when they’re used as a stand alone sentence to draw attention and give them a touch of prominence.

I learned this lesson through a lot of trial and error, along with testing, testing, and more testing. So feel free to learn from my experience, or feel free to spend the next 25 years testing and learning it for yourself. It’s entirely your call.



And now here’s that list of copywriting transitions I promised you…
(see what I just did there?)

Depending on the example, some of these suggestions can be used at the beginning of sentences, as stand alones, or in the middle of a sentence…


1. When connecting multiple ideas that flow in the same direction:
and, also, another, finally, first, likewise, next we have


2. When contrasting differences between ideas or changing direction:

but, however, on the other hand, on the contrary, by comparison


3. To develop or clarify an idea, or to introduce examples:

for example, to illustrate, this can be seen by, specifically, for instance, such as, to demonstrate


4. Cause and Effect to show that one idea causes or results from another idea:

because, therefore, as a result of, if…then


5. Emphasis to suggest an idea is particularly important:
most important (or most importantly), most of all, a key feature, remember, pay particular attention to, especially, above all


6. Summary or Conclusion (obviously used near the end of our copy):
to summarize, in short, in brief, in summary, to sum up, in conclusion, finally



To wrap this post up, let me bring it back around to where it all began…

When it comes to copywriting…

Your headline pulls me into your copy…

Your opening lede acknowledges why I’m here, and peaks my interest…

… And…

Transition words or phrases in copywriting help keep me engaged and reading until I get to the end…


Until next time,

Here’s to making our copy flow smoother, for more engagement, more often.

All the best,
Steve