How to Write Copy People Act On

• Evidence comes first

  The FTC says advertisers need a “reasonable basis for advertising claims before they are disseminated”. That’s why every module keeps a claims-evidence file. FTC Policy Statement on Substantiation

• Familiar words work

  Australia’s Style Manual advises: “Choose words that people are familiar with.” The course teaches you to find the words your customers actually use. Australian Government Style Manual

• AI predicts, it doesn’t check

  Google notes that “generative models don’t retrieve facts, but predict a likely sequence of words”. So every AI draft in this course gets a check step. Google Search Central

1. Module 1. How persuasion works, and where it stops

   • What copywriting is, and why people act on wordsWhat copy does that other writing doesn’t, the four things a reader has to get from it, and why honest copy is the only kind worth learning.
   • Truthful claims: the advertising rules in Australia, the UK and the USWhat the FTC, ACCC and the UK’s CAP Code say about claims, implied claims and evidence, and how puffery differs from a claim you must prove.
   • Urgency, scarcity and price: the pressure tactics you don’t useWhy fake countdowns, false “only today” offers and drip pricing are banned or risky in all three countries, and how to give readers a real reason to act now.
   • Testimonials, reviews and results claims: what you can and can’t writeWhy you never write testimonials or reviews yourself, what the FTC, ACCC and UK rules say about fake and AI-generated reviews, and why income claims need special care.
   • Project: P1 Your copy honesty check
2. Module 2. Research the customer’s words

   • Why your customers’ words beat yours, and where to find themWhat “voice of customer” research is, the six places to find it, and why the best lines in your copy are usually ones a customer said first.
   • Mining reviews and comments: learn the patterns, don’t copy the wordsHow to read reviews and public comments for problems, results and objections, and where the copyright and testimonial lines sit.
   • Short customer interviews and surveys that get honest answersFive questions that work, how to avoid leading people, and how to get permission to use what they say.
   • Privacy: customer data, AI tools and consent in your researchWhat to keep out of AI tools, how to store research safely, and the basic privacy rules for customer data in Australia, the UK and the US.
   • From research to insight: problems, results, objections and awarenessHow to turn a sheet of customer phrases into four short findings, and how “awareness” tells you where your copy has to start.
   • Project: P2 Customer-words research sheet and findings
3. Module 3. The message map: reader, promise, proof

   • The message map: one reader, one problem, one actionWhy every good piece of copy starts with a one-page plan, and how to fill in the seven boxes of a message map.
   • Features, benefits and the “so what?” ladderHow to turn what a product is into what it does for the reader, without drifting into claims you can’t support.
   • Proof: building a proof list and a claims-evidence fileThe kinds of proof that make copy believable, where to find them in a small business, and how to keep evidence for every claim.
   • Objections and the offer: answer the “yes, but…” before it’s askedHow to list the reasons people don’t act, answer each honestly, and state the offer so clearly that nobody has to guess.
   • Project: P3 Message map
4. Module 4. Headlines, openings and plain language

   • What a headline has to do in three secondsThe one job of a headline, the four qualities good ones share, and why clarity beats cleverness.
   • Ten headline patterns, and how to build your own headline bankReliable headline shapes you can adapt to any business, with original examples, and how to write twenty options before choosing one.
   • Subheads, opening lines and the first screenHow the subhead, the first sentence and the first screen work with the headline, and how subheads guide skimmers.
   • Plain language: short sentences, everyday words and global EnglishWhy plain language persuades more people, the habits that produce it, and how to write for readers anywhere in the world.
   • Editing: cut, tighten and check before anyone else reads itA five-pass editing routine that improves any draft, including AI drafts, and a final check for claims and rules.
   • Project: P4 Headline bank and first screen
5. Module 5. Landing pages and web copy

   • Landing page structure: the order readers needA section-by-section structure for a landing page, why the order follows the reader’s questions, and how to wireframe before writing.
   • Writing the sections: problem, how it works, proof and FAQHow to write each middle section of a landing page so it moves the reader forward, with original fictional examples.
   • Calls to action, buttons and forms: honest microcopyHow to write buttons and form text that make the next step clear, and the manipulative patterns to avoid.
   • Copy for search: page titles, descriptions and people-first contentHow copywriting and search fit together, how to write page titles and meta descriptions, and why you write for people first.
   • About, service and pricing pages that answer real questionsHow to write the supporting pages of a small business website, and how to present prices clearly and honestly.
   • Project: P5 Landing page
6. Module 6. Email copy and sequences

   • Email copy basics: subject line, preview text and one job per emailHow readers decide whether to open an email, how to write subject lines and preview text honestly, and why each email should do one thing.
   • A five-email welcome sequence that helps before it sellsWhat a welcome sequence is, a five-email structure built from your message map, and how to write each email.
   • Newsletters and promotional emails people want to openHow to write a regular newsletter that stays useful, and promotional emails that sell without tricks.
   • Email marketing rules: consent, sender details and unsubscribingThe core email marketing rules in Australia, the UK and the US, and what they mean for the copy you write.
   • Writing and finishing the sequence: voice, length and a final checkHow to write the five emails in full, keep a consistent voice, and run a final check before handing them over.
   • Project: P6 Five-email welcome sequence
7. Module 7. Ads, social copy and disclosure

   • Ad copy basics: one reader, one message, very few wordsHow ad copy differs from page copy, how to match the ad to the landing page, and why platform rules shape what you can write.
   • Search ad copy: headlines, descriptions and assets that work in any orderHow responsive search ads assemble your copy, how to write assets that make sense alone or together, and how to match searchers’ intent.
   • Social ads and posts: the first line, the image and the pointHow to write social ads and organic posts that stop the scroll honestly, and how to write the text that goes with images and video.
   • Disclosure: making it clear that ads are adsWhen sponsored posts, influencer content, gifted products and affiliate links must be disclosed, and how to write disclosures that work in Australia, the UK and the US.
   • Ad variants: one true message, many ways to say itHow to write a set of ad variants for testing, what to vary and what to keep fixed, and how to finish your ad project.
   • Project: P7 Ad variants
8. Module 8. AI-assisted copywriting, done responsibly

   • AI copywriting: what AI tools are good at, and where they go wrongAn honest look at where AI writing tools help a copywriter, where they make things worse, and why you stay responsible for every word.
   • Briefing AI tools: prompts built from your research and message mapHow to write prompts that produce useful drafts, using your own research, and the reusable prompt pack in template T12.
   • Checking AI drafts: claims, originality, ownership and voiceA checklist for every AI-assisted draft, and what the US Copyright Office has said about ownership of AI-generated text.
   • AI, clients and disclosure: being upfront about how you workHow to tell clients how you use AI, when AI use might need disclosing to readers, and how to write a short AI policy for your services.
   • Project: P8 AI prompt pack, edit log and AI statement
9. Module 9. Product descriptions, reviews and microcopy

   • Product descriptions that answer the buyer’s questionsA simple structure for product descriptions, how to turn features into benefits on a product page, and how to stay specific and true.
   • Comparisons, ranges and category pages: helping people chooseHow to write copy that helps readers choose between options, and how to make fair comparisons with competitors.
   • Asking for reviews honestly: requests, incentives and repliesHow to write review requests that follow the rules on incentives and fake reviews in Australia, the UK and the US, and how to reply to reviews.
   • Microcopy and UX writing: errors, confirmations and the small wordsHow to write the small text in websites, apps and emails that helps people finish what they started, and how to write it accessibly.
   • Case studies and service pages: show the work, not invented resultsHow to write case studies and service descriptions that show real work and process, with permission, without inventing or overstating results.
   • Project: P9 Product and service copy
10. Module 10. Test, edit and present your work

    • Testing copy: A/B tests that teach you somethingWhat an A/B test is, how to plan one with a clear hypothesis and one change, and why small businesses need patience with tests.
    • Reading results honestly and reporting them to clientsHow to tell a real difference from noise in plain terms, what to report to clients, and why you never promise results.
    • Briefs, feedback and revisions: working well with clientsHow to get a useful brief, handle feedback without losing the message, and keep a brief and revision log (T10).
    • Rights, terms and tax: the business basics for freelance copywritersWho owns copy you write, what to put in simple terms of work, and general tax points for Australia, the UK and the US.
    • Finding writing work safely: scam red flags and your portfolio case studyCommon scams aimed at new writers, where to report them, and how to present your portfolio pack honestly.
    • Project: P10 A/B test plan and portfolio case study
11. Module 11. Capstone: your portfolio pack

    • Choose your brief and plan the pack (Modules 1–3)Pick one business for your portfolio pack and plan the pieces from your research and message map.
    • The landing page (Modules 4–5)Finish your landing page: headline, first screen, sections, calls to action, microcopy, title and description.
    • Emails and ads (Modules 6–7)Finish your five-email welcome sequence and your ad variants, with the rules checked.
    • Product copy and AI log (Modules 8–9)Finish your product or service descriptions, review request and microcopy, and document how you used AI.
    • Test plan, terms and case study (Module 10)Plan a test, set out your terms, and write the case study that introduces your pack.
    • Final assessment (40 questions)A 40-question assessment drawn from an 80-question bank, mostly scenarios, covering every module. Pass mark 80%; retakes allowed.
    • Project: Portfolio pack, self-assessed rubric and final assessment

Course types, not named competitors. These are our general observations of each type, not a survey.