The 10 Most Powerful Conversion Copywriting Principles I Learned from Joanna Wiebe’s Copy School

What Copy School taught me that 10 years of reading copywriting books didn’t

Copywriting is one of the first skills that I learned when we started Prodigy, our digital agency. It’s one of the few skills I've consistently retained and regularly practised throughout my career, even as I've delegated most technical tasks to my team. Writing is integral to my identity—I proudly consider myself a copywriter.

So, I was convinced that I was a decent copywriter. I've devoured countless books on writing and copywriting over the years. Yet when I finally enrolled in Joanna Wiebe’s Copy School, I realised how much deeper and more nuanced the art and science of copywriting truly is. Frameworks, templates, methodologies, and principles—my mind was blown by the depth of knowledge and practical insights I gained.

Copy School had been on my radar for years, but only recently was I able to make the investment. It wasn't cheap, but it was worth every dollar.

In this article, I'm sharing the ten most practical principles I learned from Joanna Wiebe—insights that even a decade of reading about copywriting hadn't revealed to me.

1. Voice of Customer Research Is an Unfair Advantage

Joanna often says, ‘If research isn't your biggest task, you're probably doing it wrong.’

I already know that effective copy isn’t creative guesswork—it’s reflecting the customer’s own words back to them.

But in Copy School, Joanna outlines powerful methods to uncover those words through in-depth qualitative research—interviews, surveys, user testing, and reviewing customer support tickets.

Let’s start with customer interviews. Ever since I read Adele Revella’s book Buyer Personas, interviews have been a part of my process. But the Copy School reinforced this method further:

Talk to five to ten customers, block 60 minutes for each, listening more than speaking. Speak to the people behind the product—founders, engineers, account managers—the ones closest to the offer. They often reveal insights about value and differentiation we wouldn’t have uncovered any other way.

Surveys have also become one of my go-to tools—especially when crafted to elicit open-ended responses. If I ask the right people the right questions, they practically write my copy for me.

UserTesting.com was another major takeaway from Copy School. It’s incredibly useful for website optimisation projects, but it also reveals anxieties and objections that I can use in landing pages, nurture sequences, and even email campaigns. Watching someone interact with a site in real-time is like eavesdropping on your future customers.

This type of research doesn’t just sharpen the copy. It sharpens strategy.

2. Clarity Beats Cleverness (Usually)

‘Clarity is always the most important thing,’ Joanna teaches.

However, this is one area where I slightly diverge from Joanna's philosophy. While I wholeheartedly agree that clarity is essential—especially when we're writing for busy people who need to quickly grasp what we're offering—I also firmly believe cleverness has its rightful place. Human beings appreciate creativity, humour, and wit. We remember messages better when they delight us, make us chuckle, or offer a surprising twist.

This viewpoint aligns closely with Bill Bernbach’s advertising philosophy and Luke Sullivan’s approach in Hey Whipple, Squeeze This. Here’s Sullivan’s take on it:

‘Think of that boring key message on the brief as a lump of clay and you've got to sculpt it into something interesting. So, you begin by taking this flat-footed message and you spin it. Maybe you shorten it. Or punch it up. Say it faster. Say it in slang. Add some attitude. Anything to change this boring sentence from a line you'd overhear at a sales convention to something more memorable.’

He then gave these three examples:

‘Call in rich tomorrow.’ (Mystic Lake Casino)

’We hear you need a new muffler.’ (Korman Muffler Shops)

’For more information on lung cancer, keep smoking.’ (The Lung Association)

Then, he continues:

‘Okay, so what is it about these lines that make them kinda cool?

’They're clever. And yet you understood exactly what the writer was tasked with saying. You understood them because the writers all knew they have to be both clever and clear.

’The client has every right to expect our advertising to be clear. Problem is, the reader or viewer isn't out there looking for “clear.” (“Man, right about now, I could really go for a clear message.”) What customers notice is stuff that's interesting.’

I love this image he used to illustrate the point:

‘Imagine the circle on the left represents all the ways you could clearly communicate the brief's key message. The circle on the right represents all the ways you could cleverly spin the key message into something interesting. The trick is to hit the sweet spot where the circles overlap.’

So, for me, copywriting brilliance lives in the intersection of strategy and creativity, clarity and cleverness. Particularly in today's age of AI, clear and straightforward copy is becoming easier for machines to replicate. What AI struggles with—and where humans excel—is creativity, nuance, and cleverness.

That’s why my favourite quote in advertising is this line by Bill Bernbach:

‘Dullness won't sell your product, but neither will irrelevant brilliance.’

Actionable tip: Aim for clarity first, but don't shy away from cleverness. Infuse your copy with personality, humour, or a memorable twist to ensure it sticks in your reader’s mind. As Luke Sullivan puts it: ‘First say it straight, then say it great.’

3. Frameworks Cure Blank-Page Anxiety

Blank pages used to paralyse me. I’d sit there, trying to sound brilliant, but ending up second-guessing every sentence. But, with repeatable frameworks like PAS (Problem–Agitation–Solution) and DOS (Desire–Obstacle–Solution), writer’s block was never an issue anymore. Instead of trying to ‘be creative,’ I now focus on being strategic first.

Whether it’s a landing page, email, ad, or lead magnet project, I just open up my framework vault. I still reach for the classics like AIDA (Attention–Interest–Desire–Action). It works because it mirrors how people naturally make decisions. PAS and DOS are especially great for persuasive long-form copy.

I also rely on several advanced frameworks I picked up from Copy School and have since made my own. The Transformation Message Map helps shape a clear before-and-after story for the audience I’m writing to. The Page Plan ensures every page has one goal, one message, and one clear path to conversion. The Service/Feature Messaging (Product/Feature Messaging in Copy School) sheet keeps me focused on benefits, not just features. The Offer Optimisation Worksheet pushes me to sharpen the offer itself before I even start writing. And when I need a quick spark of inspiration, my growing swipe file of Headline Prompts never lets me down.

Frameworks don’t limit creativity—they free it. They’re the scaffolding that lets you build better ideas, faster. And when deadlines are tight or your brain’s foggy, they’re the best tool you’ve got.

Because great copy rarely starts with inspiration. It starts with structure.

4. Every Line Has One Clear Job

This insight changed my editing style. Joanna’s rule is simple but brutal: ‘Every line must have a specific purpose.’ It sounds obvious—until you sit down and ruthlessly apply it to your own writing.

I used to fall in love with my phrasing. I’d try to sound polished, even poetic. But Joanna’s approach snapped me out of that mindset. If a sentence doesn’t build momentum, deliver value, or move the reader closer to the next step—it’s dead weight. It gets cut.

This line-by-line philosophy forces you to think like a strategist, not just a writer. Every sentence must earn its place. It has to do something—hook the reader, deepen the emotional pull, counter an objection, clarify a benefit, or create forward motion.

One helpful editing tip is to read your copy aloud and ask yourself after every line: ‘Does this line give the reader a reason to keep going?’ If the answer is no, you either fix it or lose it.

I also started looking for where I was ‘writing around the point’—stalling instead of selling. Clarity and momentum became the benchmarks, and that’s how you go from writing nice copy… to writing copy that sells.

5. Empathy Is Your Conversion Superpower

One of Joanna’s most underrated teachings is this: empathy converts.

Copywriting isn’t about pushing—it’s about understanding. And I’ve learned that the more I respect the reader’s anxieties, motivations, and context, the more likely they are to trust me. And trust? That’s what drives conversion.

That’s why every marketing strategy I build—and every copy project I take on—starts with one thing: knowing the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). Really knowing them. Not just their demographics, but their lived experience. Their struggles. Their goals. Their worldview. Because when I write, I’m not writing to a list. I’m writing to one person.

And you can’t write with empathy if you don’t understand people.

That’s something I constantly teach my team at Prodigy: expand your worldview. Get out of your own bubble, travel and experience the world, mingle with people of different backgrounds, take risks and try new things, witness the beauty and flaws of human beings.

If that’s not an option, then read good fiction—literary classics, sharp detective stories, slow-burn historical fiction, even fantasy, if it’s well written. Why? Because great fiction forces you to inhabit another person’s mind. Their contradictions. Their dreams. Their fears. Their flaws.

Same with great films and well-written TV. The point isn’t entertainment. The point is empathy. If you want to connect with a real human being on the other side of the screen, you have to understand what it feels like to be someone other than yourself. Even someone you disagree with. Even someone whose life looks nothing like yours.

Empathy isn’t just a trait. In copywriting, it’s a craft. And the more you sharpen it, the more powerful your words become.

6. Headlines Do 80% of the Work

This wasn’t a new insight for me. I’ve always known headlines matter—probably more than anything else on the page. What Copy School did, though, was affirm that belief and sharpen it—gave it structure and backed it up with practical tools I could use immediately.

Before, I’d spend time crafting headlines, but I didn’t always have a repeatable process. Now I do. Thanks to Copy School, I’ve got swipe files, headline formulas, and the Specificity Rule as my baseline.

I now understand their role more clearly—especially when writing for web copy and performance-based ad campaigns. They’re not just a hook; they’re the hinge. If the headline flops, nothing else gets read.

Actionable tip: Include concrete details in your headlines—something as simple as a number or a timeframe. This helps cut through the noise.

7. Buttons Are Conversion Gateways

Of all the lessons that felt deceptively simple but deeply impactful, this one stood out: Your buttons matter—a lot more than most people think. Joanna calls them the ‘conversion gateways,’ and rightly so. They’re not just UI elements. They’re decision points. Micro-moments where your prospect either says yes… or drifts away.

Before Copy School, I knew to avoid the usual suspects—’Submit,’ ‘Click Here,’ ‘Learn More.’ But what Joanna helped me see is that buttons don’t just tell people what to do—they complete the thought already running in their head.

She calls it the conversation in your prospect’s mind. So if someone’s thinking, ‘Yes, I want this free guide,’ the button should literally say, ‘Send me the free guide.’ If they’re thinking, ‘I need help with my website,’ then ‘Let’s fix my website’ is infinitely stronger than ‘Schedule a call.’ The best buttons reflect desire, urgency, or a moment of clarity—not just an action.

Actionable tip: Rewrite every CTA from the voice of the prospect. Imagine what they’re thinking in the split second before they click. Then write that on the button.

8. Risk Reduction Builds Confidence

No matter how compelling your offer is, hesitation is natural. Prospects feel the friction of uncertainty—Will this work for me? What if it’s a waste of money? What if I regret this decision tomorrow?

Joanna’s Zero Risk Sweep changed the way I deal with those objections. It’s a systematic way to look at your copy and ask: Where are we leaving doubt unaddressed? Where might the prospect hesitate, and how can we dissolve that tension before it stalls the sale?

The idea isn’t to manipulate—it’s to remove friction honestly. The more confident people feel in their decision, the more likely they are to take action. That means highlighting things like guarantees, clear refund policies, free trials, transparent pricing, and even social proof from similar buyers. All of it adds up to a sense of safety—’This is a smart, low-risk choice. I won’t get burned.’

Actionable tip: Perform your own Zero Risk Sweep by reading your copy through the lens of a sceptical prospect. Where would you hesitate? Then, counter each hesitation head-on with clarity and compassion.

The truth is, people don’t need a hard sell—they need reassurance. If your copy can offer that, trust builds. And once you have trust, conversion tends to follow.

9. Specificity Builds Trust

This was one of those reminders I didn’t know I needed. Joanna constantly hammers this home: ‘Vague promises lose sales; details earn trust.’ And she’s right. The more specific your copy, the more believable—and persuasive—it becomes.

I’ve seen this firsthand. Early in my copywriting career, I’d default to broad claims like ‘We help you grow your business.’ It sounded nice, but it didn’t stick. It didn’t mean anything. But shift that to ‘We helped a London-based creative agency generate 143 qualified leads in 12 months’—and suddenly, people lean in.

Specificity tells the prospect: This is real. This has happened. This could work for you, too.

And it’s not just about numbers (though numbers are great). It’s about naming the pain, the outcome, the transformation. It’s about dropping in a product name instead of saying ‘our solution.’ It’s showing, not telling.

Actionable tip: Go through your copy and highlight every vague word: better, faster, more, powerful, effective, solutions. Then ask: What exactly do I mean here? Can I prove it? Can I name it? Can I show it?

10. Write Like a Good Therapist

This might be Joanna’s most poetic teaching: ‘Your job isn’t to push, but to gently guide.’

I love that. Because it reframes what we do. We’re not here to strong-arm the sale. We’re here to listen, understand, and help someone make a decision that’s already quietly brewing in the back of their mind.

Joanna often compares copywriters to therapists—and she’s right. The best therapists don’t bulldoze their clients into change. They ask the right questions. They acknowledge resistance. They help people feel seen, heard, and safe enough to move forward.

That’s the kind of copy I aim to write. Copy that feels like a conversation with someone who gets you. Someone who isn’t judging or rushing you. Someone who’s walking beside you, not dragging you from the front.

But here’s the catch—this kind of writing demands emotional intelligence. You can’t guide someone if you don’t understand where they’re starting from.

Actionable tip: Write your copy with this simple question in mind: What’s keeping this person from saying yes? Then, instead of brushing that aside, bring it into the light. Validate it. Name it. And gently reframe it.

That’s how trust is built. That’s how movement happens. That’s how good therapists—and good copywriters—create change.