This is a story about good copy, and more often than not, the simpler, the better. 

It’s about cutting through all the noise that business owners have in their minds and focusing on the customer experience. 

I took this ma-and-pop business from the local farmers’ markets to a national market base, all with well-crafted and well-placed content.

Here’s how it went down:

This was an email that I got from one of my friends who supplied me with my favorite performance-enhancing drug, coffee.  

I got this same email three years in a row.  

The only things that ever changed in the body of the email were the dates.  

I hardly ever opened it. 

As a copywriter, I couldn’t stand it anymore. 

I saw it as a challenge.  

I had to fix it. 

So I did what any self-respecting copywriter would do.

… I sent their email back to them with a few changes… 

Ok, it was heavily edited, organized, chopped, and more visually appealing.  

To be honest, I changed everything except the dates.

(See the before and after emails below)

Luckily they weren’t offended. 

At least not enough to let it get in the way of testing it out. 

The result? 

Their online sales grew by over 200%. 

In 60 days. 

I don’t mean to brag, but…

 I do now and again.  

I call it celebrating.  

I also helped this business set up 

• an online shopping cart, 
• a welcome email series, 
• and an “Abandoned cart flow” that resulted in even more sales. 

All of this made them a considerable amount of cash.

For every dollar they paid me, they made it back 10 fold, at least. 

And at that time, they thought their business was coming down with the flu, just like the rest of the world. 

Now, every time they send an email or add a new email address to their list, they make money.  

Last I checked, their online sales were still thriving, and their email list was growing steadily week by week.

Here is the “before” email in all its messy glory! 

SUBJECT LINE: Fresh Coffee Beans & Markets June 3-9 2020 Coffee friends, Friday, June 9th, we will be at the Ridgedale Market from 10 am – 3 pm.We will be located in our spot by the playground again. Saturday, June 13th, we will be at the Montrose Summer Market from 9 am – 1 pm. Sunday, June 15th, we will be at the Palisade Market from 9 am – 1:30 pm. We still deliver and mail to those of you who cannot make the markets. We will have our usual blends:Sparks Espresso Blend – Dark Roast blend, sweet with great crema, also good brewed regularlyOld World Blend – Our #1 seller, 50/50 blend of Medium/Dark Roast Colombian beansMarkie’s Royal No. 5 Breakfast Blend  – true Medium roast, always light & zippySouth American Blend – Rich, bold, dark roast Single Origin Organic Roasts:Mexico Organic Chiapas – Dark Roast  Nicaragua Organic Jinotega – Golden Brown Medium RoastGuatemala Organic Huehuetenanga – Medium Roast And always a decaf:Mexico Organic Chiapas DECAF – French Roast All our beans are organic. Our minimum order for delivery or shipping is 3 pounds at $12 per pound. We deliver in the Grand Junction area with no delivery fee.For shipping, we add $6 to the order to cover a portion of the shipping cost. If you want to order, we need your physical or mailing address and a phone number to call for a credit card for payment.We also take cash when we deliver if you prefer. Thank you,Jules & MichelleMountain Shade Coffee Roasterymsroastery@gmail.commountainshade.com

And here is the “after” version

•  a clear call to action 
• scannable text and some space to draw your eye into the message. 
• Did I mention making a CLEAR call to action made all the difference? See if you can spot it. 

SUBJECT LINE: What’s it called when you steal someone’s cuppa joe?PREHEADER: Fresh Coffee Beans & Markets June 3-9, 2021 Coffee friends, It’s called mugging (when you steal someone’s cuppa joe).  We don’t believe in that.  Buy enough to share.  That’s what we say.   Catch us live this week:6/9 Ridgedale Market 10 am – 3 pm6/10 Montrose Summer Market 9 am – 1 pm6/11 Palisade Market 9 am – 1:30 pm And for those of you who can’t make the market or need more buzz to hold you over in the meantime, you can mail order 3 or more pounds right to your home, or campsite, or yurt, or whatever.  <<Link to mail order coffee here>>  Menu“Usual Blends” Sparks Espresso Blend -Dark Roast blend, sweet with the great crema, also good brewed regularly Old World BlendOur #1 seller, 50/50 blend of Medium/Dark Roast Colombian beans Markie’s Royal No. 5 Breakfast Blend  True Medium Roast Always light & zippy South American BlendRich Bolddark roast Single Origin Organic RoastsMexico Organic Chiapas – Dark RoastNicaragua Organic Jinotega – Golden Brown Medium RoastGuatemala Organic Huehuetenanga – Medium Roast  And a lovely decaf:Mexico Organic Chiapas DECAF – French Roast All our beans are organic. Let me say that again, all our beans are organic. <<Here’s that link again to mail order freshly roasted coffee >>  We deliver in the Grand Junction area with no delivery fee. Cash preferred.   And if you’re in the area, we’d love to have a cup of Joe with ya.   All the best, Jules & MichelleMountain Shade Coffee Roasterymsroastery@gmail.commountainshade.com

I didn’t make them millions of dollars, but I like to think I saved one business from the scrap heap of the lockdown.  

And this was the one case study that springboarded my copywriting career.  

I could point to the data and say, “Look, I did that for those good folks, and the strategy was simple.”

Simple, happy copy is a win-win.   

Good for the folks, good for you.

And over the next two years, I took this simple strategy and applied it to hundreds of businesses in all different niches. 

It’s not a cookie-cutter approach, but it is repeatable.  

DM me for the deets. 

#simplehappycopy

Jacob@jdwilsonwriter.com