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Most educators are never formally taught conversion copywriting. And even when they stumble across it, it tends to feel overwhelming and hard to apply. This episode strips it all the way down so you can take what's here and actually use it.

Jodie opens by defining the difference between copywriting broadly and conversion copywriting specifically. Copywriting covers any writing connected to your business, from your website to your sales pages to your email list. Conversion copywriting is that same skill applied with a specific goal attached, a sign-up, a click, a purchase. The aim isn't polished prose. It's moving your reader to a clear decision.

The good news? Strong conversion copy isn't about being a natural writer. It's about knowing what to look for, what to cut, and how to make your reader feel understood.

→ Use the words your clients use. This is called voice of customer data, and it's the foundation of copy that actually resonates. If you're describing your offer in a way that doesn't match how your ideal client thinks about their own problem, you can be a perfect fit for them and still lose them. Spend less than an hour collecting the language your people actually use, and you'll immediately write with more precision and impact.

→ Read everything out loud. Your ear catches what your eye skips over. This matters especially if you're using any AI tools in your process. If it sounds awkward to say, it'll feel awkward to read. And in 2026, more and more people are recognizing AI-generated copy on sight, and many are tuning it out entirely.

→ Back up every point with proof or story. Your reader has heard a lot of opinions. When you follow a claim with a statistic, a testimonial, or a real personal experience, everything hits harder and feels more trustworthy.

→ Audit your use of the word "and." When you hedge in your writing, using "and" or "or" to pile on ideas, it dilutes the message. Tighter copy creates a sharper, more specific result for your reader.

→ Cut your first paragraph. Most emails don't actually start until the second paragraph. When you sit down to write, you're warming yourself up, not your reader. Cut the preamble and jump straight into something worth reading.

→ Edit at a different time than you write. Distance is one of the most underrated tools you have. If you write and edit in the same sitting, you can't see what you're still too close to. Come back the next day.

→ Every email has one job. If you can't name it in one sentence, keep editing. When your reader can't tell what you want them to do, they do nothing. If you're covering three ideas, you have three emails.

→ Hunt down vague language and replace it with specifics. Phrases like "next level" and "dream life" have lost all meaning. If you find that language in your copy, ask yourself what it actually looks like for your specific reader, and say that instead.

→ Make it easy to skim. Short paragraphs, white space, bolded key points, and thoughtful formatting make your emails and sales pages more palatable. A wall of text stops people before they even start reading.

→ Use "you and I" language. It's the fastest way to make an email feel like a conversation. Avoid the distancing third-person language that AI tends to generate.

→ Open with the middle of the story. "Last Tuesday, I was sitting in my car trying not to cry" gets read. "I want to tell you about something I've been thinking about" does not. Pull an actual novel off your shelf and look at how it opens. That's the energy your emails need.

→ Add story throughout. Story is the oldest form of human communication. Small moments and micro stories make your point land and make your reader feel like they're interacting with a real person.

→ Write your subject line last. The subject line has one job: get the email opened. You can't write a good one until you know what the email actually delivers. Read it independently and ask yourself: does this create curiosity, signal relevance, and hint at what's inside? Pat Flynn calls it "legit bait," and that's the goal. Not clickbait. A hook that actually delivers.

→ Use AI carefully. If you can't tell whether what it generates is good or not, it'll just produce mediocre, vague copy faster. Use it to generate options or lighten the load, but don't let it make the final call. The copy that converts sounds like you at your most clear and intentional, not like everyone else who used the same prompt.

Conversion copywriting isn't something you need years to master. Your people need to hear from you, and the emails that will convert best are the ones that sound like you on purpose.

If this is something you want to go deeper on, copywriting is one of the core skills Jodie teaches inside the Sought After Educator Accelerator. Get on the waitlist for the next time doors open at jodiebrown.ca/sae.