How Content Can Affect  Conversions

Dustin Curtis' "You Should Follow Me on Twitter" ExperimentSometimes words do matter. I’ve always wondered how content and writing style can effect conversions. It can be seen all around you in the wonderful world of advertising. Just look at the way marketers have changed content to market Aloe Vera to men, calling it Cactus Milk to sell Lynx body lotion. How does this sort of thing apply on the web? Does the way you write about your product or call to action directly affect how many conversions you’re getting? Many designers have always illuded that this sort of thing exists, but few have tested it.

Luckily, there is finally some proof out there that you can use to start driving more conversion on your website using specific copyrighting styles. Dustin Curtis has recently posted about his little You Should Follow Me on Twitter experiment. Using AB testing, Dustin was able to test various ways of getting people to follow him on twitter to find out which combination achieved the highest conversion rate.

The Results are Astonishing

  • Starting with a statement: “I’m on Twitter.” 4.70%
  • Switching to a command: “Follow me on twitter.” 7.31%
  • Trying a stronger personal command: “You should follow me on twitter.” 10.09%
  • Adding the literal callout “here”: “You should follow me on twitter here.” 12.81%

The final result was a 173% increase in conversion rates.

Not bad at all.

Meet the Author

Kevin Leary, WordPress Consultant

I'm a freelance web developer and WordPress consultant in Boston, MA with 17 years of experience building websites and applications. View a portfolio of my work or request an estimate for your next project.