The FAQ Prompt
I’ve watched thousands of people who weren’t entrepreneurs try to become entrepreneurs and the hardest skill to pick up during that transition — by far — is writing persuasive copy.
Even if you were in marketing or sales, it’s unlikely you can write the type of copy you’ll need to convert cold customers — which is a problem — since everyone will be cold early on.
My theory is that the way we grade papers in middle and high school is to blame. You write a paper for English or History and your teacher slogs through the whole thing, no matter how poorly written, then gives you a grade based on the content. Papers should be graded on how far the teacher is able to read before they look at their phone. If they make it 30% through, you get a D. 80% or more and you get an A. Because in the real world, that’s what matters — can you hold attention long enough to make your point?
Once founders realize this (usually after an ad gets 0 traction or a website gets 0 signups), copy gets way more stressful. Because if you’ve only got three words…what the heck do you prioritize? You’ve got SO much value… which three words are the most compelling?
A trick I love to help you surface the important stuff are FAQs.
Let’s say you’re trying to write engaging copy for an email sequence after someone signs up on your site to “learn more.” Maybe you’re building a service to teach middle school kids life skills — things like financial literacy, cooking, public speaking. This will be on top of their regular school, will be virtual, and ends in accreditations that can go on a college application.
In Tacklebox parlance — you’re running a CIT. You find parents through a booth at a science fair, you get them to sign up on the site, then you send a 5 email sequence that ends in them applying their kids for a course to show intent.
The big question is…
What should those five emails be about?
Something we’ve been using with members lately (and having a ton of success with) is thinking of each email as an FAQ.
So, when you tell your customers what you’re doing, **what are the immediate risks they surface? What three questions do they have?**Make these questions the subject of the email. The body of the email is a direct answer. This is the best way to ensure your writing is “good,” which for entrepreneurs means persuasive.
So the four emails might be:
Do colleges value applicants who have taken these courses?
How can a child fit this in their already packed schedule?
How do I know which courses are right for my child?
What are the next steps for enrolling?
The body of the email would talk through each specific hurdle.
The key to writing well is having stakes — writing about something that matters. The FAQ prompt ensures you're writing about something the customer will consider worth reading.