Like most people writing online, I’ve had my fare share of problems. But there’s one problem that seemed impossible to solve.

The problem? Understand who my customer persona is.

But, after a long time of writing and trying different stuff out, I have finally discovered an ideal method that works for me.

I’ve tried other methods like writing for your past self

Don’t get me wrong, it’s still good advice. But it’s a little limiting.

I’m more interested in what other people think about and what their needs are. That’s why I think this new method is better suited for me.

If this issue sounds familiar to you, then you’re in the right place.

Before we dive into what the secret technique is, let’s first define what a customer persona is.

What is a customer persona?

If you’ve studied marketing then you’ve probably already heard this term.

Other names for it are

• Client persona
• Buyers persona
• User persona.

In general, a persona is simply a template of a real person.

For example, a SaaS company that uses a subscription model would do research on user personas. They would conduct thorough research on the behaviours of their users to maximise user experience and satisfaction.

An eCommerce business selling physical or digital products would look into building a buyers persona.

What kind of person would buy this product? Are they male or female, young or old, employed or unemployed, etc.

A reader persona is someone who would read your writing.

AKA you’re ideal reader.

This is why I mentioned writing for your past self is still very useful advice.

You likely know more now than you did before and I’m willing to bet there’s someone out there that used to be in the same position as your past self and could really use that information.

But when you’re trying to sell something that isn’t your knowledge, that’s where this article comes in handy.

If you want to maximise your chances of reaching your ideal audience then defining your customer persona is non-negotiable.

Now that we know what a customer persona is, it’s time I told you what my method involves.

The 3 simple steps you need to create your customer person.

Step 1: Google your niche.

Did you know that Upwards of 93% of all online experiences begin with a search engine?

Open up your web browser, go on Google and search “How to…” followed by whatever your niche is.

For example, let’s say your niche is to help others start writing online.

The first thing your customer persona is likely to do to google “how to start writing online”

When you do this, the results page will likely be flooded with various articles or, more importantly, sales pages.

As you can see from the screenshot, the first page that gets returned is the Ship 30 for 30 sales page.

Bookmark a handful of these sales pages into a folder on your browser or save the links somewhere so you can access them easily.

Once you’ve done this, you can move on to step 2.

Step 2: Copy the sales page out, word for word.

Grab a pen and paper.

Or get your best Keychron keyboard ready, and

WRITE. IT. OUT.

All of it.

What you’re doing is known as copywork. It’s a great way to absorb the language and meaning behind what you’re copying.

In this case, you are copying and absorbing the language used to sell to your ideal customer persona.

You’re benefitting from all the heavy lifting done by your competition.

They’ve done the research and created the customer persona, and by copying their sales page and by copying it, you’re effectively reverse-engineering what it is.

If we go back to the Ship 30 for 30 example, somewhere on that sales page there will be a

“If you’re a so and so, you’re probably struggling from this and that…”

Or they might list out all the problems.

By copying this out, you’ll start to build a picture in your mind of who your customer persona is.

But don’t stop with one sales page.

Make a list, go through them all and you’ll start to build a more complete picture.

Step 3: Write your own sales page.

By now you should have an idea of who you want to write to.

To cement you’re understanding, picture your customer persona with as much detail as you can — write a character profile if you have to — and then sell to them.

It doesn’t have to be a sales page.

You can write them an email or an article. Maybe some sort of infographic.

Maybe all of the above. You just need to sell to them as best as you can.

Since you’ve spent a substantial amount of time absorbing the sales pages of your competition, your copy will naturally be more focused towards the needs of your customer persona.

Your copy should be a lot more targeted now.

If you found this article useful, please consider clapping, sharing, or saving it for future reference 🙂

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go find my eyedrops.