📂 Copy-first or design-first... the age-old question

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Hey friends, I want to answer the age-old question of...

Which comes first, copy or design?

Having written copy for dozens and dozens of startups over the years, I'm now very firmly in the copy-first camp. But it's a balance. I'll explain.

The problem with design-first

Let’s start with where many go wrong. The design-first approach, while appealing, often leads to a homogeneous end result.

This approach tends to use page elements designed by designers who don't know anything about marketing or what converts traffic into customers.

"Industry best practices" cause people to follow the herd and create something that looks great but lacks the unique voice necessary to stand out.

When design leads, it inherently limits the scope of your message.

Designers, constrained by pre-established templates, may inadvertently push for shorter, less impactful headlines and content that fits the layout rather than your product's positioning and features.

This is a subtle but significant pitfall leading to landing pages that fail to capture the essence of what makes your SaaS special.

Embracing the copy-first approach

Now, let's flip the script. By adopting a copy-first methodology, you empower the narrative to drive the design.

This shift has profound implications:

1. Authenticity: Starting with copy allows for an authentic expression of your brand’s voice. This freedom leads to more original and engaging content that resonates deeply with your target audience.
2. Amplifying copy: In this model, design transcends aesthetic function. It becomes a tool to amplify and enhance the narrative crafted by the copy.
3. Room for feedback: If a section of a page just doesn't feel right, someone has to go in and suggest copy changes and then the designer goes back to the drawing board. This wastes a ton of time.
4. Challenging design norms: A copy-first approach challenges designers to think creatively. Freed from the constraints of standard templates, they can explore innovative layouts and visual elements that align more closely with the narrative, making each landing page a unique reflection of your brand.

The symbiosis of copy and design

The magic happens in the push and pull between copy and design.

The copy-first approach isn't about sidelining design; it's about ensuring that both elements work in tandem to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

It's a dance of words and visuals, each step choreographed to lead your audience to the desired action.

Yes, copy-first is harder. No one likes looking at a blank slate. But that's what swipe files are for (you've heard me say this a thousand times!).

When I hand over copy I'm writing for a Conversion Factory client to get designed, I eagerly await to see what the rest of the team can come up with because I know they'll mold my messy and chaotic Notion document into something beautiful.

The uncomfortable truth is that good design can cover up bad copywriting. By following a copy-first approach, you're forced to ensure that the copy is good because there's nothing to compensate for it.

Please don't get me wrong:

I'm not saying that nothing can change once you send over your copy to get designed.

In fact, I make changes all the time.

Zach (designer at Conversion Factory) will show me a mockup for how he envisions a page element that requires adding or cutting some copy. So we talk about the tradeoffs and collaborate on a solution.

Or Nick (Webflow developer at Conversion Factory) will tell me that he can do some fancy CMS work to personalize a headline if I want to come up with a more unique headline for a certain section.

In fact, I often reuse a lot of page elements.

We're opinionated about the big picture (page elements) but we're flexible about what's inside each of those page elements and how they're displayed.

We often include a page element to compare against alternatives. But we're not going to write 4 bullet points because the design only comfortably displays 4. We'll adjust if the copy calls for 8 or 9 or 10.

The purpose of the design is to frame the message, and that message will be primarily driven by the copy.

—Corey

p.s. if you need help with copywriting or design (or any other area of product marketing) schedule a chat with us at Conversion Factory 🏭