The Copy Game Plan: How We Nail Website Messaging Every Time

What’s good, y’all!? John D. Saunders here, and if you’ve ever hit a wall mid-project wondering why things feel stuck, let me let you in on a secret: nine times out of ten, it’s not the design holding you back. It’s the copy.

Not because clients don’t care. It’s because they’re busy. They’ve got a thousand things on their plate and writing compelling, conversion-focused web copy usually isn’t one of them.

Early on at 5Four, this was a consistent pain point. We’d have clean designs, beautiful layouts, and everything ready to roll… but we’d be stuck waiting on content. So we flipped the script.

We stopped waiting and started building a repeatable, scalable content system that actually speaks the client’s language without the back-and-forth chaos. It’s a blend of strategy, tools, and tech. Here’s the sauce:

1. Start with Brand Discovery

Every project starts with the Brand Discovery doc. But this isn’t your typical checklist—we dive deep. I’m talking vision, values, tone of voice, ideal client types, FAQs, and even internal language the team uses.

This document becomes our content compass. If we get this right, the rest flows naturally. Clients love it too! It feels more like a brand therapy session than an intake form.

2. Build the Sitemap: Structure First, Words Second

Before a single word hits the page, we design the sitemap.

Why? Because structure informs content. We figure out what pages are needed, what goes where, and how visitors will navigate from Point A to Checkout. We outline each section: hero, features, CTAs—so when we write, we’re not guessing. We’re dropping a copy exactly where it needs to go.

3. Research Competitors: See What’s Out There, Then Say It Better

We’re not reinventing the wheel here. We do a quick and dirty competitive analysis of other players in the space.

We’re looking at how they position themselves, what language they use, and most importantly, what’s missing. This helps us carve out a unique tone and positioning for our client that still resonates in their industry.

4. Leverage ChatGPT (Smartly)

Y’all know I love a good AI workflow and here’s where it shines.

We feed ChatGPT everything: the Brand Discovery, our competitor notes, and any existing client content. Then we run it through a custom GPT model trained on our style and tone. It spits out solid first drafts that actually sound like the client.

This is the magic move. We’re not starting from scratch. We’re refining pre-built, aligned messaging that’s already on point.

5. Use Templates with Flex

We don’t write in silos, we write inside a modular Web Copy Template. Each page has sections built in: headline, subhead, features, testimonials, CTAs, and more.

That structure makes it easy to write and easy for clients to review. Plus, when we hand it off to dev, they’ve got a clear map of where every piece of content lives.

The Best Part? Clients Actually Use the Copy!

I can’t tell you how many times a client has looked at our first draft and said, “Yo, this sounds exactly like me.” That’s the power of this system. It doesn’t just remove roadblocks, it builds trust. Clients feel seen, heard and understood.

And when that happens, approvals move faster. Launches go smoother. And everybody wins.

The Bottom Line

If you’re tired of waiting on content or worse, trying to pull it out of thin air, systemize your copy process.

Use brand discovery as your blueprint, lean on AI as your assistant, and build templates that guide the flow.

Copy is king, no doubt. But systemized copy? That’s the real crown!