Context is key: capturing the right attention with conversion-driven copy

October 9, 2025

When I was at Nottingham Digital Summit last month, I watched a talk by the wonderful Azeem Ahmad about audio and visual content, especially ads on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts. What does this have to do with writing website copy? More than you would think.

The key takeaway from the talk was this: create content for the context in which people will see it.

Different types of content require different approaches

Something I see time and again in the world of websites is people writing their website copy like blog posts. Long chunks of text, little care for usability, and focus on including every possible bit of information over making it genuinely readable.

I’ve been lucky enough to have a very broad and varied career as a copywriter. Since my start in 2013, I’ve written multi-channel campaigns, social media posts and ad copy across 4 different platforms, brochures, blogs, whitepapers, flyers, billboards, email automations, and, of course, websites. And what I’ve learnt over the last decade is that context is key.

It’s not just about the space that you have. It’s how people interact with it. How distracted they are when they see it, what they’re doing, where they physically are, what you are competing with. Every piece of content has the opportunity to convert but they all look a bit different.

Writing for the context of your readership

Whenever you write copy, you need to consider the following things:

When someone is likely to see it
Which platform they’ll be viewing your content in
What they’re doing on said platform
Typical user behaviours on said platform
How they’re most likely to view it
How distracted they’ll be while viewing it
How long they’re meant to stick around for

Content presented to your audience

Instagram ads (B2C)

When: they’re probably meant to be doing something else
Platform: Instagram (Reels, stories, or in-feed depending on type)
What they’re doing: Scrolling to procrastinate, relax, or transition between tasks
User behaviour: Minimal attention span, quick to swipe away
View: Likely to view multiple times (possibly multiple variations) before considering clicking
Distraction: Likely multitasking, possibly with a second screen, or actively procrastinating something else
Duration: A few seconds, longer if it’s a video

Email marketing (newsletter, B2B)

When: while they’re working, depending on timing (I usually aim for the end of a typical lunchbreak)

Platform: email inbox

What they’re doing: procrastinating from work or transitioning back into work

User behaviour: If opened, copy will be scanned for key info. If loyal to company/person sending, most of email will be read

View: Delayed viewership is common, waiting until they have time. Also common to put it off then never open. Usually on desktop.

Distraction: Could be called into meetings, distracted by emails, coworkers, etc. during reading

Duration: 20-30 seconds for email. 1-2 minutes for linked to blogs/landing pages. Again, loyalty/regular readership will extend this

As you can see from our first two examples, distraction is rife. And both of these are types of copy that happen to your audience rather than something they specifically seek out.

Writing content that people are actively looking for

Now let’s move on to the things people actually look for. Most of my examples are going to be B2B because that’s the area I work in the most often.

Blog content (B2B)

This will vary hugely depending on the purpose and depth of the content, but for this example we’ll use the following context: informational and around 1,000 words.

When: while they’re working

Platform: your website

What they’re doing: actively researching or looking for information

User behaviour: initial scan for readability and key information. Particular attention to headings and length of content to decide if it’s worth reading.

View: desktop or mobile, usually for information needed in the moment

Distraction: likely to be distracted by emails, calls, and colleagues

Duration: initial 10 second scan for relevant headings/sections. If sticking around, they’ll read most of it, sometimes all of it but rarely.

Website copy (B2B)

When: During active research, possibly through a referral, often during work hours

Platform: your website

What they’re doing: searching for a provider for their needs. Likely to be scoping out multiple providers in one go or across several days

User behaviour: hopping between pages scanning for key information. Most likely viewed pages are your home page, relevant service page(s), pricing page (if you have one), case studies, and contact. Sometimes, your about page (more likely for freelancers than larger businesses). Contact/conversion form rarely completed on first visit.

View: Usually desktop, sometimes mobile

Distraction: like to be distracted by emails, calls, and colleagues. Often comparing websites and possibly writing an email to their boss who has asked for options

Duration: 5-10 seconds to get the initial vibe. 20-30 seconds per page to achieve key information. If key information isn’t found, they’ll abandon ship

These are just a few examples of readership context. When it comes to things like billboards and IRL advertising, all of this completely changes based on where it is. For example, a billboard that will be seen by someone driving a car has different needs to one seen by someone on the tube.

Your audience will not read every word of your copy

This is a bitter pill to swallow as a copywriter, but an important one. If someone is seeking information, they will scan for it so it’s our job to make it as easy to find as possible. People are also incredibly distracted, so the harder you make your copy to read, the quicker you’ll put people off.

This is where usability comes into play. UX (user experience) is one of the most important deciding factors in the success of your website. Navigation needs to be easy to use. Copy needs to be scannable. And information needs to be clear as day.

Your brand can be as memorable as you like. If the website isn’t usable, people will give up before they’ve managed to find what they need. In a world where everyone is distracted to almost breaking point, they will follow the path of least resistance. So don’t give your readership reason to pause.

In fact, user experience is so important to the success of your website, I’ve got a bunch of other resources for you.

Subscribe to Thusfar, Untitled

I’ll drop into your inbox with fresh insights every other Thursday at 2pm (UK time)