Sean O'Toole
Conversion-focused
website copywriter
Let a Webby-winning conversion geek clarify your copy, so everything you say just clicks.
In the game since 2010
Early hire at Groupon (and got to see the rise and fall)
200+ hrs. of Copyhackers conversion training
Long-time headline contributor to The Onion
2 Webby Awards for Best Copywriting, 0 friends who are impressed by that
"This type of talent is extremely rare."
"Sean is my secret weapon. He got a lot of materials to go through, and what he delivered was pure magic.I've worked with other copywriters and let me tell you, this type of talent is extremely rare. Book him while you have a chance."
- Kathy Svetina
Founder, NewCastle Finance
Copywriting is easy.
All you have to do is define your true value and articulate the hidden problem and find the right USP and explain the unique mechanism and dimensionalize the benefits and knock down their objections and back all your claims with airtight proof.And sure, you also need to frame it all to match your reader’s stage of awareness, sophistication level, prior beliefs, and most deeply felt social and emotional desires.And you really should put all that into language that’s plain but not generic, and direct but not dry, and professional but friendly, and detailed but easy to skim. Punchy, too.Oh, and one last thing: keep it concise. Nobody reads online.
Get website copy they'll actually understand
By now you know—telling a simple story can get complicated, fast.So call in a Webby-winning conversion geek to clarify your copy the sanest way we’ve got: by studying your customers.Because no one should leave your site not knowing why you’re wonderful.
Website upgrades
🔨
Landing pages
💻
Conversion optimization
📈
Sean O'Toole
Conversion-focused website copywriter.
Clarity connoisseur. 💎
Get website copy they’ll actually understand
Let a Webby-winning conversion geek clarify your copy, so everything you say just clicks.Because no one should leave your site not knowing why you’re wonderful.
Get carefully designed copy from a strategic-minded expert, not some dingus who “likes to write”
Follow a customer-focused process that’s rooted in their words, not our whims
Walk away with polished Figma wireframes that say what you need them to say
“This type of talent is extremely rare.”
-Kathy Svetina, Founder of NewCastle Finance
It's simple.
You're looking at this.
Your copy isn't clicking
Low conversion
High bounce / poor site engagement
Confused or bad-fit leads
Nagging sense you’re not getting through
Plus maybe...
You've got an extra clarity challenge
Unfamiliar product
Multiple audiences
Jargon-prone industry
Crowded market where you need to differentiate aggressively
The digital blank stare
See this.
Think this.
But then I do stuff like this.
>> Conversion audits>> Landing page copy>> Full website rewrites
Unbury the value
Put in more problem
Say it their way
Use proof to prove things
Dimensionalize the benefits
Define the JTBD
Paint the transformation
Reveal the unique mechanism
Match their stage of awareness
Diagram the info architecture
Get impossibly specific
Tell them more
Say less
[gif: shifting to make "your really important message" more prominent - from tiny and gray to giant and bright green]
Remember? Like on the first page?
With the diamonds?
So you can do this.
Clarify your message.
Build a cohesive case that real live people understand and believe.
Lift conversion.
Turn more of your existing traffic into informed and qualified customers.
Make growth easier.
Acquisition, retention, profitability. Everything gets simpler when your site is a customer factory.
[gif: customer assembly line: ? -> diamond site -> !]
The believer assembly line. This is the true "conversion" your copy must perform. / the true "conversion" we care about.
And in the end...
Bad things go down...
CAC
Bounce rate
Churn
Dread
Good things go up...
Conversion rate
ROAS
Lead quality
Bliss
...and we celebrate with rare sodas.
Right on, soda is delicious business goals are important
Did we not meet earlier?
Hi, hello, I'm Sean.
I’ve written $10 million email sequences for Groupon, hundreds of jokes for The Onion, and this plucky little website just for you.I used to think the #1 thing copy should do is “cut through the noise” by being clever or kooky or, bless my heart, “bold.”
Now I worry less about how your copy sounds
and more about what it’s saying.
Here's what that looks like.
See how I sharpen a story
(Even a complicated one that's already confusing everybody.)
"Staff Augmentation" sales page for Paro
"Financial Health Check" sales page for NewCastle Finance
In the game since 2010
Early hire at Groupon (and got to see the rise and fall)
200+ hrs. of Copyhackers and CXL conversion training
Two Webby Awards for Best Copywriting, zero friends who are impressed by that
It's simple.
Lift conversion.
Get more leads and sales from the audience you already have.Improve lead quality.
Attract better fits who need less persuading because they already get it.Cut acquisition costs.
Higher conversion = lower CAC. (That's just math.)
I do this...
Lift conversion.
Get more leads and sales from the audience you already have.
Improve lead quality.
Attract better fits who need less persuading because they already get it.
Cut acquisition costs.
Higher conversion = lower CAC. (That's just math.)
Website upgrades
🔨
Landing pages
💻
Conversion audits
🔍
So you can do this...
Lift conversion.
Get more leads and sales from the audience you already have.Improve lead quality.
Attract better fits who need less persuading because they already get it.Cut acquisition costs.
Higher conversion = lower CAC. (That's just math.)
Website upgrades
🔨
Landing pages
💻
Conversion audits
🔍
Website upgrades 🔨
Landing pages 💻
Conversion audits 🔍
So you can do this...
Lift conversion
📈
Get more leads and sales from the audience you already have.
Improve lead quality
🤝
Attract better fits who need less persuading because they already get it.
Cut acquisition costs
💲
Higher conversion = lower CAC. (That’s just math.)
Lift conversion
📈
Get more leads and sales from the audience you already have.
Improve lead quality
🤝
Attract better fits who need less persuading because they already get it.
Cut acquisition costs
💲
Higher conversion = lower CAC. (That’s just math.)
Web Copy Project #1
"Staff Augmentation" sales page
A classic “info dump” page turns into a sophisticated story grounded in the reader’s reality.
Before
Hero section
Jumbled organization that’s a slog to decipher
Clumsy language stuffed with jargon
Mountains of missing context
Half-hearted proof, dropped in at random
After
Hero section
Intuitive flow that first gets you oriented, then develops and deepens the narrative
Plain, direct language that doesn't tax your brain
Concrete illustrations of when and how to use the service
Powerful quotes and stats marshaled to make clear points
Put me to work
Web Copy Project #2
"Financial Health Check" sales page
A bare-bones service description becomes a persuasive case for how this audit can transform your business in weeks.
Before
The complete original
Vague language hides all the benefits
No indication who it’s for or why you’d need it
Lack of detail makes you uncomfortable saying yes
Virtually no proof
After
Hero section only
Clear and direct value prop, supported with a vivid problem section
Specific pain points and identifiers so you know if you're a fit
In-depth look at the process to reduce fear
Sharp, focused testimonials that back specific claims
Put me to work
Featured
Website copy conversion projects
Project #1
"Staff Augmentation" sales page
A classic “info dump” page turns into a sophisticated story grounded in the reader’s reality.
Project #2
"Financial Health Check" sales page
A bare-bones service description becomes a persuasive case for how this audit can transform your business in weeks.
Bonus Samples
Here are some other things you might want me to tackle while I’m sprucing up your site.Because who wants to hire two writers for one job?
Emails and blog content
Email strategy & copywriting
Groupon Select launch
We wanted to convince Groupon users to join a new premium membership program. But first, we had to solve a dilemma.
Long-form content writing
Charity ratings guide (3,500-word blog post)
Our audience of sophisticated donors loved details, but existing articles on this topic were all paper-thin. So we went the other way with it.
Headline writing
Collected article headline edits
A closer look at a special skill I’ve always had a knack for. (And one people keep asking me to do.)
Gallery of Wonders
Social posts, banner ads, and assorted curiosities
Put me to work
You're building something great.
I can prove it.
Email me to get started
[email protected]
You can also reach me through this handy form. I'll respond within 1 business day.
Sean O'Toole
Conversion-focused website copywriter.
Clarity connoisseur. 💎
Yuh-oh, your copy's looking pretty confusing.Click through to make me clear it up.
Where we're starting 🪨
1) Unbury the value
2) Put in more problem
3) Say it their way
4) Use proof to prove things
The final product 💎
From clunky to clear
Compare before & after
Hey look, we nailed it! Seems like we work pretty well together...
Meet the guy you just did that with
Sean O'Toole
In the game since 2010
Early hire at Groupon (and got to see the rise and fall)
200+ hrs. of Copyhackers and CXL conversion training
Two Webby Awards for Best Copywriting, zero friends who are impressed by that
Suggested soundtrack
"Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"
by Santa Esmeralda
Conversion-focused website copywriter. Clarity connoisseur. 💎
Before
After
Now the best part: admiring our work.
Suggested soundtrack
"Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" by Santa Esmeralda
Before
After
Hey look, we did it! Seems like we work pretty well together...
From clunky to clear
From clunky to clear
Before
After
One column / gallery instead? - so you can navigate between them - use "above" captions instead of text boxes
Other idea: Use "From clunky to clear" as the header, then have "before" and "after" underneath as captions
TK INTRO - 1-2 sentencesI used to think ---.Now I believe how your copy sounds matters much less than what it's saying.
Now I believe a copywriter only has one job: getting your audience from Here to There.
Here
"Huh? Wha? Buh? Nuh."
They come in confused...
There
"Oh! Whoa! Yo! Let's go!"
...and the copy makes it click.
Meet the guy you just did that with
From clunky to clear
Bring in a copywriter who makes your message just click.
Because nobody buys things they don't even understand.
Bring in a copywriter who can make your message click.
Because nobody buys things they don't even understand.
Bring me in to get your copy clicking. Because when that happens...
Bad things go down...
CAC
Bounce rate
Wasted ad spend
Sales cycle length
Churn
Dread
Good things go up...
Conversion rate
ROAS
Lead quality
Pipeline
Revenue
Bliss
...and we celebrate with rare sodas.
Website conversion projects
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Text
Bonus samples
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Secret Sample Stash: The Onion 🔒
Due to the strict ethical standards of fake journalism blah blah blah