How To Write Copy That Actually Converts — Insights from Charlie Sells

Chandler Lyles
Jul 30
3 min read

What if your brand voice isn’t the problem—but the platform is? In this episode of The Highlight, Chandler Lyles sits down with Charlie Sells, a seasoned copywriter and content strategist, to unpack the hidden layers of effective messaging for ecommerce brands.

This conversation is a goldmine for founders, marketers, and anyone responsible for digital revenue. Charlie shares battle-tested strategies for matching your message to the medium, optimizing creative through structured testing, and delivering a consistent, emotionally resonant customer experience—after the sale. Whether you're a DTC brand spending thousands on ads or a solopreneur refining your homepage, the episode challenges the assumption that great copy is just about clever words. It’s about empathy, iteration, and alignment.

If your emails aren’t converting, if your landing pages feel flat, or if your brand voice is inconsistent across platforms—this episode will hit home.

Match the Message to the Platform

Too many brands make the mistake of copying and pasting their message across every platform. But what works on LinkedIn won’t necessarily land on TikTok, Amazon, or your email list. Charlie explains that every platform comes with its own algorithmic biases and user expectations. What matters is not just saying the right thing—but saying it in the right way for the context.

Instead of sticking to “your brand’s best practices,” Charlie advises being equally mindful of the platform’s best practices. For example, TikTok favors quick, emotionally engaging storytelling. Amazon requires clarity and keyword optimization. The more your voice adapts without losing brand integrity, the more traction you’ll gain.

Test Like Your Business Depends on It—Because It Does

“Don’t settle,” says Charlie. The highest-converting campaigns rarely win on gut feeling—they win because they’re tested. In one example from his days at Ramsey Solutions, Charlie helped run a multi-round headline test that ultimately revealed a surprising winner. The one they wouldn’t have picked? It converted the best.

He outlines simple but powerful tests: A/B email subject lines (emotional vs transactional), time-of-day sends, even experimenting with sentence case vs all lowercase. The lesson: get your copy out of the echo chamber and into the wild. Even the smallest tweaks—like a well-placed emoji or casual phrasing—can deliver measurable uplift when backed by real data.

Humor Is a Shortcut to the Brain

Levity isn’t just “nice to have.” It’s a conversion tool. “If it sounds like a robot, people are going to check out,” Charlie warns. Humor builds trust, lowers the customer’s guard, and gets your content shared. From Liquid Death’s outrageous campaigns to a clever post-purchase letter Charlie received with a box (“We all know those other bums treat your wallet like a piñata…”), the best brands make you feel something.

But humor only works when it’s aligned with your brand archetype. Liquid Death is the jester. Yeti is the explorer. When brands stray from their emotional lane—like Yeti co-branding a coffin with Liquid Death—it backfires. The takeaway? Know your emotional zone, and play within it. Levity wins when it’s on-brand.

Favorite Quotes From the Episode:

“Do you want to be the brand, or do you want the brand to be the brand? Because the answer to that is going to change everything.”
“Don’t settle. Test and optimize.”
“Copywriters are notorious perfectionists. But sometimes, the best work comes when you throw 20 ideas at the wall and just see what sticks.”
“If it sounds like a robot, people are going to check out.”
“Everything is connected. If your thank you email doesn’t sound like your product page, you’re going to lose.”