How to Improve Form Conversion using Copy Nudges

How to use copy to increase form completion rates

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In this show and tell session we partner with Eden Bidani from Cape Agency to discuss how you can use copy to improve the UX and conversion rates of your forms.

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Some of the key points we cover are:

• Why form conversion is important
• Why is copy important for form conversion
• The science between copy nudges
• Great examples of copy nudges that work

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If you find this video useful, you can check out more content on microcopy here.

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Using Copy to Improve Form Conversion (Show & Tell Transcript)

Alun:
Right — okay. Well hello everyone, and welcome to our Show & Tell session today.

As I’m sure you know, today is all about using copy to improve your form conversion through nudges and other methods.

I’m here today with Eden Bidani, who’s Head of Strategy at Cape Agency. She’ll introduce herself in a second.

But just to introduce myself: I’m Alun Lucas, Managing Director of Zuko Analytics. If you don’t know Zuko, we’re a form analytics platform that you can install on your forms, which tells you where the friction and drop-off is happening.

We’ve been doing this for about 10 years now, so we’ve seen a lot of forms — and that’s the reason for today. We’re combining that with Eden, who’s the expert on copy, so hopefully it all merges together nicely.

Just a little bit of housekeeping before I hand over to Eden for her intro:

We’ll be taking questions throughout, so feel free to drop them in. We may answer them during the session, or we’ll save some time at the end.

This will also be recorded, so I’ll be sharing the recording afterwards — no need to worry if you miss anything.

So Eden, do you want to introduce yourself?

Introductions

Eden:
Yeah, absolutely. Hi everyone.

I hope we know some of you — maybe from LinkedIn or other places — but even if we don’t, it’s really nice to meet you, and thanks for being here today.

I’m Eden, Head of Strategy and Copy at Cape Agency. We’re a very tiny but mighty boutique agency.

We work with SaaS and tech companies on their messaging, positioning, and copywriting — which includes conversion rate optimisation. And forms are a big part of that.

I don’t always get access to the forms themselves — often that’s left to marketing ops or CRO teams — but there’s so much that happens in the prep and the run-up, and around the forms, not just inside them.

It’s a really important topic, but often forms are the forgotten stepchild. People treat them like templated things: name, email address, date of birth… whatever.

But there’s a point where too much information becomes creepy.

We need to build trust with users. Why should they trust you with their information? Why should they give it in the first place? Why can’t they just get the thing they want without giving it?

There’s a lot of behavioural economics around forms, and it’s really great to be speaking with you, Alun, because this is what you guys do all day long.

Alun:
Absolutely.

So what we’ve got today is a few slides as stimulus — some examples — but we’ll keep it interactive. We’ll bounce off each other, and if questions come in, we’ll answer them either at the time or later on.

I want to keep it informal. This isn’t going to be a boring presentation.

Why Form Conversion Matters

Alun:
The first question we often get asked is: Why is form conversion important?

Because forms aren’t seen as very “sexy”. People just think: “Stick a templated form in and move on.”

But we see a lot of statistics — and there are other studies that show this too — that on average, two-thirds of customers who start a form don’t complete it.

That’s a huge percentage.

Web forms are the sharp end of the funnel. It’s the bit where the rubber hits the road — where someone gives you their personal details or financial details, and that seals the deal.

So if you’re losing two-thirds of people at that stage, that’s a lot of money being left on the table.

If you’re tracking thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of sessions through a form each month, even a small improvement can have a massive impact.

And copy is often a quick win — you don’t always need developers to make changes. You can test and iterate quickly.

So the potential is huge, and we see it all the time.

Eden:
Oh yeah, absolutely.

It’s frustrating because there are so many companies out there whose lead generation would improve exponentially if their forms were actually optimised — but they don’t even know how many leads they’re missing out on because people get frustrated and abandon the process.

It reminds me of an interesting case study I read a while back. If I’m not mistaken, I think it was Best Buy who implemented what is now the gold standard for ecommerce: checkout as a guest.

Before that, you had to create an account to buy something online — and no one wanted to do it. You’re ready to convert, ready to purchase, ready to check out… and then you hit a wall.

Once they introduced checkout as a guest, conversions improved massively. And now everyone does it.

It shows how important form conversion really is.

Alun:
Definitely.

Why Copy Matters

Alun:
So the next question is: Why is copy important?

There are lots of ways you can improve forms. Why is copy so crucial?

Eden:
A lot of people think: “Where is the copy? It’s just a form.”

But copy is everywhere — it’s microcopy, nudges, labels, headlines, error messaging, explanations, reassurance.

There are two big reasons why copy matters.

The first is: copy guides users. It helps them understand what they’re looking at, what happens next, and what they need to do to get what they want.

We like to think design alone will guide people, but if you removed all the words from a web page, you wouldn’t know what to click or where you are.

Words are what create clarity.

Alun:
Exactly. Marketers lose sight of that because they see the site every day. They assume everything is obvious.

But users are coming fresh. They might be nervous. They might be unsure. And those little nudges really matter.

Eden:
The second reason is: copy is naturally persuasive.

It can build trust, inspire emotion, create motivation, and help users rationalise why they should do what you’re asking.

If two-thirds of people drop out, a small nudge like “You’re almost done” can genuinely help people finish.

And a big part of it is explaining why you’re collecting information.

The Power of “Because”

Eden:
There’s a famous study that a lot of copywriters reference.

In 1978, Ellen Langer conducted research on persuasion. People were standing in line at a photocopier, and the researchers tested different excuses to cut in line.

The interesting thing was that adding the word “because” — even with a weak explanation — dramatically increased compliance.

The key insight was: giving people a reason helps them rationalise saying yes.

And it’s the same with forms. Explaining why you’re asking for something makes people far more likely to comply.

Alun:
Absolutely. Richard’s saying in the comments he uses that story all the time — so clearly it still resonates!

Examples: Copy That Supports Form Conversion

Example 1: Hootsuite (Social Proof + Ease)

Eden:
The first example is from Hootsuite. What we wanted to highlight is that it’s not just the copy in the form — it’s the copy around it.

On the left you’ve got a real customer quote — human, supportive, motivating. It adds social proof and helps people feel confident.

Then you’ve got “start growing your brand in two clicks”, which reduces perceived effort.

It reassures the user that this is going to be quick and easy, and it reduces friction before they even begin.

Alun:
Yeah — it’s social proof plus reassurance. “Other people love this, and it won’t take long.”

Example 2: Demo Sign-Up Page Test (Copy Drives Conversion)

Eden:
This is an example from a company I worked with.

They felt their demo form wasn’t converting, so we ran an A/B test.

They already had three bullet points explaining benefits — long-term transformation, what the product does, etc.

But what we realised was that people didn’t want to sit through a demo.

So we shifted the bullet points away from “how amazing the product is” and instead focused on what you’ll learn in the demo.

We addressed objections directly, like:

• “Is there a recorded video I can watch?”
• “What use cases will I see?”
• “What will this demo actually cover?”

And we reframed the demo as something useful, not something salesy.

That change increased conversions by 30%+.

Alun:
Yeah, it’s huge. Especially in B2B and SaaS, because it’s a longer decision process.

And we actually copied that approach for Zuko as well — we added recorded demos, and now more people watch those first.

The people who still request a one-to-one demo are much hotter leads because they’ve already seen the product.

Eden:
Exactly. It improves lead quality and saves time for sales teams.

Q&A: Why Move the Form?

Alun:
We’ve had a question from Sarah: why did you change the position of the form?

Eden:
Yes — we wanted people to read the copy.

We purposely moved the form so that users would engage with the explanation before being hit with the conversion form immediately.

The audience was highly technical, and the biggest friction point was committing to a demo. They wanted reassurance and context first.

Also, the bullets were collapsible dropdowns — so they didn’t overwhelm the page.

But the goal was to empower users to make a confident decision before converting.

Alun:
That makes sense. And it ties into how people scan pages — the “Z pattern” of reading.

Brand Voice in Forms

Eden:
Copy doesn’t have to be boring. It can be fun and full of personality — if it fits the brand.

But it takes work to make things feel effortless. You need to think carefully about what messages users respond to, when to use brand voice, and when clarity matters more.

Even something as simple as changing “Submit” to “Get started” can have a huge effect.

Examples: Before the Form (Reducing Fear + Building Trust)

Example: Pedigree Free Trial Explanation

Eden:
Here’s a really strong example from Pedigree.

It’s a pop-up that appears before the free trial signup, and it’s dedicated entirely to smashing objections.

It explains:

• how the free trial works
• when you’ll be charged
• when they’ll email you
• how to cancel
• what happens at the end

And then it repeats the key reassurance: “Two taps to start. Easy to cancel.”

It builds trust, sets expectations, and reduces fear before the user even reaches the form.

Alun:
Yeah, it’s all about managing expectations and reassurance.

Example: “Nothing Until X Date”

Eden:
Another example shows:

“Activate free trial. Nothing until [date]. We’ll email you before your trial ends. Cancel anytime.”

It couldn’t be clearer.

It’s obvious they’ve learned from customer concerns — fear of being charged unexpectedly — and they’ve built the copy around that insight.

Alun:
We do the same with Zuko — we say “no credit card required” because people worry they’ll be charged without realising.

Note: Paid Trials Can Improve Lead Quality

Eden:
Just to add: it depends on your goal.

I had a client who did a 7-day trial for a small fee — and it worked really well because the leads were more committed.

It reduced low-intent users and improved quality.

So it’s always a balance: are you optimising for volume, or for quality?

More Copy Use Cases

Example: Optional Phone Number (Trust + Clarity)

Alun:
Here’s a great example: phone number fields.

Phone number is one of our biggest bugbears, because it causes huge drop-off. People assume they’ll get spammed.

But here it’s done well:

• It’s marked optional
• It explains exactly why they want it
• “Only used if we need to contact you about your order”

That reassurance is powerful.

Eden:
Exactly. I’d love to see the results from that because I’m sure it improved completion.

Example: Benefits (“Check Out Faster”)

Alun:
Another example: “Check out faster” and “Get extra benefits.”

It’s similar to guest checkout — but it gives a reason to create an account.

Example: Preventing Confusion (Billing vs Shipping)

Alun:
We often use copy to prevent confusion:

• billing address vs shipping address
• company address vs card address

It’s underrated how much confusion terminology can create, especially across different countries.

Eden:
Absolutely. And again, it takes effort to make things feel simple.

Error Messaging

Alun:
We won’t go deep into this, but error messaging is another key area.

We’ve all seen “invalid field” — which is useless.

Better is specific messaging, like: “Please enter a valid email address.”

Managing Expectations (Before the Form)

Alun:
Here’s a UK government example: “Before you start, you’ll need your passport, driving licence, and National Insurance number.”

That’s huge, because people often abandon forms when they get halfway through and realise they don’t have the information.

If you warn them upfront, fewer people start — but more people finish.

Brand Reinforcement Example

Alun:
And finally, this one is just fun brand reinforcement: “They will find you. They will deliver to you.”

If your brand allows it, little touches like that can create a memorable experience.

Final Q&A

Does Page Colour Affect Conversion?

Alun:
Jim asked: does the colour of the form page impact conversions?

Eden:
Not particularly — unless it affects accessibility and readability.

Alun:
Yeah, agreed. The main issue is when the page feels inconsistent — like someone has been taken somewhere else and they lose trust.

Validation Errors While Typing

Alun:
Richard asked about validation errors appearing while someone is typing.

Generally, it’s best not to validate too early. It’s frustrating if the error shows up before they’ve finished typing.

A better approach is validating when they leave the field.

Validating on submit can also be frustrating if it forces users to hunt for the error across multiple pages.

Best CTA Style (Short Button vs Button + Description)

Alun:
Nicola asked: should you use a two-word button, or a button with a description underneath?

Eden:
I’d recommend A/B testing.

Often, more copy is actually reassuring — it builds trust and helps motivation.

Sometimes a two-word CTA doesn’t give enough context. Adding reassurance like “No credit card required” or “Cancel anytime” can significantly increase conversions.

But if you have strong brand trust already, you may not need it.

Account Creation Before vs After the Form

Alun:
Sarah asked: should you ask users to create an account before filling the form, or after submitting?

From what I’ve seen, it’s usually better afterwards.

If they’ve already completed the form or checkout, asking them to create an account afterwards is lower friction — similar to guest checkout.

Closing

Alun:
Great — I think that covers all the questions.

Eden, what’s the best way for people to contact you?

Eden:
LinkedIn is best.

Alun:
Perfect. Same for me — feel free to message me on LinkedIn, or email me at alun@zuko.io.

We’ll wrap it up there. It’s flown by — hopefully it’s been entertaining and useful.

If you think of any other questions, feel free to reach out to either of us.

Thank you Eden — it’s been a pleasure.

Eden:
Absolutely. Thanks for having me today.

Bye everyone!

Alun:
Bye!

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