Bucket Brigade in Copywriting: How-to, Examples, Words List

The bucket brigade copywriting technique is a magnetic writing skill.

Why?

Because it hooks the readers.

In fact, I’m using it right now as you read this.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “I want to learn it too!”

So, let’s dive in!

This guide will show you how to leverage bucket brigades in your copywriting, with examples and an exhaustive word list you can use in your content.

What Is the Bucket Brigade Copywriting Technique?

The bucket brigade copywriting is a way of keeping readers engaged by using a series of short, punchy sentences. 

It’s called a “bucket brigade” because each sentence acts as a link in a chain, leading the reader from one point to the next.

These phrases, also known as “hooks,” are designed to break up the copy and make it more readable.

They can be used at the beginning of a sentence, in the middle, or at the end.

For example:

• “Do you want to know a secret? The secret to copywriting is…”
• “Now, let’s dig a little deeper. Are you making these copywriting mistakes?”
• “Do you want to know how it works? Here’s how to improve your copywriting today.”

The name comes from the concept of a fire brigade, where each person in the chain passes along a bucket of water to put out the fire.

In copywriting, writers use bucket brigades to keep the reader’s attention focused on their message.

How Can Bucket Brigade Help With SEO?

Bucket brigades can help with SEO in three ways:

• Higher Dwell Time, Reduced Bounce Rate
• Improved User Experience
• Better Rankings in Search Engines

Higher Dwell Time, Reduced Bounce Rate

Dwell time refers to the amount of time a visitor spends on your website, after clicking on your listing on SERP and before moving back to looking for a better option in the search result pages.

The longer your dwell time, the better.

It signals to Google that your site is providing value and worth users’ time (which helps increase your site authority).

On the other hand, bounce rate is the percentage of people who leave your site after only viewing one page.

The lower your bounce rate, the better.

A high bounce rate is a sign that your site is not providing what people are looking for.

Bucket brigades can help improve both dwell time and reduce bounce rate by keeping the reader engaged and moving them through your content.

But wait — there’s more.

When used in conjunction with other copywriting techniques, such as benefit-driven headlines and powerful calls-to-action, bucket brigades can be a potent tool for getting more traffic and engagement from your blog posts.

To make a point, the longer someone stays on your website, the more likely they are to convert into a subscriber or a customer.

Improved User Experience

Bucket brigades also help improve the user experience on your website.

By keeping the reader engaged, they are more likely to stick around and explore your site.

This can lead to more pageviews, which is a signal to Google that your site is providing a good experience for users.

And as if that is not enough, bucket brigades can also make content easy to read and digest, which can help improve the overall user experience.

Better Rankings in Search Engines

Finally, bucket brigades can also help improve your rankings in search engines.

Yes, you read that right.

Google’s algorithm is constantly changing, but one thing that remains constant is the importance of user experience.

By using bucket brigades to keep your readers busy, you’re improving the chances that they’ll stay around and explore your content.

This sends a signal to Google that your site is providing a good experience for users, which can help improve your rankings.

Examples of a Bucket Brigade in a Sentence

Now that you know what bucket brigades are and how they can help with copywriting and SEO, let’s take a look at some brigade examples in a sentence.

This one comes from Reddit:

What is a bucket brigade copy?
It’s this. And this. And this.
Very short sentences that make readers want more.

And this one is from the ConstantContact blog:

Ok, I know what you’re thinking. Ins’t it also just good to have a large number of fans and be able to say “My business has 1000 fans on Facebook!

But wait – there’s more.

This example comes from this website:

On the other hand if you just use all 20% on your first house, you stuck until you save another 15% for your rental.

While this one from my “Content Refreshing” guide:

Consider the following example.
Look at how the interest in the topic “photoshop” has been declining, while their competitor “canva” has been raising in the last years.

As you can see, the main goal of using the bucket brigade technique is to keep the reader engaged.

So, you want to use short, punchy sentences that flow together and lead the reader from one point to the next.

Now, can I be totally honest with you?

I used bucket brigades many times in this very post too:

How to Use Bucket Brigades in Your Copywriting

Now that you know what bucket brigades are and how they can help with copywriting and SEO, let’s take a look at how to use them in your copy.

The first step is to identify the key points you want to make.

Once you have your key points, you can start stringing them together with punchy sentences that flow together.

For example, in the introduction, you can use any of these:

• Let’s get started
• I’ll show you
• So, here’s the deal
• You might be wondering
• Here’s the truth
• It’s time to begin
• Let’s jump in!
• Here’s the step-by-step process
• Now, off we go

Remember, the goal is to keep the reader engaged, so make sure your sentences are short and punchy.

To explain a point, you can use these bucket brigades:

• In my experience
• Think about it
• Let me explain why
• To make a point
• Based on the results

Or, you may want to explain the topic from a different point of view.

So, you can try any of these ones:

• On the other hand
• But wait — there’s more
• And as if that is not enough
• Then again
• Now for the other part of the story

Finally, end your copy with a call to action that encourages the reader to take action.

Bucket Brigade Words List

To help write your content, here’s a list of words and phrases you can use.

Used in the Introduction

These bucket brigades are great to hook readers when making an introduction:

• Let’s dig a little deeper
• Let me show you how
• Let me explain
• First, let’s
• Let’s go
• Let’s dive in
• Here is how it works
• In my experience
• Simply put
• Think about it
• Let me explain why
• Imagine what it would be like
• You’re in a never-ending battle
• But here’s the kicker
• Here’s the step-by-step process

Bucket Brigade Questions

Use these questions to arise curiosity in your readers.

• Do you want to know how it works?
• Have you wondered why?
• Do you want to learn how to?
• Have you ever found yourself?
• The secret?
• What does this mean for you?
• Have you noticed?
• Do you want to know how?
• Do you hate it?
• Can you imagine?
• Do you know?
• And the good news?
• And how does that work?
• Do I have your attention?
• How can you beat that?
• Do you know what I’m tired of hearing?
• Want to know a secret?
• Can I be totally honest with you?

Used in the Body of the Copy

You can add these bucket brigade sentences within the body of your content to connect each key point.

• In other words
• Not so fast
• Meanwhile
• In my experience
• Even better
• By now
• And it doesn’t stop there
• By the way
• Think about it
• OK, I know what you’re thinking:
• Think about that for a minute.
• I know the feeling
• And that’s just one side of the story…
• Turns out
• Here’s why:
• But wait, let me tell you something
• By now, you should
• In case you might be asking yourself
• But wait – there’s more
• As if that’s not enough
• We’re not through yet
• Yes, you read that right
• It gets better/worse
• Nevertheless
• No wonder

Used in the Summary

At the end of your copy, use these bucket brigades to better explain your conclusion.

• To make a point
• Based on the results
• All in all:
• In truth:
• On the other hand
• And that’s it!
• And that was only the beginning:
• In short:
• In essence:
• But that’s only the tip of the iceberg:
• But wait — there’s more
• Let’s recap:
• To sum up:
• But the bottom line is this:
• Don’t take my word for it:
• So it all adds up to this:
• In a nutshell:
• And as if that is not enough
• Then again
• Now for the other part of the story
• So give it a go:
• Now go out and do it:

Before You Go

Bucket brigades are a powerful copywriting technique that can help improve your SEO and the overall user experience on your site.

When used correctly, they can keep the reader engaged and moving through your content.

But wait! This is only the beginning.

There are more ways to make your content more interesting and easier to digest, such as:

Hopefully, these strategies will help you create better content for both search engines and your site visitors.

Now, it’s over to you.

What do you think?

Do you use bucket brigades in your copywriting?

Let me know in the comments below.

 

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