Ready to truly get great at copywriting?
Well, you're in the right place.
Copy is simply persuasive text. Well written copy can be used to persuade and even discreetly control us to carry out a specific action.
It has a function and purpose, which is focused around achieving a very specific objective or result.
So just how do you create copy which can convince or even control people?
It's an essential skill to learn in the modern business world, so let's start by understanding the discipline fully first.
Copywriting is the process of composing purposefully crafted marketing and advertising text in order to inspire individuals to take some type of action, such as purchase, click a link, contribute to a cause, or schedule a consultation.
Copywriting can be found everywhere in the world of business, both in print and online environments. If you want some great examples of copywriting right now, look no further than your inbox. We all receive promotional emails everyday.
So we now know what copywriting is, but why is it so important?
Copywriting has some key benefits which are crucial in helping the business grow by connecting with their target audience more effectively.
Consistency is vital, and it is essential to make sure your copywriting aligns with your branding.
If you're a massage therapist, you don't want your copy to be loud, boastful and full of energy. It should match your branding which (hopefully) is relaxing and peaceful. If your branding is tranquil, welcoming and calm, your copy would evoke similar emotions and feelings.
Being consistant throughout all your advertising matierlas is important, and having an understanding of how copy works and what your brand is about will make this process far less painful.
Great copywriting will also help customers remember your brand name and the personality which comes with it. You'll be far easier to identify and customers will look forward to hearing from you.
Dull copywriting is simply that: dull.
Anything boring, not engaging or filled with grammatical mistakes will turn customers off straight way- no matter how amazing the rest of your marketing is.
Make sure your copy is stimulating the core desires within your target audience. Make your first impression count, after all you only get one chance to make a great first impression.
Evoking feeling does not mean writing endless paragraphs upon paragraphs of text, either. An excellent copywriter can make the audience understand something in a simple few sentences or words.
There's absolutely nothing worse than being overwhelmed with a huge block of text, when the exact same message could have been communicated fully in just a sentence or two.
Understanding your target market is an essential stage of effective copywriting.
Having the ability to speak your target market's language is vital, in addition to having the ability to tap into their needs and core desires.
So taking some time to fully understand your customers needs and what motivates them is going to be essential in helping you craft copy which will be powerful enough to persuade them to take action.
When your copy is speaking your target audience's language, and is on brand with the rest of your marketing and evoking the right emotion, this will naturally impact your sales.
Having perfectly refined copy that elegantly communicates your benefits along with a persuasive call to action will get people to buy into whatever you're selling.
The entire purpose of writing copy is to urge your target audience to take action. So unless you're just writing copy just for fun (which if you are, I would suggest exploring some new hobbies) always keep in mind that the text you are writing is helping guide your reader towards the action you want them to take.
So is there a proven method or approach to writing great copy every time?
In a nutshell, yes. But it doesn't just happen overnight.
Like anything, it does take practice and time. But if you follow the steps we're about to cover, it will help you instantly understand what it takes to write truly persuasive copywriting.
As we learnt with the AIDA framework, getting someones attention is always the first step.
And there's one written element every single reader will see first when you publish anything...your headline.
This is where you need to invest 70% of your time.
But how can you write truly great headline?
On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar - David Ogilvy
There's a reason why so many copywriters use numbers in their headlines. It works.
Do an experiment: Go to the grocery store, and scan the magazines in the checkout lane. Look at the front-page article headlines. It doesn't matter if it's a fitness magazine or a tabloid; many of them will be using numerals to start off the headline.
If your article clearly has some key takeaways, adding a number to the headline can help make the takeaways more digestible. But if the article doesn't, don't force it.
Here are some examples:
By using emotional adjectives, you're simply increasing the chances that your customers will be emotionally impacted by the headline and therefore more intrigued to learn more.
If you’re going to do a list post, be original. For example consider the following:
It's important you are as accurate as possible within the headline, but keep it short and sweet. Theres nothing worse than reading a headline, only to read on and find out the copy has nothing to do with what was promised above.
By trigger words. I mean using "why" and "how", because you're often trying to persuade or enable someone to do something they currently can't.
You can also make your customer feel involved. Using words like "us" and "you" can bring the reader in closer and make them feel like the text is about them.
Just don't do it in a creepy way.
Promise your reader something valuable. Something they want.
Take this article for example. I'm promising to teach you copywriting which you can go out and use in your own business instantly.
The secret is not to over-promise and under deliver.
Be bold, seducitve and dangerous. But above all, make sure you deliver on the promise you state in your headline.
Here’s a simple headline-writing formula:
Number or Trigger word + Adjective + Keyword + Promise
Example: Take the subject “catching flys.” You could write an article entitled, “How to catch a fly” or “Why I love catching flys.”
Or you could apply this formula and make it: “18 weird ways You can catch flys”
Another (more serious) example: Take a bold promise like “selling your car in a day.”
Apply the formula and you get: “How You Can Effortlessly Sell Your car in Less than 24 Hours”
It sounds too easy to be true, but keeping things simple is essential when writing headlines.
And the same goes for writing the copy that follows it too.
The ultimate difference between success and failure is how well you understand who your customers are and what they really want.
Many adverts and websites fail to convert customers because they don't understand why their customers are actually buying their products.
They think they know. But they simply no not.
As customers, we initially begin to desire something (or someone) due to our emotional attachment to it (or them). So by fully understanding our customer's core desires from the very beginning, you can quickly begin to connect with them on a far deeper level than the vast majority of your competitors.
Which basically means you win their business.
While some traditional marketers dismiss the AIDA formula, I’d say it’s an ideal way of structuring a medium to long form piece of text if you want your reader to take some form of action.
Let’s take a look at the AIDA method in more detail shall we:
In our media-filled world, you need to be able to get someones attention fast.
Using powerful words, or a picture can help you catch the reader's eye. This gives you a chance to pursuade them to read what's next.
Most of us suffer from email overload, with action-seeking headlines that make it alsmot irresistible not to open.
Making your reader feel important is a great way to capture attention.
For example, to perhaps encourage people to attend a company training session on giving feedback, the email headline, "How effective is YOUR feedback?" is more likely to grab attention than the purely factual one of, "This week's seminar on feedback".
What you write has to be compelling enough to stop the reader in their tracks.
Remember, it's quicker and easier for a prospective reader to pass you by than to focus on your writing. People love things to be given to them in a quick and easy format. So cater to what they prefer.
This is one of the most difficult phases in the AIDA framework: you have someone's attention, but can you engage with them in a way which motivates them to read on further and go deeper into your rabbit hole.
Gaining the reader's interest is a little more challenging than simply grabbing their attention.
They will give you a little more time to do it, but you must stay focused on their needs.
This means helping him or her to pick out the messages that are relevant to him quickly – use bullets and subheadings, and break up the text to make your points stand out.
Keep the momentum going with your opening, and deliver on the promise you made to catch their attention.
The Interest and Desire parts of the AIDA model go hand-in-hand: as you're building the reader's interest, you also need to help her understand how what you're offering can help her in a real way.
The main way of doing this is by appealing to there personal needs and wants.
Rather than simply simply saying what you can do for them, focus on communicating how it will help them.
So if you're selling home delivery service, you're actually selling the time saved and convenience. Not the service itself.
Does that make sense? Good. Let's continue.
In copywriting, creating desire all depends on your goal for the post. Is it to drive the reader to a sales landing page? Subscribe to your blog? Call you? Comment?
Tell a story that causes something to stir within the reader. Make them want to take...
Last but not least, be very clear about what action you want your readers to take.
Creating a desire for action is never enough.
You've got to be as direct and clear as possible when asking your reader to carry out an action or task for you. Make sure it is simple and easy to do.
Don;t give the reader too many hoops to jump through.
So remember: Using the AIDA model will help you ensure that any kind of writing, whose purpose is to get the reader to do something, is as effective as possible.
First, it must grab the target audience's attention, and engage their interest. Then it must build a desire for the product offering, before setting out how to take the action that the writer wants the audience to take.
When it comes to writing copy overall, make sure you keep things simple. Don't use complex words which will likely have your reader reaching out for the nearest dictionary.
It's important you tone down your language to help the reader understand things easily.
Great copy cuts like a hot knife through butter.
Avoid big words that make you sound like you're trying too hard to sound smart.
Just be you, which leads us on to another important point.
This is an indispensable tip for all writers, but it does take practice to get right.
Yes you need to speak the language of your audience, but do it in a way which is natural. You have to do it in your own style and with your own little unique spin on things.
Don't be afraid to put your own spin on things and make things your own.
Writing can be dull and boring, so inject it with a little of your personality and stand out from every other piece of content online.
Just like this.
You have to start flow.
Can you see how the words gather speed.
They get longer and longer. As you read, each sentence gets longer.
But you're on the journey now. You find it hard to stop. You started off reading just 3 words.
Now look at you.
Serious note: did you see what I just did there? Starting off with a short sharp sentence makes it easy for the reader to begin reading your written passage.
So make sure you structure copy with this in mind.
Start short and gain momentum and length in your sentences as you go. Before the reader knows it, they'll have finished the passage of text.
Without this approach, it's going to make it less likely someone will start reading your text, never mind read enough to be persuaded to take action.
The trick is to have the reader hang on your every word.
To make sure they are engaged and captivated enough to finish reading everything you have to say.
This is how you can pursuade a reader to continue reading until the end. By leaving something out and leaving their curiosity unsatisfied...
So how do you satisfy a readers curiosity?
Serious note: did you notice that?
The last sentence. It lit something up inside you to inspire you to read on.
To read this sentence.
And this one.
Always end a section of text with a question or hanger (meaning to leave the reader hanging, meaning they have to read on to learn more).
The best thing is it's the 3rd and last point which is the most impactful...
(I know. I just did it again).
The first draft of any written material is never going to be the best.
The writer is just getting words on paper (or tapping a keyboard like their life depends on it).
The truth is the second draft is where the magic truly happens.
This is where you take your original's words and craft them into something purposeful.
You use the words as a framework to create written material which is meaningful to the reader.
You first have to know your customers pain points and then solve them in the right way.
There is a process and flow the text should follow to maximise emotional impact and inspire action:
