Archive for 'Copywriting'
Copywriting Definition
Posted on 13. Apr, 2009 by admin.
Copywriting, in the most general sense, is a word that refers to writing that is promotional in purpose. Usually, but not always, it is sales oriented. Copywriting can also be informational, or descriptive. Copywriter refers to the person who creates the word strings of copywriting, and they are slightly different than a writer, or reporter. Copywriter would fall under the job description category of writer, but the duties are pointed towards promotional writing.
The word “copy” is a catch all word for the material that will be inserted into an advertisement, speech, or other written creation. Copywriting involves taking general knowledge, and/or research on a topic and creating a written piece that promotes or informs others about a product, a service, or a company.
The most familiar sales copywriting is seen in printed advertisements, and in radio, TV, or web commercials. The words are crafted to create an image, and prompt a response from the listener, reader, or viewer. Sales copy is the most directed writing, with the aim to create action. The action can range from clicking to a website, making a phone call, or visiting a business. From that point on, the result of the sale is in the hands of the physical salesperson who fields the call or visit.
Copywriting used with actual images is the best sales tool. It is said that a photograph is worth 1000 words, and the image can reinforce and amplify any copywriting. However, the catchy headline copy is the bait that catches the potential customer, and leads them into the advertisement where the image and any other copywriting continues the sales job.
The best sales copywriting is short and to the point. Lengthy descriptions have their place in advertising copywriting once the reader or viewer is hooked into the sales pitch.
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Copywriting Motivation
Posted on 12. Apr, 2009 by admin.
All copywriting whether it is for webpage content describing a company, service, or item, an article explaining the need for such an item or service, or an email or snail mail sales letter, must be motivating.
Not all copy requires a “call to action.” Some clients will ask for articles that are simply generated to attract an interest in a product, or prove reason for need. Those types of copywriting are usually less “sales copy” and more “creative or investigative writing” but they have the same general purpose.
Most of the copywriting you will do will be for marketing purposes centers around sales incentives and getting a customer to buy a product. Emails, direct marketing, website content, pr releases all will have varying degrees of a “call to action.” Usually located toward the end of a piece a call to action urges readers to click a link, visit a website, or call a phone number to get more information about a product or service.
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Sales Letter Writing for Beginners
Posted on 09. Apr, 2009 by admin.
As in any profession it is necessary to establish a good foundation for your copywriting basics before you will have much success.
First off you want to be you. I don’t know about you but I have a degree in English and have spent countless hours (often at night) writing college papers for professors who were much more interested in specific style and grammar than they were in anything that might express my personal style. In fact in the halls of academia that sort of writing is vehemently discouraged.
You essentially want to learn to write as like you are talking to one of your friends. In fact your customers are going to be a lot more interested in reading your copy if they get the feeling that you are a real person having a heartfelt conversation with them. So, if you want to make more money, ditch The Elements of Style and write like you talk. Reading your copy out loud to a friend will help you to learn this skill.
Here are a few things that you are going to want to keep in mind when you are writing sales copy.
Most of us really don’t care to be sold to. A lot of us do like to buy, but it’s mostly a response to an emotional need or a desire to avoid something painful. And then after a purchase people tend to want to justify their purchase in some way. Not all purchases make sense. So justifying, for whatever reason is an important part of the process.
Then, you want to know who your target purchaser is. You have to know what motivates them, what age range they fall into, what they like and don’t like, whether they are married, single or divorced. What culture do they belong to, are they religious or do they belong to the NRA. You want to have a really good knowledge about who it is that you are selling to.
And then you want to know your product inside out, upside down and backwards. You not only want to educate your audience about the product and what it can do for them, but you want to express it with the real passion that you have about this product. After all who wants to buy anything that’s not packed with excitement or at least sex appeal. It’s your job to show your prospect that your product is the one and only product they are looking for and then tell them why.
Buyers are interested in proof. Giving them lots of testimonials and showing them that the product has worked for lots of other people will give them more of a justification to make this purchase. Show them how they will benefit from ownership of your product and give them all the proof you can find. Don’t be afraid to write a long sales letter. Most people are interested in seeing and hearing all that you can provide before they will want to give up their hard earned cash.
If you have done your job right, you will have built up enough confidence and desire in your prospect so that collecting the money for the product will be easy.
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Emotions & Copywriting
Posted on 06. Apr, 2009 by admin.
It’s a known fact that purchases are most often precipitated by some emotion. Most everyone who places a purchase is motivated by an emotional response to either fill a need or desire or to avoid some pain or unpleasantness.
There are any one of a number of different emotions that could be the motivating factor that would precipitate a purchase. The emotions most likely to inspire a purchase have been said to be, benevolence, curiosity, envy, fear, greed, insecurity, laziness, lust, pride and vanity. That’s not to say that it couldn’t be some other emotion but most good copywriters have focused their attentions on this more succinct list.
Ideally when writing copy you will want to know your target audience and what it is that is going to most likely motivate them towards a purchase.
It’s often quite helpful to put yourself in their shoes and really feel into why it is that you, the customer, want to make this purchase. Which emotional motivation is causing you to even consider such a purchase? Are you filling a void, responding in fear, wanting to outshine a rival, or find an easier way to complete an unpleasant or mundane task?
You can’t possibly ever cover all the emotions that might motivate a customer toward a purchase in one article. So it is imperative to have the best feel for what it is that you feel will be motivating your target audience. Given that, you will be able to identify a handful of emotions that can be addressed in your copy.
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Building Credibility
Posted on 05. Apr, 2009 by admin.
Increasing your credibility in your copywriting is the number one way to improve your ability to improve your ability to sell your product or service.
Not until your readers know who you are or what it is that you have to offer are you going to see much in the way of sales. You could be one of the most genuine and generous people out there with a product that could easily be second to none, but not until you are a known and trusted entity with substantial credibility will you really see sales improve.
In today’s world and especially with the current economic turmoil customers are more careful about where they want to spend their hard earned money.
Years ago MTV had this slogan: “Too much is never enough.” That slogan has stuck with me all these years and seems to be applicable here and now in building and maintaining credibility in your copywriting endeavors. The message is that you want to go overboard getting your name out there so that when customers are deciding to purchase from you they actually have something to look at besides just your word.
Here are some ideas to get you started. 1.) Gather as many personal and professional testimonials as you can. The more you have the better. You should also get product testimonials as well. 2.) Research that supports your claim. 3.) A recorded video or audio interview with someone who already has significant credibility. 4.) Make use of e-zines and forums. 5.) Post comments on blogs and youtube. 6.) Do market comparisons with similar products and/or services. 7.) Create your own PDF. 8.) Create your own video tutorial.
In the end you want to build a name and reputation for yourself both on and offline that will earn you the credibility that you will need to compete in todays copywriting market.
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Writing Hot Ads
Posted on 16. Mar, 2009 by admin.
When writing good copy it is essential to address either a need that the customer has or the desire they have to end some pain in their lives. Then, you want to connect with them in such a way that you feel what they feel.
You want to address your customer directly. Write your copy as if you are speaking to a good friend about the solution to their problem or the answer to their dreams.You want to learn to really identify with the reader. You want to get into their shoes and feel what they feel, so that you have a better idea what to say to them. You want to know what excites them and moves them into action.
One of the best ways to really get into feeling what your customer is feeling or what they could be feeling after purchasing your product is to take the copy that you have written and read it aloud. This way you will get a sense of the flow and have a much better idea how it sounds to your customer. If you can create copy that excites even you, it’s more likely that your customer will also be excited.
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Copywriters as Investigators
Posted on 08. Mar, 2009 by admin.
In this lesson we will explore the investigation process. Many a copywriter attempts to write copy off the top of their head and not attend to many facts and facets in the real world that may make all the difference in the production of optimal and productive copy.
The real work of making great copy is done before you sit down to write anything. Any really good copy is the result of extensive research.
When you do sit down to write the copy you want to have discovered all the intricacies of the product or service that are going to attract others to that service You want to understand your target audience so that you can approach the development of your copy to address their needs, alleviate their fears and or enlighten their lives in some fabulous way.
Just like anything else particularly well done, it pays to be substantially informed about your product. Haphazardly throwing a bunch of ingredients into the pot isn’t necessarily going to result in fine cuisine. Just so, copy written without enough forethought and investigation may not net the desired result. Okay some people get lucky but wouldn’t you rather be in a place where you know for sure that the copy you are producing is of a quality that is backed by research into the product/service and has some insight into the psyche of both the customer and the seller.
Of ten the best source of research for anything is the people around you. They can be a wellspring of information about what the public is looking for and responding to in real time. But beware of overly favorable opinions or advice. Many people sugar coat the realities of everything. Getting an overall picture of what is and is not real is your goal.
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Getting Started in Copywriting~ Part 2
Posted on 01. Mar, 2009 by admin.
In my last post I spoke about a few of the bullet points to developing a mindset geared toward being self employed as a copywriter and making the changes in your life that will help you to be successful. In this post I continue my discussion about the kind of actions that you must take consistently to ensure that success.
In order for you to be a great copywriter you must read every day. As I am starting out I have subscribed to and read Early to Rise www.earlytorise.com, Bencivengas Bullets www.bencivengasbullets.com and The total package www.makepeacetotalpackage.com There are many other relevant materials out there you must chose what works best for you.
In addition it is important to read the kinds of things that your clients may be reading. You want to have substantial knowledge about the kinds of things in which they are interested and where they may be coming from. Also read any promotional product information about the product you may be promoting. Read fiction, novels and any one of a number of magazines. I like people magazine. It’s full of current interest stories and articles.
Write every day. It doesn’t matter what you are writing, just write something. In fact I have read that one of the things that some of the great copywriters did when they first started was to really study what great copywriters had done before them. Look at good and bad copy. See if you can take the bad copy and make it better. Also relax into this writing. Just write as if you were writing to a dear friend with great news about a product that is going to improve the quality of their lives.
I would think that doing your homework on your writing assignment before you actually sit down to write would go without saying. Really do the research. Study the product. Know the end result that the copy is intended to create. Knowing more than is necessary for any project will help prevent writers block.
And then there’s writers block. If you have substantially done your homework and you know more about the product or assignment than is really necessary then you may not suffer that indomitable feeling one gets when they sit down in front of the computer and nothing is coming to them. If this happens then go for a walk, take a shower, work out, do something that might jump start your imagination and creativity. It may be that you have to start fresh in the morning. One copywriter I read about just sits down at the computer and starts writing, even if it’s just about that he can’t thing of what to write about.
And finally have fun. It’s certain that the work will be much more difficult if this is not fun for you. Even in my offline business we have fun. I insist on it. And if we’re not having at least a little bit of fun, then something’s not working right and need to be changed.
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Getting Started in Copywriting Part 1
Posted on 01. Mar, 2009 by admin.
Okay, here I go off into the wonderful world of copywriting. I’ve been spending a considerable time reading and collecting materials and trying to figure out where to start. And in the process I have established a collection of bullet points that I need to address while on this journey.
I am already a successful offline business owner. In that world know what is and is not work time is easy. The office is open from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday, unless we get one of those snowstorms that essentially shut down the entire state.
Nevertheless in order to be successful setting a specific time when you are at work is important. You know you better than anyone so it is up to you to decide what time of day that will be for and for how long a period you think you will be optimally productive.
So establish that time and then give some thought to the myriad distractions that are a part of daily life. We have the home phone, the cell phone (I have two) the computer with its very tempting internet and or games. How about chat room notifications, the TV, the housework you were going to do, the gardening project that’s needed your attention. All of these and more will pull at your attention until you establish a definite work time and place and establish a plan of action for dealing with all of those.
Then create a schedule. You must establish the best time of day for you to do your work. Some like mornings others prefer afternoons or evenings. There is some argument that first thing in the morning is the best time as you are at your freshest. I have forever written out schedules, especially on airplanes when I am headed home from a conference that has inspired me to (more) action. If you need to, you can be as specific as possible with your schedule as in 5:00 get up. 5:30 to 6:15 exercise routine, 6:30 shower and so on. In order for this schedule to work the best for you, it must be reasonable, it must work for you and you need to write it down and follow it.
To be continued in the next post. Stay tuned.