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Copywriting. It's a strange name for a
potentially lucrative type of writing for writers. My definition of
copywriting is "persuasive writing" which convinces readers to take a certain
action, especially buying a product.
(By the way, it's not the same as
copyright which is the legal protection around how you express your ideas.)
Six tips for better
copywriting Tip 1. Know your
audience. Take the time to research who you are targeting and what their
hot buttons are. What problem are you solving? What pain can you
alleviate or pleasure can you provide?
Tip 2. Spend a lot of time on the headline. Your headline will
determine whether the reader keeps going or clicks away. Write lots of headlines
with only a few words that are different. One study showed that just
adding an "s" on a verb improved conversion.
Tip 3. Develop a sample file. Start paying
attention what persuades. Why do you buy things? What phrases were
used? How was the item described? What finally pushed you over to
click the buy button? Tip 4. Keep
it simple. Keep your sentences short and easy to read. Make sure
there's plenty of white space on the page so your readers can rest. Use
headings and bullets to make your information more readable. On a separate
scratch paper, describe the different traits of your product... but don't use
those in your letter. Figure out what those traits can do for you, and use
that in your copy.
Tip 5. Write the right amount. You need long enough text so that
interested readers can get all the questions answered...and sometimes that can
lead to a lot of text... and that's OK as long as each paragraph moves the
reader to keep reading to the next step.
Tip 6. Tell the reader what to do. Make sure you
have a call to action--especially at the bottom of every page. I've been
to so many websites where I read down the page, liked what I read, get to the
bottom, and the site just ends and doesn't tell me what to do next!
Want to learn to be a copywriter?
Check out the archives and then sign up for
Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero's Red Hot Copy newsletter. She is
my favorite copywriting teacher, and her course,
Red Hot Copy to Woo Your Target Market is outstanding (and
it's a lot more reasonably priced. I've seen some of these programs go for
thousands of dollars.) Peter Bowerman's The Well-Fed Writer
can also help you with the logistics of running your copywriting business and
getting clients. Happy copy-writing!
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