“When I write an advertisement, I don’t want you to tell me that you find it ‘creative.’ I want you to find it so interesting that you buy the product.” – David Ogilvy.
You most probably heard that words have power. And this is true; words can heal, words can influence, and words can make people take action. Try remembering the last great book you read and how it impacted you; you will know!
In copywriting, copywriters use that same power to sell products and services.
But you need to do it right. If you do it right, you have nothing to worry about; you will open the hidden door of your customer’s mind. A door that will bring you more sales, money, and reputation.
On the other hand, if you do it wrong, your customer will hate you, and at worst, they will forget you. Certainly, you will lose customers to your competitors.
However, it doesn’t have to be this way. Your business can create a lasting impact on your customer’s mind. Now I am going to show you how you can do it.
In this post, I am going to discuss:
- What is copywriting?
- Fifteen proven copywriting tips for writing a damn good copy and getting more sales.
- Clear explanations of each tip so that you can instantly use them in your business.
- Some great copywriting quotes to inspire you.
So, let get into it:
-
What is Copywriting?
“No sentence can be effective if it contains facts alone. It must also contain emotion, image, logic, and promise.” – Eugene Schwartz.
Copywriting is the area of writing persuasive marketing and promotional materials to make people take a specific action. For instance, the action could be to buy something, fill a signup form, order something, book a consultation, or anything you want your customers to do.
In the digital era, copywriting is not just limited to printed materials. The materials are now both digital and printed.
Copywriting can be text, image, video, or a combination of all. It’s a copywriter’s job to find the perfect one or perfect combination for a particular campaign.
While writing a copy, remember that you can write copies that are funny, serious, casual but don’t write boring copy! Because nobody wants to be bored.
Now you may have a question, who is a copywriter?
A copywriter writes text or copies used to promote or market products, services, or ideas.
Now, let’s discuss 15 proven copywriting tips for writing a better copy.
Let’s dive in:
1. Set a Crystal Clear Goal
“So, before you begin the writing, be sure you know the purpose or mission or objective of every piece of content that you write. What are you trying to achieve? What information, exactly, are you trying to communicate? And why should your audience care?” – Ann Handley.
The first thing as a copywriter you need is a crystal clear goal.
Because if you don’t have a goal for your copy, your copy is lost.
When your copy is lost, your customers are lost too!
Therefore, before writing a copy, the first thing you need to ask yourself is, “What impact do I want to create in my customer’s mind?” Then express it through the copy.
If you don’t know what you want, then how can you get it? Having a clear goal is pretty obvious, right?
So set a crystal clear goal first.
Think of it as travel planning. First, you select the destination where you want to go to. Then you plan how to reach the destination.
Keep in mind; your customers are like children. They don’t know, and they don’t understand. It’s your job to let them know and make them understand.
After writing the copy, the first question to ask yourself, “Can my audience clearly understand the message?”
If the answer is not, “Hell, Yeah.” Then rewrite the copy more understandably.
“No,” “Maybe,” “Just Yes” are not acceptable answers.
Repeat the rewriting process until the answer is “Hell Yeah”!
2. Create Ultra-Specific Buyer Persona
“Your job is not to write copy. Your job is to know your visitors, customers, and prospects so well, you understand the situation they’re in right now, where they’d like to be, and exactly how your solution can and will get them to their ideal self.” – Joanna Wiebe.
The most common mistake among copywriters is that they don’t know who their idle audience is.
To deliver what your audience wants, you need to know what they care about, need, and fear. The moment you know your customer’s secret desire, you can deliver what they want.
We humans are different. We have different desires, fears, and pains.
That’s why you need to create a buyer persona.
What is a buyer persona? A buyer persona is a semi-fictional character of your ideal customer.
To create a buyer persona, you need to note your customer’s pain, emotion, desire, and problem. The more you know about your customer, the better.
When you have a buyer persona, you can see what your ideal customer wants. Then you can deliver it to them.
Be Personal:
If everybody is an audience for a copy, then it’s not a good copy. You need to write a copy of your ideal customer. This way, you can be specific and personal with them.
Talk about their problems, pains, and wants. Then tell them how your product can solve the problem. Talk like you are having a conversation with them.
The more connection you can build with your customer, the better.
A buyer persona will help you to build a better connection with your customer.
The more specifically you create the buyer persona, the more personal you can be with them. Your customer will be able to relate them with your product and will trust you.
So creating an ultra-specific buyer persona should be your priority as a copywriter.
3. Kindness, Compassion, and Empathy are the keys`
“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”
― Mother Teresa
We are human and selling to humans. So never forget to be human.
When you are compassionate to your customer, they can feel it.
As humans, if we find an empathic brand that genuinely wants to help us, we trust the brand.
In a world where many businesses are using manipulation to get customers, you can stand out by being genuine and empathetic.
If you don’t care about your customers and sell by lying, most probably, you will lose them in the long run, and they will not trust you again.
However, if you are genuinely kind and empathetic toward your customers, they will trust you and become lifelong customers.
So be empathetic, listen to your customer’s problems, feel them, and deliver what they need.
4. Use Simple Short Sentences and Easy to Understand Words
“Make it simple. Make it memorable. Make it inviting to look at. Make it fun to read.” – Leo Burnett.
Imagine a situation where you have written a copy with a lot of passion. You used technical words to describe your product; you showed your expertise by using insider words. You thought when you publish it; everyone would think you are an authority!
However, when you publish, nobody cares because, except you, nobody understands the copy!
New copywriters make this mistake regularly. And it’s a huge mistake; you can’t afford to make this mistake.
If your audience doesn’t understand, then what is the point of a copy?
So use easy to understand words. Write Simple short sentences that everyone understands and uses.
Simple sentences are easy to remember and fun to read.
Here are some key points to keep in mind while writing a copy:
– Write short sentences
– Use active voice and avoid passive voice as much as possible
– Limit difficult words (Try not to use the difficult words)
– Limit complex sentences (Lifeless long sentence will not bring you anything except your customer’s confusion)
After writing the copy, ask yourself, “Can my audience easily understand the copy?”
5. Show Them, Don’t Tell Them.
“The mind thinks in pictures, you know. One good illustration is worth a thousand words. But one clear picture built up in the reader’s mind by your words is worth a thousand drawings, for the reader colors that picture with his imagination, which is more potent than all the brushes of all the world’s artists.” – Robert Collier.
Can you show your product in action? Because it works like magic. Humans mind responds better to visual images.
If it fits with your business, then show your customer before and after the images of using your product. If your competitors are not doing it, then you have a significant advantage.
When humans visualize themselves to do something, they are more likely to do it. Because when we imagine something, we feel it. When we feel, we take action.
In the meantime, it always works better when you don’t talk about your product. But show how your product can make your customer’s life better. It also creates an unconscious trigger in your customer’s mind to give your product a try.
You can also show your customers how to use your product. This will make it easy for them to use your product. It will also reduce the fear of their mind.
So if it is possible to show your product in action, then do it! It always works.
6. Benefits Beat Features
“You sell on emotion, but you justify a purchase with logic.” – Joseph Sugarman.
“While writing a copy, should I highlight features or benefits?”– This is a common question among copywriters.
My suggestion is, you should balance both but prioritize benefits.
Why? Because people don’t buy your product, they buy the emotion your product offers.
People need to be clear about why a feature matters and why they should care about it.
So clearly say the benefits of your product feature. Also, let them know how a particular feature can make their life easier and better.
For example: When a person visits a store to buy a drill machine. He doesn’t buy a drill machine. He buys the holes that the drill machine creates. Always keep that in mind!
To use this idea correctly, you can always take inspiration from big brands.
For this post:
Let’s talk about Apple’s “1000 Songs in Your Pocket” iPod campaign.
See, they didn’t get into in-depth features or any technical details of the iPod. Just a plain and simple one line.
The single line tells everything the customers needed to know and care about. They didn’t need to know the iPod’s technical stuff, but they did need to know what they can do with it.
And Apple said it!
So always clearly tell the benefits of your product.
7. What’s In It for Them?
“Nobody reads ads. People read what interests them. Sometimes it’s an ad.” – Howard Gossage.
It’s a hard truth to swallow, but nobody, I repeat, nobody cares about you! People care about themselves. So stop bragging about yourself.
People care about their interests. You see, your customers already have enough problems to think about. They need to solve those problems.
Talk about your customer’s problem and what your product can do for them. And how your product or service will make their lives easier.
People care about dentists because dentists can help their patients to get rid of the tooth pain. It works the same way in every business. If your business has nothing to offer, your customer will not care.
So clearly mention what your business has to offer. Tell them the key benefits they will get if they use your product or service.
This way, they will care about you.
8. Answer The Objections They Might Have
“People will do anything for those who encourage their dreams, justify their failures, allay their fears, confirm their suspicions, and help them throw rocks at their enemies.” – Blair Warren.
When a buyer wants to buy your product for the first time, they have many confusion and questions. Because they are scared and they don’t want to lose their money.
To remove this scarcity, answer every question and objection your customer might have.
By doing so, you will more clearly describe your product and build more trust. Your buyer will know exactly what they are getting. So your product will have more chances to meet their expectations.
Meanwhile, this will increase your conversion rate. Because they will understand, you know their problem thoroughly, and you are there to help them.
So, clarify your customer’s objections, and answer the questions they might have.
9. Social Proof
“Man is a social being; it’s not surprising we love social proofs, it sells brands fast” ― Bernard Kelvin Clive.
So, what is social proof? People adapt their behavior according to what others are doing- it’s the main idea of social proof.
Social proof works like magic in the business world. We are more likely to do something if someone else is doing it.
If we see someone is doing or using something, we want to do it for ourselves because nobody wants to be left out.
As well as, if nobody is doing something, we are less likely to do it. Sound familiar, right?
Humans are highly social beings. We learn by seeing others. We seek people’s opinions to validate our idea. It’s our natural behavior.
It works in the same way in the purchase decision we make. If your customers see other people using your product, they are more likely to use it.
So add social proof to your sales page.
Some examples of social proof: testimonials, reviews, influencer recommendations, etc.
Social proof also reduces the fear of your customer’s mind.
10. Put The Most Essential Message First
“QUIT = Quickly Uphold Important Things” ― Richie Norton.
You don’t want your customer to read halfway through to see the most important message. If you don’t say the essential message first, the chances are your buyer will never notice your message.
The right thing to do is keep the most important message first (this is super important). It also hooks your buyer to read more.
The way to do this is to find out the most important message. Then write an attention-grabbing headline around the message. Then put it in the hero section.
As a result, when visitors come to your website or store, they will first see the most important message.
In the online world, people have a tiny attention span. Maybe they have already opened ten other tabs. So you need to deliver your message super fast. It’s a bit tricky, but you need to do it right.
So organize your copy based on priority. This way, even if your customers don’t even read the full copy, they will still know the most important message.
You can use this tactic to make you more effective.
11. Overcome Buyers Procrastination
“It has long been my belief that a lot of money can be made by making offers to people who are at an emotional turning point in their lives.” – Gary Halbert.
Buyers are lazy, and they don’t want to take action. They want to do it later.
You can remove this tendency by creating a sense of urgency in your copy.
Some proven tactics to create a sense of urgency: Offer them a discount, time-limited offer; these tactics work to make your customers take action.
So use them to overcome buyer procrastination.
After writing the copy, ask yourself,” Is there urgency in my copy?”
12. A Clear Call-to-Action
One of the major mistakes many copywriters make is they do not add any clear call to action. They add multiple call-to-action or don’t no call-to-action.
The problem is when there are multiple call-to-action, your customers become confused. They become paralyzed of choice and don’t do anything.
If there is no clear call-to-action, then your customers don’t understand what to do next. So they leave. And it hurts your business.
So you should add one clear call-to-action. Mention it multiple times if necessary. If you do it correctly, then your customers will know what to do next.
Here is a formula you can use to get more click.
This formula is called the AIDA formula.
AIDA is one of the most popular copywriting formulas among copywriters because it works.
AIDA stands for:
A= Attention
I= Interest
D= Desire
A= Action
The idea is simple.
Your first goal is to grab the attention of your customers. It is highly dependent on business and the goal you want to achieve.
When you have their attention, your next goal is to generate interest in your customer’s mind.
The third step is crucial. In this step, your customers desire to use your product. By now, you should convince your customer that your product will solve their problem or make their life better.
In the last step, directly tell them the action that they need to take.
13. Edit and Brutally Element the Unnecessary Lines
“If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.” – Elmore Leonard.
After writing the first draft, edit it and make it better. Remove unnecessary words and sentences mercilessly.
Keep the essential sentences only.
Highlight the most important points.
Your customers don’t have the whole day to read your copy.
So do yourself and your customer a favor and element all the unnecessary elements.
Tell them the few things they need to know and one thing they need to do.
14. Make Your Copy Skimmable.
“I’ve learned that any fool can write a bad ad, but that it takes a real genius to keep his hands off a good one.” – Leo Burnett.
Don’t write long paragraphs because they are hard to track.
Instead, write small paragraphs, use spaces, highlight key points, use bullet points, write list copy.
Your customers are busy. They always don’t have time. Make your copy skimmable so that your customers can easily read your copy and get ideas.
If your copy is not skimmable, then you will lose your busy visitors. So keep that in mind while writing a copy next time.
15. Read Your Copy Aloud.
“There is your audience. There is the language. There are the words that they use.” – Eugene Schwartz.
When you are done with your copy, take a break. Go for a walk, read a book, or watch a movie.
After a few hours, read your copy aloud.
You will naturally find mistakes. Now make the changes you need to make. If you think anything is unusual, then change it in a usual way.
Cheers for your effort.
Now it’s time to publish the copy and analyze how it performs.
To sum it up:
First, you need to set a specific goal for an ideal customer.
While writing a copy, have humanity in heart.
Can you show your product in action? If yes, then do it.
Let your buyer know about your product features but highlights benefits. Tell them how your product or service will make their life better. Make them feel why they should care.
Take time to think and solve the objection they might have. Show them other people are doing it.
Keep the most important message first.
Create a sense of urgency to overcome buyer procrastination.
Clearly tell them what action they need to take.
Edit and element unnecessary words and sentences; keep it skimmable.
Take a break, come back, and read your copy aloud, make changes if needed.
It’s a detailed guide on how to do copywriting effectively. This is the exact formula many expert copywriters use. Now it’s your turn to write a great copy. If you think this post can help any of your friends, please share it with them.