Have you ever wanted to be able to convince people to take the desired action with your writing? Then copywriting skills are what you need.
Being a copywriter can earn you a good amount of money as it is an in-demand skill. Fortunately for you, it is a skill you can learn and get better at if you keep at it.
It is a skill that can make you an important employee at your place of work or better if you are a freelancer can make you a profitable entrepreneur, who doesn't like profit? lol
In order for you to make money through copywriting, you will have to become a great copywriter and as such you will gain much from the information in this article.
Let's take a look at what copywriting is all about.
What is Copywriting?
Copywriting is the practice of creating written text to inform, inspire or persuade. In most cases, copywriting is used to increase sales and conversions. The means by which copywriting is implemented include sales letters, blog posts, advertisements, and social media posts.
Why is writing important?
In the age of video and podcasting, is copywriting still important?
In a nutshell: yes.
Here are some of the perks you can get by getting good at writing:
Get higher conversion rates on key pages
Improve article structure and flow
Get more engagement on posts on social media
Get more people to share your content
Your customers' needs and wants
In other words: Copywriting can improve almost every part of your marketing.
This obviously includes articles and sales pages. But copywriting is also taken into account when creating: Copywriter Do?
It goes without saying that a copywriter spends most of his day writing. However, there is more to a copywriter's job than putting it word for word.
In fact, experienced copywriters spend a lot of time getting to know their clients. They also invest time in understanding how the product they are writing about can help their potential customers.
If you write copy for your product or service, you probably already know what it is, how it works, and how it stacks up against the competition. So your job is to know the thoughts, fears, and desires of your audience. And how they express these things in their minds. That way you can write copy that speaks to them directly.
How to Become a Great Copywriter
Fortunately, you don't need any formal training or education to become a copywriter. Instead, you should master the following skills:
Customer research
Sentence structure
Web writing
Grammar and spelling
Persuasion
Content structure
Online advertising
To be clear: Becoming a great copywriter takes time. But it is a marketing skill that you can use to get clients as the writing of an independent editor or to improve your work outlook.
Why Understanding the Product is So Important
The first step in any writing project is to fully understand the product you are selling. Legendary writer David Olgilvy is famous for taking three weeks of careful study to come up with a winning concept for a RollsRoyce ad. The final headline read "At 60 mph, the loudest noise in this Rolls-Royce is from the electric clock." It took him so long to find a detail compelling enough to sell a Rolls-Royce.
And if it took Mr. Ogilvy this long to discover such an important selling characteristic, it is well worth taking the time to study your product to find out which characteristics stand out for your customers.
In this article: Find out what makes your product unique and what benefits and features will appeal to your customers.
This is the first step in any drafting project.
The good news is that as a business or blog owner you already know your product inside and out. Know the features, understand how it works and knows the benefits it provides to your customers. It's best to have everything saved in one place so you always have it handy.
So before you start writing a copy, complete the following exercise to write a description of your product or service. Once you are done, you will know all the details of what you are selling and have a better idea of how to sell it.
Create your product description
Start by answering the following questions about your product (you may need to modify the questions slightly if you are providing a service instead of selling a product).
To illustrate each step of the process, we are going to create a hypothetical product that we can refer to in this guide, called “Simple Investigation Tool”.
Question 1: How would you describe the product?
For this question, provide a simple two or three sentence product description. It doesn't have to be very long or detailed and don't worry about providing an imaginative answer. Just write a short description as if you were describing the product to a customer.
Question 2: What is unique/special about this product?
The goal here is to identify something unique or special about the product. What does this product offer that others don't? Is it made in the USA? Is it easy to install? Does it provide analytics that other sites don't?
Finally, you will use it to identify a Unique Selling Proposition (USP). A USP is something unique that other companies don't offer. Is there something special about your product? Is there something that sets it apart from the competition? Record something about the product here that makes it special or unique.
Question 3: What big advantage does it offer?
Not only do you want to know how unique a product is, you also know what benefits it offers to customers. Many companies stop to describe the product and fail to convey the benefit of using it.
For example, a business might talk about how they offer web analytics software, but they don't communicate to customers the benefits of using the service. Instead, they should tell customers that the software is helping them build a more profitable site, generate more revenue per customer, or accomplish something else along those lines. The goal should be to provide a benefit, not just to describe the service.
So what great benefit does your product offer?
Question 4: What pain does it relieve?
People generally buy for one of two reasons: to increase pleasure or to minimize pain. In the previous question, we identified the benefit that “would increase the pleasure”; in this question, we will identify which pain is minimized by using the product.
For example, an auto insurance company might use a headline like, "Are You Paying Too Much For Your Auto Insurance?" The ad would go on to explain how most customers pay more than they need for auto insurance and how Company X can save them more money (which is similar to what GEICO is currently doing).The point of the ad is to focus on the pain first and then talk about how Company X is relieving that pain.
Another option is to focus the ad on the enjoyment customers get from saving money. He might use a headline like this: "How are you going to spend the money you save using [specific name of auto insurance company here]?" Instead of focusing on the pain, draw attention to the pleasure felt in moving to another insurer (which GEICO did in 2008 with its “money you could save” announcements).
Often, focusing on the pain removed is more effective than focusing on the pleasure provided, but the effectiveness of both approaches can be tested.
So what pain does your product relieve? Let's write it down now.
Question 5: What features are included and what are the benefits of each?
The first thing you want to do to answer this question is write down each of the characteristics of the product. You might not end up using them all in your copy, but at the very least, you want to save them all in one place so you have them handy if needed. Some products have many features, others have fewer. In any case, list here all the characteristics of your product with a brief description of each.
In addition to listing the features, be sure to list the benefits of each. We'll talk about the benefits later, but in short, customers care more about the benefits that the features provide than the features themselves (but you may still need to list the features in your copy, so be sure to save them all here).
For example, customers are more interested in high-speed Internet which helps them watch uninterrupted streaming videos than the Internet which offers download speeds of 15 Mbps. the advantage provided by functionality. Now register the characteristics of your product and its advantages.
As you can see from these sample answers, there is a big difference between features and benefits. Features are the technical aspects of the product, and benefits are how those features help customers accomplish something they want to accomplish. It's good to record both, but we'll talk more about the importance of perks in a later chapter.
Now that we've taken the time to understand your product and record its features, let's move on to the next critical step in the writing process.
2. Understanding Your Customers
In addition to understanding the product inside and out, the most important step in any copywriting project is knowing who you are selling to. Here because.
How you sell what you sell is determined by who you sell it to, what they want to buy, and what will convince them to make a purchase.It's about the customer, not your business.
If you sell to stay-at-home moms you will write differently than if you sell to top business executives, and if you sell to Fortune 500 you will write differently than if you sell resale to startups.
You may be wondering "Why is this so important?" This is important because each group of clients has different hopes, fears, dreams and expectations. Moms, for example, have different priorities than business leaders. Saving money is more important for moms, while saving time is more valuable for executives.
These differences affect the way you write and sell the product. It also means you really need to know what your customers like.
As you can see, defining your client is a fundamental part of the writing process.
Understanding your audience and their fears, wants and needs is the first step in writing quality writing.
How do you do this?
First, put yourself in their shoes. This should be relatively easy if you are selling a product that fixes a problem you once had.
However, if you are selling a product or service that you wouldn't use yourself (a common problem with freelance writers), you need to learn more about the problem.
This is where customer surveys come in handy. Instead of having to guess what your customers are looking for, ask them directly.
Ideally, you have already created some sort of marketing persona and you can use it to target your customers.
We focus on a handful of real customers to find out what's important to them.
Question: What do customers like about your product?
In addition to knowing who your customers are, you also need to know what appeals to them about your product. Why did they buy in the first place and why do they keep coming back?
So take a minute and think about the main reasons people buy your product. What do they like? Once you understand this, write your answer down in the document.
At this point you should have a good idea of:
How to describe your product or service in a simple but understandable way
The main characteristics and advantages of your product/service
The big advantage, that is say the main strength (s) of your product/service
Who your customers are and what matters to them
The notes you have taken so far will provide a solid foundation for the copy you write.
Write Headlines That Grab Attention
Headlines can make or break your copy.
It doesn't matter if you're writing for ads, website redesign, Facebook post, or landing pages. Headlines get readers to click on your article and give your copy a fighting chance.
How to write attention-grabbing headlines There are 3 keys to attention-grabbing headlines.
1. Your headlines should be unique
If you want to stand out and sell your products, you must have unique and eye-catching titles.
2. Your headlines must be extremely precise
As soon as your audience reads your headline, they should know exactly what they are going to get from your product or service.
Avoid generic or ambiguous sentences and describe what your prospects will achieve in a very specific way.
3. Your headline should convey a sense of urgency
You want your audience to think about what they will lose if they don't immediately benefit from your product or service.
Are they losing customers? Are potential social opportunities missed? Take advantage of people's fear of losing them (FOMO) and your headlines will help your copy convert like crazy.
There are tools you can use to help you write captivating headlines, I use headline studio by Coschedule among others.
Writing persuasive copy
Writing, compared to other forms of writing, is a different animal.
It doesn't have to be good writing.
It's about writing persuasively.
It doesn't matter if you are a world class lyricist or a literary genius.
If you can't effectively move readers through the correct sequence of steps and ultimately get them to buy, your conversions will suffer.
Here are my favorite copywriting tactics for converting traffic into paying customers.
Start with a Great Value Proposition
A study by the Nielsen Norman Group found that you have very little time to grab a visitor's attention before they leave your page.
In fact, you usually have a maximum of 20 seconds.
Your first order of business is to make it clear what your value proposition is.
Now there are several ways to do it, but I think it should be kept simple.
Getting too complex tends to dilute the message and blur the outlook.
What I have found most effective is to keep my value proposition short, fun, and clear.
Don't make them guess what you are offering.
Let them know in a split second what you are offering with your crystal clear value proposition.
To do this, try to condense the essence of your product into a few words.
Quickly switch to benefits
“What's in it for me?
That's what most visitors think after hearing your value proposition.
But here's the thing.
Most people tend to prioritize features over benefits.
But it should be the other way around.
Just Look At This Venn ABC Copywriting Diagram
Notice that benefits are valued over features.
Of course, you want to give an explanation for how your product works. But you may intricate on that later.
What you need to do first is give an explanation for how the product fulfills a want or desire.
In different words, give an explanation for how your customers’ lives might be higher when they purchase your product.
It will save time and make matters more efficient.
When it involves describing benefits, there are 3 principal kinds to cover:
Tangible
Intangible
Commercial
As they point out, “Benefits need not be unique, but they must be compelling.”
Keep this in mind when deciding on an angle.
I personally find that it’s best to highlight the benefits before getting down to the nitty gritty of the features.
That way prospects should be more receptive and willing to wade through the details.
But if you go the other way around and cover the features before the benefits, you’re probably going to lose a sizable portion of your leads.
Now explain the features
They already know what you’re offering and what the benefits are.
Now it’s time to succinctly break down the features of your product.
“Digestibility” is huge, and you want to present your product’s features in an easy to absorb, intuitive way.
You also want to touch on specifics to distinguish your product from competitors and to add a sense of value.
Keep it simple, but include a few key details that explain why your product is the best.
A strong call to action (CTA)
By now, your prospects should understand what your product is, how it will benefit them, and what the features are.
Your final task is to tell them what to do next.
In other words, it’s time for your CTA.
You can liken this to battling a boss in the final level of a video game.
Notice that it’s very clear what action I want prospects to complete.
As always, I strongly recommend doing at least some basic A/B testing on your CTA to see what works best.
Some specific elements to test include:
button style
button color
wording
positioning
Be very persuasive
Okay, now we’ve covered the basic structure of wellcrafted copywriting.
The general structure of a landing page should be roughly as follows:
Value proposition
Benefits
Features
CTA
But how do you ensure you’re hitting all the right notes and being highly persuasive?
Obviously, the value proposition and benefits will offer some motivation, but here are some other things I’ve found to be impactful.
Make your content scannable
I’m not going to launch into a huge sermon about the importance of creating scannable content.
You probably already know people read online content differently than they do offline content.
But if you want to efficiently get prospects from Point A (your value proposition) to Point B (your CTA), it helps to make everything in between easily scannable.
Luckily, the formula for scannable content is quite easy.
Just include headers, bullet lists, and a considerable amount of white space along the way.
Apple, being the savvy marketers they are, do this perfectly on their MacBook Pro landing page.
Notice that it’s very clear what action I want prospects to complete.
Use persuasive words
And in line with research, the 5 most persuasive phrases known in the English language are:
New
You
Free
Because
Instantly
Using those phrases at some stage in your writing in key places does have a sizeable effect on conversions.
Social evidence
This is my remaining point, and it’s a key one.
Incorporating social evidence into your copy is the final dressing of the project.
I will say that testimonials are normally your high-quality bet, naira for naira.
You also can use stuff like:
ratings
media logos
subscriber counts
social connections (your range of followers)
customers you’ve worked with
Just be practical, and offer any form of social evidence you observed that could have maximum conversions on your potential customers to take action.
I hope you enjoyed reading this article you can and using these tips above will aid you on your path to becoming a great copywriter.
There are other articles you can read after going through the article to gain more insights into the art of copywriting.
