Skip to content
Home ยป How to Write Copy That Sells – David Ogilvy’s 4 Golden Rules for Sales Copy

How to Write Copy That Sells – David Ogilvy’s 4 Golden Rules for Sales Copy

Have you ever read an article about a product and been instantly sold on the basis of the information provided?

Copywriting can be a tricky business, especially when you’re following traditional rules of copywriting which may no longer work in today’s digital world. But what if we told you there was a simple set of rules that could drastically increase your conversion rates?

That’s what we want to show you today. We want to share with you David Ogilvy’s four golden rules for sales copy, which could help you write persuasive sales pages that compel website visitors to take action.

1. Keep it Short

If your target audience is busy people, like myself, you’re better off keeping your copy short and sweet. Longer texts often suffer from a higher probability of error due to the reading process. Shorter texts, on the other hand, require less time to consume, meaning you have more time to devote to more important tasks. A shorter text may also encourage the reader to keep reading because the expectation of getting to the point quickly makes the text more inviting.

Shorter texts are easier to understand. If you have a complex idea to convey, breaking it down into short, easy-to-digest pieces is an effective way to go about it. Consider the Bloomberg Businessweek article on TikTok, How TikTok Changed the Game for E-commerce Marketers. The article explains how the platform’s short-form video content helped fuel an e-commerce renaissance.

The takeaway from this example is that shorter texts are generally more effective. The goal is to minimize the scrolling experience so your reader stays on your page as long as possible.

2. Make It Interesting

The second golden rule of selling text is to make it interesting. Now, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to making your text interesting. But, in general, the more interesting you can make your text while still retaining the essence of what you’re writing, the more effective it will be.

Let’s say your product is a tablet computer and you’re pitching it to a general audience. Despite the fact that tablets are a fairly standard item, you may still want to spice things up a bit by injecting some personality into your text. For example, you could write something like this:

“Tablet computers are a hot commodity right now and with good reason. Not only do they provide an incredible amount of flexibility for busy professionals, but they also allow for greater creativity than ever before thanks to the incredible apps available for them. More and more people are realizing that while tablets may not be for everyone, they certainly have their place in today’s world. One such place is in art and design. An incredible app called Procreate allows for drawing and painting on the go. Anyone can download it for free and access all the creative tools right away. Combine that with a large collection of fonts, templates and wallpapers and you have an incredibly flexible way to create something unique and amazing without having to spend hours in front of a blank canvas or screen. So, if you’re looking for a device that can both entertain and organize your creative process, the Nexus 6P could be just what you’re looking for.

Notice how we not only described the product but also provided the key benefits of the product as part of our pitch? The more you can do in your copy to make it interesting, the more effective it will be. Make sure to weave in a little bit of humor here and there, but not so much as to stray from your topic.

3. Use Bullets

The third golden rule of good sales copy is to use bullets. I’m sure you’re familiar with the term. Bullets are short, bold phrases that quickly and succinctly convey your message. They are generally considered less formal than the full-on sentences we usually use in daily conversation.

Why should you use bullets in your copy? Well, first and foremost, they make your text more digestible. When people read lengthy block-style texts, they often find it difficult to keep track of the sequence of events, which can make the reading experience more challenging. By segmenting your text using bullets, you make it clear to the reader what the main points are and ensure they keep the context of what you’re writing in mind as they go through it.

So, if you’re trying to convince someone to buy your product, using bullets is a great way to quickly summarize the main points of your text. It’s a simple yet effective approach that could help you write better sales materials quickly.

Bullets also make your text more accessible. If you have a complicated piece of text, using small words and short phrases allows others to more easily pick up on what you’re saying. In addition, you can use bold or italicized words to draw the eye to specific parts of your text. In the example above, the phrase “An incredible app called Procreate” is in italics, while the key benefit of the app is described in the following sentence.

“Thanks to Procreate, you can take your creativity wherever you go. Thanks to the app’s unique feature, Cloud Paint, you can also create murals on the go. So, if you’re looking for a device that can both entertain and enhance your creative process, the Nexus 6P could be just what you’re looking for.”

This last example is a combination of the previous two. We used a short, informal text to introduce the app, followed by a series of bullets that helped us succinctly explain the app’s key features.

4. Test

Finally, the fourth golden rule of good sales copy is to test. This rule applies no matter what kind of product you’re trying to sell. You never know how well your ideas will work until you test them out. So, even if everything goes well and your text is effective and interesting, there’s still no guarantee that it will work out well for you. You need to test it. Ideally, you should try out different versions of your text to see which one performs best.

In the example below, we broke down the fourth rule into two parts. The first part describes the process of testing while the second part presents the results of the testing.

Now, in the first part of our example, we used an informal, conversational tone. The text is broken down into two parts, so the reader can more easily follow along. We used short sentences and emphasized key words to keep the writing quick and to the point.

In the second part of our example, we used specific language that the target audience would understand. We also described the results of the testing so that our hypothetical reader could predict what would happen if they adopted our approach.

“Testing is especially important when developing new marketing materials or updating existing ones. Launching a fresh campaign or revising existing content means you need to test how well your text resonates with your audience. This is also true when developing sales collateral for a particular product or service. It’s always preferable to test different variations of your text to see which one performs best. There are a few tips you can follow to improve your testing process, such as using A/B testing or building a user base on your site before rolling out a major revision to your marketing material. If you already use an automated email marketing tool, you can set it up to send out short text messages to a small portion of your list. This way you can easily test different versions of your text and determine which one is most effective. Remember: no matter what kind of product you’re promoting, testing is key to ensuring success.

If you keep the above four rules in mind, you’ll be able to write effective texts that compel internet users to take action, which in turn, will help you grow your business.