You have a product or service to sell. Maybe you’re trying to promote a book or looking to launch a web design business. No matter what you’re selling, you’ll eventually need to write some kind of copy (words) to introduce or explain your product to someone.
What makes up great copy?
In short, it’s usually very short. People have shorter attention spans than ever before, so they want quick wins. That means shorter attention-grabbing words and compelling calls to action (CTAs).
Here are five essentials every successful copywriter should know:
1. Always Be Reading
As a copywriter, you’ll never be complete without a constant flow of new content to read. The best way to keep abreast of the latest trends and techniques is simply to keep reading. There are plenty of blogs, magazines, and newsletters out there that can keep you well-informed. Plus, you can always attend blogging events, webinars, and other marketing or advertising-related meetings where you can network with other likeminded individuals.
2. Know What You’re Copying And Why
When you write copy for websites or any form of digital marketing, you’ll need to understand exactly what you’re writing about. To quote David Ogilvy, one of the masters of persuasion, “You shouldn’t need to explain to someone why they should buy your product; you should be able to tell them what it is and leave it at that.”
In other words, to effectively write product copy, you need to know exactly what your product is and why someone would want it. You don’t want to bury the reader in unnecessary information, especially when you’re trying to spark their interest. So take time to carefully think through the following questions before you begin writing:
What Is It?
The first and most important question to ask yourself is, “What is it?” In other words, what does my product do and how does it work? This question should be accompanied by a short, descriptive paragraph that tries to answer it. Don’t worry, you don’t need to explain the entire functionality of your product in one fell swoop; pull out a few of the most relevant points and use your judgment to decide which ones you’ll use.
For example, if you’re selling a children’s clothing item, you might write something like this: “A cool new look for your little girl or little boy. Made with soft, comfortable fabrics in bright, happy colors, our clothes for kids will help your child feel happy and comfortable in their own skin.”
The more you know about your product, the easier it will be for you to write effective copy about it. However, you don’t want to overdo it and make the copy too wordy or repetitive; you want to keep it short and sweet. Sometimes saying “no” to longer paragraphs and tighter sentences can actually result in people reading your text more carefully and word for word. The same principle applies to headlines, by the way – a short, snappy headline can lead to more clicks and conversions than a longer, wordier one. So, as you craft your copy, keep a few rules in mind: make it quick and make it attractive. Your potential customers should be able to grab hold of it and not have to struggle with finding something interesting to read.
3. Find Your Reader
The second most important question to ask yourself is, “Who is my audience?” This is a crucial question, as you’ll need to write to someone – hopefully, many someones – to make your product successful. To quote Richard Simmons, “You need to find your people, then you can speak to them.”
While you’re at it, you may as well find out a little bit about them. That means getting to know your audience and learning what kind of person will most likely be interested in your product. For example, if you’re writing to mothers who have daughters, you may want to tailor your content to speak to them directly. If you’re aiming for a B2B audience, then you may want to craft a message that is more business-oriented.
Once you’ve found your audience, you can begin to tailor your message so that it is more effective. For example, if you’ve determined that your main audience is parents who have daughters, you may want to frame your copy around protecting their interests. Protecting their interests means showing them how your product or service can keep them from having to worry about their girls getting teased at school or experiencing inappropriate touching. You can use some of the same tactics in your favor as well, such as highlighting the positive aspects of your product or service and providing solutions to common problems.
As a general rule, the shorter the audience, the shorter the copy. Sometimes, however, trying to tailor your message to everyone can backfire. You may end up writing long-ass paragraphs that go on and on and on…and on and on…and on and on until someone gets sick of it and clicks away. So, you need to find that sweet spot where you can speak to your audience but not go on and on and on and on about it. You also need to keep in mind that not everything you write will end up in print. Some of it will be for a web page or blog post, but some of it will be for an email marketing campaign. That’s why it’s important to test and A/B test various versions of your copy before you finally settle on something.
4. Use Reliable Sources
Even if you’ve determined that your product is absolutely essential for your audience’s lives, you can’t just make promises you don’t intend to keep. People can be quite the cynic when it comes to ads and marketing campaigns, so you’ll need to do everything you can to back up your claims and show your audience that you’re a trustworthy entity.
As a general rule, advertisers and marketing firms must follow certain ethical guidelines when producing marketing materials. One of the things they’re supposed to do is verify the claims they make in their ads and marketing material. If you want to write a review of a product and don’t have enough information about it to do so, you can’t just say it does XYZ for Y and Z reasons; you’ll need to provide some evidence to back it up.
Verify isn’t just limited to advertising and marketing materials, either. If you’re writing a blog post and include quotes from another source – whether it’s a news story or an academic paper – you’ll need to provide a link to the original source of the information. If you don’t have a source, you can’t just cite an unverified tweet.
5. Measure The Results Of Your Work
At the end of the day, no matter what you write – whether it’s ad copy, a blog post, or a tweet – you’ll need a way to measure the results of your work. Sometimes measuring the results of your work can be difficult, especially when you’re dealing with social media. That’s why it’s always a good idea to track the following metrics:
- Website traffic (where did all the traffic come from)
- Social media traffic (where did all the shares come from)
- CTA clicks (where did all the clicks come from)
- Cost/profit (what was the cost of the ad and what was the profit if any)
From a pure sales standpoint, you’ll want to track the following metrics as well:
- Product sales (did the product sell as expected based on the marketing effort)
- New product registrations (did the product generate any new leads or customers)
- Loyalty (is the customer still buying from you after all this time)
- Retention (did the product help the customer remain engaged in your mission)
Now You Know What To Look Out For
With just a few tips and tricks, you’ll be able to write effective product copy. Remember, every piece of text you write will eventually end up on a web page or blog post, so make sure each piece is as good as it can be before you put it in front of a judge for public scrutiny. Above all, make sure you have fun! Creating copy is both challenging and rewarding at the same time. Don’t get frustrated if the first piece of copy you write doesn’t work out perfectly. Just dive back into the process and keep writing. Soon enough, you’ll have something that works and can be used.