When you’re planning to launch a new product, service, or feature by means of marketing or advertising, you’ll soon discover that your product description, pitch, and ad copy all have to work together as a team. In order to create top-performing copy for your marketing and advertising campaigns, you need to focus on four key areas – structure, style, emotion, and memorability – and you need to do so from the very beginning.
1. Structure
In general, people scan, or skims, content quickly and efficiently. When you’ve got too much information, your reader will lose interest and might even drop off altogether. That’s why it’s important to keep your writing simple and straightforward, yet concise.
Structure is about following the guidelines of how you want your content to appear. The best copywriters learn how to use headlines, subheads, and bullets to establish structure and framework for their content. A simple and classic example of good copy structure is:
- The first sentence of the article or pitch
- Three or four focused and engaging sentences
- A short break
- A concluding sentence that ties the entire article together
This structure helps the reader know what to expect and allows for greater comprehension. By breaking down the content into these easy-to-follow steps, you provide the reader with a clear goal and direction, both of which boost retention.
2. Style
When you write with style, you develop an authoritative tone that makes the reader want to know more about what you have to say. To create an authoritative voice, you need to rely on simple and elegant language, as well as short and simple sentences. However, make sure not to take simplicity and elusiveness too far – you don’t want your text to appear sloppy or uninspired.
In general, when it comes to pitching and marketing materials, being unique is the key to creating standout content. To achieve this, you should experiment with unique phrases and words to make your writing more interesting and engaging. Using unique words and phrases helps to establish you as an expert in your industry and allows you to stand out from the competition.
3. Emotion
With the right language, you can make your reader cry, laugh, or feel inspired. Good copywriters learn to use specific words and phrases that evoke a certain emotion in the reader. For example, if you want to make your reader feel confident or secure, you could use words like trustworthy, safe, or loyal. If you want to make them feel jealous, you could use words like exclusive or bespoke.
People crave attention and respect, so showing your reader that you’ve taken the time to consider their needs and wants is a good way to earn their loyalty. By establishing yourself as a thought leader in your industry, you prove to your audience that you’ve taken the time to consider their needs and wants, and you gain credibility.
4. Memorability
When people hear, or read, information over and over again, it begins to lose its impact. To ensure that your language is memorable, you need to experiment with different styles and words until you find one that sticks in the reader’s mind. Once you’ve got this phrase or sentence, you can use it effectively in future writing projects – the more you use it, the more you’ll be able to call on it when you need it.
To ensure that your content is memorable, you need to focus on the following areas –
- Headlines
- Short paragraphs (less than six sentences)
- Active and compelling verbs
- Specific and easy-to-understand examples
Learning to write good copy isn’t as difficult as you’d think. With a little bit of focused practice, anyone can become a decent copywriter. If you’re serious about improving your writing, you can get the help of a professional copyeditor. They will review your work, pointing out areas for you to improve. The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll begin to see improvements. And who knows – maybe one day, you’ll even write a piece that gets picked up by a magazine and lands you a nice fat check in the process.