Whether you are an expert in sales and marketing, or just starting out, you’ll soon discover that effective copywriting can greatly increase your odds of converting a stranger into a friend, a patient into a customer, and a reader into a subscriber. Learning how to use copywriting to create a compelling call to action is one of the best ways to rapidly expand your expertise and ultimately, grow your business.
The Basics Of Writing For Converting
Before you begin applying this strategy, it’s essential to understand the basics of good copywriting. Put yourself in your reader’s shoes for a moment. You’re about to discover a valuable marketing insight that will change the way you approach your job as a writer.
The key to compelling copy is engaging the reader from the very first line and not letting go until the end of the article or landing page. As in the case of any other form of effective writing, you should always aim to write for intelligent, attentive people who are in the right frame of mind to be persuaded. This requires the ability to put yourself in your reader’s shoes and understand what will make him or her click, tap, or say “no thank you, I’ve been there, done that.”
Find Your Voice
The first step to creating compelling copy is finding your voice. What does that mean? It means you’re going to write in a way that feels natural to you. The important thing is not to be afraid to be yourself. Authentic, original content will always be valued over copied content. The good news is that once you find your voice, the next step is a lot easier.
The first step to finding your voice is listening. That’s why it’s so important to have a trusted mentor or professional coach to listen to your pitches, read your articles, and give candid feedback. They can help you identify your unique voice and the style of words, sentences, and paragraphs that work best for you. Your mentor can also help you choose your target audience, establish a tone, and choose the right publishing platform – whether traditional or digital – for your content.
If you’re still unsure where to begin, simply ask other writers or specialists in your industry for help. They will be more than happy to offer you some tips on how to find your unique voice. In the meantime, take some time to read some of the best selling books on business and marketing. You’ll soon see the connections between the skills you’re learning and how you can apply them to your work.
Create A Lead
Before you begin crafting an article, it’s important to have a clear idea of what you intend to say. The lead is the part of the article that contains the main idea or argument. The lead must be concise yet complete enough to make the point. It should not be longer than four to five sentences depending on the length of the article. The goal is to grab the reader’s attention and compellingly communicate your idea in the fewest words possible.
Crafting a strong lead takes some trial and error. You’ll soon learn that it’s most effective to begin with a strong hook, followed by strong supporting details. A strong hook is a teaser that attracts the reader and compels him or her to keep reading. Your goal is to create a lead that is so compelling that the reader says “hmmm, I want to know more.” When you come across a weak lead, you know you’re going to have a tough time getting the reader to click, tap, or say “yes, I want more.” You can also use your lead to develop an outline for your piece. The more you practice, the better you’ll become at crafting strong leads.
Build Your Case
Your case is the part of your article that you proceed to prove or argue. A case must be sufficiently strong to support your lead. You want to craft a case that is so compelling that the reader feels confident enough to agree with your point of view. When you’ve built a strong enough case, you can begin proving your point. The more you write, the stronger your case will become. Make sure to always have a powerful ending that leaves the reader wanting more.
As you become more experienced as a copywriter, you’ll learn to craft a convincing argument that draws logical conclusions and makes a strong case. For example, you might argue that the best way to reach female readers is through a blog post about fashion trends. You could begin with a solid lead such as “Fashion blogs often focus on the trends, but what are the key influencers really up to?”
You’ll then need to prove your case with strong supporting evidence. Fashion blogs often cite statistics to back up their points. For example, you could cite the rise of the fashion-blogging community and how much they’ve influenced regular people’s fashion choices. Fashion blogs often cite studies and research to support their points. Keep in mind: A strong case built on reliable evidence will always trump a weak case supported by flimsy conjecture.
To learn more, simply search for “case study” on YouTube or read some of the best business blogs out there. You’ll soon find yourself constructing persuasive narratives, analyzing market data, and discovering interesting tidbits about the topic you’re covering. When you’re writing an academic paper, search for “case study” or “example study” to find relevant, reliable content. If you’re still unsure where to start, simply scan the business journals to see what’s happening in the world of commerce and follow the leads there. You’ll soon see the connections between the skills you’re learning and how you can apply them to your work.
Keep Your Reader In The Know
You should always keep your readership in mind as you write an article. What do I mean by that? Essentially, you want to ensure that your article is presented in a way that is most effective and beneficial to your readers. Once you’ve found your voice and established a clear point, you can begin to think about how you’ll present your argument. The most effective way to do this is through interesting, relevant examples. These are data points that you’ve gathered as part of your research and can use to prove your point. To keep your reader engaged, you might want to sprinkle in a few fun facts about the topic you’re writing about. For example, you could say “Did you know that the Chinese have a different way of counting months? It’s called the lunar calendar and it’s based on the phase of the moon. In the year of the pig, for example, we have the Hungry Ghost Festival, when people wear red clothing and offer food to the ghosts. It’s an ancient tradition that dates back over two thousand years.”
When you sprinkle in interesting, quirky facts here and there, your reader will feel as though they’ve learned something new, even if the information is very well known. The important thing is to make sure that your examples and other supporting details serve to sufficiently prove your case. If you can do this, you’ll be on your way to becoming a skilled copywriter.
Build Trust
Every piece of written content – regardless of its type – requires some sort of credibility or authority before it can have any effect. When you’re first learning how to use copywriting to grow your business, the most effective way to do this is through a transparent disclosure of your affiliations. In plain English, this means that you should always mention your industry affiliations – unless, of course, you’re writing about a general topic – in your writings. Whenever you mention an affiliation with a specific industry, you’re advertising that you are speaking from experience and have some form of expertise in that area.
For example, if you are writing about social media marketing, you might want to include this disclosure: “I am a digital marketer by profession and have been working in the field for ten years. I personally use and love Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ and have helped many clients boost their businesses through social media marketing.” When you disclose your industry affiliations, you are also advertising that you are an expert in the area and that your opinion may be valued. The trick is to make this information relevant and, above all, useful to the reader. If you can do this, you’ll be able to compel your readers to take some sort of action (like signing up for your newsletter, clicking a link, or making a purchase).