Words. They can make us cry, revolt, laugh, sad and mad. The extent to which good copywriting can influence and motivate us is beyond comprehension. Crafting compelling copy is not an easy task at all. You have to do everything right or you will lose your readers more quickly that you lose sand in a clenched hand.
Here are 5 Secrets to Good Copywriting
Is writer’s Block a Myth?
You might have heard of writers saying over and over again that they are going through a block; writer’s block that sometimes that lasts for days. But have you thought why they feel so? Is there really something called writer’s block? Don’t you think that it is because you have been traveling in the same direction that you feel there is a block? Why don’t you change the direction of your thought and see how the ideas come flowing in.
Pulling the Psychological Strings of the Reader
As mentioned earlier, it is very important that you influence and motivate your readers. As you have only a few seconds to influence them through your ad/web copy, you should concentrate on the benefits, rather than the features when you selling a product/service. People will not waste time to read what you have written, just because you have spent time researching and producing copy. You must get into the minds of the readers to know how they will receive your copy, whether they will just read it and forget about it or whether they will be genuinely influenced. Get personal with them. Don’t just be another copywriter creating a clichéd copy.
Concentrate on the Core Idea and Remove everything else
In order to pull the psychological strings of your readers, you have to concentrate on the core idea of the product you are trying to sell. It would be better if you can highlight only those aspects of what interests the readers because everything else will be lost. Make sure you yourself can understand the core aspect of the product. Your client may tell you to cram as much info as possible, but you must be a better judge of that, don’t you think?
Punchy Headlines
Punchy headlines are applicable everywhere, whether it is an ad copy, web content, blog post or feature. And of course, the headline should conform the rest of the content. In order to make your headline spicy, don’t forget to add the main ingredient in the copy. In order to attract attention to the headline, apart from the punchy angle, you must also not forget to incorporate the “you” angle. Make that stand out.
Identifying the USP
The Unique Selling Proposition is what catches your reader’s attention. The USP is not something you can create; it stands out when you create the copy. Identify the unique aspects, which is sold by the product you are writing the copy for. Follow the 4 ‘U’ rule – Unique, Useful, Ultra specific and Urgent.
Follow these rules and you will definitely create better copies. Remember to trigger emotions, sell benefits and be clear and straightforward in your language.
License: Flickr Creative Commons image source
Image by caccamo