Copywriting: 7 Tips That Make Truly Great Copy

Introduction

When you’re putting together an ad campaign, you can never underestimate having great copy to move your audience to action. For many people, even those in the advertising industry, getting their ads to work can be a bit hit and miss. Being able to write great copy consistently is an art form that can take many years of practice to learn and develop. However, there are some great tips that can make this process a little easier. What I’m going to share with you here is a list of seven great tips that will help you write better copy for your ad campaign. In putting these tips together, I’ve spent time looking at what works and what doesn’t, as well as interviewing various Internet marketers and some truly successful copywriters to learn some of their innermost secrets.

Background

I have been writing for many years and particularly concentrating on copywriting for the last few years. During this time I have been learning from many of the experts in their craft from around the world. I have spent a lot of time constantly watching, reading and learning to see what the writing gurus are doing and replicate their winning formulas. For some time now I’ve been watching the best of the best at what they do and I think I’ve identified seven things that make their copy great. The greats I’m talking about include the late Gary Halbert, Brian Keith Voiles, Bob Bly, as well as one of the best copywriters in the world hailing from Australia, Brett McFall. This is by no means a complete list of who’s who in copywriting, but these few amazing masters have set the benchmark for what to accept in extraordinary copywriting. To fully understand the writing process, I have divided the tips into three basic areas and we will discuss each of them individually.

Headline

This is without a doubt the most important area for all successful ads.

1. The title must excite, invite and attract

The headline should be written in such a way that it excites the reader and invites them to continue reading and then finally prompts them to take action at the end of the ad. The Pareto principle or the 80/20 rule applies to the best way to write the headline. While the headline and subheads will take up less than 20% of the words in your ad, 80% of the work should be done on the headline. Many great writers start with a basic idea or theme for the headline and then write the body copy. Once they’re happy with the body, they go back and spend most of their time reworking and refining the headline.

body copy

two. A great story gets great results

Be compelling in your ads by telling a compelling story. Everyone loves a great story and it’s no different when writing ads. Get your audience interested from the start with a fantastic headline, and then tell them a story they can’t put down. Take them on a journey and they will move to take an action at the end. The best way to learn to tell a compelling story is to read lots of good books. Look at some of the great classic storytellers like Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond stories, and John D. McDonald, author of the Travis McGee stories. His stories are always compelling and gripping, keeping readers intrigued until the very end. Your copy should do the same. The other way to become a great storyteller is to be an observer of life. Look and observe the life around you. Read and listen to what’s happening on TV, radio, and magazines. These are fantastic sources for stories and narratives. It won’t take long for you to become a collector of great stories that you can tell in your ads.

Don’t forget to always keep your ads conversational. If your audience thinks you’re talking directly to them, they’re more likely to keep reading.

3. include some emotion

Stephen King, the great horror writer, is said to have said that without emotion and belief there is no fear. The emotional value of any copy should not be underestimated. If your audience gets emotionally invested in your copy, there’s a good chance they’ll take action at the end.

Four. know your product

At the end of the day, there is only one way to really get to know your product and that is by researching, researching, researching. And when you think you know your product and start writing the copy, keep asking yourself, SO WHAT? If it’s not important and compelling, then get rid of it. Everything in the copy must be important and necessary while taking the audience on a journey.

5. Do it fast

If you are going to screw up and fail, and you will from time to time, then I suggest you do it quickly and get it over with. Then it’s time to move on and chances are you’ll get it right next time. Always remember; don’t suffer for the lack of a piece of information. If you think you’re missing out on vital information and just can’t figure out what it is, go ahead without it. If it’s really that important, it will come to you.

6. write lots

One of the best ways to start writing your copy is to simply write fast and furious without any editing. In this way, you can write down all your thoughts without losing any information from your free-flowing brainstorming ideas. It’s always easier to edit and cut anything that’s useless or not required later than trying to add new material. Never get too attached to what you have written because it becomes difficult to throw something away when you have any emotional attachment. You have to be ruthless. Once again, you must keep asking yourself SO WHAT? If it doesn’t work and it’s no good, then remove it. Keep editing until you’re happy with it.

One of the things I always do is bring a rough copy to a near-complete stage and then sleep on it. I leave it overnight and then come back when I’m fresh and can think and edit clearly.

Close

7. Have a strong call to action

Always have a strong ending. Always ask the audience to take an action. Tell them what to do next. Tell your audience to call, type, click, or whatever else is required to close the sale. Always, always, always ask the question. And if you do that, you’ll never die wondering, what if?

Other points to remember

Here are a few more points to help you write even better copy more often.

– Ask a question

– if you can get your audience to say yes more often, then your chances of a successful sale increase dramatically.

– Make a promise: if your audience does something, you must also do something to match it. -Focus on your client and write from her perspective.

– Put words in the mouth of your customers – preferably YES. Make them think and say – Yes, you have convinced me.

– Be shocking or controversial: This makes them think, and when they think, they are more inclined to find out more.

– Be honest – never lie or mislead your audience. This is her chance to build a lasting, trusting relationship, so don’t screw it up.

– Be descriptive and specific: tell your audience exactly what you are asking them to do. Describe things in enough detail without being too boring.

– Use bullet points to quickly and accurately describe what you are describing or asking them to do. Put a little life in your vignettes. And finally do not have more than 7 to 9 panels

– Always test and measure your ads. Check to see what is working and what could work better. Always measure the response of your customers. Test, measure and refine.

In conclusion

As you can see, writing great copy takes a lot of practice and requires a structured approach. By following the 7-tip outline above, you, too, can write great sales copy. Just remember to keep practicing and always test and measure your ads to see what works for you, your customers, and your audience. When all of this is put into practice, you too can write great copy that will encourage your audience to buy.