Copywriting is a skill that needs to be studied, practised and honed. There are many things to consider in creating the right copy for the right product or service. Here we will look at some of them and offer thoughts on how your can improve your writing.

      Stand out and sell an idea


The chances are that there are thousands of products and services similar to yours on the market. So it is important that yours stand out.

Additionally, people don't always buy products, services or offers, but they do buy big ideas. Particularly big ideas that are relevant and exciting. Make it original, keep your reader intrigued


The Big Idea is the first ingredient, after that your copy will flow naturally. When writing, think about being original, intriguing your reader, aligning with their beliefs and your unique selling proposition (USP); what does your product or service offer that your competitors' doesn’t? First Impressions are vital.

     

     Clear and active voice


A passive voice can result in longer, boring, and more difficult to read sentences. It can also come across as vague and any key information can get lost.

Using an active voice results in shorter, sharper, and easier sentences. You can be concise with your message which sounds genuine and trustworthy.

This makes your copy easier to read & finish reading.

Be ultra-specific with time-frames, promises and numbers so that you are not misleading and there is no room for ambiguity.

Language & emotion

Your copy should never bore, confuse, patronise or make the prospect feel stupid. As a rule of thumb, a 12-year old should be able to read and understand your copy. Additionally, the facts and features of your product or service won't seal the deal on their own. If your copy doesn’t tap into how people feel, it’s missing the mark. Emotions drive decisions way more than logic does.

It is important that you understand your prospects' desires and their language, then use this to inform your copywriting.

Use simple words, short sentences and small paragraphs. You should interact with prospects on social media and even approach them for feedback or general information in order to understand who they are.



      Sell the features and address any objections

People begin to read marketing copy with a bunch of objections in their head; ‘I don’t need this product’ or ‘I have something like this already’. Your job here is to pre-empt and handle those objections.

Another thing going through your prospect's head when reading your copy is ‘what's in it for me?’ Features don't answer this question, benefits do; turn ‘quality leather shoes for everyday’ into ‘flexible, breathable comfort for the discerning professional’

Write down all possible objections, order them by importance/likelihood of arising, then address each one in your copy. 

Also, ensure that you turn your product or service features into the benefits that your customer will get. A good way to do this is to use a grid to write each feature then 2-3 benefits for each - have a look at the simple example below.


 Product Feature  Benefit 1  Benefit 2  Benefit 3













      Focus on them and talk to the person

People are generally self-interested and will pay more attention when you talk directly to them. They probably don’t really care about you, your product or your company. 

So the less salesperson and the more personal you are, the more you direct your message to them and the more persuasive your copy will be.

Your copy shouldn't feel like a sales pitch, it should feel like a conversation. As a general rule: If you wouldn't say it in conversation, don't include it in your copy.

Write having your ideal customer profile in mind and make your copy revolve 100% around them. Remove difficult words, complex terms and unnecessary punctuation marks. Also, be empathetic, provide value and just be a human.

Tip: if you do use Ai, because we all do, make sure to either train it to replicate your personality and writing style, or edit to be more human.

      Emphasise important points and avoid demands

Reading any copy can be an exhausting and time-consuming task for the prospect - especially if the copy is just a wall of plain text. In our world of quick-fire information and instant gratification, nobody has time for that. Make the reading more enjoyable by emphasising the most important parts with changes in format.

When you ask someone to click a call-to-action button you're asking them for a small commitment. Many people will shy away from that commitment, especially when you use friction words like "Buy now" or "Register" so try and avoid these.

Use formatting such as colour, bold and underline or change font and size for the important words. Go for a more benefit-oriented text in your CTAs, such as ‘Free Trial’ or Join Us’.