Copywriting

Copywriting is the use of words to promote a person, business, opinion or idea.

Prof. Anita N. Chettur

COPYWRITING
The purpose of copy is to PERSUADE the reader, listener or viewer to act. Copywriting is one of the most essential elements of effective online marketing. The art and science of copywriting involves strategically writing words that promote a person, product, business, opinion, or idea, with the ultimate intention of having the reader take some form of action. So, whether you re looking to sell something or to build traffic by earning links from others, you ll need to tell compelling stories that grab attention and connect with people so that they ll respond the way you want.
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Guidelines for Copywriting

1. Makes sense. 2. Keep it simple, concise and clear. 3. Keep the reader engaged step by step to the conclusion.

Prof. Anita N. Chettur

Guidelines for Copywriting

4. Powerful Headline - a headline can do more than simply grab attention. A great headline can also communicate a full message to its intended audience, and it absolutely must lure the reader into your body text. At its essence, a compelling headline must promise some kind of benefit or reward for the reader, in trade for the valuable time it takes to read more.
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Guidelines for Copywriting

6. Highlight the benefits - identify the underlying benefit that each feature of a product or service provides to the prospect, because that s what will prompt the purchase. Here s a four-step process that works: First, make a list of every feature of your product or service. Second, ask yourself why each feature is included in the first place. Third, take the why and ask how does this connect with the prospect s desires? Fourth, get to the absolute root of what s in it for the prospect at an emotional level.
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Guidelines for Copywriting

5. Start making offers if you want some action Offer is a contractual term. It s an invitation to enter into an economic relationship, or any relationship really. The relationship is based on mutual promises. I ll do this for you if you give me money or attention or friendship If there s no acceptance of the invitation, there s no contract and no relationship. Offers coming in two varieties primary and promotional.
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Guidelines for Copywriting

6. No Power Without Proof - Every promise you make to a prospect should be both fulfilled and guaranteed. The word guarantee is extremely powerful, but only coupled with evidence of substance. The proof behind the guarantee accomplishes two things it demonstrates confidence in your offering, and relieves the risk to the buyer.
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Guidelines for Copywriting

7. Long or short copy, which works best? The basic rule of copy length is the same as headlines as long as necessary, but no longer. The key for writing copy it should be interesting and informative. The length of your copy will depend on three things: i. The Product: the more features and benefits a product has, the longer the copy. ii. The Audience: Certain people want as much information as they can get before making a purchase. This is especially true of people on the Internet, and especially true with information products. iii. The Purpose: What s the goal? Generating a lead for a service business requires less detail, but an ad that aims to make a sale must overcome every objection the potential buyer may have.

Prof. Anita N. Chettur

Guidelines for Copywriting

Joe Sugarman says two factors increase the need for more copy: i. Price point: The higher the price, the more copy required to justify or create the need. ii. Unusual Item: The more unusual the product, the more you need to relate that product to the user by clearly demonstrating the benefits
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Guidelines for Copywriting

8. The categories of products : There are four categories
of products, with each successive category requiring longer copy: i. Convenience products: Fills an immediate need, low price, low thought, short copy. ii. Shopping products: A little higher priced, more thought and opportunity to shop around, a little longer copy. iii. Specialty products: With exotic goods, luxury cars, expensive jewelry, art, etcetera, longer copy is definitely needed. iv. Unsought products: When people have never realized that their lives were incomplete without your product, get ready to write some lengthy copy.
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Guidelines for Copywriting

9. Test various headlines -The length of your headline and your copy will depend on whatever works for whatever you are selling. And the only way to know what works is to test different approaches. Test various headlines to see which works best at capturing attention and communicating a benefit. Test the amount of information you provide.
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Guidelines for Copywriting

10. Using words that have been proven to work - Don t reinvent the wheel. Study and draw inspiration from great copy that works. I m not talking about copy that you personally think is great. It s a mistake to judge advertising like regular people do as entertainment.

Prof. Anita N. Chettur

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Guidelines for Copywriting

Why Professional Copywriters Use Swipe Files?

A copywriting swipe file is a collection of winning ads. Sales letters, space ads, headline collections, plus bits and pieces of copy that have been marketplace proven to make big money. A carefully collected swipe file is the essential starting point for most new copywriting campaigns.
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A copy should:
1. Get attention. 2. Entice visitors to read the page. 3. Make visitors want to buy from you. 4. shows the benefits of owning the product, 5. answers all the questions, and 6. overcomes doubts. What not to do: We here at XYZ Corporation know what it means to be successful. In fact, sometimes we forget that at one point a long, long, long time ago we weren't the premiere information distribution technology enhancement resource agency facilitator. Times have changed though, and we have transfused our corporate mission to account for the discrepancies in the post-modern publishing phenomenon. We are...us...greatest...best...us, us, us...selfish, etc.
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A copy should:
How to Get Attention Make sure to put product benefits right under the
headline, because readers are most likely to see it there. If the benefits are good enough, visitors will be enticed to keep on reading, eventually getting more interested in the product. The point of the headline is to stop people dead in their tracks. The paragraph right under the headline should trigger the thought: "This is it, that's the stuff."
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A copy should:
Bullets Put your most important benefits and features in bullet format. Bullets are easy to scan Bullets stop the eyes.

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A copy should:
Use 3 - 5 sentences per paragraph. Long paragraphs breathe of "work" and the tedious task of finding something valuable in the long and unformatted block of text. Short paragraphs allow users to quickly jump from one block of text to the next, assisting their eyes in the exploration of something interesting.
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A copy should:
Use plenty of headlines. Your headlines within the text can serve as separator that stops the eyes and helps readers preview sections they are about to read.

Prof. Anita N. Chettur

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Tips for Writing Sales Copy

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Aim for an average sentence length of around 16 words. Vary between short and long sentences to give your writing rhythm. Split long sentences into two if they ll survive on their own. Use connecting words such as so , and or because . Wield an axe to flabby language and unnecessary words. As Anton Chekhov put it, Brevity is the sister of talent. Sales writing isn t blessed with a reader s patience. So ensure every word and sentence means something to the reader and adds to your argument. Don t waffle or descend into a longwinded diatribe that s of little interest to anybody but you. Leave long paragraphs to novelists, and limit yours to a single thought. Two or three sentences is adequate.

6.

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Tips for Writing Sales Copy

7. Showy writing isn t sales writing. Don t use words just because they sound impressive. And leave jargon and corporate claptrap for the brochure (if you must use them at all). 8. Use positive inspiring language on what the reader can achieve and will be able to do. Avoid negative terms that might dampen their spirits. 9. Break up up your page with subheads and bullets to aid skim reading. 10. Use power words to charge up your writing s impact, such as revealed , proven , scientific and breakthrough . 11. Write in your reader s language and the style they re comfortable with. Read your target market s magazines and newspapers to gauge the pitch.

Prof. Anita N. Chettur

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Tips for Writing Sales Copy

12. People are hardwired to respond to stories. Use storytelling on how your product has solved someone s problem to trigger the reader s imagination and emotions. 13. Use facts or personal history to build rapport, empathy and to show the reader that you feel their pain. 14. Ask the reader a simple question early on they ll say yes to. This will precondition them to be more likely to agree with you and say yes to your offer later on. 15. Sales writing is often compared to a conversation with a pal in a bar. So it should be conversational and sound similar to how you d speak. Read it aloud to hear whether it flows smoothly. Another tip I d add is to keep a swipe file of the best sales writing you find. Study it, highlight key phrases and copy it out by hand to gain an understanding of how to write punchy copywriting that generates sales.
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