Copywriting Tricks Of The Pros
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- Copywriting Tricks Of The Pros
Are you looking to improve your copywriting skills? Perhaps you are just starting out, or else you’ve been in the industry for some time. For some reasons your muse keeps getting stuck. Whatever you try just doesn’t seem to work and no amount of pen sharpening activity brings you the desired result – hard-hitting copy.
Don’t worry, you are not alone. Like many, I certainly have my struggling days too, and when I do it is usually because of unwanted distractions, or because I just can’t get into the flow.
Copywriting pros share a common skill in how they craft their sales letters. If you are anything like me then you probably own a nice swipe file of the best copywriting headlines ever written.
There is certain mystery in trying to uncover the reasons behind a great headline, but once you dig right into the content you’ll soon understand the structure and makeup of such a site.
To help you move on the following tips might help.
Headline 101
The headline of a salespage copy is THE most important aspect of it. It is about 80 percent of the work. If done right, your story/letter will be the icing on the cake to make your prospect reach for his/her credit card.
You should therefore spend most of your creative energy on crafting a killer headline. I usually start out by writing down dozens of headlines after getting some inspiration from the real pros. I never copy a headline word for word. I think that would be stealing. I much prefer to alter the copy to fit the purpose. There are literally thousands of words and synonyms you can apply to just about any niche. The result is sizzling copy.
Storytelling
Experienced copywriters are GREAT storytellers. They can lead you from their own experience with the product to being a true convert by the time you’ve reached the “buy now” button. It’s a gift that is rarely inborn, but needs honing to a fine art over many years.
A lot of the best copy online is written with a subtle undercurrent – you never realize it’s there. It just keeps pulling you in all the right directions (i.e. toward the opt-in/purchase).
Experts call it the art of response copywriting. It actually makes sense. If done right, response copy triggers a …
RESPONSE from the reader. It gets the sale, the opt-in, the click.
Call to action
Without a definite call to action you won’t write hard-hitting, converting copy. You have to tell the reader what to do next. A lot of people assume that they already know. I’ll let you in on a little (secret).
They don’t
People are like herds of cattle, they need to be driven down the path. Unless your [pen] doesn’t tell them what to do they will simply click out, having lost you a potential sale.
You can craft several call to action links into your salesletter. Don’t assume everyone will scroll all the way to the bottom because your copy is so great. Give people the opportunity to act beforehand.
PS/PPS
Post scripts and post post scripts are often used to negate your last objections to the sale with the help of cleverly placed guarantees, promises and special offers. By creating urgency salesletters tempt you to buy now, before the price goes up, etc.
This part of the salescopy is responsible for a fair amount of sales and should not be underestimated by copywriters.
What next
If you liked this post, then please tell us so by scrolling down to the comment section. I always love feedback from readers, whether good, or bad. I hope you picked up some new “tricks” that can help you a) buy smarter, or b) write better.
Rock on!
Monika
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I’m a trained journalist with nearly 20 years in newspapers. And 20 years ago, I bailed on that business thinking that I knew all I needed to know about copy writing.
Wrong.
After years of relearning, the advantage that I realized my training gave me was story telling. Seldom do I write a blog post or an article that doesn’t involve a story, and they almost always start with an experience.
And almost always lead to a call to action. Willie Crawford said at NAMS3 in front of the workshop crowd that he loved reading my email posts because I always would weave an entertaining story about something going in my life that led back to my business.
That was a big compliment.
Alex does a really nice job with that too.
Thanks
You are too kind to me David
I only try to mimic the best, yourself including. And Willie was absolutely right about your emails
Hello David,
Thank you for adding your thoughts and comments to my post. To get complimented by Willie Crawford does indeed rock! Well done. You are so right about the learning curve of copywriting though. I’ve been studying and practising the craft for years now, and still feel like a total newcomer.
A lot of people are using video for their promotions. Would exactly the same principles apply to the script, in principle? Thanks.
Well, I think many bloggers are really struggling on copywriting. There are only a few whom I know that are good at this. The number one will be Brian Clark.
I myself was never exempted on this great challenge especially that I did not come from an English speaking country and English is not my first language.
Grammar is really hurting me badly. But, it is not a reason to stop blogging. Practice makes perfect. So I guess, we really have to practice harder until we get it done.
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I have been an article writer for a few years but have never tried to tackle copywriting.Creating a sales page from a blank page looks simple enough but I am sure its much harder than it appears.
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‘m of the opinion that the PS/PPS isn’t really all that necessary for all sales copy. For me it all depends on what your selling and how much you’re selling it. The higher the price, the harder you have to make the clients reach for their wallets.
For the sales copy of my blog setup service, I preferred to keep it simple without fuss.
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