Copywriting is at the heart of marketing. From tweets to SEO-optimized blog posts, copy is the silent yet potency force behind successful companies.
Technically impressive writing serves no purpose if it fails to engage its target audience in any meaningful way. Tailoring content specifically towards audience needs, pain points and desires helps your copy resonate more strongly with its intended readership.
1. Be specific.
Copywriters are experts at writing for specific audiences. They understand their audience’s challenges and motivations and can create messages that resonate with them. Furthermore, copywriters employ various writing styles in order to attract different types of audiences.
As experienced copywriters know, vague promises create distrust among savvy shoppers and can harm your reputation. Therefore, it’s better to err on the side of caution and state goals clearly rather than risk alienating customers with poor grammar or vague promises.
Beginning every project by identifying your audience is crucial. Doing this will set the course for everything else you write – what challenges to focus on, benefits to emphasize and how much personality to inject. An outline is also invaluable when writing copy.
2. Be direct.
One of the key aspects of copywriting is being direct. Otherwise, your readers could get disengaged quickly and may never finish reading what you have to say.
Excellent direct response copywriting will outline the benefits of your product in language that resonates with its target audience – for instance, Dropbox uses clear language when discussing its file sharing platform.
Your audience needs to see the value in what you offer and the impact on their lives, like business and life coaches describing the changes wrought upon participants after joining their programs. This approach can dramatically increase conversion rates; to get you started, take a look at these 189 powerful trigger words as a list of ways you can be more direct when writing copy.
3. Be compelling.
Copywriting can convince readers to click a link, donate to your cause, buy your product or subscribe to your newsletter. Copywriting can be found everywhere from print ads and internet ads to podcasts and radio commercials.
Copywriters are trained to write in ways that encourage readers to take action, often by using emotional and persuasive techniques that pique an audience’s interest and make them want to read further.
One way to make your copy more persuasive is to demonstrate how the product or service will improve the reader’s life in real terms. This approach also establishes your business as one that prioritizes customers’ needs and wants. However, to be truly compelling your copy must also be clear and succinct.
4. Be conversational.
One of the most effective copywriting strategies is creating conversational copy. Doing so allows your audience to connect and trust you more fully as an organization rather than seeing you only as another money-grabbing corporation.
Conversational copy uses language your target audience can understand instead of industry jargon or long words, ensuring a natural flow of ideas while avoiding gaps or incomplete ideas.
Add more personality and expression to your content for an engaging dialogue by showing off your personality and unique voice in writing a conversational style piece. This could involve sharing personal anecdotes, using humor or expressing an opinion. Be wary of too much slang or overly formal language when using this style – try reading your content aloud and seeing how it sounds!
5. Be concise.
Writing concisely is a vital skill every copywriter should hone. Avoid unnecessary words like “basically” and “actually,” which add unnecessary wordiness to sentences, as well as verbs in passive voice that lengthen writing time.
Always write with your target audience in mind to create content that resonates and converts better, leading to increased engagement and conversions. Addressing their needs and desires will engender trust with them and make them more comfortable taking steps forward with your business. Clearly and succinctly state your message for maximum effect – this will improve their experience on websites, blogs and social media pages alike.
