Write Wai’s Golden Rules of Copywriting
Posted on 31st March 2021 at 07:58
Good copy can make (or break) your business. Whether you are an up-and coming business, or you have been in the trade for a while, it is good to refresh the content you are sharing in the digital or physical world.
Whether you’re writing blogs for your business, creating content for your website, polishing posts for your social media or compiling press releases to promote your brand, using Write Wai’s Golden Rules of Copywriting will help you change your content for the better and boost your brand.
Know yourself
First things first, you need to know yourself and what you are selling. Think about your unique selling point (USP). What can you provide that others can't? How are you an expert where others aren't? What are you passionate about?
Know your goals
Just as a football match with no goals would be pointless, writing copy with no goal will score you no sales. You need to know what you want from your content and cater for that target. If you don't know what you want to achieve, how are you going to know how to accomplish it?
Know your audience
Once you know your USP and your product, you will know your target audience and their needs. Utilise that. You need to write your copy for your ideal customer, using language they would use to make them realise just how much they need your product or services.
Optimise your content for search engines
You could be the best copywriter in the world, but if you don't research your SEO keywords and optimise your content for Google or Bing etc., your website won't easily be found by your prospects.
Use catchy headlines
What better way to capture the attention of your prospects and potential customers than by using catchy headlines? Use questions, alliteration or even puns. According to experts, four times the number of people read the headline compared to the full article, so it is important to draw the reader in with those few crucial words.
Once you have got them, keep them
You need to engage and connect with your reader, while being concise and avoiding jargon. Directly address them in your writing by using pronouns such as ‘we’, ‘you’ and ‘us’ and use ‘magic words’ to keep them gripped.
Engage, emphasise be effective but don’t exaggerate
Our product is good and can help you.
Our fantastic new product will revolutionise your life.
Which sentence makes you want to buy the product? Chances are you opted for the second sentence; demonstrating the power of words on your customer. Reading and re-reading your content can put you in your customer’s shoes and allow you to revise your content accordingly.
Promote benefits over features
When reading, customers will want to know what you can do for them. It is important to explain the benefits of your service, not just the features. Tell them not only what your product does, but what impact this will have on their life.
Connect emotionally
Connection is key: connect emotionally with readers, validate their beliefs and put forward how you can solve their problems, because emotions sell as well as logic.
Utilise ‘yes’ and accept ‘no’
People will always have reservations; the best way to tackle this is to acknowledge them rather than dismiss them. Admitting your past mistakes could be the pathway to your current success. Common reasons why your prospects say ‘no’ can include lack of money, time, perceived need, lack of belief in your product or belief that it will work. Your job, as a copywriter, is to persuade them that they need what you can offer, without being too pushy.
Prove it
Everyone can claim to do something; you need to prove you are the real deal. Use testimonials from your current clients, statistics and facts to build up trust and evidence what you’re saying is true.
Include a call-to-action
Now they have read the content, you want your readers to take the action you’ve been drawing them to. Give people the push they need to take the sought-after action: whether it is signing up to your newsletter, buying your product or hiring your services.
Create a sense of urgency
You want their custom, and you want it NOW and as a copywriter, you need to use words to instil in your reader the feeling that they must have what you are offering. By creating some sense of urgency or deadline (for example a limited time offer), it may push your customer to act, and to act now.
Check for errors
Don’t forget to proofread your copy or ask someone else to read over it. Spelling mistakes and grammatical errors could create the impression that you are an amateur, rather than a professional.
Powerful copy can boost your business by engaging your visitors and increasing their desire to buy from you.
Visit WRITEWAI ‘s PR & COPYWRITING SERVICES page to learn more about the services and packages we offer.
Tagged as: Blogging for business, content creation, Essex Copywriter's copywriting tips, Marketing top tips, WriteWai
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