Copywriting
Copywriting For Beginners: How To Write Good Sales Copy
Learning to write good sales copy isn’t something you can learn by reading a quick tutorial – it takes practice. Although you probably won’t turn into a world-famous copywriter overnight, there are a few tips you can use to increase the response from your sales letters.
It needs to grab the attention of your visitor quickly. Your headline might have shock value, ask a compelling question, or be the beginning of an extremely interesting story. “Six months ago, I was living on the streets of L.A., homeless after my Adjustable Rate Mortgage soared so high I couldn’t make the mortgage payments, but now I’m living in a sky-rise apartment twenty stories up that I paid seven figures for…”
This makes the reader want to know more – how did this person go from being destitute to being wealthy? Good sales copy usually tells a story that the audience can connect with. Copy ideally shouldn’t tell a fictional story, though.
You certainly don’t want to run into any trouble with the FTC or an attorney general with something to prove. Good copy gives people a reason to keep reading. If you tell an interesting, compelling story that’s somehow related to the product and how it will affect them, it will naturally appeal to your visitor.
Every single paragraph should lead into the next paragraph, drawing the reader further and further into the pitch.
Consumers usually buy based on emotion, and then they justify their purchase with logic. They rarely buy based on logic alone.
They don’t buy a product because of the features – they buy because of the benefits it will provide to them, the WIIFM (What’s In It For Me) factor. If you’re selling a car, you can’t tell the buyer that it has Corinthian leather seats, ABS brakes, and a superior sound system.
You have to sell them on the fact that their neighbors and coworkers will be envious, girls will flock to them, and they’ll feel like the king of the world whenever they drive it. Then they’ll buy based on the fantasy you’ve just given them, and they’ll use logic to justify their purchase later.
Within each online sales letter, you’ll want to have a main headline, numerous sub-headlines sprinkled throughout, and aside form the written storyline, you’ll want to add sections of benefit-driven bullet points that break up the monotonous text.
So. the headline is incredibly important. But it isn’t the most important part of your sales copy!!
Any idea what that is?
This is the big idea – the main premise around which you’re going to build your sales letter.
I’m talking about the primary purpose and promise of your product. This is the desired outcome your prospects have been hoping for.
Without a big idea, your sales copy will be pretty much the same as anyone else’s which will make converting your prospects much harder.
But with a powerful big idea, you will be able to stand out and this gives your prospects hope that your product or service may be the one that actually delivers on its promises.
This can make all the difference in marketplaces that are saturated and sophisticated i.e. they have been exposed to the same type of offer for years.
If you are in a niche that has a high level of marketplace sophistication, it is imperative that you are able to stand out and having a big idea and a unique mechanism helps you to do just that.
And you should be incorporating the big idea and/or unique mechanism into your main headline(s) to grab attention and arouse curiosity, so take some time to develop these to draw your readers in.
Don’t forget the call to action at the end and a Post Script (PS) or two that sums up the order in case they’re bona fide skimmers who hate to read.
In all honesty, most people will not read the entire sales letter, but skim to the things that grab attention such as headlines, bullet points and the PS which is why it is important to really work on these to either increase the pain points or clearly explain the benefits.
Go to some of your favorite sales pitch sites and emulate their style and approach. Bookmark it for your “swipe file,” where you borrow ideas (not content) from the original author and use it on your own target audience.
The best sales copy is a complex mix of marketing and sales messages. The marketing is about the prospect; their desires, pains etc. and the selling is about the product; features etc. so the best sales letters focus heavily on marketing.
The reason for this is that a good marketing message can create a lot of desire for the product before you even mention it and this makes selling much easier.
And be reassured; writing good, persuasive copy is a skill that can definitely be developed by anybody. Like anything, it just takes time and effort to get good at it and hone your skills.
But if any skill is worth developing, especially online, it is being able to write persuasive sales copy, so I urge anyone reading this to seriously consider learning it as soon as they possibly can; it will pay dividends in the future, believe me.
Copywriting 101: 7 Things You Need To Know About Writing Great Copy
Well over a decade ago I bought and devoured an expensive course called “Hypnotic Writing” from Joe Vitale. If I remember correctly, it cost $1,000 and arrived in a heavy box with tons of CD’s and two thick manuals. And it was perhaps one of the best investments I ever made in learning not just good, but great copywriting that converts like crazy.
This morning I was cleaning out some old files, and ran across my handwritten notes from the course. In the notes I discovered a list of “The 7 Secret Principles of Hypnotic Copywriting.” They still stand the test of time today, so I thought I would share them with you here.
Please keep in mind, these aren’t so much a primer as a list of clues as to what Vitale’s “Hypnotic Writing” is. But from these clues you can discern enough valuable information to almost instantly improve your own writing, whether it’s blog posts, sales letters, emails or anything else.
1: Make it Personal
Hypnotic writing speaks to YOU, the reader. You’ll find words such as you, me, I, yours, etc. All of this makes you feel like the writing is speaking to your personally.
In fact, it is. The more personal, the more hypnotic. This is an incredibly powerful tool when used correctly.
2: Keep it Active
Hypnotic writing is active. You’ll find lots of verbs. You’ll find little passive writing. It’s the difference between saying, “The writing was hypnotic,” and saying, “Joe weaves hypnotic writing.” The first is passive, the second is active.
Don’t use over the top adverbs as this can scream BS, so use adverbs sparingly; your copy should be persuasive enough without resorting to over the top or outrageous claims that most readers would doubt or disbelieve. If in doubt, reign yourself in a bit.
3: Get Emotional
Hypnotic writing taps your emotions. You may find it doing so in a story format or in a direct narrative. Either way, the writing will pull at your heart strings. One of Joe’s most famous letters began, “I was nearly in tears…” That line engaged the emotions of readers. You had to read the letter to discover what the tears were for.
4: Be Sensual
Writing hypnotically involves your senses.
You’ll find descriptions of feeling, tasting, seeing, smelling and hearing.
All of this will help you become involved with the writing and therefore susceptible to what it commands.
5: Be Commanding
Hypnotic writing commands the reader to do something. As the reader, you might not detect the command as it may be embedded.
But there will always be one. Ask yourself, “What do I want to do after reading this?” What you do next may be a result of the hypnotic command.
6: Curiosity
Hypnotic writing plays on your curiosity. You may find it beginning a story – but not ending it until the end of the article.
You may find it promising to tell you how to do something, but it will only give you limited details, thereby urging you to order the product it’s promoting to get more information.
7: Hypnotic Writing is Hidden
You won’t find any obvious clues that signal, “Warning, hypnotic writing at work.” The writing will instead be smooth and personal, and the hypnotic aspect will sneak in below conscious awareness.
Now imagine if you actually had the power to influence your prospect’s subconscious mind.
Imagine if you could do it by using simple trigger words that activate involuntary reactions in their brains.
And imagine you can do it in writing and in speech.
You might not believe you can do this. But I’m going to tell you that you can, because over time we are all subtly hypnotized to accept certain suggestions. This process started when we were babies and has never stopped.
You wouldn’t even suspect these simple words of holding any special power. But when you use them correctly, they can dramatically improve your power of persuasion.
Yes, I’ve just given you a sample of ‘hypnotic writing.’ If you re-read the previous 5 paragraphs, and if you study it very carefully, you will notice I used three little words to great effect – “Imagine, you and because.”
If all you do is begin using these three words more often in your copy, you will experience an increase in the persuasiveness of your writing.
Try it out next time your write and see what happens.
Just remember that copywriting is a skill, and just like any other skill, it can be learned. Take the time to learn this critical skill and your business will thank you for it!