Good copywriting grabs attention, gives clarity to your message, and gets you business.
1. Think, then write
Clear thinking is the key to clear writing. Think what you want to say, then write it as simply as possible. Writing, editing and proofing are distractions that muddle your thoughts. Neglect these tasks for a minute and concentrate on what you want to say. Then, simply, say it.
2. Define your key messages
There are two categories of copy: your key messages, and everything else. Everything else is important, but defining key messages first ensures they don’t get forgotten, diluted or buried. Write them down and underline them. Order them by importance. Choose the ones you want to talk about first and last. Do this and you have defined a solid structure to build on.
3. The importance of style
You know what you want to say. How you say it could determine who reads it, engages with it or responds to it. Writing style is a subtle reflection of your own style - as a person, business or brand. How formal do you wish to be? Or put another way: how informal d’ya wanna be? Should you be a spokesman, friend, superior or an equal? Your use of language establishes perceptions - positive or negative - so be conscious of your style and control it. Remember: your company may already have a style guide to adhere to which ensures consistency and clarity of communications. If not (and you have a lot of people writing copy), perhaps it should.
4. Know your readers’ needs
Getting inside the head - and heart - of your audience helps you strike the right chord. People have practical needs (to be healthy) and emotional needs (to look great on the beach). Effectively selling a low-fat cereal might require you to satisfy both needs; the very reason why TV ads often show beautiful people enjoying beautifully healthy lifestyles. There is a saying: “people buy on emotion and justify with logic”, and it illustrates the point that, very often, emotional needs are more influential than practical ones. Even though the practical ones are still important.
5. Let benefits lead
A one per cent fat content is a feature of low-fat cereal. The benefit being that you’ll be healthier and slimmer than if you carry on eating those fry-ups (better still, you’ll look fantastic on the beach!). Features are important, but benefits tend to put features into context for the reader, making their value easier to see.
6. Use headlines
Headlines grab attention and make you want more. Big, bold, underlined, colourful, distinct, quick and easy. Keep them short but meaningful. Usually a sentence or two is enough to make a point. Think need, think benefits, think key messages. Think about intriguing and teasing, but also think about informing: people look at headlines when deciding whether to read on. Remembering that is crucial, because a bad headline can stop your reader before they even start.
7. Get to the point
Every sentence counts, but the first one is crucial. Fowler’s Dictionary of Modern English Usage describes the paragraph as ‘a unit of thought’. If a paragraph is a unit of thought, the first sentence is what makes your point. Again, be conscious of benefits and needs (as discussed earlier), because the quicker you focus on them the better.
8. All else leads to action
Remember AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action): the four stage sales process. By now your writing should have taken the customer through the first three steps. You have snappy titles and engaging headlines; and succinct, to-the-point paragraphs that highlight benefits and connect with the reader’s emotional and practical needs. The reader is poised and ready for action. Give them an easy, appropriate way to act, and they will do so.
9. Edit
Editing should involve an appraisal of every sentence. What is the sentence trying say? Do you need to say it? Could it be put more shortly or clearly? Are paragraphs properly constructed? Are they clear ‘units of thought’? There are many more questions to ask of your copy. Think back over the previous tips, remember your objectives and the principles of good copywriting, and evaluate everything. As your writing skills begin to improve you’ll find you need to edit less. Remember: if you can, leave a day or two between writing and editing; a fresh mind helps most things.
10. Proof, proof, proof
The odd mistake is sometimes forgivable, but you should aim to make none. At best they undermine the credibility of your voice. At worst they cost you dearly (think mistakes with pricing, event dates, or contact details). Check your copy, word by word, line by line. Again and again. Ask others for help. Take a break and proof with a fresh head. Proof until you stop finding mistakes, then proof again. Everyone usually has their own method for proofing, but however boring or unnecessary you find it, you should do it.
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