NOTE: This post is addressed to business people who are trying to sell stuff. Not to copywriters who are trying to sell their services.
It’s not hard to write compelling copy.
And it doesn’t take a long time if you like to write.
In fact, some of the most successful promotions I’ve written have taken me only a few hours to write.
They only took a few hours to write… it’s the thinking behind the writing that took a lot longer.
The thinking about the reader…
About his wants…
About his fears…
About what might be going through his head at the very moment he reads my stuff.
I remember Gary Halbert telling a story once about his response to the question, “Gary, how long does it take you to write a promotion…”
He said something to the effect of, “The writing only takes about 45 minutes… plus 20 years of trial and error…”
Those weren’t his exact words, but the concept is the same.
The writing isn’t the hard part. The thinking is the hard part.
To make sure you have your bases covered (and don’t leave your prospect asking questions you should have answered), here’s a short checklist of the things I make sure are in any promotion I write.
Like I just said… it’s SHORT.
1. Know your audience.
This is by far the most important piece of the puzzle.
And this is why, often times, “surveying” your prospects/customers can lead you on a wild goose chase. Watch what people DO, don’t listen to what they say.
Whenever I’m writing a promotion, I try to picture the person reading it. I picture their life… what’s going on for them right now… what might be on their mind…
I’m not going for specifics about their condition. Usually, I have no idea what those are.
What I’m after is the FEELING they have. And that’s where I start. I meet them where they’re at.
(This means you take an educated guess. But there really aren’t that many different feelings when you start thinking about it. They usually boil down to a handful of core emotions.)
2. Write a headline.
I know some copy gurus suggest creating your headline once you’ve written everything, but that’s never worked for me.
That’s mainly because the headlines I write usually sum up the big promise I’m making to my reader.
If I don’t have that, then why would I start writing?
Once you’re done with steps 1 and 2, stop assuming anything about your reader. Assumptions will kill you.
The moment you know how they’ll think, you’re dead.
3. Write the rest of the letter.
Meet them where they’re at.
Give them a reason to act now.
Take away the risk.
If you can actually make this believable and true you’ll be ahead of 99% of the marketers out there.
================================================================
Now many folks will call this waaaayyyyy too simplistic. Actually, it was my purpose to go a bit overboard NOT including things in this little copywriting “course.”
That’s mainly because I’ve proven to myself, time and time again that there are two things WAAYY more important than great copy.
Those are your market and your product (duh).
Instead of all the gurus writing copywriting courses, why aren’t there more courses like: “How to find markets that are so passionate they will buy almost anything (targeted) that you put in front of them…”
If you have that, the copy probably isn’t going to make or break your business.
You can’t be stupid of course, but some basic skills will get you moving in the right direction.
If your business isn’t producing the results you want, don’t blame the copy right away. Are you selling something people actually want? Are you marketing it to the right group of people?
How can you find a market/product combination that pretty much sells itself?
Once you do that… THEN use great copy to take it to the next level.
Related posts:
