Awesome Tips for Writing Copy

Copywriting is a valuable skill that all online business owners should learn. As an online marketer words are your means of communication – if they are not conveying your message effectively, then you’re in for a long and bumpy ride.

Here are a few copywriting tips to help you get started:

Know your Target Market – Good copywriters know the audience they are writing for even before they begin. They speak directly to ONE type of person and keep that same person in mind at all times. Don’t try to reach too many people with your copy or you could end up missing your target altogether and not reaching anyone. Know exactly who your copy is aimed at before you start writing and stick to it.

Headlines that Hoook – Use clear headlines throughout your copy to guide the reader. Your main headline should be in bold, large letters to grab the reader’s attention and draw them in. Headlines can either make or break your copy. Use a benefit-focused headline, which explains in powerful detail how you can help solve the customer’s problem. Then use sub-headlines throughout the copy to keep the reader’s attention – remember, you want them to get the whole message.

Don’t use Big Words – Online writing is different to other kinds of writing, especially academic writing. Forget all the rules your teacher taught you – in fact you should throw the book away. Online writing has to be short, sharp, and to the point. You need to write as you would speak as though you’re sitting down with the person and chatting over a coffee… stay away from big words and long adjectives or risk boring (and losing) your audience!

Be Persuasive – loving your product is great but it can appear biased. Your customers want to hear from other unbiased people who have used your product. Include customer testimonials, not just any testimonial will do, make sure the views are balanced - the more information you can include the better. Get the person’s permission to include their full name, city, state, website URL and if possible a picture of themselves. The more information your testimonial includes the more persuasive and believable it will be.

Effective copywriting is concerned with the needs of the customer – it is not about you the writer. The writer doesn’t really matter... Of course, you may need to add a little personal information about yourself, this helps you to explain why your customer should trust you, just remember that it’s all about what you can do for them. Go through your copy, does it contain a lot of “I’s” if it does then a serious re-write is called for. Go back and change most of those “I’s” to “You’s”. Your writing should always be focussed on the customer.

Don’t forget the call – This is the call to action – something you want potential customers to do. Visitors need guidance and they need to be told what you expect them to do. If you want them to click over and purchase your weight loss product, say so, and say so in a manner that advertised all the benefits of your products, for example: “Click here to learn how you can lose those last 10 pounds and keep it off for good” . Be precise in this and always include a clear call to action.