Saturday, June 5, 2010

The Process of Copywriting

Copywriting is one of the most valuable skills any IM marketer can have.

If you learn how to write copy, you can save a lot of money because a really good writer can be very expensive. A highly skilled copywriter will cost you a bundle of money. But, even if you have the money to outsource, you will still benefit a great deal if you have a basic undertanding of what is being done. Copywriting is ultimately what will sell your products and make you money. It is the words that have the power to turn total strangers into longtime customers.
We'd like to help you with your business, so we'll offer some copywriting helpful tips to get you going.

Headlines are, in some ways, the most important part of your copy. Your headlines are what will turn your site viewer into a reader or turn them away completely. It's natural for beginners at copywriting to assume that bolder and more dramatic the headline, the more effective it is. Instead of writing something creative, they rely on large, bold print and the overuse of exclamation points to get attention for their headlines. Good headlines practically force your readers to keep reading, make them open to what you are going to say and prepare them for your pitch. And all of this has to be accomplished in one sentence. Make a study of other peoples' headlines, those selling products similar to yours. What makes you want to keep reading? Which ones do you find annoying? When you write your own headlines, you should keep this in mind.
When describing the product, stress the positive, but at the same time acknowledge any weak points. If you want people to buy your product, be sure to inform them on exactly how it will help them You know that there are definite benefits to using your product or services, spell these out. You should make the product sound like a great value. On the other hand, you should not try to cover up any flaws your product has. It can be a good idea to refer to some flaw in the product, though not at great length. This proves to your readers that you aren't trying to overhype the product. People are more likely to trust an honest review that doesn't only mention the positive. Keep in mind, however, that you should put most of your effort into telling people what's helpful about the product!

People reading your copy should be told how it will be useful to them. Give them all the details! You can't assume that others are as familiar with this product as you are. You know a lot about it. You have to keep in ming that the people you are telling about your product will not be nearly so familiar with it.
You should not assume that "everybody" knows something about your product or service. Include even the most seemingly basic facts about why this is such a great product. The more your potential customers know about your product and what it can do for them, the more likely they'll be to purchase it. Copywriting is something that contains elements of art in it. Copywriting will sell your products, and even the videos you create will be done using a script. If it was very good, it was written by either a copywriter or someone who is versed in copywriting. All those TV ad spots you see every day were written by a copywriter.

Sure, if your budget permits, you can hire copywriters to take care of all your needs. That's fine to do, but you may want to understand the process and why things are being done the way they are.