Copywriting Guide
Have you ever read an article or news that caught your attention completely?
So It happens that from the moment you set your eyes on this article your interest was soaked in completely that you just kept reading until the end, right?
That exactly, is an effect of Copywriting- to make content extremely slippy so your potential buyer just keeps reading until they end up buying your product or service and that is the skill you are about to learn in the next few posts but first
What is Copywriting?
Dictionary: Copywriting is the act or occupation of writing the text of advertisement or publicity material.
Note that ‘copy’ is the synonym for ‘text’
A copy is supposed to be so slippery that once a reader sets their eyes on your copy they just keep reading right?
Now there are different ways to go about copywriting or some may even combine two or more of these elements to delight their readers with quality content that would make them take the action they desire.
When it comes to copywriting these copies could be tailored to focus on these four elements which are
- To Entertain
- To Inspire
- To Educate
- To Convince
But first, how do copies begin?
This takes us to the sub-topic called Headlines
Headlines
It is argued that Headlines are the most important part of a copy because it is the first part your clients set their eye on and determine if they will read the rest of the copy or not.
So how do we write a headline?
The headline is supposed to be so slippery that it heightens the readers’ emotions, curiosity or engagement and by so doing compel them to keep reading.
NOTE: It is bad practice to sell in a headline unless it is a flash sales copy.
Your headline should always be pointing to the next line, be it a sub-headline or the first paragraph.
Here are some popular or most used headlines, some of which you must have come In contact with;
What everybody ought to know about [ ~blank~ ]
Who Else wants [ ~blank~ ]
The secret of [ ~blank~ ]
Here is a method that is Helping [ ~blank~ ] to [ ~blank~ ]
Little known ways to [ ~blank~ ]
Get rid of [ ~problem~ ] once and for all
An easy method to help you figure out where to get samples of headlines for your niche or industry is to make snap research online. Let’s say for example you run a cloth line store online or sell electronics, you could look up online stores like Ali express or Alibaba.
Check the clothes or electronics with the most sales and note their headlines and product description.
Note: Copying them word for word is plagiarism, so it’s for you to learn from their pattern and create yours
Now another way to go about this is to look out for the comment sections of these products or services with very high sales or engagement rates,
What we are looking for in specific are two things,
1. What they like about the product.
2. How they feel about the product.
Now when you combine these two observed ingredients and form a headline out of it, you will be amazed by the result.
This is what ‘high-level copywriters’ do to get the best out of a copy.
Always ensure that your Headlines do the following:
- Your headline should be unique
- Your headline should convey a sense of urgency
- Your headline should be extremely specific (Therefore there’s a need to understand your target audience perfectly)
Now let’s quickly move to the next section as it gives life to everything we have learnt so far.
Psychological triggers
From research did you know buying is emotional?
Research shows that buying is an emotional process, as much as you might want to think about it as a logical one it is very much emotional
See what always happens the logical part of your brain justifies your emotional needs.
In using this to your advantage you need to understand that connecting with your customers plays the biggest role in sales and what do we connect to?
Their emotions, not their logic
Logic does not get your product sold, emotion does and to connect to their emotions you need words.
Now, every word has a feeling, it has a story it tells, an expression they give or a message to pass
For instance, when one writes or says ‘warm’, you understand the feeling that comes with the word.
A good copy should have a lot of necessary emotionally compelling words, so compelling that they get your product sold
For instance;
1. I am eating a plate of rice
And
2. I am eating a plate of hot spicy rice
The first is dry and leaves you with a poor image of what I’m eating, but the second does have some emotion and throws more light into your imagination of what I am eating and you can easily connect to it.
Using these words in your headlines will increase curiosity, engagement and compel your readers to read the next line or buy from you and they are called psychological triggers.
Samples of Psychological Triggers
Limited
Scientifically proven
Shocking
New
Hidden
Easy
Free
Powerful
Proven
Win
The ABC Steps in Copywriting
As you use compelling copy to entice your audience to stay engaged with your message and follow the call-to-action the ABC steps is a walk-through checklist to help you stay focused and have a successful copywriting experience.
- Understand who you are writing for
- Use emotional and personalised copy to pull them in
- Know the difference between benefits and features and use a conversational texture to pass your message.
- Establish a quantifiable position for your product or service.
- Create the urgency to change or grab your offer
- Finish with a Call-To-Action (CTA)