To find success as a copywriter, your words need to trigger the imagination and emotions of your readers in a way that’s clear, entertaining, and persuasive. Whether you’re a copywriter, an email marketing guru, or a social media maven, the following strategies will help you craft a killer copy.
1. Down to business
Our first item on the agenda has nothing to do with writing. You heard me right! While it may seem antithetical to your creative aspirations, your copywriting is a business. If you want it to be successful and sustainable, you need to put a structure in place that allows that business to function smoothly, efficiently, and profitably. There is no creativity killer quite like the stress that comes with not knowing how you’re going to pay your rent or bills. A calm mind writes better copy, so take the time to work on the nuts and bolts. If like many writers, you don’t know where to start when it comes to properly setting up and managing your business, a short course or small business group mentoring program can give you the insights you need to create the framework that allows your talents to flow and shine.
2. Know your audience
It’s crucial to understand your readers, their primary pain points and emotional triggers. Picture these when you write, and you’ll be able to find the perfect voice and content to speak directly to their deeply held dreams and desires with fine precision.
Sympathy can inspire donations, fury can provoke a revolution, and a sense of belonging can trigger sales. There’s a vast spectrum of emotions to explore, each inspiring its own bouquet of potential actions. Become an expert at producing them, and your copy will be all killer, no filler.
3. Tie benefits to features
It’s easy to talk about the features of products, services, and methodologies in your copy. However, if you don’t take the extra step of explaining how these features will enrich the lives of your readers, you’re at risk of losing their attention.
Dive into the creative process of conjuring benefits from every feature you describe. Let your marvelous writerly imagination wander and then translate your visions into words. In doing so, you’ll create a visceral experience for your readers, one that will hold their attention and keep them coming back for more.
4. Connect the dots
Though it’s important to elicit an emotional response from readers, it’s equally vital not to leave them hanging afterward. If you get them all worked up but provide no clear call to action (CTA), they have no reason to stick around.
Instead, lead them through logical steps that make your CTA a no-brainer. This action could involve signing up to email lists, buying a product, subscribing for memberships, or liking and sharing posts. Whatever it is, connect the dots between the emotion you’ve elicited and the move they should make next.
5. Always be precise and specific
This step may involve politely pestering your clients for useful business stats. However, this professional assertiveness will be well worth it for everyone involved. Stats and figures allow you to be laser-sharp with your copy, giving readers an immediate sense of value.
Anyone can say “this product is the best on the market” or “we’re constantly innovating for our customers,” so general claims like this have become meaningless. By contrast, providing performance statistics and benchmark comparisons will communicate to readers that you know what you’re talking about, you have data to back your claims, and you can be trusted.
Deploy these copywriting strategies in every project you take on, and you’ll soon have a healthy roster of repeat and referral clients.
