Five Steps to Writing Copy That Sells
Advertising has one purpose--to sell more products. As a copywriter, your job is not to entertain or amuse readers with flashy graphics or poetic prose. Your job is to sell. Below are five steps that will help you write copy that gets results.
1. Gain Attention
Your first task is to gain the attention of your reader. There are hundreds of sales messages competing for your readers attention every day. Your prospect is bombarded with magazine and newspaper adds, TV commercials, billboard signs and direct mail.
In order to get your message noticed, you have to break through this clutter and grab your readers attention.
Your main ammunition for arresting your reader’s attention is the headline of your add or direct mail letter. Your headline must stop the reader in his tracks…seize his interest and lure him into reading everything you have to say.
If your headline is poorly written, it doesn’t matter how compelling your body copy is. Because no one will read it and you won’t sell a thing.
The most effective headlines appeal to the reader’s self-interest. It tells him how he can get something he wants or needs. Your headline can offer a benefit, ask a provocative question or arouse reader curiosity.
2. Talk Benefits
When writing copy, you will primarily be dealing with features and benefits. Features are what a product is or has. A benefit is what the product can do for the reader.
For example, lets say you are selling a nutritional supplement to pet owners. A feature of this product is that it contains Glucosmine, which helps alleviate joint pain. The benefit is that the reader’s pet can now enjoy a more active pain-free life!
Both features and benefits are important. However, it is not enough to simply state a products features. You must always emphasize the benefits. Ask yourself ‘what can this product do for my reader?“ Will it save them time or money? Help them get out of debt? Provide financial security? Make them healthier or more attractive? Will your product alleviate a certain fear?
Many writers simply state a products features and assume the customer already knows the benefits. This is a mistake. Always connect a benefit to a feature. Other wise the reader will not see any reason to buy your product.
People are primarily interested in themselves. And they are only interested in your product as a means of getting something they want or need. So state the benefits loud and clear!
3. Prove Your Point
People are naturally skeptical of advertising and the claims advertisers make. It is your job to prove that the product can really do what you say it can. One way to do this is to include specifics. If you claim your product can save the reader time, tell them how much time. If it saves them money tell them how much money. If your product offers an amazing benefit tell them why it can do so. By including specifics, you make your copy more believable.
You can also assure readers that the company is reliable and trustworthy by including a few corporate details. This should be a couple of brief statements informing readers of your company’s mission, size, or history. Always keep these details brief and to the point. People are not interested in your company as such. All they care about is how your company can help them.
The only reason for talking about your company is to gain your customers trust. People are more comfortable doing business with someone they feel is legitimate and reliable. No one wants to get taken by a scam.
Testimonials are also powerful marketing tools. It proves that your product can do what you say it can. Your reader will think, ’This product worked for other people. So why won’t it work for me too.” Testimonials can come from satisfied customers, trade magazine reviews, or an endorsement from a leading expert in your industry. Since testimonials carry a powerful sales message, don’t bury them in your copy. Put them front and center for everyone to see and read!
4. Show How You are Better than the Competition
People have more buying choices today than ever before. In order to get people to buy from you instead of your competitor , you must develop a strong Unique Selling Proposition (USP).
Your USP tells readers how your product is different from or better than the competition. What is it that sets your product or company apart? Does your product have a special feature or benefit your competitor does not have? Do you offer a lower price? Better customer service? A longer guarantee?
Before you write a single word of copy, ask yourself, ‘What sets my product apart?” “Why should a person buy from me instead of my competitor?“ “What does my product have or offer that my competition does not?“ Your Unique selling proposition should offer prospects a benefit they cannot get anywhere else.
When choosing your USP be sure to emphasize a feature that is important to the reader. Do not choose something that, although different, is unimportant or meaningless.
5. Give a Call to Action
So far you have succeeded in gaining your readers attention, pointing out all the benefits your product offers, and differentiating yourself from the competition. Hopefully you have created a sense of desire and enthusiasm towards your product. Now you have one final task--to push the reader to action.
Every piece of advertising you write should include a clear call to action! Tell the reader exactly what you want her to do. Do you want her to go to the nearest retailer to buy your product? Send in a coupon? Visit your website? Whatever it is, be sure to spell it out in plan English.
If you fail to tell the reader what to do, odds are she’ll get confused and won’t do anything. There is an old rule in advertising that says if you want the reader to do something--tell them to do it!
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