| |
| |
|
Copywriting Information |
|
|
|
Some Copy Tips From An Old Hand
I have been in the ad game for a long, long time. I have trained hundreds of writers, and I've been responsible for moving of millions £ & $ in product worldwide. Here are just a few tips that I hope will help you do a better job, and make a bigger name for yourself. One. Whatever copy job you are working on - brochure, mailer, sales letter, press ad, website - always include a headline. A pertinent headline. A selling headline. This headline will be, or should be, powerful enough or intriguing enough to draw your target into the compass of the body copy. If it can do that, you are on a winner. To put it simply, your headline should be a snapshot of your sales message - a précis of your offer or promise. In other words, a headline that says: Buy this product and get this benefit. Two. Always remember, people don't buy products, they buy the benefits of owning those products. A man doesn't buy a sportscar because it is precision engineered or aesthetically designed. He buys it because of the ego-boost it gives him. It shows the world that he has made it. Likewise, a woman doesn't by a cocktail dress by Camille of Paris simply because of the cut or the exquisite stitching. She buys it for the cachet that is attached to the label. She would probably look as good in a dress from a High Street department store, but she wouldn't feel as good. And that's the benefit. Three. Around 30% of all copy headlines are both useless and irrelevant. The worst of them often take the form of puns or are re-workings of current film titles or song titles. Puns are fine if they are appropriate, which they seldom are. And the writer who tries to demonstrate how cool he is by working his product message into a film or song title is usually doing a lot for the sales of movie tickets and CDs, but very little for his client. The moral is this. State your sales proposition cleverly, wittily, stridently or emotively, but never ever employ a device simply because it's the easy thing to do. If you can't be original, at least be positive. Four. If it doesn't quack, it ain't a duck. And if your copy doesn't make some kind of selling proposition, it isn't advertising - it's an announcement. So many writers these days fail to understand that copy is nothing more than salesmanship in print. They play with words for the sake of playing with words. They lose sight of the fact that they should be trying to sell something. Thus, copy must use the psychology of the salesman; and it must say, right up front: Here's what's in it for you. Five. Always be a little circumspect about experts who try to tell you how to write better copy. And that includes me. Patrick Quinn is a copywriter, with 40 years' experience of the advertising business in London, Miami, Dublin and Edinburgh. Over the years, he has helped win for his clients just about every advertising award worth winning. His published books include: The Secrets of Successful Copywriting The Secrets of Successful Low Budget Advertising The Secrets of Successful Exhibitions Word Power 1-2 & 3 He also publishes AdBriefing, a free on-line newsletter. http://www.adbriefing.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Copywriting - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Three Tips For Magnetizing Your Copy The difference between good copy and great copy is the number of actions it generates. The more actions the copy drives, the greater the copy is. Write Benefits in Your Headlines to Deliver the Dream! When you create headlines, do you put benefits into your headlines to deliver the dream? Do you create headlines that draw your reader deeper into the rest of copy?Let me ask you a simple question. "Why do people read any printed material beyond the headline?"The answer, because there was something in the headline that attracted their attention, raised their interest and curiosity, or contained a perceived benefit for the reader. 3 Steps To Better Sales Copywriting Whether you're wet-behind-the-ears or a seasoned copywriter, your craft will benefit by remembering one thing:You're nothing more than a salesperson.There's an old saying in the "business" that, "a copywriter is a salesperson sitting in front of a typewriter. Steps to a Writing an Effective Press Releases Want to get the most media attention and spotlight for your business? Then the first place to start is with a GREAT press release. Now I can almost see half of you leaving now, dreading the thought of having to write one of these. Power Keys To Writing Power-Packed Marketing Copy In order to maximize your sales efforts and fully seize your greatest profit potential, these essential elements are a "must-have" and "must-apply" in all of your action-driven marketing communications.Value-Added, Benefit-Rich Headlines Make The DifferenceA bold, mouth-watering headline is considered by many a marketer to be the most important element of any super-effective marketing copy. On Copying and Stealing Designs The notion on the great artist, Pablo Picasso's quote, "Bad artists copy. Good artists steal" is lost on many. Copywriting FAQs One of the biggest challenges a copywriter faces is to make future clients feel confident in his or her ability. You know you can deliver, but your clients don't know that. How to Write a Sizzling Sales Letter, Part 1 When you sit down to write a sales letter to your prospects, it can be difficult to know just where to start. Regardless of the purpose of your letter, it has to accomplish several things: capture the attention of the reader speak to the reader's individual needs give good reasons why your prospect can trust you communicate your offer succinctly and clearly encourage your prospect to act now And furthermore, it has to have sizzle. Power Words And Phrases I like to use power phrases when writing sales material. These power phrases add punch to a line or a paragraph and I usually use them to start off a sentence. 11 Reasons Not to Hire a Freelance Copywriter (and Why Theyre All Poor Excuses) Think you can take the Copywriting Challenge on your own? Allow me to convince you otherwise! Here are eleven reasons why business owners typically choose not to hire a writer, and my argument for each.Excuse 1. How To Find Freelance Copywriting Jobs Your goal is to land a few nice, secure freelance copywriting jobs, but how do you get them? The most important factor in finding these jobs is that you pursue the job you are looking for with all of your ducks in a row, so to speak. Here are a few things you need to do in order to get the freelance copywriting jobs that you have been looking for. Is Your Web Copy Plain Talk? It's true, we were all taught in school to express ourselves differently on paper, than the way we speak. To follow rules of grammar, and inject an artificial air of formality. Copywriting Makeover: Making An Emotional Connection - Part 2 of 2 In part one of this article series we began looking at the Cruise Vacation Center site: a travel site whose copy was sorely lacking in emotional appeal and visual imagry. (You can see the previous version of the copy here: http://www. 5 Ways to Instantly Improve Your Copy 1. Isolation technique It doesn't matter how good your copy is if they don't read it. Hey, Client, This Is Me! Sell With Your Writing Voice In a crowded market, clients will be seeking personality as they read what you've written -- they'll click right past pages that feel "been there, read that." They're looking for a voice that says, "Hey, client, this is me!"They want to know not just what you deliver -- but how. The Lead: Sinking The Hook Into Your Prospect You only have an instant to capture your prospect's attention. No matter the medium - a sales letter, print ad, or commercial - she's going to make an almost instantaneous decision about whether you are worth her time or not. Lapsed Donors: How to Write a Fundraising Letter That Wins Them Back Your definition may differ, but I define a lapsed donor as someone who has not donated to your organization within the last year, two years or three years. Donors who have not sent you a gift in over three years are not lapsed donors. Writing Benefit-Driven Web Copy - 4 Steps to More Sales You've identified the benefits you offer your customers, but how do you turn a list of benefits into engaging web copy which converts visitors into customers?Recently I wrote an article explaining how to identify the benefits you offer your customers (http://www.divinewrite. Knowing Copywriting Basics - How To Get Ahead In Your Copy Writing Business In order to get ahead in your copy writing business, you need to know copywriting basics. There are several things that all business owners need to know, and here, we will touch on just a few. How to Start and Sustain a Career as a Freelance Writer Have you wondered how you can make a career writing books or articles for various publications? Or are you seeking a viable second income opportunity but do not know where to start? Well, freelance writing may be the right career for you and it can open a world of lucrative opportunities for you.You do not need to have special qualifications to be a freelance writer and make money.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2008 |
