Writing Better Copy Requires More Than Just Words- Secret Strategies From A Millionaire Copywriter For Any Business
Nearly everyday I get emails, Direct Messages and comments to our social media posts about copywriting. People who want to learn to write better, convert more sales, close more deals, build their list, make more money. It's obvious that our customers and client base know that their copy must close the sale in order to run a business. This is a great thing!
But something keeps coming up that I wanted to share with all of you. It's the idea that just a 'few more words' could change the conversion and just a few 'marketing tricks' could get more money flowing in.
First off, copywriting is an art, not a science. I've seen so many people go through some very laborious training and master all the scientific aspects and instructions of copy, yet they are still poor. People who work their tail off to get the four-legged stool, the big idea, the lead, headline and powerful P.S. just as it should be…. yet they still are not making money.
In my years of working online, writing all my own copy, writing copy for large and small companies and now teaching my clients how to write copy it could be easy to become immune to the challenges that beginner copywriters encounter if I didn't have the constant input from our clients. I'm very grateful that they help me to stay focused on what their struggles can be and how they desire so much to succeed.
But fact of the matter is this- copywriting is about FAR more than just words. It's about people, their current situations, their relationship to you and what they need. Let's explore some of the critical key components to copy that sells that many people are forgetting:
#1- Copy is not always about words.
Face it, words do sell, but the right words said to the wrong people or in a wrong way can make the art of copywriting feel like a nightmare! Just because a farmer is passionate about a fertilizer and he knows HOW to sell to other farmers his fertilizer, that doesn't mean that actresses in Hollywood will wanna buy his stuff. Plain English, if you're not talking to the right prospect, you can be passionate until you're blue in the face with passion and you'll still struggle to close the sale.
The art of writing persuasive copy has to be in alignment with the audience. As a writer, ask yourself this critical question:
"WHO am I writing to?"
Don't ever forget this. The bottom line is, it's not about you, your mission, your passion, your focus or what YOU can do for anyone. The key issue is this: WHAT does the client want? And then… can you successfully serve them? If you can, than YOU are in business!
#2- Copy is about people.
This might seem elementary and obvious, but over and over again I find people writing like they are doing a term paper, writing a novel or worse yet, a romantic letter written to angelic beings! (you know what I mean, there's so much esoteric nonsense popping up in business lately I want to find out who is passing out the voodoo crack!)
People are reading your copy.
It's your job to know who they are, to become so familiar with them that you'd recognize them on the street. You need to know what they think about, worry about, dream about. It's important to become very very aware of the people reading your copy. Each niche, each group of people, each product is very unique.
Before you memorize all the ingredients on the product or send out smoke signals to the gods of marketing, be sure to get to know VERY intimately the people you are selling to. You should be able to read their mind if you do it correctly. Read what they read. Watch the TV shows they watch! STUDY people, before you study the mechanics of writing.
#3- Copy is about a current situation and need.
Your copy has to solve a problem. It can be a problem with pain, acne, singleness, writing, business, mindset, teeth, makeup, cleaning a car or whatever you can find that's broken that you can fix. But it has to be a problem, and you need a unique solution that can solve it.
Please don't try to sell me, persuade me, smooze me, melt me, remake me or talk to me like I'm a child.
Just give me a solution to my problem and you'll change my life!
It doesn't have to be a big solution, just give me a result so I can believe you know what you are talking about! Then promise to help me through other things, make me know I'm not alone and help me with my current situation and need.
I don't want to talk about my future, please don't talk to me about my past, please don't tell me all about you, yourself, your stuff, your success, your product, your service, your mission, your passion, your voodoo or anything else UNLESS….. it can help me to solve my current situation. If it can, share away… and help me. NOW.
This is the 'juice' that so many crave but few ever get to when they write copy.
#4- Copy is about my relationship with you.
Your relationship to your prospect is everything. This is where a lot of old school direct response marketing companies are freaking out. They don't know how to have a relationship. They can write words and create 'stuff' that causes a quick response but then they have to do it over and over again. Relationship is the currency of today's economy. You must have a relationship with me or I'll go find a company that will.
As a writer, ask yourself (or the client you are writing for ) what is the relationship with the client? Is it new, established, needs to be reactivated? These are critical answers that will influence and impact your selling power.
Be very clear on where your clients are and where you are. Be honest with yourself. Don't try to go too fast, don't be pushy, quit playing hard to get when no one is following you yet. Be real, be genuine. Relationship is key.
#5- Copy is about words that sell.
Copy is not about words that inform, educate or empower. It's about the bringing together of strategic words, merging with all 4 steps above, to a selling question and result.
Even non-profit organizations have to sell. In order to get donations they have to use words that make people want to give.
Study the reading materials your clients read, the books, magazine, periodicals and the influencers they are following. Don't try to educate your clients on why they need you. They don't care. (I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be harsh but they simply don't care, they only care about themselves).
One of the worst motivators to writing copy is to close a sale and make money. This will cause someone to obsess about closing ratios, only focus on how much money they can make and in turn, will create failure. It will miss details, key words, focus and here's a critical factor- speaking to the subconscious mind of the prospect reading.
Copy, it's about more than words. Become obsessed with adding value to the life of another person and YOU will sell more of your products and services, easily.
With love,
Sandi Krakowski
