Writing is an art form.
That being said, an artist must be devoted to their craft and always shoot for the stars. Copywriters utilize all of the resources at their disposal in order to craft an excellent piece of copy.
Copywriting all boils down to this: How are you going to write a piece of copy that is compelling enough to invoke an emotional impact in the reader? Keep in mind, this is no easy task.
There is no written, standard formula that copywriters adhere to when they are writing. The trick is to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and devise a plan to get there. For copywriters, the light at the end of the tunnel is the potential customer or client. Many people, even copywriters, fail to understand that copywriting is a form of sales.
Copywriters are essentially marketers, and their job is to create enticing, compelling copy that prompts the reader to recognize a need that can be met through the products and services mentioned.
Anyone who knows how to do good copywriting will tell you that appreciation for the art of writing matters. This is essential to any effective writing project. As we stated earlier, writing is an art form.
With this in mind, you should always consider how your “art” makes your audience feel. If you’ve created an emotional impact, then you’ve done your job as a copywriter. Remember, the end goal is to write copy that is compelling enough to influence a reader. While this may not be as easy as it sounds, there are a few key things to keep in mind when attempting to write good copy.
Let’s get started.
What Is Copywriting?
Copywriting is the art of creating persuasive text for a wide variety of audiences, typically for a business or brand. Copywriting is often also seen as a science, in which writers learn through trial, error, and implementation of newfound knowledge. The end goal of copywriting is to make a product or service seem enticing enough to convince a customer or client that they need it.
Customer conversion
In most cases, copywriting is meant to convert leads into customers, and convert customers into lifetime buyers who hopefully pass their loyalty to a company down to future generations. Copywriters are known to often use persuasive language. They operate as influencers who craft the text that determines whether or not a lead will convert or a customer will buy.
Writing for influence
All of that being said, let’s define copywriting for what it is at its base form…. A copywriter will be hired either as a freelance writer for a brand or as a
The end goal is always to promote a product or service well enough so that leads, new customers, and mature customers feel compelled to buy.
Impactful marketing
In essence, copywriting is a form of sales/marketing that holds massive influence over consumers. Ask yourself, how many times have you wanted to learn something about a product, service, restaurant, bar, movie, or show, Googled it, and read an article about that particular thing? Did that article encourage you to buy anything?
For many, the answer is usually yes. Now that we understand what copywriting is and the role of a copywriter, let’s take a closer look at copywriting from a marketing perspective.
What Is Copywriting Marketing?
Okay, so we’ve covered what copywriting is, and the role of a copywriter. Now let’s take a look at copywriting from a business/marketing perspective.
What makes copywriting so effective? Well, there is a certain science to it. There are many facets of copywriting that many might not be aware of. With nearly everyone in the world utilizing the internet on a daily basis, and Ecommerce businesses making their mark, it’s important to understand the role of copywriting in marketing.
As previously stated, copywriters essentially fall into the same category as salespeople and marketers. However, given their online presence, there are many guidelines that a copywriter must follow when it comes to marketing a product or service effectively.
SEO
The first requirement is SEO, or Search Engine Optimization. SEO is a practice used by businesses with an online presence to drive more traffic to their websites for sales. By implementing keywords or phrases that appear in searches on Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc., copywriters can ensure that more traffic is diverted to a website/article.
Businesses and brands often provide keywords for copywriters to implement in copy, and it is the writer’s responsibility to incorporate these keywords or phrases in relevant parts of the copy in order to influence readers. Essentially, SEO is what gets an article to the top of a search list on a search engine.
Hyperlinks
The second guideline a copywriter must follow is including hyperlinks in copy. These links often refer a reader to a product page or website that has been previously mentioned in copy.
By crafting compelling, enticing, and captivating copy, copywriters can influence a reader beforehand regarding why a product or service is so great or meets the reader’s needs, then direct the reader to the product or service itself. This makes it easier for readers to find a product or service through a link rather than having to exit the article and search for it themselves.
Without hyperlinks, sales funnels would be starved and sales could plummet being that so many businesses are now reliant on copywriters to influence readers.
Call to action
Speaking of influencing readers, the third guideline a copywriter must follow is influencing the reader to act. This means incorporating a call to action (CTA) into the copy. A call to action is essentially capitalizing on the reader’s willingness to buy given the need that has been established by the copywriter. A CTA is typically included after important information regarding a product or service or is placed at the very end of an article.
You can find this CTA below this article
We’ve all seen it before. Whether watching an advertisement, reading an article, or seeing a billboard, we’ve all seen “Call now” or “Contact us today.”
Keep in mind that there are actually thousands of ways to write a CTA. What it all comes down to is dropping impactful and influential information, and then encouraging the reader, viewer, or audience to check out the product or service. In some cases, hyperlinks and CTAs are often implemented together, with the link being embedded in the phrase “Reach out to us” or “Click Here”.
Whatever the case, SEO keywords, hyperlinks, and CTAs all play a vital role in the success of copy.
How to Write Copy That Works
When it comes to copywriting, many people don’t comprehend how much time, effort, and devotion goes into becoming an expert copywriter. One must love what they do, understand the guidelines, and be ready to research. Let’s go over these important facets of the copywriting trade now.
You need to write!
If you want to write compelling copy, you need to WRITE, WRITE, WRITE. Practice makes perfect. The more you write, the more you can hone your skills. As any writer would tell you, we are all experts in an industry where no one truly ever becomes a master. Why? Maybe because copywriters understand that there is no top of the mountain peak and no end of the tunnel.
You need to love the craft!
Copywriters simply fall in love with the process of writing, and love devoting their time and energy to becoming better writers. Put simply, if you want to write copy that is effective in its purpose, you’ll need to write a lot.
If you don’t like to write, then don’t plan on still being determined and devoted to the craft in a few months when the going gets tough. Writers live for improvement, as does anyone who loves their occupation. So, if you don’t love writing and you’re not devoted to the craft, chances are a reader can sniff that out in the first few sentences.
All of that being said, if you’re passionate about writing, your product/service, and your brand, then you already have what it takes to become a great copywriter. But writers need to write. We’ve all met someone who claims to be a writer, and the last thing they’d written was a first draft for the first chapter of a book or the first 5 pages of a screenplay.
You need to follow the guidelines!
To consider yourself a writer, not only do you need to write, but you must be devoted to the process. As a copywriter, this means understanding your guidelines (SEO, hyperlinks, CTAs) and understanding the product/service that you are covering.
This boils down to one keyword: RESEARCH. Copywriters are constantly researching channels and outlets for critical information, so be prepared to dig deep into the recesses of the internet. Luckily, with SEO, you may not have to. Whatever the case, copywriters must implement SEO, hyperlinks, and CTAs in order to achieve the end goal: conversion.
Are You Ready to Write Some Excellent Copy?
Hopefully, you’ve found this article helpful.
To quote Hemingway: “There’s nothing to writing; all you have to do is sit at your typewriter, and bleed.”
So, if you want to write enticing, impactful copy, you’ll need to approach your copy as if you were both the business and the reader. This means culminating the perfect mix of defining need and providing for need. You should also put yourself in the reader’s headspace, and consider what word may fit well here, or what sentence may be most compelling there.
To sum this up, copywriting is an art, science, and marketing practice all in one. It is also one of the most effective forms of marketing out there. But remember, no one ever truly becomes a master, so “do or do not, there is no try.” Just get to writing, hone your craft, follow the guidelines, and you’ll be well on your way to writing some good copy!
- Content Marketing 101
- How to Promote Your Online Store With Content Marketing
- How to Write an “About Us” Page
- Six Ecommerce Copy Mistakes
- Why You Need a FAQ Page
- Copywriting: The Best Practices of Writing an Excellent Copy
- How to Get Started with Storytelling for Your Brand
- How to Use Viral Content to Sell Products Online
- Using the Psychology of
Decision-Making in Sales Content Optimization
