copywriting tips - Express Writers

5 Irresistible Copywriting Examples

January 1, 2021April 14, 2014 by Adam Oakley

Some marketers out there manage to sell land on the moon, while others have a hard time trying to commercialize toilet paper, one of the most common, essential products that you could ever find on the supermarkets’ shelves? In this case, the not-so-secret recipe for success involves a very important element: irresistible copywriting that can turn the dullest product into a hot must-have as fast as you can say “buy me, you need me.” How Smart Copywriting Can Make a Difference in Your Life You need to rely on excellent copywriting to take your products or services to the next level, regardless of your goals, the size of your business or your field of activity. Whether you’re selling cosmetics or trying to promote your small-scale plumbing company, first-class copywriting can get you where you want to be on time and on a budget, by helping you create a long-lasting connection with your audience. To bring whatever it is that you are selling into the spotlight you have to be witty, bravely honest, intriguing or straightforward. Either way, you have to be shockingly different than the rest. Good web copy will help you differentiate your business from the rest, make a name for yourself and stay in the game with minimal effort. You cannot become the master of words overnight, but you can certainly improve your own writing skills and boost your power of persuasion by learning from the best. Let’s face it: some old players just nail copywriting and sell better and faster than anyone else. Others create legends. Here are 5 awe-inspiring copywriting strategies incorporated in calls to action, modal boxes, different website sections and various other structures that have rocked our world, making us believe that we have to buy products that we may or may not need in our lives at this point. 1. Cracked Show Us How to Reinforce Our Social Sharing Widget. Let’s face it: it’s not really easy to convince people to share or like your page. To simplify your mission, you have to get up close and personal with your audience and unleash the creative beast that is still dormant inside you. Be bold, daring and fun. Cracked embraced this approach and reached the outstanding 3 million mark while counting their Likes. The message promoted by Cracked is pretty straightforward: “Choosing to “Like” Cracked has no side effects, so what’s the worst that could happen?” Indeed, a little impulse given to your readers to Like your page doesn’t pose any unwanted side effects and has never sounded better. 2. Apple Is No Stranger to Seductive Copy. According to KISSmetrics, Apple has always played its cards right, at least when goal-oriented copywriting is involved. Apple copywriters give you the chance to justify your purchase and convince the breadwinner in your family that you were unable to live the rest of your life without an iPhone 5s in your pocket. So far, Apple has taught us a few basic things that show us how to perfect our own web copy, make our voice heard and sell big while making the most of cleverly selected words. Apple has given us 3 valuable lessons for this point: We should always use short, concise sentences with a powerful impact to promote readability (example: It’s our thinnest display ever. And it’s the first of its kind) We should boost our credibility by adding essential technical details (example: The back of iPhone 5 is made of anodized 6000 series aluminum — the same material used in Apple notebooks ) We should boost client engagement by telling a fascinating, compelling story. For example, Apple tells the whole world how the Apple EarPods were created and tested. During the testing phase, the subjects had to run on a treadmill and perform different kinds of cardio workouts, while being exposed to extreme temperatures. As a result, the AppleEarPods ensure the hghest level of protection against water and sweat, so they represent a smart investment. Doesn’t this cute little story make you want to get your hands on the AppleEarPods that were tested by 600 people who had to withstand extreme cold and excessive heat? 3. Mozilla Proves That You Can Sell Big with Fewer Words. You don’t have to write an entire book to convince your targeted audience that you are the best player in your sector. You just have to learn how to resonate with your public and come up with a compelling message. Mozilla knows that in terms of copywriting, less is sometimes more. The creative minds behind its web copy are able to say a lot without actually using tons of words. “We are Mozilla. Doing good is part of our code.” Do tell us, how do you ignore this powerful brand that succeeds in delivering its value proposition in less than 50 words? 4. Groupon Gets Bonus Points for Its Funny Email Copy. We will let you in on a little secret: buyers love brands that do not take themselves too seriously. So why not make your prospects laugh a little, by making the most of your funny, reader-oriented email copy? This is the clever strategy embraced by Groupon, the creator of a subject line will definitely put a smile on your face: “Beat the Heat Deals: Half Off Being Less Sweaty”. This subject line responds to the pressing needs of the recipients and stimulates their curiosity and their lust for great deals and discounts. 5. Petco Knows How to Keep Its Prices on a Leash (and brag about it). Ok, let’s face it: clever words that offer the promise of a substantial discount are almost impossible to ignore. Petco is fully aware of this fact. This is probably the main reason why it has created the pet-friendly slogan that we all know and love: Down, Prices, Down!” for their pet stores. It is short, concise, funny and compelling. It definitely helps the brand create a solid connection with pet owners who are constantly looking for quality, decently priced pet supplies. All … Read more

The Call to Action in Copywriting: How to Create Yours

February 7, 2024January 27, 2014 by Adam Oakley

In the business and online marketing worlds, the goal is to motivate customers with potent calls to action. While a call to action may sound like a complex and hard-to-master thing, that’s more of a misconception than a reality. If you strip away the fancy name, a call to action is just an “ask” of your readers. When you look at it that way, the only question left to answer is “how do you ask them correctly?” While it takes some time, effort, and skill to master the call to action in copywriting, doing so can earn you more sales, more customers, and a bigger bottom line, so it’s well worth your while. The Basics of a Great Call to Action in Copywriting: 7 Essential Techniques Remember the magic word we learned early on in life? Please. The epitome of politeness, please had the power to earn us things, to make people help us, and to strengthen bonds with our friends and family. In the world of marketing, it’s no different. Today, most marketing tactics involve asking readers for something, such as their email address or a share with their social following. That’s made difficult, however, by the fact that today’s customers are protective of their privacy, money, and personal information, and rightfully so! While there’s no getting around the fact that most of modern marketing is one big “ask,” there is a right way and a wrong way to ask people to do something for you and your brand. Push too hard, and you risk scaring your readers off. Whisper too timidly, and you’ll come off as confusing and indecisive. To be effective with your call to action in copywriting, it’s critical to master the following CTA techniques: 1. Provide Value It doesn’t matter if something is free or costs thousands. If the customer finds it valuable, price is no object. Unfortunately, most of today’s copy fails to take this simple fact into account. The most effective CTAs work because they offer a clear value proposition. They tell the reader exactly what’s in it for them and what they’ll get for sharing their personal information, clicking, or subscribing. This clarity is essential for great CTAs, and can go a long way to make yours more compelling. 2. Address Objections Head-On Good businesses familiarize themselves with the objections their potential customers will have before they begin marketing. After all, the only way to generate sales is to address and overcome objections. Fortunately, you can use your call to action in copywriting to nip customer objections and concerns in the bud. By addressing and solving customer objections before the customer has a chance to offer them, you can encourage trust in your brand and your company. Simple things, like offering money-back guarantees, providing social proof (stating how many people have already taken advantage of a product, good, or service) or including reviews are ideal for anticipating and addressing customer concerns. 3. Pique Customer Curiosity Curiosity is human nature and it leads us to try new things. Piquing curiosity is a great way to build the customer’s anticipation and encourage them to fulfill your “ask.” Including language like “VIP” or “top secret” can make your CTAs more enticing and exciting for your readers. 4. Tailor the CTA to Your Reader You’ve heard it once; you’ve heard it a thousand times: know your audience. Creating a compelling call to action requires that you custom-design the CTA copy and content for a select portion of readers. By setting up different CTAs and landing pages for different campaigns (rather than re-using the same ones) and ensuring you’re using personalized language, like “you” and “your” in your CTAs, you can offer your customers a truly customized experience. 5. Offer Social Proof Power exists in numbers. This is especially true when it comes to a proper call to action. Your potential customer probably doesn’t want to be the only one trying a product or service. You can entice them into action by leveraging social proof. Check out how Tim Ferriss does this in a CTA on his website: By stating that more than 100 million episodes have been downloaded, he inspires trust in his product and encourages a herd mentality, wherein people want to be involved because so many other people are already interacting with said content. 6. Make it Urgent People are more likely to take action when they feel a sense of urgency. You can weave this sense into a call to action in copywriting by saying things like: Limited time offer! While supplies last! Act now to receive… Only X days left! 7. Offer An Incentive You can make your CTA more compelling by offering your reader something exciting in advance. The way you sweeten the deal will depend on your business and industry, but can take the form of offering a free piece of content, a coupon, or even a voucher for services. In addition to showing readers you value them, offering an incentive makes your CTAs feel like gifts. Using CTAs in Copywriting: Foundational Tips Now that we’ve discussed the seven critical tactics of all good CTAs, let’s talk about how to use them in your copywriting: Tailor Your CTA to the Type Of Content. The CTA you’ll use on a web page varies from the one you’ll use on a blog. By tailoring your CTAs to various pages and approaches on your website, you can make them more effective and compelling. Keep Them Informative. Your CTAs should always be simple and informative. They should tell the reader exactly what they’ll get and why it matters. Information inspires trust, and trust is critical to high-performing CTAs. Personalize, Personalize, Personalize. The goal of a CTA is to speak directly to the customer. By personalizing your CTAs with words like “you” and “yours” and ensuring that each CTA you publish lines up with a specific, targeted offer, can shorten the distance between you and your customers and make your “asks” more compelling. Keep … Read more

5 Copywriting Rules to Turn You from Hack to Writing Hacker

January 5, 2021January 24, 2014 by Adam Oakley

Everything in life or work has rules attached. Copywriting is no exception. Make no mistake: This is not an instance where breaking the rules will lead to better results. Rule-breaking may work if you’re writing a novel or creating fiction, sure. In stark contrast, copywriting is all about speaking to specific audiences and moving them to act. There are tried and tested ways to do this. In other words, don’t try to reinvent the copywriting wheel. There’s a right way and a wrong way to write copy. Following these simple copywriting rules will ensure your words have a fighting chance to make an impact on the audience you’re targeting. [bctt tweet=”‘There’s a right way and a wrong way to write copy. Follow these simple copywriting rules to ensure your words make an impact on your audience!’ – @JuliaEMcCoy on #copywritingrules” username=”ExpWriters”] 5 Copywriting Rules You Should Never Forget Ready to learn the “write” stuff and create copy that gets results? These 5 copywriting rules are ones you should always remember: Copywriting Rule #1: Simplify In the world of copywriting, complicated is NOT better. Your goal always should be to communicate ideas and information in the clearest way possible. You want every single person who reads your copy to understand it perfectly. That means you need to simplify as much as possible. Write concisely and avoid redundancy. This example from Michele DeLima shows what I mean. The first version of copy is full of fluff – unnecessary words that add nothing to what she’s trying to say. When she omits the fluff, we get down to the meat of that first loaded paragraph: Michele was able to cut the first paragraph down from 50 words to 9 and say the exact same thing. While doing your initial editing passes for your copy, look for nonessential words and phrases that pad your writing. Then, cut them ruthlessly. Here’s the nonessential stuff from the above example. I’ve highlighted them so you can see exactly what was cut to get to the final, clean and simple version. [bctt tweet=”Copywriting Rule #1: Write concisely and avoid redundancy. Read more about @JuliaEMcCoy’s top 5 #copywritingrules” username=”ExpWriters”] Copywriting Rule #2: Spend as Much Time on the Headings as the Body Copy This next copywriting rule is not just referring to the H1 (also known as the title or headline). It also alludes to your humble H2s, H3s, and even your H4s – the subheadings. Yes, technically the latter is less important. However, that’s just from an organizational standpoint. The H1 conveys the overall main idea or takeaway, while the lesser subheadings sum up the major ideas that contribute to the overall main idea. From a copywriting standpoint, though, ALL of the headings in a piece need to be creatively and intelligently constructed. They need to grab the eye, inform, and sum up the content for a scanning reader. They need just as much care and attention as the body copy. If instead, you dash them out carelessly or neglect to include some subheadings, your entire content piece will suffer. It will be flatter, less interesting, harder to scan, and more difficult to understand. For inspiration on making ALL of your headings interesting, creative, and engaging, look at this blog post by Brian Dean of Backlinko: Not just the H1 is compelling – each and every subheading draws your eye, makes you think, and effectively outlines the piece. Even your sub-subheads should get this kind of attention if you truly want to create a winning content piece. [bctt tweet=”Copywriting Rule #2: ALL of the headings in a piece need to be creatively and intelligently constructed. Read more about @JuliaEMcCoy’s top 5 #copywritingrules” username=”ExpWriters”] Copywriting Rule #3: Focus on Benefits, Not Features Think of this next copywriting rule as the Golden Rule of online copy. Drill it into your head and practice it everywhere you possibly can. Benefits over features. To see what I’m talking about, look at Evernote’s homepage. Here, you’re presented with the benefits of using Evernote straight out of the gate: Evernote will help you feel organized without any effort. Evernote will help you record all your ideas, projects, and to-do lists wherever you are, so you don’t miss a thing. The focus, as you’ll notice, is on YOU – not Evernote. If Evernote instead focused on features, this page would look very different. Let’s imagine that for a second. It might read like this: Evernote has organizational features like Notebooks and tagging. Evernote has both desktop and mobile apps. Features are great, but they aren’t personal. They don’t relate this product to your life. That’s exactly what makes features forgettable. Here are the differences between features vs. benefits spelled out in black-and-white: Benefits show you how a product or service will benefit your life – A.K.A. make it better. Benefits are personal and memorable. Features tell you what a product or service can do (without reference to what it can do for you). That’s it. To sum up, when you stay benefits-focused, you stay focused on your audience’s human needs. You tell them how your product or service fulfills those needs. You relate it to them and make it personal. Of course, when your copy is personal to your readers, it’s more compelling – and that’s the entire point. [bctt tweet=”Copywriting Rule #3: Focus on benefits, not features. Read more about @JuliaEMcCoy’s top 5 #copywritingrules” username=”ExpWriters”] Copywriting Rule #4: Don’t Write AT Your Audience – Write TO Them What’s the difference between writing at someone and writing to them? Hint: It ties into copywriting rule #3, above. Still stumped? Here’s the answer: One is impersonal and cold. The other is personal, warm, and engaging. Writing at your audience is similar to the way flight attendants go over the safety guidelines at the beginning of every flight. They aren’t really talking TO you or engaging with you; they’re talking AT you. They’re presenting information – nothing more, nothing less. In contrast, think of writing to … Read more

A Lowdown on Content Marketing vs. Copywriting

December 31, 2020January 16, 2014 by Adam Oakley

Content marketing and copywriting: what the heck is the difference? For anyone that’s not intimately involved in the world of online marketing, the two may seem totally interchangeable. The truth? The two are similar, and one can’t work without the other. But they’re two very, very different animals, each of which has its own intricacies and benefits. Read on to learn more. What is Content Marketing? Content marketing is a school of marketing that takes content (in the form of visuals, articles, textual content, videos, etc.) and uses it to market a product, brand, idea, or topic. Today, virtually all brands use content marketing, and virtually all customers interact with it on a near-daily basis, whether they know it or not. 60% of modern marketers create and distribute at least a single piece of content each day and, two years ago, 57% of marketers stated that the development of custom content was their top marketing priority. Since then, this number has only grown. Right now, brands are using content marketing in a myriad of ways, and the variety of the examples might surprise you. While many people believe that content marketing is simply the use of blog posts or infographics to gain consumer attention, it goes so much deeper than that. For example, content marketing is Rolex’s beautifully curated and photographed Pinterest page: Whole Foods’ informative and targeted blog: and Innocent Drinks’ hilarious Twitter feed: Content marketing is a critical marketing tactic, and it’s appearing across the web in the hands of various companies. Through the use of content marketing, brands everywhere are building their voices, setting themselves apart from the crowd with funny social media posts, high-quality images, and informative blogs, and developing unique, devoted, and loyal bases of customers who would not leave them come hell or high water. What is Copywriting? Copywriting is a piece of content marketing but it’s far from being the whole picture. Copywriting is the practice of actually writing online copy – the type that would appear in a product ad, a blog post, a white paper, an infographic, or a social media post. As the popularity of content marketing has risen with brands, so, too, has the popularity of copywriting services. Since copywriting is a critical piece of any brand’s online success, many companies currently hire out professional copywriting services to help them populate their websites, build out their blogs, and create the unique content that is later used in the big picture of content marketing. In addition to supplying websites and marketers with on-site content, copywriting also serves another important purpose: to boost a company’s visibility in the online environment. Through the help of good, high-quality, reputable, well-researched copywriting, brands can secure high Google rankings, help customers learn new information or solve problems, and appear prominently to people searching online for a certain product, good or service. In this way, good copywriting is a powerful SEO tool that is widely regarded as the single most effective way for modern brands to rank well without utilizing the spammy, black-hat SEO tactics of yesteryear. How Copywriting and Content Marketing Work Together Without content, there can be no content marketing. Because of this, content marketing and copywriting are closer than two peas in a pod. Even when people understand what content marketing is, few people truly understand how integral copywriting is in making it happen. While most people interact with ads, visuals, infographics, social media, and blogs (all of the trappings of content marketing) on a daily basis, few people realize that it is copywriting that makes this all possible. In most business settings, a company has a team of in-house or outsourced content writers. When the company needs a piece of content, be it a blog or a web page, they give the writers a set of details, a keyword or two, and then they turn them loose. In time, the writers craft a piece of online content that’s meant to appeal to both writers and search engines. Once it’s finished, the company takes it back and uses it to enhance and support their overall content marketing strategy. In many cases, the content that a writer produces will spearhead or support an entire chain of content marketing. For example, an idea that starts as a heavily researched, long-form blog post may become an infographic, a series of tweets, a SlideShare presentation, and a podcast. In this way, copywriting is largely responsible for giving birth to all of content marketing’s various facades and offshoots. Without good copywriting, there can be no good content marketing, and the ads, blogs, infographics, and social profiles that customers love all grow up from the marriage between these two things. Content Marketing & Copywriting: a Critical Partnership Without the help of copywriting, content marketing would not survive, and without the help of content marketing, copywriting wouldn’t be the major industry that it is today. A critical partnership that’s managed to bring value, relevance, and informative material to millions of people around the world, content marketing and copywriting team up to comprise the current face of marketing around the world. As humans get increasingly digital and we carry out more and more of our interactions online, it’s safe to say that the importance of content marketing and copywriting will only increase. What’s more, the product content marketing and copywriting combine to create will change. While there’s currently a push for more story-driven online content, we can expect to see this morph into the norm over the next few years. These change, combined with the increasing focus on user convenience and high-quality online material, will create an environment where all consumers around the world have access to relevant online material at the click of a button. So there you have it – while content marketing and copywriting aren’t the same thing, they do work together to create digital marketing as we know and love it today. In need of expert content marketing or copywriting for your brand? Check out our Content … Read more

Copywriting For SEO: Your Secrets for Top Google Rankings

January 1, 2021December 2, 2013 by Adam Oakley

With offline marketing, all you have to do is add a cute girl in a bikini, and you have the attention of virtually everyone within a 100-foot radius of the billboard. SEO online marketing & copywriting is not this simple. What Copywriting For SEO Is and What It Is Definitely Not! As website traffic becomes harder to get, the websites choosing to employ copywriting SEO tactics will likely convert more readers and boost sales. When it comes to marketing the products and/or services you offer on the Internet, it is very important that you use good quality SEO copy. This is because good quality content has a way of capturing the attention of your target audience; it speaks to them. Copywriting for SEO is a content production technique that is used to inform and also encourage readers to take action. To some people, copywriting for SEO simply means stuffing the content with keywords or key phrases. For example, if you were targeting the term “gift basket Pocatello” you may be tempted to add the term “gift basket Pocatello” into the content as often as possible hoping that the webpage may possibly rank high for the term “gift basket Pocatello”. But here’s the gotcha. Repeating keywords or key phrases may make the copy sound utterly ridiculous. Silly-sounding copy is more likely to force readers to hit the back button and that is not very conducive to building business. The keyword stuffing approach existed a few years back (and actually worked) when search engines such as Google, Yahoo and MSN placed a whole lot of importance on keyword density. Not anymore. Now, search engines have stopped using this metric for website ranking—instead, they will penalize if you try it today. Integrating Copywriting with Search Engine Optimization There are two factors to search engine optimization: external and internal. The external factor concerns aspects beyond your website. Google will rank your website by looking at links that point to your website from other web pages. The second factor is the pages on your website. Thankfully, you have control over these web pages. When you employ copywriting SEO techniques to create well written, interesting content, then more people will be happy to link to your website. As soon as visitors arrive on your website, they will most likely find your content to be very engaging. If your website boasts of very interesting content, your readers will stay longer and this will possibly give your page ranking a big boost. The external and internal factors will need to work well together in order to get the best out of your search engine optimization strategy. It is more than just getting your target audiences to your website through search engines; it is also about what visitors to your website will do when they land there. Writing that does not create the magic to hook that keeps readers engaged can make you lose hard-worn website visitors. In a nutshell, you need to learn copywriting SEO skills that work. According to one of the resources on Unbounce.com, there are ways to develop powerful calls to action when producing copy for your website. Mashable.com even offers information about interesting resources for improving your search engine optimization skills. How to Correctly Structure Your Web Copy Use Captivating Headlines. One of the most vital aspects of copywriting SEO is creating headlines that will arrest the attention of target readers and draw them in. If you fail to use a captivating headline, people will simply not bother to read further. When it comes to search engine optimization, the headline sure plays a very vital role. When users click-through on the link text from search results, they expect to see similar headlines on the pages they land on. This will serve as proof that they have found the information that they are looking for. Always Appeal to Readers’ Self Interest There is no way this is going to come out without seeming like an insult, okay, here goes. Readers are really not interested in you or the product or service you offer—whoa! That was really hard to type. You need to understand that readers are only interested in themselves. Thus, effective copywriting SEO will make an appeal to the readers’ self-interest. Use tested and proven ways to appeal to a person’s self-interest are: List The Benefits Listing the benefits of a product or service will involve mentioning what the product or service can do for the reader. For instance, an iPod “holds your entire music library in your small pocket!” A product’s benefits are usually stated as verbs (action or doing words). Another example, “the iPod’s beautiful slim shape will make it easy to slide in your front or back pocket.” You may have noticed how the slim shape of an iPod (which is supposed to be a feature) is turned into a benefit. “…easy to slide into your front or back pocket”, this is no doubt a powerful copywriting SEO technique that links the product’s features and benefits, and therefore makes them memorable. Make an Offer They Can’t Refuse Everyone is very familiar with offers such as “BOGO (Buy One Get One)”, “Buy Now Pay Later” and so on. Offers make for a compelling yet simple headline. Offers can be powerful headlines and are known to work well when readers are already familiar with your brand. Offer headline may not work at all if your product or service requires some explaining. Give News People simply enjoy hearing news. This is because they like knowing what’s new and fresh. Examples of headline integrating a news element are: Drive A Vehicle Powered By Water. Or, Choose the Cheapest Flights While You Are Asleep. There is no doubt that these headlines simply imply a sort of change to the status quo. Seriously, who would not want to know all about driving in a car that is powered by water? People love news, and will feel it is their obligation to share their new found information with others. You … Read more

Copywriting for SEO: How To Do It the Right Way

January 1, 2021November 30, 2013 by Adam Oakley

If you want your website to rank well in top search engines like Google, MSN, Bing or Yahoo, then it is vitally important that you take copywriting for SEO seriously. You need to ensure that you craft web content that will please your target audience. Learning how to create copy that will hook website visitors is an art that can be learned; all you need is great writing talent and being able to observe certain SEO copywriting do’s and don’ts. Why is Copywriting For SEO So Important? If a visitor lands on your webpage, but immediately clicks on the back button, your website will not rank well on search engines. Thanks to the recent modifications in search algorithms, this simply means that your web pages are possibly being judged on just how valuable a visitor finds your webpage. If readers think that your website is good-for-nothing, search engines like Google will not want to rank your webpage high—your webpage could end up at the nosebleed section of search engine results. This is far from being a good thing, especially for those who plan to make a living from their website. One way to ensure that you capture the attention of your target audience is by making use of well written copy. If you encourage more of your readers to engage in a desired action, which is ultimately the goal of copywriting for SEO, then you can count on having a more profitable website. What Are The Top SEO Copywriting Mistakes to Avoid? You may strongly believe that your writing is SEO perfect and that Google will not be able to resist your website content. But are you one hundred percent sure that your content does not have some copywriting mistakes that you are not even aware of? If you are creating content utilizing incorrect or outdated techniques, you may unwittingly be making search engine optimizing (SEO) copywriting mistakes. Do not put your website content at risk. Here are some common copywriting for SEO mistakes to avoid. Writing to Reach a Mythical Word Count You should not write in order to meet a certain word count just because you think “it is how you need to do it for search engines”. This is a very common false impression. Most webmasters believe that their web pages need to be a certain word count in order to have a high Google ranking. Your content does not have to be a specific number of words in order to have a high ranking. News flash: search engines like Google do not care about the word count. Google cares more about the quality of the content; you could write up to a thousand words, but if these words are pure gibberish, do not expect to get a high ranking. Copywriting for SEO involves writing content that fully explains the subject matter and encourages a desired conversation. There is a valuable Copywriting for SEO article describing how to create a plan using influencers in social media on Copyblogger.com. Focusing Way too Much On Keyword Density Percentage It is very important to understand that creating content and stuffing them with keywords or key phrases will only make Google snub your website. Let’s face it, it is impossible for an article to sound natural when it is packed with keywords. If you think that stuffing keywords into your copy is a great idea; it is not. Uploading Crappy Content Just Because You Can Yes, the Panda update did a pretty good job of downgrading lots of badly written, thin pages stuffed with keywords and key-phrases. But there are still many companies that have the nerve to upload blog posts that look like they were written in less than five minutes by a pupil in kindergarten. This will not help conversions. If anything, poorly written content will reflect badly on your company’s image. Yes, you want to upload new content constantly, but you must upload well written content. Writing Sales Content that Clearly Focuses on a Product’s Features Instead of Its Benefits Copywriting for SEO should basically focus on what is in it for the reader. If you choose to focus on writing about the product features and leave out the benefits to readers, you can kiss sales goodbye. People respond to emotion, so the copy you create will need to paint a picture that appeals to the readers’ emotional side. The more your content speaks to the heart of the readers, the more the readers will want to share the content with their friends, family and coworkers. Providing Incomplete Information on Your Website Your site will be there to help you make sales 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Forget the notion that potential clients or customers will call or e-mail for more information they don’t see on your website. If the website is missing the information that they really need to see, they will not necessarily e-mail or call. As a matter of fact, they will probably click on the back button and go over to the competition instead. No, you do not have to write a book, but you do want to make sure that you provide sufficient information on your site. Not Including Page Titles Your first opportunity for converting visitors to loyal customers is to have a captivating title. You should include keywords and captivating headlines that will attract online users to click through to your website. There is a really great post on Moz.com on the 21 tactics of increasing blog traffic. Writing Boring Copy! You want to write content that will keep readers interested and not content that will send them to Snoozeville. Make your content fun, engaging and downright interesting enough to share. Add a little bit of personality into your writing and you will see how well your readers will respond. When it comes to copywriting for SEO, understand that the trick is to create content that … Read more

Website Copywriting for Dummies: A Crash Course

June 19, 2024November 19, 2013 by Adam Oakley

In the middle of the 1800s, the world of advertising began to take shape. As time went on, businesses were beginning to pop up around the globe and a number of advertising-based professions emerged. There was the advertising agent, the researcher, the commercial illustrator, the account executive, the creative director, and many more. (If you’ve ever seen Mad Men, you’ve gotten a taste of many of these occupations in action.) But out of all of the professions that arose from the early days of the advertising industry, it was the copywriter who would become the most highly regarded. As advertising icon Julian Sivulka put it in her book, Soap, Sex, and Cigarettes: “It was obvious that the copywriter was the most prominent member of the advertising team, since illustrations and photography seem almost interchangeable.” Following these early days, the copywriting profession began to take off. Copywriters like David Ogilvy and Leo Burnett became legends by helping generate hundreds of millions of dollars for major corporations like McDonald’s, Pepsi, and Rolls-Royce. And yet, even as these luminaries paved the way for the future of copywriting, it’s still one of the most misunderstood professions in the world. That’s why we’re here, with today’s website copywriting for dummies guide. What the Heck Is a Copywriter? If you Googled that question, you’d get an answer that looks like this… That’s an awfully bland answer. But the better way to answer this is to first ask the question, “What is copywriting?” Copyblogger provides a much more intriguing answer for this: So, in its simplest form: a copywriter is someone who uses the art and science of strategically delivering words in order to get people to take action. [bctt tweet=”To put it simply based on @Copyblogger’s definition of copywriting: A copywriter is someone who uses the art and science of strategically delivering words in order to get people to take action. ✍️ @JuliaEMcCoy explains more.” username=”ExpWriters”] What Type of Work Does a Copywriter Do? Copywriting is such a broad profession that there are literally hundreds of things that a copywriter could work on or specialize in. So, for the purpose of not being too broad, we’re going to focus solely on web copywriting. As far as a web copywriter goes, you’ll find them working on things like: But, while all of these tasks eventually require putting the fingers to the keyboard, writing is far from the only work that a copywriter engages in. What Types of Skills Does a Copywriter Need to be Successful? Unless you’re a part of a large copywriting agency with tons of resources, today’s copywriters need to be a jack-of-all-trades. They research. They edit. They proofread. They track and report data. They manage projects and campaigns. They do everything necessary to get to the point where they’re able to compile words that get people to take action. Some of the skills that they need to be well-rehearsed in include: And that’s not even the half of it. 5 Steps to Becoming a Copywriting Superstar While it will take some time, anybody can become a top-notch copywriter. Even if you’re not a solid writer, following through with the steps listed below can help you work your way towards eventual greatness in the field. 1. Focus on Research Research is the foundation of great copywriting. While authors and generalist writers talk frequently about their challenges with writer’s block, a copywriter is never unprepared to the point where they don’t know what to say. As David Ogilvy famously said, Image Source Ogilvy understood the necessity of research before ever even thinking about the actual writing process. He spent many of the early years of his career working for Gallup Polling, a market research agency. From that experience, Ogilvy understood the power that extensive research gave him when it came to crafting compelling copy that could get people to take action. How to Research Effectively Researching effectively comes down to two things: Gaining a deep understanding of your product or service Gaining an even deeper understanding of your audience In the Definitive Guide to Copywriting, which Neil Patel co-authored with Joe Putnam, they talk about the importance of understanding the product or service first. In order to do this, Patel and Putnam advise that you ask yourself five main questions: How would you describe the product? What’s unique/special about this product? What big benefit does it provide? What pain does it alleviate? What features are included and what are the benefits of each? Defining and Understanding Your Audience Not every project that a copywriter engages in is going to be aimed at getting the reader to immediately purchase a product or service. But there’s little doubt that every project WILL involve the need to speak directly to a specific audience in a way that can get them to take action. Maybe you want to educate or entertain them so they become followers of your blog. Or maybe you want them to join an email list. Whatever the goal, defining and understanding your audience is crucial to achieving it. Forbes contributor Jayson DeMers says that, in order to decode your target audience, you should ask six questions. They include: Who are they? What’s their most pressing issue, problem, or desire? Where do they get their info? What benefit of your product solves their problem? What sets off their BS detector? Who do they trust? By answering these questions thoroughly, you’ll have the foundation you need to craft compelling copy. [bctt tweet=”The foundation of good copywriting? Research. How do you do it? By understanding your product or service and your audience. @JuliaEMcCoy shares the questions you should ask to build your content foundation.” username=”ExpWriters”] 2. Shut Up and Listen One of the greatest quotes you’ll ever hear about copywriting is by the iconic Eugene Schwartz. He said, And he couldn’t be more right. If you research properly, you’ll never have to worry about writer’s block. But research doesn’t just mean typing a bunch of words into Google and … Read more

5 Secrets to Web Copywriting

January 1, 2021November 12, 2013 by Adam Oakley

Web copywriting is not rocket science, but it’s not as easy as it sounds either. There are no hard and fast rules, but there are things you have to avoid. Sounds confusing? At first, it must be. However, there are ways to circumvent this confusion and turn it into something good. Here are some secrets to great web copywriting. Web Copywriting Starts With Proper Research And no, I don’t mean just knowing about your product. I mean knowing about why people would buy your product, market trends, competition, the nitty-gritty, that kind of stuff. You need to know what will cause your customers to buy your products and what will cause them to turn away. In other words, not only do you have to know the strengths of your product, but you have to know its weaknesses as well. Don’t write your content with SEO in mind, because there are currently SEO problems in Google that even you can’t circumvent. When you delve into research, not only will you find out what your customers want and need, you will know how to speak their language. That is something that effective web copywriting is successful at. What is the most successful way to find out this information? Why, ask them yourself! Customer surveys are a great way to gather information, as old-fashioned as it may seem. Begin by asking them the basics. Age, job, where they live, lifestyle, preferences, etc. These things will sound simple but they will tell you a lot about the demographics about who might be interested in your products and, more importantly, how you should write about your products. Remember, you are writing FOR them. 1) Find A Unique Selling Proposition Your product must be unique in some way, or else why sell it? Find an angle that you know will sell and sell it that way. There are two steps you need to take here: Define the problem: what do customers want fixed? How do they want their problems to be fixed? Explain the uniqueness of your offer: what is in your offer that your competitor doesn’t have? For this part, you have to have an intimate knowledge of your competitors. (See what I meant about research?) Let’s face it, you didn’t just re-invent the wheel, did you? Of course your product is unique, but just how unique is it? You have to find an angle that your competitors haven’t thought of yet and that is where you will strike. The best way to incorporate your unique selling proposition into your website is through a value proposition. A value proposition explains the benefits and values that the customers can get by availing of your product. Of course, a value proposition isn’t just a chunk of text that you put on your website. There is a format to it. First, there is a headline. This is where you talk about the end-benefit of your product. It’s a one-liner that should grab the reader’s attention. Then there’s a sub-headline. The sub-headline is a 2-3 sentence paragraph that explains what your product does and what problems it fixes. Next, put three bullet points. These three bullet points should be the points that your customers told you about in your research. You should list the most important benefits of your product here. Keep it to only three bullet points to make it short and sweet. Lastly, put a visual at the very end of your webpage. Web copywriting that uses images can increase customer response significantly. Content is important , but so are images. Images will attract users and it will make your site more attractive anyway. 2) Be Human Don’t write like a robot. The best way to know if your content will be read is to write the way that your customers do. Are they upbeat, funny, enthusiastic? Or are they laid-back, relaxed? If you did your research, you should know this by now. Avoid jargon as well. Write the way that your customers would. So avoid jargon unless you are writing for a very specific group of people. If you work in the technical field, for example, then maybe you can write highly technical articles if you are writing for technical people. However, if you are writing for laymen, write like laymen do. Web copywriting has transitioned from simple web content writing to now integrating social media such as Facebook and Twitter. Use these tools wisely and they will serve you well. 3) Be Grammatically Correct Nothing will turn off readers more than bad grammar. That will show them that you are not credible at all and that the information that you are presenting can’t be trusted. After all, if you are selling a high-end tech gadget and you can’t even speak proper English, how can they trust that they gadget that you are selling is indeed authentic? Know what you are writing and how you are writing it. Also, mind your punctuation as well. Don’t put too many exclamation points!!! It will sound off as if you are screaming at your readers, and that is not something that you would like to do. 4) Stay Focused On Your Consumers I know you’re trying to sell your product, but you’re trying to sell to customers, so focus on them instead. Focus on how it will benefit them instead of focusing on your profit. Once you add value to your product, profit will follow flawlessly. Stay focused on what you are trying to give instead of what you are trying to get. This will pay off enormously in the long run. It’s better to give than to receive, as the saying goes. 5) Don’t Be The Salesman Refrain from being too much of a salesman. Instead, be a friend and strike a conversation. Be a consultant and take a friendly tone for your web copywriting. It will pay off. A conversational tone is always preferable to a robotic tone of voice in any situation. This goes for … Read more

7 Essential Tips for a Successful Copywriting Career

January 1, 2021November 2, 2013 by Adam Oakley

In school, our teachers work hard to make sure we become grammatically correct through proper use of punctuation and styles of writing when we write essays and other articles. But what may not have been realized then is that these rules may not apply to a copywriter and thus, abiding by these rules for writing marketing materials, ads, and commercial copies will not work in reality. Why School Learning Doesn’t Apply to Copywriting? This is because marketing materials and business copies are not aimed at showing a high standard of writing skills, but to help market a business and its products or services. In order to do this, a connection must be made with everyday people who, more often than not, don’t speak and write with proper English. Thus, for copywriters to put out good marketing material, they have to speak the language of the people and connect with them on a level that they are comfortable with. That is, copywriters should be willing to stray from the hard rules of correct English writing and concentrate more on effective marketing pieces rather than correct ones. Tips for Copywriting that Bend the Rules 1) Write In Third Person? It is a highly-regarded trait to write articles in third person, especially for professional writing; but ditch this standard rule, as it should not be used in copywriting if you want to be successful at it. Think of yourself as more of a salesperson when writing a marketing material, and write in second person so you will be talking directly to the person reading the material; because, in essence, you really do fit that role as you are trying to persuade people to buy the target business’ products or services. Use words like you, your, yourself and even write in first person where appropriate, keeping away from third person writing style, unless you believe it is absolutely essential for the particular article. 2) Get To The Point! Another deviation from proper English writing is to use command language and not worry about hinting or implying things. Get straight to the point and give out instructions, orders and persuasive wording to get the readers to do what you want them to. For example, you can use teasers like ‘look inside’, ‘read immediately’ or ‘be quick’ to make them curious. Also, try commands like ‘read on’, ‘turn to the next page’ or ‘complete and mail today’ for order forms. This is crucial because people do not have the time to read carefully and figure out what you are trying to get at, so getting directly to the point and telling them what needs to be done is the best way to go about it. We are told that using complex sentences that connect two or more sentences should be used often in articles. However, research has found that readers cannot grasp the full idea of long sentences in one go if it is too long. Usually a sentence should be less than 16 words long and not have too many points in it. 3) Keep Short Paragraphs In Mind Another great tip is to stay away from long paragraphs. It is acceptable for educational articles and professional ones, but for marketing pieces, sticking to short paragraphs is the way to go. Short paragraphs are more attractive and will not discourage the readers from continuing on. To add more flare to the article, add a one-sentence paragraph every now and then. Have a look at some newspapers to get an idea as they also use this tactic to get readers interested on newspaper clips. 4) Advisable Prepositions Preposition usage is another area that deviates clearly from proper English usage, but one that works for copywriters. The idea behind this is that copywriters must write in a more freestyle way, like the way people normally talk. It is advisable to write as if you are having a conversation with some people and not adhere strictly to written language. In doing so, incorporate words that people use often when talking such as ‘sure thing’ or OK for example. 5) Using Redundancy Effectively Use of intelligent redundancy is also something that would be frowned upon by English teachers. For example, keeping it simple with phrases like “call anytime for a free booking”, “get a free quote today”, etc., will not go down well with proper English users, but it does work with the average person who reads the article. 6) Writing Headlines Headlines are very important for an article or blog. In fact, it has been found that it is the most important part of a marketing piece as readers are attracted to read the rest of the article based on how persuasive the heading is. Using punctuation on headlines is not advisable, as it commands the reader to pause and in this little time, the reader could be dissuaded from reading on. Grammar should not be strictly adhered to, but it does have to make sense nonetheless. 7) Learning The Arts Finally, keep in mind that copywriting is an art form and like any other art, it requires free will and creativity and should not be bound by standards. You do not have to be a good writer and adhere to the laws and norms taught to you in English class, but should have the basic writing skills which are more than enough. What you must have is creativity and be able to think like a salesman, communicating on the same level as the target audience for your marketing material. More Information and Assistance For more great tips on copywriting and improving your skills in this area, visit the very popular Copyblogger site. If you are in need of a professional copywriter’ assistance in brewing up your next marketing plan through some quality material for your website. A guide to copywriting in 10 slides is a great place to start. To check how well your articles or any other marketing material work for your business by the … Read more

The Secrets of Website Copywriting Masters – Reasons Some Sites Don’t Suck

January 1, 2021November 1, 2013 by Adam Oakley

There are some blogs and websites out there that stand out for their awesome content, catchy headlines and creative personality. We all strive to be like them, but it’s hard to crack open the code and know just how to offer your readers that same genius website copywriting. While there are literally hundreds of steps you need to take to offer SEO-dominating content, there are a few essentials that you need to know now if you plan on boosting your content for the future. 11 Website Copywriting Secrets (That We Will Tell) 1. Quit Being So Complex Why is your website so complex? It’s unlikely your readers are that complex. Using abstract statements, hidden meanings, and confusing your audience with irrelevant fluff isn’t going to keep them coming back. People like it simple. In fact some of the best website copywriting is ridiculously simple. When you’re writing your core message to your audience, convey your message, but do so without your readers needing a thesaurus to figure out what you’re saying. 2. Show Your Readers, Don’t Just Tell Them You must show your readers through dialogue, pictures and facts. No matter how great your opinion is or how knowledgeable you are, you still need to show your readers there’s salt to what you’re spouting off. Write personal stories and share your experiences with readers. Use case studies (if applicable) to show how others see a product or service you’re writing about. And, use credible statistics—don’t just pull numbers from thin air. 3. Be Super, Not Superlative There’s nothing more distracting that sentence fluff. Superlatives and adjectives don’t drive as much punch as you would think, instead, they distract the readers from your core message. Use facts, images and figures to add that extra “something” to what you’re saying. 4. Write About What You Know, Only What You Know Great website copywriting is written that way because it is well researched and thoroughly thought out. Even the best writers have to research. You’ll get a stronger message and teach your readers more if you write from expertise. 5. Take the Imaginative Road The Internet is teaming with sites that don’t offer much creativity. In fact most are drowned in facts and boring language, which makes the average Internet user click through to find something else. When you’re thinking up your copy, be imaginative and step out-of-the-box. Look at your competitors sites and avoid doing the same thing they’re doing. Offer your readers something out of the ordinary and something creative. According to the Custom Content Council, 61 percent of consumers buy from companies that showcase personality and uniqueness above the competition. 6. Be Organized and Think Ahead of Today’s Post There will be days your creativity isn’t there or you can’t come up with something brilliant and that’s okay. If, however, you’re not organized those days are going to hurt your content strategy. Awesome website copywriting starts with organization. Create a content calendar that outlines what topics and days you’ll post those topics. When you’re feeling creative, write more than one post a day—tackle those topics—and get ahead. That way, if you have a slow writing day you’re not hurting your content or your readers. 7. Quit Using the Exclamation Points! No One Likes to be Yelled At A well-written sentence doesn’t need an exclamation point to deliver a powerful message. In fact, using too many exclamation points can ruin the message you’re trying to say and it’s downright obnoxious. Website copywriting is all about using the right words and understanding when exclamation points and punctuation matters. Punctuation should enhance a message, but it shouldn’t be the boat that delivers the message. 8. Deliver the Unsayable A website copywriting professional is hired to say what cannot be said. They speak to the reader, articulate and deliver a message that was otherwise undeliverable. If your website copywriting doesn’t deliver the right message, it won’t be as powerful. In fact, according to Social Media Today, one of the top five reasons people follow companies and brands on social media is because they write entertaining content. 9. Don’t Skimp on Quality Whether you’re writing the content or hiring out, quality matters. Low-quality content not only discourages readers from continuing on, but it can impact your search engine ranks too. High quality website copywriting is free from errors (including grammar and spelling) and offers readers quality information. In addition, it isn’t copied. Copied text (that copied/pasted from other websites) can damage your website’s rank. 10. Compare Yourself to the Rest Good website copywriting is honest, even when it means comparing yourself to the rest. If you’re going to compare your company, product or service to the competition, you need to be honest. Naturally you want to mention the differences that put you ahead of the competition, but don’t short change the competition or make up negatives they really don’t have—that tells the reader they can’t trust what you have to say. 11. Edit or Hire Someone to Edit for You Poorly-edited website copy can be the death of your website. No one wants to read things that don’t make sense or that is riddled with typos. Sloppy content just puts your website and company in a negative light. If you’re not the best editor, hire someone or ask a friend for assistance. Website copywriting is certainly a skill, but not an impossible feat. There’s nothing wrong with trying to write your own content and plenty of website owners write their own content. As long as you follow these tips, you just might have the best content on the virtual block.