copywriting tools - Express Writers

7 Reasons Why Good Copy Is Your Most Powerful Tool

January 1, 2021March 24, 2014 by Adam Oakley

Have you ever played a game entitled “Good Copy, Bad Copy”? The rules are simple. Oh wait; there is actually just one rule: you have to create good copy to promote your online business and stay far away from bad copy that can compromise your image, make you lose prospects and help you put a smile on your competitors’ faces. Most people will sigh and exclaim: “if only things were that simple…” They are. Even though you may think about copywriting and picture a rainbow of colors and flying unicorns, things are really black and white when it comes to creating fantastic copy: you’re either good at it because your copy sells or you’re not and your copy is a mere waste of time and money. The bad news is that good copy that is also persuasive requires lots of things, including excellent writing skills, extensive knowledge, patience, passion, research and empathy. The good news is that as long as you play by the book and do everything in your power to boost your copywriting skills, you can actually obtain excellent results in the long run. But what exactly should you work on to be able to see the first signs of improvements in the long run? The Good, the Bad and the Damn Ugly of Copywriting So we’re clear, copy overstuffed with keywords is not good copy. As a matter of fact, first-class copy should reflect your creativity, originality and ability to see things from a different perspective. If should accentuate your desire to resonate with a large, diverse audience and your ability to address the specific needs and requirements of all your categories of readers. Moreover, it should indicate the fact that you have a vast knowledge and can anticipate, analyze and explain new trends and concepts faster and better than any of your main rivals. In short, great copy shows that you’re good with words and you know it. On the other hand, bad copy is a clear indicator of the fact that you are lazy, sloppy, ignorant, unmotivated, untalented or all of the above. Bad copy is web writing with absolutely no value, which doesn’t stimulate the curiosity and the interest of your readers and doesn’t make them want to land on your page a second time. You may be wondering: how could I improve my copywriting efforts? According to an article published by Search Engine Land, sometimes SEO rules are meant to be broken. An obsessive focus on SEO can kill your copy. You have to ignore or your current SEO strategies at least when it comes to developing: A) Titles and Magnetic Headlines Can you actually create compelling, magnetic, attention-grabbing headlines and still include as many keywords as you want in them, to attain your optimization goals? It’s possible, but very unlikely. Readers are very savvy and know how to distinguish high-value content from what appears to be a piece of cleverly disguised written trash. B) Shareable Content Can you actually ask a team of writers to come up with insanely creative, readable, original, client-focused content and still force them to incorporate a huge number of keywords in it? Obviously, the answer is no. Great copy goes beyond keywords. Naturally, great copy is built around popular queries, to anticipate and address the needs, expectations and demands of a certain audience, but it does not employ aggressive SEO strategies that are visible to the naked eye. Here are a few rules that you may want to follow, to come up with fabulous, shareable copy: a) Be engaging, transparent and empathetic to favor an emotional response from your readers b) “Write tight” This means that you should keep it short and simple; organize your content piece into small well-organized paragraphs to improve readability. Otherwise, your readers will get bored to death, no matter how amazing your copy really is c) Ditch second-hand material that you were planning to recycle one more time and conduct expensive research to spot new info and the most influential trends. You can rely on social media networking sites and special tools (Twitter, Facebook, Google Trends) to keep yourself up-to-date with things and facts that may interest you d) Turn your posts into visual masterpieces by adding a fair amount of quality, relevant images, while preserving an ideal balance between text and images. Make no mistake: your refusal to upgrade your copy writing skills will cost you. According to an infographic introduced by Ragan.com, site performance, keywords and content are 3 of the most important factors that influence your SEO rankings. According to the same source, companies that blog obtain up to 50% more traffic than the ones that do not count on this strategy. 7 Reasons Why Fabulously Good Copy Really Matters We have managed to come up with 7 great reasons why good copy is an incredibly powerful ally for all people who run any kind of business on an online market. 1) Good Copy Sells. First-class copy tells an enchanting story. It entertains the readers, resonates with them but also compels them to take action. Good copy gives you the opportunity to promote your products in a highly effective manner in front of a vast audience that is ready to listen to what you have to say. A successful copywriter has amazing selling skills and could probably convince an Eskimo to buy a bathing suit. Different writers employ different selling tactics. The only way to find out which ones would work best for you is through a trial-and-error process. Test different selling methods and see which ones are the best bait for your prospects. 2) Good Copy Creates a Long-Lasting Bond with Your Audience. Great copy gives you the chance to improve your relationship with your visitors, by responding to their questions, needs and concerns and by cultivating their feedback. Whether they are looking forward to buying a luxurious 8-bedroom mansion or a box of cereals, consumers want to feel that their seller strives to be on the … Read more

Writing for the Customer: The Artful Copywriter

January 1, 2021January 25, 2014 by Adam Oakley

Who doesn’t love a good secret? I know I do. I can’t help but feel excited when someone leans over, lowers their voice, and says, “Hey, can you keep a secret?” My imagination begins to concoct at warp speed, and I find myself feeling like a giddy little schoolgirl. I don’t want to toot my own horn, but I’m pretty good at keeping secrets, which is why I hear so many. I especially like hearing secrets about my craft: copywriting. Every so often one of these secrets is worth passing on to the upcoming generation of writers and marketers. If you’re a copywriter, marketer, business owner, or up-and-coming in the industry, move a little closer to the computer screen. I have some secrets to share with you… Copywriter and Copywriting: A Textbook Definition The dictionary defines a copywriter as “a writer of copy, especially for advertisements or publicity releases.” The word originates from 1910-15, but writers have been around for eons in comparison. For the writer, copywriting is simply another tool in our satchel. Wikipedia says that copywriting “is writing copy…for the purpose of advertising or marketing.” The purpose of the copy is “to persuade someone to buy a product or influence their beliefs.” Copywriting: The Art Textbook definitions of the copywriter who performs copywriting are educational, but they fail to convey the art of the trade. Writing copy is like sculpting. Have you ever worked with clay on a pottery wheel? It can be an incredibly relaxing experience, or so I was told the first time I attempted it. A few years ago, I was on a stress relief kick. A friend of mine who sculpts for a living recommended pottery class. Initially, I found the activity to be more of a stress causer than releaser. But after a lot of practice, I learned a bit about the art behind the craft. I was able to work the clay on the pottery wheel, and it became something that was somewhat recognizable. The experience taught me a valuable lesson: to become proficient at a craft one must not only learn the art behind the craft, but also have some amount of talent that can be developed into precision skill. Copywriting for the copywriter is no exception. After spending over a decade on my craft, I’ve learned the ultimate secret—the secret that dates back to the very creation of the writing craft: The secret to amazing [copy]writing is ensuring that every sentence makes your reader want to read the next. Here’s another secret: I learned the above secret very shortly after starting a career in literature and writing. However, it took me years to truly understand the ins and outs of it. Writing copy is like growing up again. The day you begin, you write as an infant. As your career grows, you learn new techniques and take in different forms of criticism. At first, you respond like an adolescent, convinced you know best. Eventually, you mature. As your mind opens, you begin to learn proficiency and discover how the tools at your disposal can be wielded to create unique, compelling, and breathtaking copy. One day—if you’re lucky—you’ll take your place among the masters, the very writers you looked up to and idolized. The Number One Mistake New Copywriters Make We’ve established the purpose of copywriting: to create copy that persuades. In most cases, copywriters are writing advertising and press release material. The number one mistake new copywriters make is writing like a cheap advertisement. Don’t get me wrong; sometimes you’ll be called upon to write a piece that is pure advertising. The client’s instructions regarding this will be quite specific, though. These projects will be some of the simplest you undertake as a copywriter because the creative requirements will be low. On the other hand, most copywriting projects require the art of copywriting: writing without advertising. The Artful Copywriter’s Toolbox How does a copywriter write without advertising? It isn’t easy. In fact, it can be just as frustrating as that first pottery class I mentioned earlier—or any “first” for that matter. In order to master the art, you’ll need to use every tool at your disposal with skillful technique. Let’s take a look at three of the most powerful tools copywriters can use: “Speak to one person.” I quote this from a superb Mashable article about startup copywriting and writing compelling content. A lot of writers mistakenly think that they must write for a large, diverse audience. If you try to take this approach, you’ll likely overthink and stifle the piece before even writing it. Here’s a secret about your audience: they’re all human. What should this mean to you? It’s important to understand your target customer. You need to know the issues that are important to them and the solutions they’re seeking, but at the end of the day, every potential customer in that giant audience is human. They all respond and connect to the same basic things: emotion, need, desire, want, and resolution. Speaking to one person means speaking to these basics. Grab attention and hold it. If you use the first tool, you’ll have a head start on grabbing your readers’ attention. Seizing attention when writing copy is about more than crafting a gripping introduction. In today’s world, people are skimmers. They look at a piece of copy and first see the headline and subheadings. If those perk their interest, they pick a place to start reading. You can write a gripping introduction that rivals the opening scene of a Cinemax film, but it might not be where every reader starts reading. This is why every sentence must make the reader want to read the next. Focus on positives. Most good copy contains positives and negatives. It’s important to balance any negatives with positives, and focus more heavily on the positives. Copywriting should focus less on product or service features and more on benefits. Potential customers connect better to benefits because … Read more

6 Underrated Copywriting Tools for the Modern Copywriter

December 31, 2020September 30, 2013 by Adam Oakley

Copywriters working in this day and age are luckier than virtually any group before them. In addition to the fact that copywriters are practically essential for every online company, modern copywriters have access to hundreds of copywriting tools that can improve and enhance their writing at every turn. From grammar checkers that catch plagiarism and comma splices to stock photo companies that specialize in the beautiful rather than the wacky and useless, now is a great time to be an online copywriter. The savvy professionals who use the copywriting tools at their disposal are likely to enjoy more streamlined work and better outcomes than their tool-less counterparts. If you’re wondering what type of copywriting tools are out there to overhaul your writing, read on! The Evolution of the Modern Copywriter While it’s true that few copywriters working today use a pen and paper to craft their content, the profession hasn’t changed as much in recent years as many people believe. You see, copywriters have always been storytellers, and the fact that the medium with which we do it has changed is only a technicality. Today, as ever, the best copywriters make use of numerous sources of inspiration, from industry leaders and influencers to television commercials and street side conversations. The key to standing out is finding a way to access a familiar topic in an unfamiliar way, and copywriters around the globe draw on their creativity and perspective to help them do this. Today, though, copywriters around the world can also draw on a virtual treasure trove of online copywriting tools designed to enhance creativity, decrease mistakes, smooth writing, and provide a platform for advancement and creativity. While storytelling has always been critical for good copywriting, so, too, has accuracy, and today’s best copywriting tools are designed to help ensure that, while also ensuring creativity. 6 Smart Copywriting Tools That Copywriters Should Use On a Daily Basis If the technology is there, why not take advantage of it? Today, the following six tools are helping copywriters around the globe craft better content, and they’re worth making daily use of. 1. Copyscape Duplicated and plagiarized content can wreak havoc on your online reputation and career. In addition to putting yourself at risk for Google penalties, any plagiarized content in your online copywriting can also cause you to lose clients. Luckily, there’s an easy way to check for duplicated content in your material: Copyscape. Copyscape is an oldie but a goodie. Launched back in 2004, Copyscape is a simple yet effective plagiarism checker that compares the content you input to millions of pages across the web. To suit all audiences and users, Copyscape offers both a free and a paid version, although this is one copywriting tool that won’t break the bank. A credit for a premium Copyscape check costs only $0.05, and you can buy thousands at a time. Credits are good for 12 months from the purchase date. While it is hands down one of the simplest tools on the web, Copyscape also remains one of the most efficient, and it’s utterly reckless at this point for any professional copywriter anywhere to publish content without first running it through Copyscape. (Get ready: we’re building a tool that’s 25-50% deeper than Copyscape, built with a powerful searching algorithm! Sign up to get notified of Copyfind’s beta launch here.) 2. Dictionary.com & Thesaurus.com The average adult vocabulary ranges from 20,000-35,000 words. While that may seem more than sufficient, we all need some extra help every now and again. When the time comes where you can’t stomach the thought of using “excellent” even one more time, turn to some of the best online helpers out there: Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com. Straightforward and streamlined, these two sites can be a lifesaver when your online copy needs some sprucing up. If you’d prefer not to visit the actual site, use the dictionary or thesaurus feature in your word processor for an on-the-go fix that achieves the same purpose. It’s a supreme service if we do say so ourselves! 3. Shutterstock (& other stock photo sites) Adding visuals to your content is one of the best ways to increase views and understanding. According to HubSpot, adding images to a piece of content can enhance its views by as much as 94%. This is a massive number, and it’s clear that visuals must become an essential part of any good content strategy. Unfortunately, great visuals can be difficult to find. Luckily, though, there are a few places you can turn to find beautiful stock images. While Shutterstock has always been one of our favorites, Pexels and Superfamous are ideal, as well. And while Shutterstock is a paid service, the others are free, and users can choose from millions of stock photos to spice up their content and ensure it’s offering as much value as possible to readers. Check out our full list of free stock photo sites here! To make sure that your images are adding to rather than detracting from your content, follow these two tips: Keep everything relevant.If you’re writing a post about social media marketing, you don’t want to dress it up with an image of a woman wearing pasta on her head (or do you?) By keeping your stock photos relevant, you ensure they enhance your content and add to its meaning, rather than muddying the waters and making it confusing. Opt for high-quality imagery only. High-quality stock photos are the only way to go. Low-quality visuals look cheap and can damage the authority of your content. With that in mind, ensure the visuals you add to your content aren’t pixelated and are of sufficient resolution to blow up to your desired size. 4. KWFinder Keyword research should be a critical component of any good online copywriting strategy. Unfortunately, finding a great keyword research tool can be difficult, and many copywriters aren’t sure where to start. Luckily, there’s KWFinder. A free (or paid) service that allows you to research keywords according to SEO competition, PPC, difficulty, and monthly search volume, KWFinder is a great copywriting tool for anyone who wants to create relevant, SEO-rich … Read more