Well, it’s been a week already and I hope that things are tip top in your biz and you’re communicating like the super star you are.
Let’s dive in to this week’s lesson…
When you start writing about your business, or your sales copy, you might worry that you have to be original, and totally different to stand out from the crowd.
In the past I’ve spent many an hour staring at a blank page and crossing out sentence after sentence because I’d seen it somewhere before.
This was because I was thinking of copywriting strictly as an art form – like creative writing.
Now, copywriting is very creative, and it is artistic, but it’s also a trade.
It has an important function in your business, for example, to get customers:
* To read your blog
* To sign up to your newsletter
* To buy your products
You do not have to be a gifted creative writer to be a great copywriter (in fact in can land you in a muddle), you can learn the processes, the tips and the techniques.
And the best way to learn is to copy what works (now, when I say copy, I don’t mean word for word. Plagiarism is a big no no).
If you wanted to learn how to be a plumber or an electrician, you wouldn’t think twice about being trained and going through the process you needed to be qualified. You’d have a mentor who you would work with and who you could watch work. Then you’d be able to copy the techniques they use.
As you practiced, you’d develop your own style of working, but you’d be basing it on the fundamental techniques that have been proven to work time and time again.
It’s the same with copywriting.
Now, the first step to writing great sales copy is to recognise great sales copy. So your exercise this week is to check out some of the following sales pages and see if you can spot the tried and tested techniques they are using, and how they are making it into their own style.
Print out a couple and then using a pen, underline the phrases and words the writers are using to:
* Build rapport with their target audience
* Prove credibility
* Speak directly to the reader
* Use an editorial rather than an “advertising” style
* Paint a picture of the customer’s problem
* Show how their product helps
* Tackle objections
* Make a call to action
* Make the call to action urgent
If you want to use other sales letters that’s fine, a great place to start would be to choose one for a product that you actually bought because you can try and spot what made you part with your hard earned cash!
Read, absorb, learn and copy.
Good luck!
Next time we’ll be looking at Copywriting Guilty Secret #5: why it’s okay to name drop, and how to do it tastefully
See you then and have a week filled with copywriting possibility!
Amy