Business owners have to wear many hats, and marketing is just one of them.
It’s easy to get lost in the weeds with everything else on your plate.
One way you can keep your focus is by learning from those who do what they love for a living: copywriters.
Write a Bad First Draft
Yes, bad.
It’s good to give yourself the freedom to write something bad. Just write something.
Perfecting it later is much easier than staring at a blank doc trying to write a winning tagline.
And now that I’m done writing my first draft, I’m going to read it aloud. Does it sound like a first draft? Is it easy to follow?
That’s my second tip (find more on that in my second draft).
My biggest tip is for getting the voice of a brand right the first time you write for them.
Go through their existing content and create a table of words and phrases that they use a lot.
Categorise them as nouns, verbs, adjectives, and other phrases.
Then as you’re writing the copy you can consult the word and phrase bank!
The number 1 piece of advice I would give to new copywriters is never stop learning.
Always look to upskill and educate yourself, and even when you think you know enough, keep going.
Watch YouTube videos, listen to relevant podcasts, and connect with industry experts. The list of resources available online is extensive, and most of them don’t cost a penny.
My #1 tip is to say as much as you can in as few words as possible.
People lack patience to hunt for what they need if they find your website or landing pages they must be informed as quickly and effectively as possible.
The most important thing that upcoming freelance copywriters should know is that getting into the mind of your client’s audience should be your primary concern. At the end of the day, beyond your ability to be a clever wordsmith comes your ability to know how to sell.
In order to effectively sell a product or service, you have to know as much as possible about the mind of the consumer. You have to know their hopes, fears, and pain points. Know what gets them interested in making a purchase. With this knowledge, you can cleverly craft a piece of writing that speaks to who they are as a person.
Remember, people don’t like the idea that they’re being sold something. You have to convince them otherwise. That’s your primary job as a freelance copywriter. Our focus should be connecting consumers with the products and services they need for a happier, more rewarding life. Everything else comes after.
Although outlining can be a logical way to organize your content (especially for longer texts), it is not the most promising first step if your goal is to write compelling copy.
Why not? Simply put, an outline is all about what YOU want to say.
Instead, put your audience first. Start by defining who your readers are and exactly how you want them to react to your words – what you want them to think, feel, learn, and do. Then, once you know what specific reactions you want, the whole process of planning, writing, and editing is just a matter of deciding what to say in order to elicit those reactions from your target audience.
Let your customers speak for themselves. Who better to tell you exactly what your buyers think and need? Comb through your reviews and testimonials to get inside the heads of previous buyers. They’re telling you exactly what problem they had and how your product or service solved it! And that’s half the battle of good copywriting.
Use that insight to better connect with potential future customers. How was their life worse before, and how is it better now? If past buyers said that your product eased stress by solving their problem—boom. There’s one of your key benefits.
My #1 copywriting tip: write through it. Sit down and let the ideas flow. It’s not about getting the words right. It’s about getting the words out. Then get some fresh air and read that text out loud. Make sure it passes the smooth test. Can you read it without stumbling? If yes, then you’ve written some great text.
“Mass movements can rise and spread without a God, but never without a belief in the Devil.”
Your ideal prospect has a problem that’s getting in the way of their goals: they can’t meet a sales quota, they find it hard to meet and talk to girls, their marriage isn’t working out, or they strive to reach a peak physique in the gym but can’t quite hit it.
Generally, you can find an “enemy” that’s holding them back from what they want. Whether it’s an idea like mediocrity or an organization like mainstream media, it should make your prospect frustrated beyond belief because every loss or difficulty your prospect has is just the result of the Devil winning.
As their resentment for the Devil grows, so will their loyalty to you.
My number #1 Copywriting Tip — Do Your RESEARCH
NICHE. Do a bit of research on the niche you are writing for. This allows you to know what type of language they use and common terms in the industry. It will get you more familiar with the services they offer, supplies they use, and how they serve their clients.
CUSTOMER. You want to know more about the customer you are writing for so it’s a good idea to have a conversation (or two) with them. Visit their website and read their About Me section as well as some of their blog posts. Seek out their social media platforms and read their posts and comments to followers. These avenues will give you a good sense of their business, vibe, and voice.
AUDIENCE. A good writer knows the audience they are writing to. Research what their pain points are, what keeps them up at night, and their goals. What is the value you are giving them in your writing? How is this going to serve them to alleviate a pain point, worry, or get them one step closer to their goals?
Researching these areas allows you to provide your client with value. It eliminates many edits which saves time. It lets you to speak directly to your client’s audience in a way that sounds like them – which is what they are looking for. This results in a happy client!
I’m going to list a series of salient ideas and quotes, then wrap it up in a jaunty silver “Lanfair copywriting bow” so you’ll know how to create copywriting miracles (wink!):
New York Times best-selling business writer Daniel Pink said that to be a better communicator, you must employ empathy, and “perspective take.” Marketing professor Ryan Hamilton said that the most important question to consider in advertising is this: “What does the target audience value?” Harvard Business School professor Theodore Levitt offered this famous insight: “People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole!” And Margaret Atwood revealed her only rule for novel writing: “Hold my attention!”
So, if I formed a spandex-wearing (possibly twerking) supergroup with all those luminaries (above), and we cranked out an “Advertising Anthem to Rock Your Business” — the lyrics would sound like this:
“Use empathy to understand the people you want to move, inspire, educate, or influence; find out what they value/need/like/love/want (NOT what you, or your brand, or your company values or wants — what YOUR AUDIENCE values!); communicate or advertise that you have the solution that embodies what they value, or addresses what they need; and make sure all your messaging communicates all of the above in a way that grabs and holds their attention.”
– David Lanfair, Director of Copy and Content at BP&I, ViacomCBS
The success in copywriting is the same as success in fishing. You have to know how to bait your hook so they’ll bite.
If you don’t know your target audience better than they know themselves, you can’t connect your product to their need, and you won’t sell.
Spend the MOST resources on HOW to get their attention, because without that, all the following copy, no matter how brilliant, is meaningless.
Then be sure you deliver flawlessly with a great, value-stacked offer, because you only get one chance to make a first impression.
The good news is, once you make them happy once, it costs you less to sell to them again. And you can continue presenting other offers that monetize the life-time value of the customer.
My one copywriting tip is actually two, equally important things. One: know your audience. Know them inside and out. Know their pain points, what keeps them up at night, what problem they have that your product or service solves.
Two: Be honest with them. Don’t ensorcell them with fancy–but ultimately empty–words. Don’t just try to get your hand in their wallet. Be sincere. Believe in yourself and the product you are promoting. Be a helper to them. They are hurting, and you have a solution that can heal them. And if they’re not yet ready for your cure, that’s OK too.
Know your audience and how you can solve their problem.
Your product’s/service’s features are important but what sells a lead on your offer is how it will benefit them (how it will solve their problem).
My #1 Copywriting tip
Sell the problem you solve, not the product
The biggest secret of successful copywriters is pretty simple. Don’t talk about yourself or your product. Talk about the problem you solve. Describe the pains your product will solve. Your customers only want to know HOW this product will change their lives. No one cares about the product features. Only the end result.
Recognize there’s a reason this person is reading your copy right now. They have a problem that needs solving. Take this opportunity to describe exactly how your product will make their lives better. Remember, every product or service is a solution to a problem.
So use a lot more “your life will forever be changed by this solution” and a lot less “our product is the best!”. Focus on the benefits your solution provides. The new experience they can expect. How these terrible pains are going to disappear forever. You’ll connect to your customers more easily.
Bonus tip: Write for one person. Your copy is being read one person at a time. You want the reader to feel your copy was written for them and them alone. You can achieve that by Including lots of “you” in the copy, and removing as many “us” as you can. You can do it by pretending you’re writing to a friend. Be the helpful friend. You can do it.
Yaron Been is an Ecommerce Entrepreneur, host of the EcomXFactor podcast and a Conversion Rate Optimization Expert.
