99 Copywriting Tips — to help you create blockbuster sales copy
Compiled by Finn Communications
Every profession has its secrets and techniques that insiders share with each other — or keep closely guarded from their competitors. Copywriting is no different.
Over the years, I've worked with some of the best copywriters and biggest direct-response marketers in the business. These people know enough insider secrets about writing effective copy to fill several volumes.
I asked a few of the writers to help me compile a list of copywriting tips, as a way of sharing their collective knowledge here on this website. You'll see the result below.
Some of the tips are obvious, but it never hurts to be reminded of them. Some are counter-intuitive — lessons from the real world of direct response where only results matter and prospects can surprise even hardened veterans of marketing.
These tips did not originate with me, nor did most of them originate with the copywriters I work with. They are simply timeless truths gleaned from more than a hundred years of marketing professionals toiling at their tasks and learning what works when it comes to selling with the written word.
For that reason, there are no attributions for any of these tips, no matter who wants to claim authorship. In many instances, you can find some version of these thoughts expressed in marketing books of the 1920s and 1930s — or by Ben Franklin if you want to go back that far.
Finally, this list is not meant to be exhaustive. No doubt you can think of several tips not mentioned here. We just hope you find this list instructive and helpful in writing copy that brings in the sales.
-- John Finn
Before You Begin
1) Know your target audience thoroughly. What keeps them awake at night? What are their emotional hot buttons? What are they worried about? Who are they mad at? What are their hopes and dreams? What do they want to accomplish?
2) Research the subject of your sales message in depth. Gather plenty of documented facts and figures to bolster your claims.
3) Keep digging until you find some little-known, relevant fact that will make the reader sit up, take notice, and get interested in your message.
4) Stay abreast of the news so you can play off the current topics that your prospects are thinking about right now.
5) Read what your prospects read so you know what's on their minds, what they're already familiar with, which terms they're likely to use regarding your subject, and the points of view they're most likely to resonate with.
6) Don't wait for inspiration before sitting down to write, just get to work. As Tennyson said, "Inspiration comes after effort." (If you still can't think of what to say, try writing the order form or call-to-action first. This gets you started and helps ensure that the rest of your copy is written with the call-to-action in mind.)
7) Learn and apply the time-tested principles of direct marketing before you experiment with something else.
Focus on the Reader
8) Your readers are busy and distracted, and have little patience for reading copy that's not relevant to their needs, wants and desires. Don't bore them or make them wade through irrelevant copy to get to your message.
9) Your reader wants to know, "What's in it for me?" Every sentence of your copy should be directed toward answering that question.
10) Only address your copy to people most likely to buy. People who would never buy from you aren't going to get much past the headline anyway, so there's little use in talking to them in your copy.
11) Show your readers that you understand them. Recognize their problems, empathize with their pains, be their friend.
12) Never scold your prospect for being in the situation where they need your product or service. But a little good-natured ribbing may be okay, especially if you explain how you've been in their shoes — and if you aren't writing about cancer or another life-threatening illness.
13) Human beings have a lot of inertia. Assume that your prospect won't move a finger or budge from the chair unless you induce action through your copy — which means working hard to come up with compelling reasons for them to act.
14) Don't force your reader to change their habits or behavior, or think in unfamiliar terms to accept your message. If you do, you're talking to the wrong audience. Instead, target your copy to people who are already inclined to buy what you have to offer.
Headlines and Subheads
15) When stuck for a headline, try starting with "How to..." and finish the thought. That will help get your copywriting brain in gear.
16) For more inspiration when writing headlines, go back to the successful "classic" headlines. You'll almost always find a few good ideas to borrow or build upon.
17) Don't lead with a headline so boringly obvious that readers just nod in agreement and flip the page. For example: "Kids grow up so fast" ... "Quality is important" ... "It's a dangerous world out there." None of those stop the reader and make them want to know more.
18) If a product has any newness to it, feature that fact strongly with headlines that convey how the new product, discovery, ingredient or invention offers something the reader wants.
19) In the headline, promise the reader a benefit just for reading the copy, then deliver on that promise.
20) Include enough subheads throughout the copy to keep reader's interest or attention from lagging. You might even introduce the first subhead after just a few paragraphs of copy.
21) Write your subheads so they create a second readership path for people who skim the copy.
22) Avoid subheads that are mere statements that don't lead anywhere. Instead, make the subhead intriguing — perhaps ask a question — so the reader must keep reading the copy below.
23) Make your subheads an integral part of the copy, not something thrown in after the writing is done. They should move the reader along and keep them involved.
24) Subheads should not reiterate information from the previous paragraph. Rather they should lead into the next paragraph.
What to Say
25) Begin the copy with your strongest selling point.
26) Get to the point quickly — say something right up front that will grab the reader's interest.
27) Keep in mind that points presented at the beginning and end of a message are remembered better than those in the middle.
28) Give your copy news value. Just make sure the news you relate about the product or service is of interest to the reader.
29) Stick to the buying points that interest the reader rather than the selling points that are only of interest to the advertiser.
30) Use as many words as it takes to make the sale. Don't be afraid of long copy, even on the Internet. Follow the old adage: "The more you tell the more you sell" — as long as what you're telling is relevant to the reader and to the sales message.
31) Find ways to connect with your readers so they say, "Yes, that's just like me." That requires knowing what your prospects are like and what they will relate to.
32) If you're mailing to a segmented list that has been targeted due to a change in circumstance, let the recipient know why they are receiving the piece. "Because you're turning 65...", "You've just moved into your new home...", "Because you're about to have a baby..."
33) In lead generation copy, let the reader know that no salesperson will be calling, if that is the case. Readers concerned about being contacted by a salesperson may not respond unless you assure them this won't happen.
34) Give the reader a sense of ownership by talking to them as if they are holding or using the product. Describe how it feels and write as if they are already getting the benefits from using it.
35) Find a powerful story about your product or service and bring it to life in your copy.
36) Work questions into your copy to keep the reader involved and stimulate interest in the answers that follow.
37) Give your reader a solid rationale for buying, so they can justify their emotional decision to purchase with logical reasoning.
38) Make sure the reader sees you (or your client) as the authority on the product or service you offer — by how you talk, the knowledge you convey, and how you position yourself against others.
39) Answer the prospect's main objections in the copy, but don't raise objections the prospect would not have thought of, as that might be a deal killer.
40) Only make claims about your product or service that you can prove — and back up every claim you make with fact, figures, studies, or quotes from recognized authorities.
41) Avoid overloading your copy with facts just because you have them and have invested so much time gathering them. Use them only to make a selling point or back up a claim.
42) Let readers know your product or service isn't perfect. Your copy becomes more believable when you reveal a "flaw" or limitation in what you're selling. For example, "Our XYZ product won't make you a millionaire overnight, but if you put it to work you'll be taking a fundamental step towards insuring your financial future." Of course, it's even better if you can turn the flaw into an advantage of some kind.
43) Don't try to sell people what they need; sell them what they want. For example, people need to eat healthier and get more exercise; what they want is a fast and easy way to lose weight. People need to save more and spend less than their income; what they want is a fast and easy way to make more money.
44) Remember that, no matter what technological medium you're using, you're still talking to people — and people's basic wants and desires haven't changed for thousands of years.
The Offer
45) Understand the power of the right offer presented to the right person at the right time, and make sure the copy states that offer clearly.
46) Build up the value of the product or service so much in the copy that when you reveal the price, the readers feel like they're getting a bargain.
47) Don't try to sell more than one thing in your copy. Offering too many choices usually depresses response.
48) Motivate your readers to act now. When possible, include a time limit on the offer.
49) Make your offer so attractive that the prospect can't resist. You may have to work with your client to improve the offer, such as adding more free gifts.
50) If you're reducing the price, give credible reasons for doing so — you need to clear out inventory, the items are slightly damaged, you're celebrating your birthday. Also, if the price seems incredibly low, explain why — this is an introductory offer to new customers, you're able to save money when they order online, you're conducting a marketing test, etc.
51) Ask for the order — repeatedly if space allows. Don't be shy about it.
52) Tell the prospect exactly how to order. Don't assume it's obvious what they need to do. "Get out a pen, fill in the order form, then fax it to the number below. Or call our toll-free number right now and say 'I want the Widget Special.' Have your credit card ready."
How to Say It
53) Be enthusiastic about the product or service you are writing for. Become an evangelist for the product or service you're selling and let your enthusiasm show throughout your copy.
54) Do not try to be clever or entertaining — your job is to sell.
55) If in doubt about what writing style to use, simply write as if you're sitting down and talking to the prospect, one on one.
56) Write the copy so the reader can get a picture of the product in use. Make it live and breathe in the reader's mind using vivid, descriptive copy.
57) To hold your reader's attention long enough to get the sales message through, keep the writing interesting and the message relevant throughout the copy. Use engaging stories, fascinating facts, lively copy, and arresting subheads.
58) Avoid humor, puns and cute copy.
59) Avoid being superficial or vague with unfounded claims or empty superlatives. For example, don't say your product will "save money." Say it "can save you more than $2,530 every year."
60) Use specific numbers rather than round numbers. An exact number like "53%" is more credible than saying "50%" or "more than half."
61) Treat your readers with respect. They are as smart as you are. In many cases, they have more experience using similar products (or with the problem your product solves) than you do.
62) Make a connection with the reader. Let them know who you are and that you care about them. You can use "I" and "me" as much as "you," as long as the reader feels a connection to you.
63) Write as if you're talking to one person. Never use a phrase like "listen folks," or "most of you" — only use "you" in the singular.
64) Make the copy easy to read by keeping the words, sentences and paragraphs short. And make the page of copy look easy to read by breaking it up with subheads or graphic elements.
65) Use jargon or technical terms only where appropriate, such as to show prospects who work in a specific field or pursue a specific hobby that you talk their language.
66) Make the copy look exciting and dynamic with underlines, bolding, italicizing, circled words, indented paragraphs, and bullet points.
67) Put more emotional appeal into your copy. You need to push the emotional hot buttons as well as make a solid logical argument for your product or service. This is true even for business-to-business products. Remember, "The head justifies what the heart has already decided." Emotion spurs action.
68) Give your copy some personality, so that it has its own "voice."
69) Dramatize your statistics. Don't just give plain facts and figures — turn them into a story or dramatization of what they mean to the reader. "20% of accidents occur within five miles of home," could be written as, "You have a one in five chance of being in an accident when driving home from the grocery store."
70) Translate technical specifications into something the reader can relate to, so you clearly illustrate what the features will do for the reader.
71) Make your promise and your offer so simple that your reader can easily repeat it to someone else in sentence or two.
Guarantees, Testimonials and Other Vital Components
72) Include captions for graphics and photos whenever possible. Photos capture attention so captions get high readership. Thus, captions are a powerful place to get across your sales message.
73) Where possible, use testimonials. Try to use full name, city & state.
74) Photos of the person giving the testimonial add both interest and believability. Use actual photos and by all means avoid stock photos that look like actors.
75) Success stories sell. Recount actual user experiences and have your customers relate their results in their own words.
76) Avoid the urge to "clean up" the grammar or style of a testimonial too much. They are more believable when left in their raw, unedited form.
77) Never make up testimonials.
78) Don't let the premiums and bonuses just be afterthoughts. They can often be as important as the main product and should be positioned that way in the promotion.
79) When writing the guarantee, reiterate the benefits the customer expects to get from ordering.
80) Make the order form interesting to read.
81) Call your order form something other than "Order Form", to give it more perceived value. For example, you might call it a "Risk-Free Subscription Request" or "Savings Certificate."
82) Include sales copy on your order form. Restate the offer and what the prospect gets when ordering. Ideally, a prospect who finds your order form by itself should know exactly what is being offered.
83) Remove all obstacles that make it difficult to complete the order form or place an order. You may need to work closely with the graphic designer on this. For example, make sure the toll-free number is easy to find and there is enough space to fill in names and addresses on the form.
84) Don't let the design dilute the power of the copy. The layout should help to grab the reader's attention and make the copy enticing to read.
85) When offering a free report or booklet, give it a title that promises the reader useful information. In the best possible case, the title itself should sell the reader on the report or at least pique interest in it.
86) If you are involved in creating an information product, you can make the sales job easier by making each chapter title a persuasive headline. Follow the example of Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People," which had chapter titles such as: The Big Secret of Dealing With People, Six Ways to Make People Like You, An Easy Way to Become a Good Conversationalist, How to Interest People.
87) When selling an information product such as a book, refer to specific pages and show how the information on that page will help the reader. This makes the product more real in the reader's mind. For example, "On page 57 you'll learn how to keep your lawn green and lush, using half the water you use now."
88) Also, you can tease with partial information, followed by "... continued on page __." For example, "Make your roses bloom overnight. Just mix a teaspoon of sugar in a bucket of water and ... (continued on page 125)."
Checking and Editing Your Work
89) Sometimes the best way to make your lead stronger is to get rid of the first few "warm-up" paragraphs of copy you've written.
90) Read your copy aloud. It will help you catch errors and awkward sentences.
91) Be merciless in striking out any boring paragraphs.
92) Apply the "So what?" test to every statement in the copy. If you can say "So what?" to a statement, get rid of it — or make it stronger, more interesting, or more relevant to the reader.
93) Strengthen your copy by getting rid of conditional, hedging statements. Rather than saying, "If you stick with this diet, you'll feel more energetic," say, "As you watch the pounds melt away, you'll feel more energetic."
94) Avoid beginning a sentence with "There is" or "There are," which are weak phrases. For example, "There are five distinct benefits to using our product," should become, "Our product offers you five distinct benefits."
95) Look for every instance of "that" in your copy. Often it's unnecessary and can be removed to make the copy more streamlined. For example, "The errors that we make when investing ..." can be shortened to "The errors we make when investing ..." (However, "that" should not be removed from a phrase like, "The errors that cause us grief ...")
96) The copywriting version of Murphy's Law is, "If a statement can be misinterpreted, it will be misinterpreted." Keep a wary eye out for anything that is even slightly ambiguous and fix it.
97) Have someone else read your copy to make sure it's coherent, and that the promise and offer are clear.
98) Always run a spell-check before sending your copy to the client.
Finally ...
99) When all is said and done, forget about whether you or anyone else liked or disliked the copy — let the sales figures tell you how good the copy was.
© 2005 Finn Communications