Jason Better’s Copywriting Tips…

Friday Morning. I can’t believe it. Sometimes it feels like the whole week disappears in a blur. You ever feel like that too? I mean, especially if you spend a lot of time writing copy. Which almost everybody who markets online does.

So today, before I take a blogging break for the weekend, I’d like to share a few of my favorite copywriting “secrets”. And after you read these, I was hoping you could share one of your own “secrets” in a comment below. I’d really appreciate it.

Here’s three copywriting tips to get started…

Pick a great subject. Forget about your writing skills. If you can’t pick a topic your readers want to read about then all the writing in the world won’t help you one bit. Copywriting is more about what you’re selling and who you’re selling it too than it is about poetry.

Tell a wicked story. If there’s one master skill for copywriters it’s storytelling. It’s almost subliminal but if you look into the history of copy that sells you’ll see that some of the world’s most profitable ads were little more than stories.

Tone it up or down. This is probably the hardest thing you’ll ever have to master in copywriting. Writing like you speak. Writing in a conversational style that your readers can identify with. There’s nothing more difficult. At least for me.

But you know, even if you master subject, story, and tone there’s one simple principle that will help you write better copy right this instant if you take it seriously.

And you’re not gonna believe this, because it’s so brain dead simple it’s ignored by ninety-nine percent of marketers.

“Make your copy easy to read.”

I know that’s a little basic, but most people have no idea how important this is. Think about it. What does it matter what you say… if nobody ever reads it?

So here’s a few tips…
• Use contractions
• Use abbreviations
• Use short sentences

Use Subheads

• Use short paragraphs
• Use the ellipsis [...]
• “Use quotes”
• (Use parentheses)
• Use bolding and italics
• Use underlining
• Use dialog
• Use bullet points
• Use numbers [1,2,3...]
• Use lists

In short, do everything and anything you can to make your writing brain dead easy to read. Put the ten dollar words in the bank and write to the little child that lives inside us all.

The average person isn’t an English teacher. So don’t share this with miss “Pilgrim”. She’d have my head. But in general you want to write for results instead of grades.

Above all…
• Write like you speak
• Write to a friend (like you)
• Read it out loud

Then get someone else to read it to you too.

Forget the magic pills.

You can forget about Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Hypnosis, and whatever magic voodoo is popular right now. Copywriting isn’t about tricking your readers into doing your bidding. It’s about finding out what they want and helping them get it. That’s all.

To sum it all up…

“Put yourself in your reader’s shoes and walk a mile.”

With that said, it’s one of the hardest things you’ll ever do in your entire life. Identifying with your prospects. Knowing them better than they know themselves is almost impossible. But in copywriting and marketing… that’s your job.

And while that’s the best advice I have about copywriting… I’d really appreciate if you shared a brief tip of your own in a comment below. I bet you’ve picked up a few over the years.

Talk soon,

Jason The “Better Networker”

P.S. Out of ideas? I was reading the forums at Better Networker last night and one guy dropped a bomb of a tip. He said, turn off your computer monitor and type blind. Edit later.

Forget his name, but that’s tip rocks. You can share your own tip in a comment below if you wish. Much appreciated.

20 Comments

J.J. Fraser on November 13th, 2009

This is a nicely expanded version of the philosophy and ideas I utilize and present, myself.

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