I’m going to be posting a series of copywriting tips that should help anyone who writes copy. These are simple tips that aim to make your copy more readable, more persuasive and more effective at selling. I’ll publish one a week, so check back regularly for more free advice in the coming weeks, or plug yourself in to my RSS feed.
So here’s the first of ten:
Get Feedback
Ask someone to confirm that your copy makes sense. Does it make them want to buy? Do they understand what you’re selling? Can they spot any spelling mistakes?
While it’s a great idea to ask for feedback, be careful that you don’t end up writing copy by committee. Five people might have five opinions on your copy, but they probably aren’t all right. If you’ve done some research into what makes effective copy, then you’ll be able to decide which opinions are worth heeding, and which aren’t.
It’s a good idea to ask someone to review your copy who is “naïve”. By that I mean someone with no prior specialist knowledge of the product or service being offered - someone who represents the target audience for your copy. A naïve reader will provide a tough test for your copy, and if anything is unclear or poorly explained, you’ll find out.
Listening to criticism can be difficult, but stick with it and your writer’s skin will soon toughen into a thick hide, and you’ll find constructive feedback nothing but useful and interesting.
(Picture courtesy of Mixed Species)
Brighton is a great place to work, especially if you’re a freelancer or in any way connected to the geek community. There are lots of regular networking groups and loads of opportunities to get involved with interesting projects.
One of these networking groups is the Farm. Aimed at connecting and supporting freelancers and small businesses, the Farm meets weekly at a Brighton pub. I started going a few weeks ago and have now been invited to join the mailing list, and was given a rather fetching profile on the Farm website.
So if you’re working in new media and want to do a bit of low-key, super-relaxed networking with Brighton’s friendliest bunch of geeks, get on down to the Farm.
Will McInnes and a commenter (Jonathan Hopkins) on his blog have got me thinking. Will’s post was about the future of advertising, and how advertising might best evolve in our digitised world. Jonathan suggests that businesses might do better to focus less on themselves and their products and instead try to help people.
Jonathan suggests that companies could use their advertising space to provide useful information that is still relevant to their products. So, for example, the Financial Times might offer statistics on shares. Tesco might provide recipes, or cleaning tips. Ikea might give free room-furnishing advice.
While it seems like a fine idea to be helpful, and build relationships with the people that may become customers, I’m not convinced that this kind of advertising will work. Obviously it will work to the extent that people will use the information provided and may recognise the organisation that provided it. But will they remember what the organisation does? Or what they’re selling?
Advertising doesn’t just exist to forcefully sell products - it often does a great job of informing people about new products and services. So advertising that forgets the product and focuses on providing useful information, may neglect to provide useful information about the product.
I suppose the obvious solution is a marketing strategy that cleverly combines useful content with product information and brand messages. And I think many brands already do this - perhaps the evolution will be into even less obvious advertising, with the useful content at the fore and the brand and products in the background (or perhaps blinking too fast to be visible to the naked eye, but having a rather powerful effect on your subconscious).
(Picture courtesy of Goribob)
While I hold writing and the persuasive power of words in high regard, it is worth remembering that the words that represent your business are not the only things you need to be concerned about.
A recent commenter on this blog (Jon McCulloch ) mentioned that copy is not the only important factor in determining the success of your marketing; your audience and your offer should be considered before you start thinking about your copy.
And I think Jon has made a very good point. I often write about the importance of professional copy, but we shouldn’t forget that if your product or service sucks, and people don’t like it or want it, then the best copywriter in the world will struggle to sell it.
So if your marketing is failing to sell your product, and you’ve investigated possible sticking points, it might be time to examine the product itself.
I’ve been reading Maria Veloso’s excellent Web Copy That Sells. Much of her advice is in line with standard copywriting principles, but Maria also strays into Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) in her quest to write copy that sells.
Maria discusses embedded commands, presuppositions, linguistic binds and reframing as methods for writing irresistible copy. All of these techniques, if properly applied, can work to persuade your reader without them quite knowing why they’ve been persuaded. In Maria’s own words:
“These are tactics that fly beneath the radar of your readers’ perception, producing an almost hypnotic effect that actually makes them want to buy what you are selling - often without knowing why.”
Maria goes on to counsel copywriters to use these techniques “discreetly, responsibly and ethically”, but is it really possible to use such techniques ethically? Are they not unethical by their very nature?
I’m not saying I think Maria’s techniques are unethical; I’m just asking the question because it seems like a very grey area. Even if you’re selling something wonderful and your customers will indeed be better off for buying it, surely that’s for them to decide. If you use tricks that work on a reader’s subconscious, are you not taking away part of their ability to make a rational choice? At what point, if any, does persuasive copy become unethical?
I’m pleased to see that visitors to my site and blog spend (on average) 5 minutes here!
Thanks to you for stopping by and reading my words. I’ve recently been compiling my blog posts into permanent content which you might want to check out. Of course, this may take the length of your visit beyond the 5 minute mark!
I really like this idea, taken from Writing for the Web by Susannah Ross:
“Many people talk about setting up a website or having one. They don’t talk often enough about running or managing one. Having a website is not like having a book or a film to show people. It is more like having a farm.”
Anyone starting a website should not be put off by this statement. Websites require regular maintenance and care but they are, rather like animal husbandry, very rewarding. Though unlike farming there is no poo.
An untended website will soon deteriorate into a derelict dump of broken links and irrelevant information. So embrace the farm analogy and tend your herd like your life depends on it!
(Picture courtesy of Edgar Thissen via Flickr)
I experienced a rush of pure geek joy this week when I found my website had been blessed by Google with Page Rank !
My Page Rank of 4 has come after several months of online marketing efforts.
As a copywriter who specialises in writing for the web, it is has been hugely useful to monitor my own site’s progress in the SERPs . I have read the theory on web marketing but it’s great to experience it for myself and learn what actually works.
I’m still reading Can I Change Your Mind? by Lindsay Camp (in case you’re wondering; my only chance to read books is when I commute, which doesn’t give me much time at all!).
I found another interesting idea in Lindsay’s very entertaining book, which I think all writers can benefit from. Lindsay suggests that the most direct and clear writing is not always the most effective way to get people to understand something.
To quote from the book (Lindsay is in turn quoting his friend David Stuart’s “famous ball-throwing analogy”):
“If you and I stand a metre apart and I throw a ball to you very gently, you will almost certainly catch it. If, on the other hand, you stand 30 metres away, and I chuck the ball as high in the air as I can, catching it will be a lot harder. But which catch will be a more rewarding experience? Which will you be more likely to remember?”
The connection to writing is explained:
“Writing that expresses meaning ‘indirectly’ is like the ball thrown high into the air. There’s a risk you may drop it. Good writing is about judging how difficult to make the catch.”
I really like the idea of throwing words to people, and judging their ability to catch them. A well judged throw gives the catcher a memorable experience. A badly judged throw is something you’ll both want to forget.
April 28, 2008 – 12:44 pm
I’m reading Can I Change Your Mind? - a book about persuasive writing by copywriter Lindsay Camp and came across something that resonated with my experiences of writing for clients.
Under the heading Losing sight of the intended result Lindsay discusses how clients keen to shout about their new “manufacturing process, award for innovation or bottling plant outside Kettering” often force a copywriter to mention them.
Now sometimes the new manufacturing process or bottling plant can be great things that attract attention or help convince your customers that your business is right for them. But all too often these bits of information are forced into copy because the client is proud of them, not because they serve a purpose.
Lindsay goes on to advise aspiring persuasive writers to “tell your reader what they might be interested to hear rather than what you want them to know.”
