Great copywriting combines art and science, creative flair, and mastery of SEO. It’s the key to creating compelling content that builds trust and authority for your website. But getting it right can be challenging. Want to get started with content marketing? Here are eight golden rules for writing amazing copy.
1. What’s your angle
You have your topic. Defining who you’re selling to will help with your approach. Are you writing for a newbie or an industry insider? Are you an educator or a salesman?
There are four approaches you can use to get your reader to take action:
- You can establish your credibility and authority
- You can appeal to their emotions
- You can appeal to their logic with statistics and data
- You can appeal to their sense of time by urging them to act now
Defining your target audience gives you a clear idea of the best approach or approaches to take.
2. Craft compelling headlines and intros
A compelling headline hooks your readers. A persuasive intro gets them to read on. The best way to keep people reading is to jump straight into the subject. Use engaging language specific to your audience. Oversimplifying or overcomplicating can miss the mark.
3. Put the reader first
When you’re writing copy, your first job is to connect with your audience. You want to tap into their hopes, dreams and aspirations. Write as a conversation, and let ‘you’ connect with the real people out there.
4. Put down the thesaurus
Simple is good. So put down the thesaurus and say what you mean, plainly and directly. Good copy doesn’t need jargon or fancy words. Instead, express your ideas clearly with a mix of long and short sentences.
5. Writing is selling
All content is selling something. If you’re selling products or services, you must also sell the ideology behind them. So build the buzz by letting people know just how you can make their life easier or save them time. It’s easier to sell when your customer is convinced they need what you’re selling.
6. Features vs Benefits
It’s easy to write a list of powerful features. But what your reader actually needs to know are the benefits for them.
Take a step back from the topic and consider how those features will benefit your customers. Does your app save them time in their day? Will your sportswear give them the confidence to lift like a pro? You might think you’re selling a product when really you’re selling a lifestyle.
7. Be genuine
It’s much easier to write from the heart and make every word count when you believe in what you’re selling. But unfortunately, honesty can sometimes seem like a rare commodity.
Be genuine. Stand behind a product that actually works. Create exclusivity. These are all proven strategies to differentiate your copy in a sea of blog posts. Readers quickly become desensitised to shock tactics screaming ‘buy now’. Soon you have nowhere left to go, and your audience has switched off.
8. Find your voice
Finding your unique voice is a proven way to help your brand stand out. It should reflect your values and your relationship with your audience. It should be consistent, with a single tone and perspective. Combining your distinct personality with compelling storytelling will help you create fantastic copy.
Content creation from Colour It In
Engaging content starts with knowing your audience and defining your voice. Without that knowledge, your copy is just words on a page.
At Colour It In, we’ll work with you to get the tone right for the best results.
So contact us now and start creating compelling content.