5 Tips for Writing Copy That Sells

To make money as a copywriter, it’s not enough to know how to write. If you’re honest, 6–7 billion people on the planet can do the same. Several million of them speak the same languages you do. So there is a clear oversupply of people who can write for others.

But what do your clients want from you? As a copywriter, it’s your job to deliver copy that turns readers into customers. The following 5 tips will help you do just that.

1. Understand your audience

Before you start writing, you should know and understand your target audience. The better you can put yourself in your reader’s shoes, the more effectively you can speak to them.

Research exactly what their needs are. What age are they? Which gender predominates? What world do they live in, what concerns them, what are their desires and problems? Use every source you can find and create a persona from your findings.

You can now work with this persona and tailor your copy to the problems of your target audience. Be sure to choose the language of your target group. Senior citizens are rarely reached with youth slang.

2. Clear and compelling benefits

If you know your audience’s pain points, use them in your copy. Make your readers aware of their pains and provide them with solutions. Ask questions early in the text that relate to one of their problems, and build the solution step by step.

Don’t use the crowbar approach. Always give your readers the feeling that you are informing them, not persuading them.

After placing the pain point right at the beginning of the text, hint at the solution, but do not give it away completely. Gradually point out the benefits of the product or service to the customer. Avoid dry product descriptions. You don’t want to bore the reader, but you do want to tell them that your product is relevant to them.

At the end, summarize the solution to the pain very succinctly. Please remember the call to action!

3. Strong and clear headlines

The title is the first impression of your article. You don’t get a second chance. If the title is boring, you have lost the reader and therefore a potential buyer.

Make sure you write exciting and engaging titles, headlines and introductions. Most people read articles on their phones and only scan the text to see if it is relevant to them. They only take a few seconds.

You have those few seconds to grab their attention. The best way to do that is to make your subheads clear and meaningful, and your introduction so encouraging that they to read on.

4. Emotions, emotions, emotions

Texts can’t really sell products. I fibbed a little there. Sorry about that.

Copy sells stories. And stories work best when we have characters we can relate to emotionally. Who didn’t root for Frodo in Lord of the Rings? Will he succeed and complete his quest and resist the dark side?

Stories work best when they have characters we can relate to. This requires strong characters to carry the story and to whom the audience can relate.

But who is the hero of product copy? It can only be the reader you are addressing. But that hero can only work if the reader can relate to him or her.

Now do you understand why audience research is so important? Only if you know your readers well can you provide them with stories that appeal to them on an emotional level to the extent that they are willing to invest money in a product.

5. Call to action

No copy without a CTA, right? Once you’ve outlined all the benefits of the product in your copy, give your reader a hint as to what they should do next. You should never leave them with the information alone.

Depending on the product, the copy should encourage them to book a consultation, get a lead magnet, or make a direct purchase. The customer should know exactly what they can do after the call to action.

It doesn’t hurt to create a sense of urgency. But don’t overdo it. A discount offer or free lead magnet should be limited in time. This allows you to organize the leads more quickly and get better results. Momentum is often the key. Use it!

Bottom line

I hope these tips have helped you. If you have any other suggestions, please feel free to share them in the comments.

I wish you success in selling!

This article was first published on Medium.com