The Essentials of Copywriting

Copywriting is one of the most important aspects of successful online marketing. It is both and art and a science which involves the strategic writing of words that promotes a person, product, business, opinion or idea with the intention of causing a reader to take some form of action. Regardless of whether you are selling something or simply building traffic by earning links from other websites, you will need compelling content that grabs the attention of the reader and connects with people in a manner that they will respond the way you want them to.

The first thing you want to do is get the first sentence read that you write. It may seem simple and for some it is but there is an art to writing the perfect headline or properly conveying a products benefit to a reader. Good content is never written in stone but can do certain things and contain elements over and over again. It must flow from one sentence to the next. Some guidelines to consider are:

I. Focus on the reader. Make a promise early in your copy, the headline will do nicely, that informs the reader what benefit they will reap.

II. Each part of your narrative should contain a main idea and purpose that lays out your bigger point and promise. Do not ramble, stay focused.

III. Be specific and make sure you give reasons. General statements that have no specifics turn on the readers BS detector and causes it to sound an alarm.

IV. Use statistics and show large amounts of credibility. Use expert references and testimonials when appropriate. Show some authority, if you are not an expert on a subject, make sure you have done your research and homework.

V. Once you have build credibility and authority, return to the reader. You must still show the reader what the benefits to him are. Restate the promise that got their attention in the first place.

VI. Make an offer for acceptance by the reader. Whether selling a product or idea, you have to present your wares for acceptance. Be firm when presenting the offer and make sure you stand behind your words.
VII. Sum up your copy by returning to the original promise and showing how you have fulfilled your promise.

Finally, you must decide whether your copy should be a long or short. The basic rule of copy length is the same as a headline. Make it as long as necessary to get your point across but no longer. The key is to write copy that is interesting and informative to the reader. Here are some tips to follow:

1. The length will depend on the product, audience and purpose.

2. Longer copy factors are price point and unusual item.

3. These 4 categories each require longer copy:

A. Convenience products. These fill an instant need with a low price, low thought and short copy.

B. Shopping products. Slightly higher in price and an opportunity to shop around requires a slightly longer copy.

C. Specialty products. Items such as exotic goods, expensive jewelry, art and luxury cars definitely need longer copy.

D. Unsought products. A product that the reader never knew they needed in the first place.

Use these guidelines for your copy and get more traffic to your site through your copy abilities. Perfect copy comes with practice so do not be discouraged if at first you do not succeed. Just produce a more appealing copy and go on.

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