10 Copywriting Commandments: A Hilarious Guide to Winning Words
Step 1: Know Your Customer Avatar
Let's kick things off with a fundamental truth: you can't write effective copy if you don't know who you're writing for. This is where the concept of a customer avatar comes into play. A customer avatar is a detailed profile of your ideal customer. It's not just about demographic information like age, gender, and location, but also about psychographic details like their interests, values, fears, and desires.
Now, you might be thinking, "That sounds like a lot of work. Can't I just write for everyone?" Well, the answer is a resounding no. When you try to write for everyone, you end up writing for no one. Your message becomes diluted and fails to resonate with anyone. So, the first step in your copywriting journey is to get crystal clear on who your customer avatar is.
To do this, you need to do some serious research. Dive into Reddit forums and Facebook groups. Read Amazon reviews. Use research tools like Answer the Public. These resources can give you a wealth of information about what your ideal customer is thinking, feeling, and experiencing. For example, if you're writing copy for a client that teaches people how to recall their dreams, you could look up "dream recall" on Reddit and find a treasure trove of threads. These threads can give you insights into the actual questions people are asking about this topic, which can inform your copy.
Step 2: Uncover Your USP
Once you have a clear understanding of your customer avatar, the next step is to identify your Unique Selling Proposition (USP). Your USP is what sets you apart from your competitors. It's the reason why customers should choose you over all the other options out there.
Your USP could be anything from a lower price to a higher quality product to a more sustainable manufacturing process. The key is to identify what makes you unique and then communicate that in your copy. Your USP should be concise and clear. It should effectively communicate who you are, what you do, and how you can help in just a few short sentences.
Step 3: Empathize with Their Pain
Now that you know who your customer avatar is and what your USP is, it's time to dive into the emotional aspect of copywriting. As humans, we are hardwired to avoid pain. We will do almost anything to avoid discomfort, which is why it's so important to not only identify your avatar's pain points but to empathize with them in your copy.
Empathy is about understanding and sharing the feelings of another person. In the context of copywriting, it's about showing your customer avatar that you understand their struggles and that you're here to help. This creates a sense of trust and rapport, which is crucial for effective copywriting.
However, it's important to approach this with sensitivity. You don't want to come across as manipulative or insincere. Your customer avatar should never feel attacked or shamed. Instead, they should feel seen, heard, and understood.
Step 4: Offer a Solution
After you've built trust and rapport through empathy, it's time to pivot to the solution you have to offer. This could be a product, a service, or even a piece of content. The key is to present your solution in a way that is believable and compelling.
Remember, simply having a great offer is not enough to get a conversion. Your audience needs to believe that your offer can actually help them. So, instead of using hype and hyperbole to try and convince them to buy your product, share stories, address their objections, and write copy in a conversational tone. Include as much evidence and demonstration as possible in your copy because it adds credibility and allays your prospects' doubts.
Step 5: Identify Benefits, Not Only Features
So, you've presented your offer. Now it's time to delve into why someone would want to buy it. This is where the concept of features and benefits comes into play. Features are the tangible aspects of your product or service. They're the things your product has or is. Benefits, on the other hand, are the intangible outcomes that your product or service can provide.
While it's important to include features in your copy, it's the benefits that really sell your offer. Benefits paint a clear picture of what your prospect's life could look like after purchasing your product or service. They tap into the emotional reasoning behind a person's buying decision, which is often more powerful than logical reasoning.
Step 6: Craft a Killer Hook
In the world of marketing and copywriting, attention is currency. The more attention you can capture and hold, the more successful your copy will be. This is where the concept of a hook comes into play. A hook is an attention-grabbing idea, concept, or statement that piques the reader's or viewer's curiosity and makes them want to learn more.
Crafting a killer hook is an art form in itself. It requires creativity, a deep understanding of your audience, and a knack for storytelling. A good hook can be the difference between your copy being read or ignored, so it's worth investing the time and effort to get it right.
Step 7: Use User-Generated Content
Sometimes, the best copy isn't written by a copywriter at all. Instead, it's written by customers. User-generated content, like testimonials and reviews, can be incredibly powerful in persuading prospects to buy. In fact, studies have shown that positive testimonials and reviews can significantly increase trust in a business and directly influence purchasing decisions.
The best kind of testimonials are those that are candid, organic, and relatable. They come from real customers sharing their real experiences. These testimonials can be used to identify common objections, benefits, and desires, which can then be used to improve your copy.
Step 8: Give Them a Reason to Act Now
Humans are inherent procrastinators. If we can do something later and get the same result as doing it now, we will usually choose to wait. So, if you want your prospects to act now, you need to give them a good reason to do so.
One way to do this is through scarcity. Scarcity refers to the idea of making your product or service limited in some way, thereby making it more desirable. This could be done through price scarcity, quantity scarcity, premium scarcity, or time scarcity. However, it's important to use scarcity ethically and honestly. If you say that your offer is only available for a limited time, make sure that's actually the case.
Step 9: Have a Clear and Concise Call to Action
A call to action (CTA) is a prompt that tells your audience exactly what you want them to do next. It could be something like "Buy Now," "Sign Up," or "Learn More." Your CTA is crucial for guiding your audience towards the desired action and should be clear, concise, and compelling.
Remember, confusion is the enemy of conversion. If your audience doesn't know what to do next, they're likely to do nothing at all. So, make sure your CTA is easy to understand and impossible to miss.
Step 10: Keep It Simple
Last but certainly not least, keep your copy simple. In the world of copywriting, less is often more. Every sentence should serve a purpose and contribute to the overall message of your copy. If a sentence doesn't add value, cut it out.
This doesn't mean your copy has to be boring or bland. On the contrary, simple copy can be incredibly powerful. It's about stripping away the fluff and filler and focusing on what really matters: your message.
Conclusion
In conclusion, copywriting is both an art and a science. It requires a deep understanding of human psychology, a knack for storytelling, and the ability to craft compelling messages that inspire action. So, the next time you sit down to write, remember these 10 steps. They might just spark an epiphany that transforms your writing from good to great.