Telling a story or writing an excellent copy requires structure and planning. As a copywriter, I’ve learned five key principles to be mindful of. If you are starting your career as a copywriter or have been in the game for a while, always keep these handy in your back pocket.
I call it, ‘The five-step plan.‘
1. Be approachable and ‘Write like you speak.’
‘A man walks into a bar…’
No one wants paragraph upon paragraph of jargon and fancy words when simple talking does the job.
Remember, your audience are people just like you, and would respond better with approachable language…perhaps open with a joke!
2. ‘Brainstorm’ your ideas.
‘You need to break a few eggs to make an omelette!’
Don’t be afraid to get it wrong! Let your mind and inspiration run a riot. Throw out every improbable, impossible, and downright ridiculous idea on that page. Who cares — only you will ever see it.
Your best cannot be created until you’ve created your worst. Sounds hokey, but it’s certainly true for me. By freeing up your mind, you are opening it up to bigger and better ideas.
3. Grab attention straight away.
‘Help! A dragon’s chasing me!’
Sure, in the dark ages maybe, and in the children’s book I’m writing…but one this is for certain. We need to make an impact from the start.
People have busy lives and therefore short attention spans. Your copy needs to grab their attention quickly. And it needs to be relevant to your topic and what you are selling.
4. Focus on the benefits, and not just the features.
‘Save time, save money and be happy.’
Think about your client’s problems and challenges — their pain points. How would this product benefit their lives? It has to solve a problem.
And finally…
5. Be persuading
‘Go on…you know you want to!’
Convince your audience by being engaged. There needs to be no doubt as to the benefits you are providing.
Keep ‘the five-step plan‘ to copywriting as your guiding light, and it will always steer you to create the best and most spellbinding copy that I know you are capable of.
Go on! Get cracking!