Copywriting Tips 101 – Basic Techniques Revealed!

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Copywriting Tips 101 – Basic Techniques Revealed!

Copywriting Tips 101 - Basic Techniques

Copywriting Tips 101 – Basic Techniques

Copywriting Tips 101 -Forget most of what you learned about writing in High School or even College.  Margin to margin, every paragraph must have at least two sentences, never use sentence fragments and many other “rules” go out the window when you write for copy.
This post has tips taken from a variety of sources including Ann Sieg (“The Renegade Network Marketer”), Marta Veloso (“Web C0py that Sells”), David Sharpe , David Garfield and others.  All of these experts agree on one thing: Copywriting is the number one skill that Internet Marketers MUST have.  You can start here.

 

Note: My mission is to help Network Marketers who are struggling to move online, especially those buried by overwhelm. You will find information that will HELP you find leads and access to the finest mentoring system on the Internet today (Ann Sieg’s Renegade Team and Inner Circle). You will learn how to avoid the bright shiny things, effectively use blogging, Facebook and LinkedIn, A free 30 minute coaching call is yours for the asking. Take action today! When you are ready Join the Team

 

Copywriting Tips 101 – Let’s Get Started

The authors listed above all do a much better job of copywriting than I do,  however I’m learning and one of the best ways to learn
is to teach.  I’m passing on some of the more important tips I’ve learned here – that is teaching. 🙂

One Focus of Copywriting is to Entertain

The first of the Copywriting Tips is that you really need to write to entertain. People want to be
entertained – tell them a story – show them something new – be funny. It doesn’t matter how you do it, but
if you don’t entertain them, your readers are gone!

The Best Copy Wins

Another od the  Copywriting Tips  isn’t a secret at all. This skill is critical in marketing – especially
on the Internet. You have to learn to write good copy. Period. End of Story.

Be Yourself

Another of the  fundamental Copywriting Tips is that ya gotta write like you talk. Pretend you are talking
to someone, a specific someone (your Avatar -this is your ideal customer). That is the way readers read!

If you are stilted, formal, or super technical they are going to think that you actually talk that way. Most or
your readers will be gone.

David Sharpe in particular gets VERY passionate when talking  about this topic.  You could tell that this is
critical in his mind.

Spend Less Effort on Grammar and More on Easy Reading

Let’s face it, good copy on the screen does not look like the papers we wrote in High School and College. Those papers were left margin-to-right-margin, fill-the-page. You NEVER have a single sentence paragraph, etc. etc.

In good copy, you have LOTS OF WHITE SPACE and VERY SHORT LINES. Make your paragraphs very short and you make your copy easy to read and very easy to scan (which is what most readers do anyway.)

We can do this in paper copy and in eMail.  In WordPress blogs, it is a little harder.  WordPress massages things while you publish.   SocialTriigers.com wrote a very nice article about this.  The author’s solution was to use very short lines at the beginning of your post and then longer lines for the rest.  The trick was to put a half-width images at the top of the post and put your first lines beside that image.  They have to be shorter to make room for the image.  Ideal Line Length

In her book “Web Copy That Sells”  Marta Velos asks the question “How do people read web sites?”  Her
answer is “They Don’t!    —-  They Scan.”

All of the top copywriters agree (and I heartily agree) that people can be overwhelmed by a large solid block of
text – even if they don’t know it!  I know that when I arrive on a web page that is nothing but
text, I do a double take and make a conscious decision to stay or leave.  If the site isn’t critical
to my purpose, I leave! 

TITLES and SUBTITLES and BULLET POINTS

So how do you write using the tip?  The best advice seems to be to use titles, subtitles and
bullet points to the point that your readers can get the gist of your writing by reading
only these key points.  They will stop and read in more detail when they get to an area
that is particularly interesting to them.

BULLET POINTS

There are many Copywriting Tips that focus on bullet points.  Here are two of
my favorites.

The first is from Web Copy That Sells. The author points out that instead of stating facts,
you should invoke the reader’s imagination.
Here is an example:

  • You can generate 10, 20 or even 50 leads a day
  • Your income can double or triple.
  • Your status will improve.

Now let’s try the same thing invoking the reader’s imagination:

  • Imagine generating 10, 20 or even 50 leads every day!
  • What would your life be like if your income doubles
    or even tripled!
  • Think about how your will feels when your peers look
    up to you and ask “What the H#*K are you doing?”

Can you feel the difference?  Can you imagine how your copy will read?  How your readers will love it?  🙂

The second of the copywriting tips that focuses on bullets goes in a different direction.  This tip suggests that you
build each bullet point out of two parts: the feature and the benefit.  For example:

  • Your leads will double which will have you signing up twice as many business partners.
  • Your income will double or triple, allowing you to do more advertising AND buy some of the things
    you have been putting off forever.
  • You status will improve which will make you feel like you are succeeding more than you ever have
    in your life!

You CAN NOT assume that your reader will convert the features you are presenting into benefits.  Both of these
tips take the reader by the hand and help them feel the benefits.  Remember people buy with emotions and
justify with facts.

Tell a Story

Remember the adage – Fact tell and stories sell. People want to hear your message wrapped in a story.

You Have to Be Real

Here is another place where copywriting pros get very passionate. Don’t try to please everyone. You can’t do it! The sad
result is that you will really please no-one. “People Pleasers” write bad copy.

You need to take a stand and express your opinions. Actually you need to SHOUT your opinions. A few will
agree with you and they will become loyal (repeat Loyal) followers and then customers. They rest weren’t going
to buy from you anyway.

This goes back to another adage
People buy from those that they know, like and trust.

If you haven’t shown them who you are, they can’t know you and the process never starts. Give them something they can
identify with. Even if it isn’t something they have experienced they can identify with the feelings you express.

The Headline is the Most Important Line in Your Copy

Many copywriters spend as much time on their headline as they do the entire rest of their copy.  It is just that
important.  The next most important line is the first line of your text.  The headline got them to
open your email or click on a link to your blog post.  The first line MUST finish the job of
grabbing their attention.  They come feeling skeptical about the value of your information.  You need to
bash that skepticism very early or they will be gone!

How Do You Write Good Headlines?

The first copywriting tip for writing good headlines is to use Google.  (Surprise”)  Trying Googling for
“Attention Grabbing Headlines”.   You will find MANY articles that give your hundreds of ideas.

Another one of the interesting Copywriting Tips came from Tim Erway of Magnetic Sponsoring.
His tip is similar to a technique called BRAIN-STORMING.  Brainstorming involves two steps.

Step 1 – Throw out as many ideas as your can. The basic rule is that there can be NO negative
comments, facial expressions or any other signals that an idea is ridiculous.

Step 2 – Each and every idea is given a fair examination.  Look for ways to tweak it
and use the idea as a springboard to other ideas.

The headline generating technique is similar.

  1. Open a word processing document.
  2. Write down your ideas.
  3. Do NOT  erase any of them.  If you think of a variation to an existing entry, make a copy and modify that one.
  4. Use the Google idea listed above.
  5. When you have dozens (or hundreds) give each one your attention.  See how it feels. Can it be shortened,  Does it
    spark another thought?
  6. Pick the best.
  7. BTW, David Garfield points out that
    the rest are great for bullet points?

Call to Action

One of the biggest Copywriting Tips of all is simple. Tell people how to buy. Ask for the sale. Make it easy.
You haven’t written sales copy, if you don’t have a very clear Call to Action.  This is Ann Sieg’s favorite.

I heard a great example of a strong Call to Action in a workshop given by Carlos Marrero recently.

He is recruiting a business partner and makes a presentation. At the end he asks the prospect to rate
their interest on a scale of 1 to 10.

Then he tells them: “I only work with people who are at an interest level of 10. What do we need to do to get you
closer?”

The power of the Call to Action is that it makes closing easy!

When they finally do say that their interest level is at 10, it is very simple to say: “Okay, sounds like you are
ready to get started. Let’s schedule the appointment to activate your account.”

Classic Formula for Sales Copy

Frank Kern and John Carlson espoused this formula years ago. It was one of their Copywriting Tips

1. Tell people what you are selling.
2. Tell people what it will do for them
3. Give them a Call to Action

Another Copywriting Formula Revealed

Here is THE biggest of  David Sharpe’s Copywring Tips.

This is his own formula. (I’m not going to pretend to cover it as well has he did. Ya gotta listen to him to get it all.)
You can see how this matches well with the material presented in this post.

  1.  Big Bold Outrageous Headline – grab their attention & curiosity
  2.  Opening sentence is critical. It has to draw people as well. It needs to be entertaining.
  3.  Bullet Points – benefits – add more curiosity.
  4.  Strong Call to Action. This is critical.

A few more ideas.

  • Arouses curiosity. It is fairly simple. Use sentences like “The Three Steps to ….” make
    people ask: “I wonder what they are?”
  • In bullet points,  arouse curiosity with statements like “On Page 10 we cover the
    Three Sure Fire Steps…Statements like that describe a benefit, but also leaves people
    wondering: “I wonder what it says on page 10.”

 

Three Ways to Learn to Write Good Copy

1. Learn from books, webinars, classes.
2. Write – pure and simple – just do it.
3. Follow a few GOOD writers and model them.

 A Last Copywriting Tip

You REALLY have to believe in yourself. You HAVE to believe that you deserve to win.
You are working hard for it and by golly the Universe just needs to get in line!

This belief will ooze out of your writing and people WILL follow you.

As Ann Sieg recently eloquently and passionately expressed:  “You CAN control your Stinkin’ Thinkin’ and your self doubt/”  It your mind and you control it.  When you do, it will show in everything you do!

If Michael Jordan could believe in himself after being cut from his High School Basket Ball team, then you should be able to ignore your CURRENT skill level and forge ahead.

You can do it! You will do it!

Use These Copywriting Tips and start writing great copy!
**************

↓ ↓ If this post gave you some ideas – Go ahead & comment below.  ↓ ↓

Hale Pringle

Hale Pringle Ed. D.

 

Hale Pringle – Hale Yes!

Skype hale.pringle

Email: HaleYes@HalePringle.com

For Free 1/2 hour coaching call: Work with Hale

Work with me now: Join the Renegade Team Training System

P.S. If you are working to move your business online and it all seems overwhelming, I can help!  Take a look at http://HalePringle.com, or sign up for the free coaching call. You can email me or give me a Skype call. I’ll give you the benefit of my years of experience and many thousands of dollars in training and searching the rabbit hole called Internet Marketing and Network Marketing. I can help you with Lead Generation, the feeling of overwhelm, blogging, and even career change. Add that to the finest mentoring on the Internet (Ann Sieg’s Team and Inner Circle) and you have a Winner!

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About Hale Pringle

Dr. Hale is an Internet Entrepreneur and Network
Marketing expert. His greatest pleasure is
helping people and he does just that, drawing
upon the immense resources that he has gathered
over the years in his unquenchable thirst for
knowledge.

Dr. Hale lives in beautiful, sunny Florida with
his wife, two dogs and a cat. His four children
are grown and are scattered around the state.

An eternal optimist you will hear him say
regularly: “Is this a Great Day?” The answer is
always, “Hale Yes!”

If you need help with your online marketing or a
network marketing opportunity Dr. Hale is the go
to man. “Hale Yes!”

Comments

  1. Hi Hale – good quick synopsis – if bloggers follow these simple instructions the will get results.
    Curt Johnson recently posted..MLM Tip #9 – Consultative SellingMy Profile

  2. Very good.Thank you very much

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