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LinkedInBlab and blather your way to great copywriting ideas
Blah! Blah! Blah!
That’s how you get great copywriting ideas.
Stay with me on this. It sounds silly, but this could be one of the single most powerful copywriting techniques you’ll ever use.
I discovered this some years ago while having trouble coming up with copy ideas for an important direct mail package. Others may do it, but I’ve never read about it anywhere.
What is it? It’s basically a way to brainstorm ideas by yourself by talking to an imaginary person.
P.S. Don’t forget to include a sales letter postscript
Did you ever wonder why professional copywriters add a P.S. to their sales letters?
For the answer to that question, let’s take a quick look at what a P.S. is, then I’ll give you some simple but effective ways to use a P.S. in your own sales letters.
So what exactly is a P.S.? Here’s what Wikipedia says:
The term comes from the Latin post scriptum, an expression meaning “written after” … (which may be interpreted in the sense of “that which comes after the writing”).
A postscript may be a sentence, a paragraph, or occasionally many paragraphs added, often hastily and incidentally, after the signature of a letter …
Basically, a post script is a letter-writing technique that says, “Oh, I forgot to tell you something,” or “By the way, here’s one more thing you should know.”
Rules schmules: 11 rebellious ways to electrify your copy
My writing teachers tried so hard to get me to obey all the rules of grammar and style. But I was rebellious.
I’d always ask where those rules came from, and they’d say that great writers shaped the language and everyone else followed their lead to create “standard” English.
Okay, I’d say. I’m a great writer and I’m shaping the language too!
That was a bit arrogant of me. But while my teachers had a point (I really did need to learn the rules), I also had a point (I can’t let the rules stifle powerful communication).
Mark Twain once said, “The difference between the almost right word and the right word … [is] the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”
So with humble apologies to my well-meaning instructors, I hereby reveal a few rule-breaking tricks of the copywriting trade. Used wisely, they can help transform your sales copy from a dull glow into a brilliant flash.
9 copywriting “number tricks” to manipulate readers
I had two choices for writing the number in my headline. I could have written “Nine” or “9.” And at the beginning of the previous sentence I could have written “two” or “2.”
Why did I make the choices I did? When you finish this article, you will know.
There are rules for writing numbers. The AP Stylebook suggests you should “spell out a numeral at the beginning of a sentence.” It also suggests you should “spell out whole numbers below 10, use figures for 10 and above.”
These and other standard rules are fine for ordinary writing. But copywriting is about manipulating readers in order to persuade, motivate, and sell. So you should ignore the “rules” and use a few tricks to accomplish your objective.
Doc Bottoms’ guide to copywriting with personality
Too many copywriters who learn the craft of selling fall into a rigid 37-reasons-to-buy approach that packs plenty of information but lacks a personal connection to consumers.
Sometimes, you need to loosen up, be creative, and inject a little personality. This Doc Bottoms TV ad is a perfect example. It’s funny, crass, borderline offensive … and terrific. And yes, it’s a real product.
For the record, I think humor is an advertising gamble. But this is a case where humor allows for a level of honesty that a more serious approach may not deliver.
Notice that the script follows the classic DRTV formula: present a problem, offer a solution, demonstrate the product, make an offer. So this isn’t a self-indulgent string of jokes. Plus, direct response TV ads in particular have successfully used humor for years.
Sell anything with this universal copywriting formula
If you asked the average person to describe copywriting as a mathematical formula, it might look something like this:
Writing Skill + Creativity = Copywriting
Unfortunately, this is wrong. It may sound like a contradiction, but copywriting isn’t about writing or creativity.
This is one of the most difficult concepts for novice copywriters to understand. There’s no mystery why this is. English teachers talk about writing as wordsmithing. Movie makers show writers as tortured artists. Even when writing is linked to business, it’s usually in the context of creating clever, flashy ad campaigns.
When it comes time to consider copywriting as a career or adding copywriting as a skill set for a corporate job, most people begin with the idea that copywriting is just another kind of creative writing, a fall-back job when dreams of the great American novel start to fade.
Some copywriting is about clever writing, if you work in certain ad agencies. But most copywriting is about selling. Good copywriters are sales people with a word processor.
117 tested advertising headlines that made money
If you want to write great headlines, you need to read great headlines. One of the best sources is Tested Advertising Methods
John Caples is to copywriters what Donald Trump is to entrepreneurs. He was Vice President of the BBDO advertising agency and became famous as the copywriter who rigorously tested headlines and every element of advertising copy to make money for his clients.
In no particular order, here are 119 advertising headlines cited in Tested Advertising Methods
Read more
Why vanity phone numbers can kill your ad copy
Vanity phone numbers give businesses a powerful marketing tool. But despite what you might think, it’s not always a great idea to use them in written copy.
Just to make sure you understand what a vanity number is, here’s an example. Let’s say you run a lawn care business. When you’re setting up your phone line, you could accept the random number the phone company assigns to you, or you could search for a number that “spells” a word or phrase when it’s entered on a phone keypad. Example: 1-800-876-5296 is 1-800-TOP-LAWN.
Great idea, right? Sort of. It’s a great idea if you want people to remember a number. If you’re writing a radio ad, a vanity number will probably increase phone calls because it’s easy to remember. But what if you’re writing a print ad or a brochure?
Do you design your copy before you write it?
I know what you’re thinking. “I’m not a designer. I’m a copywriter. What do you mean by designing copy before writing it?”
It’s simple. Every type of copywriting follows a certain design or structure. And you have to know the structure before you write the words that will be put into that structure. Okay, you don’t “have to” know the structure, but it sure helps.
Let’s say you’re writing a 12-page corporate newsletter. It will help if you know how many articles are needed, how long those articles should be, the ideal length of headlines so they fit the column width, and so on. If a newsletter calls for 10 articles that are about 150 words each, you’re asking for trouble if you deliver 4 articles that average 800 words each.
In the case of a newsletter, it’s likely that a designer will give you a template and rough guidelines for your copy. However, in many cases, it will be up to you to suggest the design, even if it’s just a rough idea so the designer will lay things out based in part on your copy.
AIDA and 14 secret copywriting formulas
If you put 100 copywriters into a room and ask each for a copywriting formula, they would all pay homage to “AIDA,” but you’d ultimately get 100 different answers (and about 17 fist fights).
I don’t put a lot of faith in rigid formulas, since they are often of little use in writing copy. But they are quite good at analyzing copy after it is written.
So here is the famous AIDA copywriting formula and 14 lesser-known formulas.
AIDA — This is the best-known copywriting formula of all time. It stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, Action. Every successful promotional message must attract Attention, arouse Interest, stimulate Desire, and present a compelling call for Action.
ACCA — Awareness, Comprehension, Conviction, Action. This is similar to AIDA, but “Comprehension” stresses the importance of clarity and understanding, which is vital for any persuasive message. Also, “Conviction” is much stronger than “Desire.” It suggests certainty.
