More and more people are entering the labor market as copywriters. Because of that, one must perfect their craft in order to stand out among the crowd. The possibilities to do so are endless: to enroll in digital marketing courses, to read what influencers on the subject are saying, and so on. From hooks to CTAs, the world of copywriting is full of strategies that will make our copy go from decent to incredible. Come read what those are in our article!
What Is a Copy?
The word copy is used by all the marketing agencies and refers to any type of text that can either convince people to do something or provide information or entertainment. So what exactly is a copywriter? Well, they are in charge of writing advertising texts, whose objective can be:
- To position a brand’s identity in the market
- To strengthen a brand’s customer loyalty
- To spread information, usually about a good or service
- To increase sales
Tips to Improve Your Copy
David Ogilvy, in Confessions of an Advertising Man, highlights the headline as the most important part of a copy. It is the entryway into the information and it’s the first thing consumers see. That’s why a copywriter can write up to 15 options for a single headline.
“On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar. If you haven’t done some selling in your headline, your have wasted 80 per cent of your client’s money.”
David Ogilvy, Confessions of an Advertising Man
Many times, the headline is the only thing people read before sharing the post on their social networks. Because of the Internet’s information overload, the first 5 words of your copy are essential.
That is why we wanted to share with you 5 pro tips to improve your copy that you may not know about:
1. Address Potential Customers
According to Ogilvy, it’s useful to mention your target audience in the headline. Conversely, the headline shouldn’t say anything that might scare potential customers away. If you’re selling a product that works for both men and women, you cannot only mention one gender, for it may cost you sales.
Besides, the headline must appeal to the consumers’ own interests: their aspirations, pleasures, even fears. More precisely, it must promote a benefit related to said interests. For example, if you want to sell a cure for baldness, it is important to highlight the word “baldness.” It sounds quite obvious, we know, but it is a fundamental part of any marketing strategy.
2. Provide Privileged Information
Offer key information that consumers may not know about. Maybe you don’t have something special to say; the important part is to make it sound like you do. The point here is that people must discover something they ignored. Here are some examples:
- “3 Facts Banks Do NOT Want You to Know”
- “The Biggest Secrets for a Perfect Apple Pie”
- “5 Things You Won’t Learn at Business School”
3. Don’t Turn Your Back on Clichés
Who hasn’t heard of the Call to Action “Call now!” There are plenty of commonly-used words in advertising, such as:
- Bargain
- Quick
- Easy
- Introducing
- Advice
However, these words haven’t become clichés for nothing: they are highly effective. According to Ogilvy, it is a sin to include complicated titles, involving references or tricky puns (as much as we love them.) This will only confuse the reader and appeal to fewer people.
4. Display Your Information with Numbers
There is nothing worse than reading “3 key facts on X” and only finding two facts―or that those facts aren’t even listed! That’s why we need to include numbers and figures for a satisfactory reading experience. The elements that come into play here are:
- Statistics: “8 out of 10 cats prefer Whiskas”
- Time units: “History of France in 2 minutes”
- Lists: “10 Tips for Improving Your Writing Style”
5. Engage Using the Imperative
Including action verbs (especially in the imperative mode) is a great marketing strategy. In this way, we encourage consumers to carry out what we propose to them. Here are some examples:
- Discover
- Find out
- Beat
- Try
- Make it happen
Also, the verbs we use matter: saying “eat” is not the same as saying “savor” or “devour.” That’s why we can include “super verbs” to improve our writing.
Seek Help from Professionals
You already know the secret for an awesome copy: if you don’t know how to address your target audience, your copy will fail and so will your sales. At Palabra, we have a team of communication professionals dedicated to copywriting for social networks, ads, websites, product sheets, scripts for advertising content and more.
👉 If you are looking for copywriters for your brand, don’t hesitate to ask for our services.
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