Real-Life Copywriting Course for Non-Writers
Copyright 2006 Joseph Farinaccio
The following information represents what you might call a "real
life copywriting course for non-writers." If you're not someone
who loves to write, it's a good way to create effective sales
copy. Before starting though, you must know:
A) Copywriting is nothing more (or less) than salesmanship in
print. It's about selling, not being fancy or creative.
B) If you can't sell something in person, you can't sell it in
print. This can be taken 2 ways. First, if you're not selling
something anyone would ever buy from a live salesperson then
you'll never sell it in print. And secondly, if you don't know
enough about a product or service to tell someone about it in
person then you'll never be able to create sales copy for it
either.
Okay ... ready? Let's begin.
Picture a friend of yours coming into your living room one day.
You're sitting on the couch looking at TV, and this friend sits
down next to you. He grabs the remote. Shuts off the TV. Tugs at
your shirt. And makes you look at him.
Then he says, "I have a problem." And he begins telling you
about this problem.
As you're listening, you realize you've got a perfect solution
for this problem. So when he's finished, you begin telling him
about your remedy. You tell him its name. What it is. Why it
will do exactly what he wants ... etc. Can you imagine this?
Sure you can.
Now ... audio record yourself ... giving this exact pitch to
this imaginary person. (Maybe even have someone role-play as a
friend with the problem). Forget about the fact you're being
audio recorded. Concentrate on what you're saying to the person
you're trying to help.
Give all the important details about your solution. Tell them
all the wonderful things it will do for them (the benefits).
Tell them how their life will be better, or easier, or more
fulfilled because of it. Don't say any more than you have to ...
or any less than you need to.
When you're finished, have this recording transcribed. Have it
typed and printed out. This is the raw material for your sales
copy. It will probably be 8-12 pages in length ... or more.
Don't worry about how long it is.
Now ... cut it up into sections. Every individual thought. Every
individual benefit. Every little short story. Every example you
used.
Take a pair of scissors and cut. You'll have a lot of pieces.
But keep moving. Keep pushing forward.
Now set aside every scrap you consider "extremely important."
Like the biggest benefits. The most interesting and fascinating
facts. Etc.
Any lesser details or non-important facts, or plain ole' fluff
... push to the other side.
Done? Alright ... take all the pieces you've deemed very
important, and organize them into piles of the following:
1) FEATURES (product details).
2) BENEFITS (every wonderful thing your product or service does
to solve a problem, or help, or make life better for your
friend).
3) PROOFS (all the things you said explaining why this product
is truly the answer to his problem ... i.e., stories, documented
facts, case studies, testimonials, etc.).
The next step is ranking and sorting every scrap within each
pile by order of importance. The most important scrap of info at
the top ... the next most important ... and so on.
You're now ready to arrange things according to a time-tested
copywriting formula called A-I-D-A ... which stands for ... Get
ATTENTION, Stir INTEREST, Create DESIRE, and Call for ACTION.
AIDA has been used millions and millions of times to sell
trillions and trillions of dollars in products and services.
Don't worry ... you can (and will) tweak your final version. But
you're about to begin writing your first draft. And you have
virtually EVERYTHING you need right in front of you. You don't
have to be creative. You're not writing a novel.
Go back to that problem your friend came to you with. What was
that problem? Let's pretend you own a company that sells
industrial lifting equipment, and your friend said, "I really
need to buy a new fork truck for my business, and I need to find
a reliable one. Problem is, they all cost an arm and a leg. And
I'm really short on extra cash right now. How can I ever get a
reliable one at an affordable price?"
You are now going to write something that will get this person's
attention. Something called a headline. So you're going to write
down, "How to ..." followed with a re-wording of the problem
your friend has. For example:
"How to Get a Reliable Fork Truck for your Business ...
Affordably"
Don't exactly love this one 100%? Relax. Revise it later if you
want. But, believe it or not ... it's not half bad for someone
who's not a copywriter (like yourself). Is it? And this headline
will immediately grab the attention of someone in the market for
a fork truck (which is what your headline is supposed to do).
Next, give your friend a good reason to keep on reading.
Re-state their problem, and tell them you have an answer for it.
"If you're in need of a new fork truck that won't break your
budget then I can help. My name is __, and I'm the owner of
Anderson Business Equipment. At Anderson, we've helped business
owners like yourself find custom-sized forks trucks at
affordable prices for over 30 years now."
Done? Good.
Now take everything from your FEATURES, BENEFITS, and PROOFS
piles and write them down in the following sequence.
- Tell your reader "why" they should believe what you're saying
is true.
- "Prove" to your reader why what you're telling them is true. -
List and describe all the "benefits" to your product. State a
feature, and follow it up with corresponding benefits in order
of importance. Keep basically the same phrases you used when you
spoke out loud and had your sales pitch recorded. Keep the
conversational tone in everything you're writing down.
- Now tell the person you're talking (er ... writing) to "how to
order" this product (or service). Tell them simply. Directly.
Politely.
- Finally, tell them they should "order now," and give them a
really good and truthful reason why they should do it now and
not later.
All finished?
Your first draft is now done. Set it aside. Go do something else
for a day or two. Then come back and pick it up. Read it over.
Cross out all unnecessary words. Get rid of any big words you
may have used and replace them with simpler ones. Fill in any
necessary details if something needs clarification.
After doing this, you're now ready to read your copy out loud.
(Don't skip this ... it's important!) Your copy must read like a
smooth, warm personal conversation. With you talking to your
reader. Change or alter any words that "hang," or disturb the
smooth flow of this conversation.
The very last step is the easiest. Have someone else read your
copy out loud (preferably someone from your target audience).
Listen for any words they trip over. When they're finished, ask
them if they understand everything. Ask them if any questions
came into their mind as they read - - questions you didn't
answer. If so, then write the answer down, and respond to their
question at the right point in your copy.
Print and revise each draft after making any changes and go over
the copy again and again. How many drafts will be necessary? As
many as it takes. Maybe 7. Maybe 10. Maybe 30. Revise until no
more changes are needed.
Now you must test your sales copy. The best way to cheaply do
this is by sending out a mailing to 100 or so ideal prospects.
Measure your response rate.
If you get a response rate that "cost-effectively" motivates
your prospect into taking the next step in the buying process
then it shows you've got an understanding of what it takes to
write effective sales copy. A skill worth its weight in gold.