7 Steps to Writing Attention Getting (and Keeping) Copy

Whether you're writing copy for a newsletter, a full blown website, or traditional newsprint ads, keeping certain key principles in mind will help you to appeal to the wary reader/consumer of today. In today's world of information overload, people are becoming burned out on all the hype that's presented to them on a daily basis, especially online. The old protocol of trying to establish trust with the reader is harder than ever to do. Today's savvy web-surfer wants information presented in a succinct manner, with the big question being "In 2 seconds flat... what you can do for me?" 1) Choose the single most important benefit of the service or product you provide. Highlight only one upfront. Is it the price, reliability, uniqueness? Listing too many things out of the gate tends to give the distinct impression of pushiness. If the most important thing you have to offer doesn't catch their attention, chances are the rest of what you have to offer probably would not have been enough to keep them in the seats, either. 2) Use attention-getting headlines, but make it approachable. Using too many capital letters for instance tends to "scream" at the reader, and looks too much like hype. If you want to draw their attention to a point, use bold letters, or underlining. Don't overuse. Avoid the following: "It's Hot!" or "Create Serious Wealth!" How many times have you seen these tag lines? And do you believe them? Exactly. 3) Use bulleted lists to describe the features of your product or service: