Persuasive Writing eBook Released – The Art of Using Words to Convince, Compel and Sell

March 27, 2009 | 1 Comment

Three months and several rewrites later, my eBook on persuasive writing has finally been released. It comprises of all the posts from my recent persuasive writing series, and a couple more to fill in the gaps.

Experienced copywriters won’t discover anything new. But I’m hoping the eBook will be useful for visitors looking for advice on how to make their sales writing more compelling (or to consider hiring me to write it for them).

It’s underlying theme is that showy writing isn’t sales writing: you need to focus on what the reader wants, rather than use elaborate, long words and marketing cliches in a misguided attempt to sound impressive. And that you need to motivate the reader’s emotional triggers if you want them to buy.

No signup is required, so the eBook can run free and, hopefully, help people discover how to use words to convince, compel and sell:

Posted by Matt Ambrose | Filed Under Blog, Copywriting

15 Punchy Copywriting Tips

March 19, 2009 | 8 Comments

“They were easier to read than ignore” – Victor Schwab

It’s often said that copywriting can’t be too long, just too boring.

And sales writing is often only tolerated at the best of times. So if your copy is to weave its magic it needs to be light, easy to read and captivating.

Here are 15 tips for making your sales writing more punchy and compelling for readers:

1. Aim for an average sentence length of around 16 words.

2. Vary between short and long sentences to give your writing rhythm.

3. Split long sentences into two if they’ll survive on their own. Use connecting words such as ‘so’, ‘and’ or ‘because’.

4. Wield an axe to flabby language and unnecessary words. As Anton Chekhov put it, ‘Brevity is the sister of talent.’

5. Sales writing isn’t blessed with a reader’s patience. So ensure every word and sentence means something to the reader and adds to your argument. Don’t waffle or descend into a longwinded diatribe that’s of little interest to anybody but you.

6. Leave long paragraphs to novelists, and limit yours to a single thought. Two or three sentences is adequate.

7. Showy writing isn’t sales writing. Don’t use words just because they sound impressive. And leave jargon and corporate claptrap for the brochure (if you must use them at all).

8. Use positive inspiring language on what the reader ‘can’ achieve and ‘will’ be able to do. Avoid negative terms that might dampen their spirits.

9. Break up up your page with subheads and bullets to aid skim reading.

10. Use power words to charge up your writing’s impact, such as ‘revealed’, ‘proven’, ‘scientific’ and ‘breakthrough’.

11. Write in your reader’s language and the style they’re comfortable with. Read your target market’s magazines and newspapers to gauge the pitch.

12. People are hardwired to respond to stories. Use storytelling on how your product has solved someone’s problem to trigger the reader’s imagination and emotions.

13. Use facts or personal history to build rapport, empathy and to show the reader that you feel their pain.

14. Ask the reader a simple question early on they’ll say ‘yes’ to. This will precondition them to be more likely to agree with you and say ‘yes’ to your offer later on.

15. Sales writing is often compared to a conversation with a pal in a bar. So it should be conversational and sound similar to how you’d speak. Read it aloud to hear whether it flows smoothly.

Another tip I’d add is to keep a swipe file of the best sales writing you find. Study it, highlight key phrases and copy it out by hand to gain an understanding of how to write punchy copywriting that generates sales.

Posted by Matt Ambrose | Filed Under Blog, Copywriting, Email marketing, Online-PR, RSS, Search Engine Optimisation

Struggling to find work? Here’s how to promote your copywriting services to clients

March 10, 2009 | Leave a Comment

I think we’re all getting bored of hearing how times are tight and marketing budgets are getting slashed, so I thought I’d offer some tips to on how to pitch copywriting services to clients.

Even in brighter times, it’s always been difficult securing funding for a web project’s written element. Businesses often care more about how their website looks than what it says. But not investing in quality copy is like creating a beautifully decorated cake with intricate icing and filling it with sawdust (analogy taken from Boagworld web design podcast about copywriting).

So unless you want customers choking on dry, bland content, here are reasons why businesses need to invest in copywriting:

Improve Google ranking and traffic – hammering out a conveyer belt of cheap, keyword packed content is easy. Writing engaging posts that attract links from other sites less so. But backlinks from relevant sites is an integral part of the magic equation that will boost your ranking and traffic. Investing in content also offers long-term value compared to pouring funds into the bottomless pit that is pay-per-click advertising.

Promotes your expertise – visitors form opinions based on what they read, and not just on the flashy intro. Your content reflects the professionalism of your business and the quality of your products. Content riddled with spelling mistakes and poor grammar suggests a similarly lazy approach to customer service.

Builds trust, confidence and sales – people are rarely ready to buy on the first visit. Maintaining contact with a useful, well written and informative newsletter enables you to build a relationship (and the sales process) over time.

Appeals to target market – different types of copy appeals to different personalities. Copy needs to be pitched so it appeals to the personality type of your target customer; this takes time, effort and skill.

Keeps visitors engaged longer – keyword packed content might appeal to robotic search engines, but is less appealing to real life people. If your content confuses rather than communicates, customers will shop elsewhere.

More interesting – when you’ve taken the time to research your market, identify your USPs and understand your customers’ problems then your copy will inherently be more relevant and interesting.

Competitive advantage – when you’re competing for clicks with rival websites one of the key differentiators is the quality of your copy. People are more likely to reward you with their time and attention if you’ve made the effort to engage them properly.

Works harder at selling – copywriting that talks about benefits rather than features, appeals to the visitors’ desires and ends with a call to action is going to work harder at selling products. Copy that isn’t structured or pitched properly is slouched outside on a permanent fag break.

More objective – when you work with a product all day it’s common for the jargon and techie language you hear to find its way into your writing. An external copywriter, however, can approach the product with a clearer perspective.

Helps navigation – clearly positioned links and copy that leads into other sections add to a site’s navigation. Copy pasted from an offline brochure is more likely to leave them stood outside gazing through the window, puzzled and unable to find a way in.

Written for the reader – it’s a common mistake to think that showy writing, packed with long words used to sound impressive, is good sales writing. But people have little patience on the web, and are more likely to be turned off by marketing speak and cliches than endeared to your company.

If you’re currently struggling to find work, consider using some of these points as the basis of an email or postcard campaign notifying potential clients of the benefits of your copywriting services.