Top Five Insider Tips On Writing Effective Copy

One of the most important skills many internet marketers often overlook is the ability to write effective, persuasive copy. What is copy? Simply put, it is the combination of words you choose to persuade your reader towards a particular action. The end goal is almost always to buy, but it may simply be to convince your reader that you have value to share and that they would be a fool not to opt in to your newsletter or free gift. Whatever your goal, your ability to write persuasive copy will have you in high demand across the industry.
It goes without saying, the very first priority in writing effective copy is capturing the attention of your target audience – then keeping it! Studies show you have less than 3 seconds to capture your viewer’s attention. It is crucial that your headline must be riveting, or you will lose your viewer. The words following your headline must be compelling, and deliver the goods, or your audience will be on to something else. One of the best ways to capture attention is to lead with their problem. Ensure that you have your audience clearly defined, and then ask yourself “what is their primary problem?”. Then solve their problem. For example, if your target is a Network Marketing pro, a constant problem is lack of leads. A good headline would be “Controversial Lead Capturing Tactic Generates TOO MANY Leads!” Following are the top 5 ways of writing a compelling headline that will have your audience reading on.
1. Be Controversial. Be careful with this one, as you don’t want to be too controversial! But writing a headline with a tinge of controversy will definitely capture the attention of your audience. “Proof That MLM No Longer Effective” would certainly capture the attention of anyone involved in multi-level marketing! Think of the National Enquirer. They have some of the best copy writers on the planet writing their headlines.
2. Question Their Beliefs. It kind of trips their mind when you question their beliefs. It gives their mind a hiccup and causes them to do a double take. For example, “Multi-Level Business With Downline Members That Is Not MLM!” or “Internet Marketing Without a Website or Computer is Far More Effective.” Questioning the core beliefs of your market will definitely capture their attention.
3. Be Entertaining. Entertainment is a great stimulator in marketing. Think of all of the television commercials that involve humor. There’s a reason – it works! The biggest reason people buy information products is, not to learn something, but to be entertained! Aaron Parkinson, a 7 figure internet marketing pro, creates very entertaining videos. So does Gregg Davison, another top earning internet marketer. Using humor and entertainment in your marketing has your audience coming back for more.
4. Be Enlightening. Distribute a revelation that your audience is not aware of. Share with them some inside knowledge, previously unknown, that will make them feel as if they’re on the “inside”. Providing new, valuable knowledge is the fastest way to build your credibility.
5. Be Curious. Curiosity is very powerful. It makes people react for reasons that go beyond their interest. Sometimes they don’t care, they just want to know! I was walking through Borders book store and saw a book with the title “Why Don’t Penguin’s Feet Freeze?” I had to stop and thumb through it! A top internet marketer wrote an email headline that said “I’m Having Trouble Breathing.” There was a huge response rate to that email, simply because people were curious as to why he was having trouble breathing. Have fun with this one, as there are virtually limitless ways you can be curious.
Copywriting is hands down the best marketing skill you can learn, either offline or online. It’s a million dollar skill, as some of the top copywriters in the industry demand huge fees. I am personally aware of a company that paid a top copywriter $10,000 to write ONE sale letter. Learn this skill and you can literally write your own ticket!
If you are serious about picking up this skill, I recommend the following books:
1. The Copywriters Handbook by Robert (Bob) Bly. This is the best book for beginners to start with. It provides an excellent background of copywriting and how to get started learning the basics.
2. The Adweek Copywriting Handbook by Joe Sugarman. This book, in my opinion, is the best copywriting book out there.
3. Hypnotic Writing by Joe Vitale. You may recognize Joe Vitale’s name from The Secret. In his book he goes into the psychology of persuasive writing and how you can employ simple techniques to improve your response rate.
4. The Robert Collier Letter Book. Find this one on Amazon. It’s excellent.
5. The Agora Swipe File. This is a compilation of different sales letters and headlines. I’ve recently found a free PDF of this by searching for it online. Do a search yourself and you may find a free copy.
This should be plenty to equip you with the resources you need to begin learning this valuable skill set. Here’s an exercise for you to practice.
EXERCISE
1. Create a Word file (or text file of some type) and title it “I Am A Master Copywriter”. Then, write your own headline for each of the 5 “attention getters” above. Put the date before your group of headlines.
2. Read book 1, The Copywriters Handbook. After reading, open your “I Am A Master Copywriter” file and enter a new date. Then write your headlines again with your new-found knowledge.
3. Repeat this process with each of the 5 books above. Watch how your style, confidence and quality changes over time as you read the books.