WIIFM – Your Best Tip For Copywriting Success

WIIFM. It’s not a word, it’s not even a Wii game like bowling (now, there’s some fantastic fun!), and it’s not an FM radio station.
It can be your little copywriting secret; one that you never let out of the bag. Because it’s that good. Because it can’t fail, ever. This little phrase will set your copy on fire. Every time!
It will help to make you the copywriter that everyone goes to for any writing or advertising need. They will seek you out, because you have the magic touch. Imagine that! Conversion rates that really go places, words that really mean something. Well, actually, you just have WIIFM!
What is it? For starters, it’s an acronym. An easy way to remember the most important facet to your writing. Whether that be a sales letter, an email, a direct-response ad, an article, or something else.
Because, you see, even though you are the author of your words, your words are written for someone else. For someone’s business. For someone’s customers. You are, after all, in the business of helping others achieve their ultimate sales goals.
You write so their business will take off into flight, will soar above all the competition. That ‘s your goal in the world of copywriting.
That is an awesome task! Words hold the power to make or break; words can lightly roll off your tongue, or they can be heavily manipulative. You decide. You call the shots. You make the decisions.
And you do it for others. You gather together enough information on who and what you are writing about. You research everything you can about not only the product or service to be spotlighted, but you look to your audience most of all. What do they want?
Here it comes… your best tip!
What kinds of thoughts roll around in their heads when they read about this particular offer, or service? Wouldn’t you just love an access key to their brains, to check out all those neurons and synapses that click for some words but not for others?
Just to listen to someone scanning a sales letter or an email offer, and to see the thoughts that form as they go; to almost hear the words that make all the difference in your world:
“What’s in it for me?!”
WIIFM. There’s your secret formula. Your tried-and true petri dish to success!
It’s almost too easy! Yet, striking that perfect blend often eludes most copywriters.
How Do I Apply WIIFM To My Writing?
Know your customer! That means initially getting all the information you can from your client, about just who it is that will be seeing your finished product.
Writing for college students? You must know they are super tech-savvy, and tweeting and Facebooking every two minutes? Long paragraphs won’t work here.
Creating a white paper for an environmental company? Stay on top with products they already use, (and if you don’t know what these are, you need to find out). These people are “in-the-know” and usually very educated about all things social and political.
Sending out an autoresponder email series to women 18-35? What interests do they love? What kinds of magazines do they read? Which TV shows are tops on their lists?
With everything you write, there must be that instant connection, or all the rest of your writing will have been in vain.
By knowing who you’re writing to, you can easily come up with all the benefits they love. Then by connecting those benefits with your select audience, they will be that much easier to sell to. Because they will believe in you, because you know them, because you talk to them just like one of their own.
So, there it is! What’s In It For Me? Learn to write everything for your customer, and by selling them your idea or product or concept, you will be giving yourself the best gift there is.
Copywriting success!