Want to instantly improve your sales copy? Whether you’re writing a landing page or an email, here are 5 questions you need to ask yourself before you write a single word of sales copy.

1. What am I selling? No, I’m not just talking about the name of the product or service you’re selling. I’m talking about what you’re selling on an emotional level. How does your product benefit the customer? What does it make them feel? Are you selling happiness? Self-confidence? Comfort? Pride? Safety? Buying is an emotional decision, so you need to understand what you’re really selling.
2. Who am I selling it to? Who do you think you’d have an easier time trying to persuade: someone you’ve never met and that you know nothing about or someone who you know every single detail about them, from the way they think to their likes and dislikes? The better you know your target audience, the more precisely you can tailor your sales copy, allowing you to connect with the reader more effectively. Check out this post I wrote about defining your target audience.
3. What objections might the reader have? It’s rare that someone instantly decides to buy something without having at least some initial doubts. Consumers are more skeptical than ever before. They have their objections…those things that cause them to hesitate when considering making a purchase. It’s your job to anticipate these objections and to address them head on in your sales copy, so you can turn every “no” into a “yes.”
4. What questions might the reader have? I don’t know about you, but before I make almost any purchase, I have some questions that I need answered. It could be a question about which features the product has, or it might be about the company’s money-back guarantee. You need to do your best to address any questions customer might have about your products, because questions can lead to second thoughts about doing business with you.
5. What do I want the reader to do? This is the most important question you can ask. If you don’t motivate your readers to take action, your sales copy serves no purpose. It’s just a waste of words. You have to figure out where the customer is at in the buying cycle and tailor your sales copy accordingly. If they’re still researching the products, you may just wish to have them contact you for more information. If they’re at the point that they’re considering making a purchase, the next logical step would be to encourage them to place an order now. Figure out what you want the reader to do, and tell them to do so as clearly as possible.

Are there any other questions you like to ask before writing sales copy?

In most cases, if you want to sell something, you’ll need to write up some compelling sales copy for the prospect to read. Whether it’s a landing page or a direct mail sales letter, there are certain steps you can follow that will help you create copy that’s focused, effective, and error-free.

1. Create a plan—Before I start writing, I like to have an idea of where the piece is headed. I don’t create overly-detailed outlines, but I do like to make a list of things that will help me stay focused and on track, such as identifying the main problem, outlining a solution, addressing objections, making an offer, and having a strong call to action.
2. Let the writing flow—I like to crank out the initial rough draft for the copy in one sitting. I find that my copy flows better when I write it all at once, rather than taking breaks and putting it together piece by piece. This allows me to get into a zone, and often times, new ideas will pop up as I write.
3. Leave your copy alone for a day or so—Never finalize copy that you just wrote. You need to step away from it for at least a day so that you can come back and look at it with a fresh set of eyes. I promise you’ll see mistakes that you didn’t notice before.
4. Edit for maximum impact—When you come back to edit your copy, don’t worry about grammar and typos just yet. The most important thing is the effectiveness of the sales message. Is it clear? Does it really speak to the reader’s problems? Does it answer their questions? Is any critical information missing or have you included things that don’t need to be there?
5. Proof for errors—After you’ve fine-tuned the sales message, now you can proofread your copy for errors. Check out these 5 tips for proofreading your copy more effectively.

What’s your writing process? Share it with me by leaving a comment.

You can have all the right words. And they can be laid out in the best possible way. But just because the words are correct and the copy looks great, doesn’t mean it flows properly and funnels readers toward conversion.

Flow is an important, but often overlooked, part of effective sales copywriting. Great flow creates a conversational feel, and it transitions logically from one point to the next.

Want to make sure your copy has proper flow? Here are 6 tips for making it happen.

1. Write the way you talk—Why is it that when people start writing they immediately change their voice, getting all formal and rigid? They completely strip away their personality and go into term paper, corporate communications writing style. It’s boring, and readers don’t get engaged by it. Just be yourself. Write the way you talk so your copy will flow like a real dialogue.
2. Read it aloud—There really is a big difference between reading the copy silently on your computer screen and printing it out to read aloud. When you read aloud, you get a true feel for the flow of your copy. You can easily identify clunky passages and awkward transitions.
3. Have your friends read it aloud—Of course, as the writer of the copy, you may be able to read it more smoothly than a new reader. To see how customers will be reading the copy, try asking a few of your friends to read the copy aloud. They will have a fresh approach, so pay attention to any parts of your copy they struggle with as those could be troublesome spots that demand extra attention.
4. Let your copy breathe for 24 hours—Here’s a trick I’ve picked up over the years. After you write your copy, step away from it for a day. This break allows you to come back to the copy with a totally fresh approach, and you’ll probably find that you see new things you didn’t notice before.
5. Proof for different things—It’s hard to try to tackle everything all at once. Try going through your copy a few different times. One time, you could read through it for grammatical mistakes. Another time, you can go through to make sure there aren’t any poor transitions or illogical progressions.
6. Read it slower—Be tedious. Go through your copy slowly and meticulously. Force yourself to read it at a slower pace so you can catch every little detail to make sure it flows properly.

What are some of your tricks for making your copy flow better?

As you may already know, I am doing a multiple post series on how to research keywords without buying software. If you haven’t already read the first post, then I recommend doing so. After you read it, I encourage you to stay tuned for the second post in the series coming up in the next few days. In the mean time, I want to offer some advice and guidance on building blogs and websites for profit.

Before I begin, I want to be clear about something. There are multiple reasons why people do keyword research. And as mentioned in my first post, the reason why I do keyword research is so that I can successfully build profitable sites that earn money. So, providing you with tips on building websites for profit go hand in hand with my multiple post series. In other words, it’s kind of pointless to learn how to research keywords unless you can successfully build sites off the topics you have researched.

That said, I have done quite a bit of digging in the SEO Hosting blog archives, and I have come up with a list of articles that will teach you some vitally important skills that you’ll need to learn if you want to be successful with building websites for profit. I have broken them down into two categories: Web Design Tips and Copywriting Tips. It’s important to understand that lacking strong skills in both web design and copywriting negates the whole purpose behind researching keywords.

Years ago, people were able to profit from building low quality sites. However, that is not the case today with the increased levels of competition and new sites being launched, as well as the constant adjustments search engines make towards fighting spam and controlling quality. Below are references to 16 articles previously published on the SEO Hosting blog that will provide you with concrete tips with copywriting and web design.

Copywriting Tips – The content you create has a huge impact on the overall success of your site. Writing the content can be tricky because it has to be written in a way that captures the attention of people, keeps them on the page, and delivers what is expected. It also has to be optimized so that the page can appear in search engines above other competing sites the cover the same topics.

1. The Importance of Research in the Copywriting Process
2. Pros and Cons of the Different Types of Content
3. How to Write Better Headlines
4. How to Improve Your Headlines Instantly
5. Tips for Using Bullet Points in Your Copy
   
6. 23 Copywriting Rules To Live By
7. How to Make Sure You Aren’t Keyword Stuffing
8. 5 Simple Tips for Proofreading Your Copy

Web Design Tips – Just like the content you create, your web design also plays an active role towards the success of your site. The inner workings of a properly coded website fortify the optimizations made to the content you create. It also captures the attention of people with the use of appealing colors, graphics, and styles.

1. The Anatomy of a Website: Which Pages Should Be on Your Website?
2. How To Be a Successful Web Designer
3. 5 Tips for Overcoming Web Designer’s Block
4. Tell-Tale Signs Your Homepage Sucks
5. Don’t Let These 8 Web Design Mistakes Kill Your Website
6. 23 Web Design Rules to Follow
7. How To Increase The Performance of Your Website
8. 8 Essential Website Maintenance Tasks

I believe that if you are serious about learning how to research keywords, then you will have a strong interest in developing, enhancing, or strengthening your copywriting and web design skills. I encourage you to read the articles referenced above. They will provide you with the highest level of advice and guidance.

Additionally, I invite you to ask questions and voice your concerns with past experiences. And lastly, I want to remind you to stay tuned, because in the next day or so I will publish my second article in the multiple post series that teaches you how to research keywords without buying software.

We’ve all come across those landing pages that feature long, emotional “hypnotic” sales copy. You know the ones. The author tells you some heartbreaking story (e.g. I was 100 pounds overweight. I tried everything. No diets worked. My boyfriend broke up with me. I was depressed, and wanted to kill myself. AND THEN I TRIED XYZ PRODUCT AND MY LIFE WAS CHANGED FOREVER!)

Now, as a copywriter, my first instinct is to criticize this kind of copy. Why? Because it just screams “Scam! Stay away!” But the truth is this copy converts. Otherwise, you wouldn’t see everyone using this same formula over and over. Take a look at the top selling affiliate products on ClickBank. Almost every landing page features the long, emotional, “hypnotic” sales copy.

So, what is it about this kind of copy that makes it so effective? Here are just a few reasons hypnotic copy works.

1. It uses the power of storytelling—Some of the most effective sales letters of all times harnessed the power of storytelling. Why are stories so effective? For several reasons. First, they stimulate the senses. Great stories put you right there in the middle of the story. Second, stories let the reader relate, saying “I’ve been there before.” And finally, stories appeal to our emotions, and emotions always plays a big role in the buying process. For more information on the power of storytelling, check out this great post “Your Brain on Stories.”

 

2. It stimulates our emotions—In the last point, I briefly touched on the fact that people make buying decisions largely based on their emotions. In the words of Eisenberg in Persuasive Online Copywriting “People rationalize buying decisions based on facts, but people make buying decisions based on feelings.” To go back to our earlier example of diet pills, people buy diet pills because they make them skinnier and more attractive, allowing them to feel better about themselves. It’s all tied to emotions. So, in your copy, you need to focus on tying the benefits to emotional triggers.

 

3. It uses repetition—To keep you “hypnotized”, the writer will continually repeat the main message all throughout the copy. This helps keep the reader focused on the main point, so that they’re ready to take action when the writer asks them to do so.

 

4. It features calls to action throughout—One of the most effective things you’ll find in these long landing pages is that they have a call to action every few paragraphs, rather than simply stuffing one at the end of the copy. Typically, there will be one call to action per screen view, meaning no matter where you are on the page, you have a way to take action. Now, say what you will about hypnotic copywriting, but this is a technique all landing page copywriters should be putting into practice. You want to make it as easy as possible for your readers to jump to action.

 

5. It uses testimonials to back the story up—The hypnotic copywriter doesn’t just force you to take their word for it, they use testimonials to back their story up. And they have a spectacular knack for placing these testimonials in the copy right when you’re about to say “Wait a minute. This sounds too good to be true.” Check out these tips for giving your testimonials more credibility.

What do you think about long, emotional, “hypnotic” landing pages? Are they too spammy for your taste? Or do you believe if it works, use it? Share your thoughts in the replies.

Who would have thought that some of the best copywriting advice you’ll ever receive could be delivered in 140 characters or less? I’ve come up with a list of 33 killer copywriting tips I’ve found on Twitter. Enjoy.

Note: Follow these people on Twitter. You’ll discover even more great marketing and copywriting tips.

1. heatherlloyd: Taking time to put yourself in your target audience’s shoes helps you create copy that’s more targeted and less mechanical

2. charismatickid: If you read your copy out loud and you hear the same keyphrases over and over, it’s time to edit.

3. healymonster: Copywriting tip: Write like you talk. People get sucked into copy that’s easy to read.

4. CopywriterTO: #Copywriting tip: Get your readers’ attention by starting your copy with a compelling story.

5. Mainecopywriter: Copy Tip: Only 10% of your copy gets read. Use subheads to capture attention and draw the reader into the copy.

6. Cbreecopy: Tip: Shorter is not always better. Longer titles are more descriptive and provide better SEO.

7. caseyfleming: #Copywriting tip: Talk about your customers 90% of the time and your company only 10% of the time.

8. CopyByMac: Copywriters: don’t forget to practice writing those headlines and bullets. A simple change to a headline I wrote brought significant changes.

9. companyseo: Copywriting with corporate SEO keywords is one of the best ways to drive qualified leads to your website and convert sales.

10. DGRComms: Copywriting has to be about words that stimulate a response, far from boring yet always professional

11. Copywritings: Copywriting Tip. Starting sentences with But, And is permissible. Advertising copy follows the patterns of speech more than rules of grammar.

12. Copywritings: Copywriting Tip. Write as if you’re speaking to one person

13. Copywritings: Copywriting Tip. Break up your copy with bullet points. Bullets make copy easier to read.

14. JackeeGreen: Copywriting Tip: When Writing A Headline, use AIDA. A=Attention, I=Interest, D=Desire, & A=Action

15. Copysnips: Copywriting Tip: Benefits are reasons to buy at SOME TIME, but if you want them to buy NOW, give them REASONS to do so.

16. Copysnips: Copywriting Tip: We form first impressions of people almost instantly, and the same is true of your copy’s readers.

17. ScottByWater: Copywriting tip: “a writer should always feel like he’s in over his head” Michael Cunningham

18. contentwriteroz : Web Copywriting Tip- Don’t confuse visitors by using various conflicting calls to action on the same page.

19. contentwriteroz :Web Copywriting Tip – Don’t use “click here” or “read more” as link text. Use descriptive link labels for usability & SEO.

20. contentwriteroz : Web Copywriting Tip- Use a professional writing style but a personal and quite casual tone of voice.

21. Contentmakeover: Sales writing tip: Deliver a promise. Show proof. Call for action

22. Contentmakeover: #NLP #Sales #Copywriting Tip: Leave no doubt in your reader’s mind

23. LighthausDesign: Website Copywriting Tip: After writing copy for a page of your site, cut it in half, then cut it in half again. Less is more on the Web.

24. Mainecopywrtr: copywriting tip: make a specific promise in your headline. Then spend the rest of the sales letter proving you can deliver it.

25. Lyricacopy: An adjective phrase beginning a sentence must refer to the subject. So “As a valued customer, we’re offering you…” is incorrect.

26.DMCopywriter: Email copywriting tip: The shorter the subject line, usually the better. Try for 4 to 5 words if possible

27. DMCopywriter: Web page copywriting tip: Let visitors self reflect at your site. Know why they are there firstly

28. SpiritualCopy: Copywriting Tip: Have an awesome product or service… because a great product or service INSPIRES great copy.

29. RobAdvertising: Tip of the day. Have a clear call to action in all your marketing.

30. TopMarketingTip: #Tips – Does your webpage’s headline (preferably H1) describe the problem your customers are having in relation to your solution?

31. farhadkhurshed: #Copywriting Tip: Make a quick transition from your headline to your sales message. Don’t waste time with warm up paragraphs

32. farhadkhurshed: #Copywriting Tip: Be specific with your claims. Superlatives are not credible, concretes invariably are!

33. Prime_Concepts: Copywriting Tip: Use short and long paragraphs for the readers and scanners.

Do you follow any great copywriters on Twitter? Are you a copywriter on Twitter? Leave your links so I can follow more copywriters!

Ideally, you want to keep your web copy as short and simple as possible. However, there are situations where long copy is necessary to give readers the information they need to make an informed buying decision. Thankfully, there are several things you can do to streamline long copy so that it’s more readable. Get stared by following these tips.

• Use a single column—Single-column layouts work best on the web as multiple columns force readers to scroll up and down, making it difficult to scan. More to the point, single-column websites achieve higher conversion rates by controlling the eye-path of readers.

• Avoid wide columns—The wider the column, the fewer the words that will be read. Remember, people tend to scan content online rather than read it word for word. This means the reader’s eyes tend to stay focused on the left side of the copy. By narrowing your column, you put more words in their eye path, allowing you to deliver your message more effectively.

• Stick to short paragraphs—If you’ve ever come across a big block of text online, you know just how unappealing and intimidating it is. Most people would rather click “back” than to suffer through reading a long block of thousands of words. To make the copy easier to digest, you need to break it up into short paragraphs containing about 3-4 sentences each. Always place the most important information at the beginning of the paragraph to ensure it gets read.

• Place descriptive subheads throughout—No matter how long your copy is, someone should be able to scan through it and know what it’s about in less than 30 seconds (ideally, in about 10 seconds). One way you can get your message across quickly is to use bolded, descriptive subheads throughout the copy. Make sure each subhead clearly explains what the section is about.

• Ensure copy flows in a logical manner—Long copy won’t feel long if it flows properly. To ensure a proper flow, create an outline before you begin writing so that you won’t end up going off on tangents that distract from your message. After writing your copy, read it aloud to be sure it makes sense.

• Make certain every word serves a purpose—After writing your copy, give it a day or two to breathe. Then, go back to it with a fresh set of editing eyes. During editing, eliminate unnecessary words that take up space, don’t add anything, and make the copy longer than it needs to be. If you have a hard time editing on your computer, print out the copy, and use a red pen to slash out the fluff.

• Have clear calls to action throughout—When you have copy that’s longer than normal, you don’t want to bury the call to action at the end because most readers won’t even make it that far. Instead, put calls to action throughout the copy. I recommend having one call to action in every screen view so that the reader always has a way to take action without scrolling. Keep the calls to action clear and short.

Do you have long copy on your website? What have you done to make it easier to read? Leave a comment with your best tips.

As a freelance copywriter, I’ve worked on several projects where I was hired to clean up the mess left by the last copywriter. For one reason or another, the copy they wrote wasn’t working, and of course, the client wasn’t happy with it.

Most times, this happened because the client tried to save money on hiring a copywriter. They hired the cheapest copywriter they could find, and as a result, they got what they paid for.

When cleaning up the mess left by rookie copywriters, I’ve noticed there are 3 common mistakes they tend to make. 

• Rookie Mistake #1: Focusing on the wrong benefits—My good friends over at The Write Blog, wrote a post a while back titled “Don’t sell the car. Sell the Nissan.” The title sums it up perfectly. You need to write copy that focuses on the benefits specific to your products and services. It’s all about identifying your unique selling point. Like Wintress says in her post, you wouldn’t sell a car by telling the reader that “it’s a faster way to get around town than riding a bicycle.” Instead, you would probably focus on the miles per gallon the vehicle gets and the unique features specific to the vehicle (and more importantly, the benefits of said features).

• Rookie Mistake #2: Not asking the reader to take action—At the end of the day, the success of the copy depends on whether or not the reader takes action. All copy has a purpose. It could be to close the sale on the spot or to get an email address to gather leads. Identify the purpose of your copy, and ask the reader to take the action you desire. If you don’t ask for an action, your readers will never snap out of their passivity.

• Rookie Mistake #3: Using too much fluff—I’ve seen some copywriters make a living out of saying nothing at all. Oh, they write a lot of words, but they aren’t actually saying anything. Their copy is nothing more than a bunch of fluff that takes up space but never gets results. Here’s a tip. Print out your copy, and cross out non-essential content that doesn’t add to your main message. Just be careful not to go overboard as you don’t want to strip the personality and conversational tone from your copy.

Which rookie copywriting mistakes would you add to this list? Leave a comment with your thoughts.

If you ask me, the most important part of any content, whether it’s sales copy or a blog post, is the headline. Without a headline that instantly grabs the reader’s attention and entices them to keep reading, you stand no chance of being successful. Even if the body of your content is perfect, it won’t matter because most people won’t read it if the headline sucks.
So, what can you do to make sure your headlines work? Here are some tips to help you in your quest for the perfect headline.
• Brainstorm multiple headline ideas—What are the chances of the first headline you come up with being the best it can be? Probably not very good. So instead of just going with whichever headline pops into your head first, spend some time brainstorming multiple headline ideas. Once you come up with a pretty healthy list (5 or more ideas), analyze each idea closely to find the best one for your content.

• Try writing the headline last—In my experience, writers are split 50/50 on this idea. Some writers swear by writing the headline first, and others believe writing it last is a better practice. It really boils down to your personal preference, but let me tell you why I think writing it last can be a good idea. A lot of times, when you write the headline first, you start to write the content, and by the time you’ve finished it, the headline doesn’t really reflect what you’ve written about. Writing the headline last can help you come up with an idea that truly matches the message of the content.

• Stop trying to be clever—We’ve all seen the “look at me, I’m so clever” headlines. Cleverness works occasionally, but for the most part, I try to avoid it. Here’s why: 1) Clever headlines offer suffer from a lack of clarity, and 2) Not everyone will understand your cleverness.

• Get the message across—Above all else, your goal with writing a headline should be to get the main point across as clearly as possible. Remember, a lot of times (with blogs, press releases, ezine articles, and other content) your headline will have to stand on its own. If the headline is clear and to the point, people will click on it. If it doesn’t get the message across, you’ll lose the interest of potential readers.

What process do you follow when writing headlines? Share your tips in the replies.

With online readers scanning copy rather than reading it word for word, bullet points have gone from a way just to break up long copy to a way to draw attention to the most important benefits and information in your sales copy. The truth is bullet points have become the most read portion of web copy, and as a result, you need to pay more attention to how you use them.
Here are some tips for how to get more out of your bullet points.
• Use bullet points to outline most important points of copy—Whenever someone reads your web copy, their scanning tendencies will guide their eyes immediately to your bulleted list. This means you need to place the most important information in these bullets. Personally, I prefer highlighting the most important benefits of the product or services being sold. Remember, customers are most concerned with what’s in it for them, so it just makes sense to emphasize the key benefits.

• Place items in order of importance—Readers may not make it through your entire bulleted list. That’s why it’s a good practice to prioritize your points in order of their importance. For example, if your main selling point is that you offer the best price in town, your first bullet point should highlight this fact. Don’t bury it down at the bottom of the list, as it might not get read, and if it does, it will seem less important than the points above it.

• Make bullet points consistent in structure—Find a structure for your bullet points, and stick with it. Take a look at this list. Each point begins with an action verb, and they are all one sentence in length. Consistency helps your list flow better, and it makes it easier for readers to scan over the main points without getting confused.

• Keep each point brief—The whole purpose of using bullet points is to get information across quickly and efficiently. So, don’t drag each point out for several paragraphs. Make your point as quickly as you can so your readers can keep moving forward.

• Limit the list to 3-5 bullet points—I recommend limiting your bulleted list to 3-5 points for a couple of reasons. First, if your list is too long, it won’t get read. Keeping it short ensures it gets fully read. Secondly, if your list is too long, it makes the points seem less important. If you list out 20 benefits of your product, all of the points begin to just blend in and seem trivial.

Do you use bullet points in your sales copy? Which tips would you add to this list? Share your thoughts in the comments.