Tips For Magnetizing Your Copy (last)

3. Think For The Reader.
Sales are largely based on faith. Faith in the company, faith in the product and faith in the delivery of the promised benefits. And sales trainers often tell you that, like a good fiction story, you must temporarily suspend all disbelief.
And belief requires the suspension of critical thinking.
It is important to understand that people first buy on emotion and then justify their decisions with logic. Even the most analytical types buy on emotion, whether they express (or are aware) of their emotions or not.
Conversely, critical thinking causes the suspension of feelings. If your reader starts to think too much, then fundamental fears, doubts and concerns take over, eventually leading to the greatest killer of sales: procrastination.
Why? Because if we focus on logic first, we tend to think about other needs, concerns and preoccupations at that time. And more important, we may think about other, more important things we can do with our money.
YOU must do the thinking for your prospect. Don't stop short of describing the benefits, offering reasons why and telling stories simply because you're afraid of insulting your audience's intelligence. You're not.
Clients often say, "My clients are not idiots," "the benefits are obvious," "they can think for themselves" or "they can figure it out on their own."
Technically, that's true. But leaving the copy to the reader's own devices will also open up a can of worms, since they will also think of all the other things that may be irrelevant, untrue or unnecessary, which will negate the sale.
And unlike a face-to-face sales presentation, you're not there to answer any questions or objections. So your copy must do that for them. In fact, my friend and copywriter David Garfinkel says it best:
"You must do the thinking for your reader and tell them why your offer is so valuable. Of course, they may 'get it' in the abstract. But going from the abstract to the reader's specific situation requires thinking on their part. A prospect considering your offer wouldn't dare do that thinking. You have to do it for them."
So here's a tip: use the "so-what" acid test. If at any point in your copy your reader asks "so what," then that part needs to be more personal. It needs to be more specific to the reader. And it needs to give more reasons why.
Otherwise, delete it because it's irrelevant.
If you don't, your copy will not speak to your reader. It will make your long copy seem long. And above all, it simply will not drive your reader to act.

© Michel Fortin 2002

Tips For Magnetizing Your Copy II

By Michel Fortin

2. Tell a Good Story.

Good copy makes a good case. But great copy tells a good story. Keep this in mind: a great copywriter is also a great salesperson. However, all great copywriters AND all great salespeople also have one thing in common...
... They are also great storytellers.

I just returned from Ken McCarthy's System Seminar in San Francisco. And one of the surprise speakers was Gary Halbert. Now Gary, on a topic that at the time seemed totally unrelated to copy, sales or Internet marketing, began to talk about this newfangled anti-wrinkle cream he came across.

He went on to talk about how the product came about, how it was made and even how the product worked. While all these things seemed irrelevant, he did make a great point: he told a great story that captivated the audience.

He translated features into benefits, such as the fact that the cream contained special hydroxies formed during the crystallization process. The analogy was that these hydroxies were like millions of microscopic prisms that reflect light.
He went on to describe that it was those "prisms" that helped to make your wrinkles invisible. It was a terrific story -- and while some people missed it, Gary indirectly provided the greatest lesson of the entire seminar.
Because in his story, Gary provided several powerful lessons.

A key component of telling great stories is to relate them to the reader. Often, this can accomplished with the help of analogies, examples, metaphors and case studies. Why? Because the mind thinks in relative terms.
Here's an example (of both stories and analogies). When people object to long copy, I often argue that long copy is like a good Stephen King novel. If you were a diehard Stephen Kind fanatic, and if his latest book was, say, over 600 pages, would you stop reading it because it was too long? No.

In fact, most Stephen King lovers I know often read his books in one sitting. They tell me they simply can't seem to put the book down.
Dan Kennedy calls this "message-to-market match." Like a Stephen King fanatic, when your copy is targeted and your audience is interested in your offer, they will read it. All of it. No matter how long it may seem to you.

Tips For Magnetizing Your Copy

By Michel Fortin

The difference between good copy and great copy is the number of actions it generates. The more actions the copy drives, the greater the copy is.
My friend John Reese, a master at simplifying what we often tend to unnecessarily complicate, says it best. He says the only metric you should ever really count on is this: "Yes" or "No."

That's it.

Now, what makes great copy nudge people into action requires a variety of different things -- things I often find missing with most of the copy I critique.
So let me share with you three powerful elements that can help you turn your not-so-good copy into good copy, and your good copy into outstanding copy.

1. Give Reasons Why.

Great copy proposes a series of benefits that the prospect will enjoy once they respond. But this is the area most people struggle with. What makes a good benefit? Heck, what makes a benefit in the first place?
A feature is what the product has. An advantage is what that features does. But a benefit is what that advantage means to the reader specifically. It's the specific motive to which that feature caters. In other words, a benefit is the reason why the feature exists and why it's important to the reader.
Look at it this way: a benefit is what a person intimately gains from a specific feature -- not what YOU think the customer will gain from it.
Granted, trying to figure this out can be a little challenging.
So here's a tip: whenever you describe a feature (or what you may think may be a benefit), say this: "What this means to you is this," followed by a more personal benefit your reader gets from the feature.

Keep asking until there are no further reasons to give. Here's an example (and keep in mind that I'm repeating myself, here, for the sake of illustration only):
"This stereo has a 14-band equalizer. What this means to you is, you can adjust the frequencies of the sound to your liking. What this means to you is, you can add depth and dimension to your music. What this means to you is, you can make your music sound as rich and lively as if you were at the concert listening to your favorite band. What this means to you is..."
Tell readers why they must read, why the product is important and why they must buy (and buy now). The more reasons you give, and the more specific and personal those reasons are, the more compelling your copy will be.

(to be continued...)

Tips on writing better copy-2

Copywriting Tips By Ivan Levison

(lanjutan)

Don't use long words

Long words are more difficult to read, and fewer people understand their meaning. Even PhDs find it easier to read 'big' than 'considerable'. True, you lose subtle shades of meaning when you only use small words. But think of the rewards: more readers, more understanding, more interest and more sales.

Instead of a long word like:
Achievement
Advantageous
Appropriate
Use something simpler:
Success
Good, cheap
Right


You: the most powerful word in advertising

Don't be afraid to use the word 'you'. No piece of writing needs to be unfriendly or pompous. Think of the least friendly piece of writing: it would probably be a legal contract. Here is a real piece of legal jargon from an order form:

The Customer is strictly liable for any loss or damage to the magnetic tapes however caused while they are in the Customer's possession.

Wouldn't it be clearer to say:

You are strictly liable for any loss or damage to the magnetic tapes, however caused, while they're in your possession.



Use the active tense

Take an active sentence such as 'The cat killed the mouse.' You can turn it into the passive by saying, 'The mouse was killed by the cat'.

Two things have happened:

The sentence has become 40 per cent longer.

It's more difficult to understand, because the relationships (cat - kills - mouse) are less clear.

So the moral is, avoid passives where you can. You can spot passives because they often use the words 'be/been' and 'by'. For example, 'The mouse has been killed by the cat.'

Exercise: See how many examples of passive tenses can be found in this document. You'll find the answer at the end.


Using abbreviations

In chatty copy, you can use words like 'couldn't' or 'won't'. This means you can use them in most advertisements, but take care about using them in more formal copy.

If in doubt, ask yourself whether the unabbreviated words look too stiff. Or perhaps the short form looks a little vulgar? See what other copywriters have done in a similar context.

Tips on writing better copy

Copywriting Tips By Ivan Levison

On these pages, we look at how you write better copy. This relates to all kinds of copy, whether for brochures or web copy.


For whom are you writing?

Think about the people who will read your copy. Firstly, they're busy (isn't everyone, these days?). So they won't tolerate sloppy words or slow writing.

Secondly, your product may not greatly interest the customer. (People are interested mainly in themselves!). So it's vital to communicate well.

Readers need to know what benefits your product will give them. They'll be impressed by clear words, simple explanations and a logical flow - not by flowery words or long sentences.

The first task is to identify your customers. Where and when will they see your communication?


Exercise: Stop and make some notes about your customers. What kind of people are they?

The right kind of writing

Having got a clear picture of your reader, you should decide on the right sort of writing. From a postcard to a 36 page brochure, every type of writing is different.

Use the right sentence length

The sentence length depends on the medium you're using (whether a press ad or a sales leaflet). 10 words per sentence is about right for press advertisements, while 15 word sentences suit direct mail and brochures. Any sentence that exceeds 25 words will be difficult to follow


Adopt the right paragraph length

A paragraph of more than 15 lines is off-putting. 100 years ago, people had greater powers of concentration. But 30-second TV commercials and 10-second sound bites have reduced readers' attention span.


Use strong headlines

A headline should always encourage people to read the text. It should make them curious, or make them think they will learn something to their advantage. Be bold when it comes to headlines: they're the secret of getting people to read your words. Use long headlines freely: they work as well as short ones.

Never make the headline obscure. Never use words that people won't understand, as in this charity headline:


More women are victims of intestacy than divorce.

Even ordinary brochures need stimulating headlines. Brochures often waste an opportunity by using dull headlines like 'Introduction', or 'Product Characteristics'.



Use cross heads

Cross-heads (or subheads) are the small headings that break up groups of paragraphs in newspapers. Their role is attract the eye to the text and make it easier to read. Newspapers have the advantage of being able to add words like 'Crisis' or 'Sex'. You're unlikely to be able to use words like this. But you can still select the most evocative word from a group of paragraphs.

Use at least two headlines or sub-heads per page of text. They will guide the reader through the page.


Banish abstract words

Avoid using abstract words, like 'adjustment'. If you find you have written one, change it into a verb or use a concrete noun.

People like using abstract words because they sound weighty. They help the writer feel grand, but they also reduce the reader's understanding.

(to be continued...)

HOW TO WRITE A BODYCOPY

Waah… sebenernya, ini bagian yang paling gampang dari copywriting! Hehe… bener. Soalnya yang diperlukan di bagian ini hanyalah kemampuan untuk crafting, crafting, dan crafting aja! Once you know the ‘rule’, you can do it! So di sini saya mungkin hanya akan ‘share that rule’ aja yach!

Bodycopy atau juga disebut naskah iklan itu sendiri, sebenarnya merupakan penjabaran dari apa pun yang kita tulis di judul. Sehingga, kalimat pertama dari bodycopy haruslah mampu menjadi kalimat penyambung antara judul dengan isi iklan. Setelah itu, barulah silahkan dengan leluasa menyampaikan apa yang hendak disampaikan. Setelah itu, tutup kalimat dengan ‘call to action’.. yaitu kalimat pembujuk agar pembaca mau melakukan sesuatu seperti yang kita inginkan, seperti:
“Silahkan ke kantor cabang terdekat”
“hubungi kami sekarang juga”
“mulai perhatikan sekeliling anda”
dll. dsb…

Namun ingat, dalam menulis naskah iklan, ada satu ‘peraturan wajib’ yang tak dikenali dalam seni penulisan lainnya. Yakni, gunakan bahasa yang sesingkat-singkatnya. Kata yang sependek-pendeknya. Tetap singkat, padat, namun tetap dapat menyampaikan pesan yang dikehendaki. Jadi, setiap kali setelah anda menulis naskah, lakukanlah editing, editing, dan editing! Singkat, jelas, padat, ringkas, itulah cirri naskah iklan sejati. Hilangkan kata sambung, hilangkan kata imbuhan, hilangkan kata yang tak perlu. Semakin lama anda menjadi seorang copywriter, akan semakin biasa anda mengedit. Dan akhirnya.. sulit menulis seperti seorang pujangga! Haha…
Contoh:
Berhadiah gelas cantik untuk setiap pembelian sabun X, bisa di edit menjadi:
Gratis gelas cantik tiap beli sabun X (lebih ringkas, tanpa mengurangi arti kan??)

Please dech... kita semua nyadar, bahwa iklan bukan karya seni yang ditunggu-tunggu kemunculanya. Iklan oleh banyak orang adalah ‘garbage’, ‘salesman’ yang datang tanpa diundang… langsung nangkring di hadapan kita dan mulai ngoceh. Siapa juga yang mau mendengarkan ocehan seorang salesman?? Jadi, sebisa mungkin kita berkata singkat, namun jelas; serta tetap dapat menyampaikan pesan yang kita ingin sampaikan. Kalimat yang bertele-tele dan ‘ngga penting’ hanya akan membuat iklan kita ditinggalkan.. yang pada akhirnya mubazir lah itu semua dana iklan yang telah dibelanjakan… rugi khan??

Partner saya pernah berkata: we only have 2 seconds to talk to them! Nah. Gimana dalam 2 detik itu kita menyampaikan pesan? Itulah tantangan seorang salesman! Err… maksud saya, copywriter  !