What exactly is copywriting?
Lead Generation | Web Design
Key takeaways
- Copywriting is any copy (text) that helps you promote or sell something. The text will drive users to a specific action.
- Copywriting is different from content writing, which tends to be about educating, informing and raising awareness.
- Good copywriting has a hook, explains the benefits of a product/service and drives users towards an action.
See you in court!
You best hire yourself a good layer because I am going to sue you for everything you’re worth! You have been using my book without my permission…that’s a breach of copyright!
Sorry…I couldn’t resist the joke! If that’s the kind of copyrighting you are here to learn about, you might want to click away now.
Like that overlooked sidekick in your superhero tea-time TV show, copywriting is the often undervalued element that can turn your website into a lean-mean lead-generating machine.
So, what exactly is it? And how can you do it well?
So what is copywriting anyway?
Copywriting in marketing is often assumed to be just any writing associated with promoting or marketing anything at all. However, it’s a bit more nuanced than that. This is where we need to make the distinction between copywriting and content writing.
Copywriting is the art of using words specifically to drive your users to a specific action. It’s about a call to action. Whether that’s clicking on a link, giving you their email address, making a phone call, registering for something, booking an appointment or yes… making an enquiry.
This can be harder than you might think, so tapping into some professional copywriting services is usually a good idea. It’s often said that while all copywriters are marketers, not all marketers are copywriters.
What is content writing?
Content writing can be marketing material as well, but it’s got a much broader scope and tends to be more about education, information and raising awareness. It’s generally more organic and is focused on starting a conversation rather than closing a sale. This article is a good example of content writing rather than copywriting.
While you’ll find both kinds of writing across a variety of similar media, content tends to come up more in blog posts, social media and “about” pages on websites.
Copywriting is focused on driving action, so is found on lead generation and sales pages and across all kinds of advertising like emails, flyers, newspapers and of course websites.
A good SEO company can help you with both content writing and copywriting, all while maximising your search rankings and delivering an excellent ROI.
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Let’s go fishing!
So now that we know what copywriting is, how do we do it? Copywriting is a bit like fishing, we even use some of the same words and phrases. Like fishing, there are a few key things to remember when casting your line.
1. You need to attract attention
Just like your hook needs to be baited with something flashy that is going to attract a fish’s attention, so your copy must start with a “hook”. An attention-grabbing headline and an initial first sentence or two are a must. The aim of any sentence in copywriting is to get the user to read the next sentence, all the way through to whatever your call to action might be.
The best copy tells a story, builds an emotional connection and reels in the consumer…making them want to read more. Have you ever heard an estate agent say that a house is sold in the first 30 seconds…well that’s true for copy as well; It must be engaging from the start; you want your reader to be invested from the get-go.
So how do you attract attention, what makes a good hook? This depends on what stage you are at in your sales funnel.
What is the action you are calling them to take at this point? This will help you to define what shape your hook might take. Do you need to engage them emotionally, and tug on their heartstrings? Do you want to project a sense of scarcity or time sensitivity? Perhaps fear of missing out? Or maybe that all-important feeling of “everyone else is doing it and getting great results”!
Whatever it is, you are trying to convince them that it is worth reading on to find out more about the benefits of what you are offering. You are trying to create desire.
2. Big benefits
What is it you are trying to create a desire for?
Let’s say you are writing copy advertising a boiler service & repair plan for a big energy company.
Are you creating desire around the features of this product? Things like: “we have 9000 trained engineers nationwide” “all parts and labour included” or “all our expert engineers are gas safe registered and trained to the highest standards”?
NO! These are all features of your product, but it’s a very rare thing indeed that anyone will make a purchasing decision based on features. What we make purchasing decisions on…are benefits!
For example:
- Feature: “we have 9000 trained engineers nationwide” Benefit: “you’ll never have to wait long for an appointment”
- Feature: “all parts and labour included” Benefit: “you are not going to be hit with a big bill”
- Feature: “all our engineers are trained to the highest standards” Benefit: “the job is going to be done right and your problem will get fixed properly”
Do you see? People don’t buy the “what” …they buy the “why”! It’s the benefits associated with the features of your product or service that drive consumers to take an action.
So once you have them hooked, the next thing you have to do is make it crystal clear why the benefits you are offering are worth something to them. What’s the value? How do you highlight that value most effectively?
There are two things you want to really emphasise here when talking about benefits or outcomes:
- What benefit will they gain by acting in this area that they will lose out on if they don’t act at all?
- What benefit will they gain by taking this action with you rather than one of your competitors?
Always remember to repeat your unique selling points often, the brain forgets things easily (especially when skim reading) and we don’t want your prospects to forget why your benefits are the bee’s knees.
3. Call to action
This is what you are building to, why you have gained and kept their attention so far. The most important thing to remember at this stage is to only ask one thing from your prospect. Whether that be to click a link, give an email address or make a purchase, keep it simple and avoid confusion at all costs. If you are asking for someone’s time, attention or money, it should be crystal clear what you are asking for and never ask for more than one thing at once.
Shh…you’ll scare the fish!
Copywriting is very measurable. Either your audience is converting…. or they are not! If your copy is not converting, go back to the drawing board and try something new, A/B testing can be really helpful here.
However, before we bait our hook, it will help to understand a few of the things we ought not to do. A good SEO company which offers copywriting services will help to ensure you avoid these rough waters.
1. Don’t be afraid to target your copywriting
It’s important to remember that different fish like different bait. If you relentlessly stick to a bland message that doesn’t particularly tempt anyone (to avoid turning some people off), you aren’t going to get very far.
It’s important to aim at a well-defined target audience. A scattergun approach will get you nowhere, and you’ll lose leads in the long run. Pull out the features that set your company apart from your competitors.
2. Do focus on benefits rather than features
I’ve already said this but it’s so important that I’m saying it again. Also, did I mention that repetition is important?
3. Always tell them why
This one follows on from the benefits rather than features point, don’t be afraid to use the word “because”. In fact, you should always use the word because. Why is this benefit so important…because! Why do you want a service with 9000 engineers? Because…you’ll never be kept waiting for an appointment.
Even if you think the “because” is self-explanatory, state it anyway. Research has shown that people are more likely to take an action if they are given a reason why. Even if the reason is weak, it still makes a difference.
4. Do make your site and copy optimised for mobile
Around half of all internet surfing now happens on a mobile device (and that is only set to increase) so you must optimise your copy for the mobile audience first. This means larger fonts, shorter headlines, and using words like tap instead of click. Make sure all your calls to action (enter an email address here/fill in your credit card details there), all work on a mobile phone. Take any and all hurdles out of the way of any mobile device user.
Convert clicks to clients: The ultimate strategy to more website leads
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5. Keep it simple
This is true across the board, but it particularly applies to language.
Remember, you might be a writer but not everyone you are writing for is…in fact most are not. There is no quicker way to lose someone than by using words and phrases that they are not going to understand. You are not writing a column for The Times here, you are writing copy to drive an action.
Keep it simple, keep it clear and keep their interest.
6. Don’t use clickbait!
There’s bait and then there’s clickbait! Clickbait is the art of writing flashy headlines using big promises or expose’s, purely for the purpose of gaining a click-through. Don’t fall into the trap of using it!
Usually, these promises are false and the user is left both disappointed and down a rabbit hole they never intended to even peek into. Your copy must be honest and genuinely lead to something of value to your prospect. Whether that be information or a service, make sure what you write is true and worth someone’s time.
Copywriting: a key to conversion
I don’t know about you, but I think I might need that lawyer after all! There is so much to take into consideration when trying to write good copy. If done right, it will not only improve your conversion rates but help you to climb the ladder in organic search. I have barely scratched the surface here but a good SEO company that offers first-class copywriting services can help you fine-tune your copy to improve not only conversion rates but customer experience and brand visibility and value too.