| |
| |
|
Copywriting Information |
|
|
|
Kick-Starting Body Copy
Several correspondents to our newsletter, AdBriefing, say that they are having trouble writing body copy for ads. Their problem seems to be the age-old one of how to kick things off - how to make a start. Can I help? Of course, I can. When you have been writing copy as long as I have, you will come to understand that there is an unwritten formula for writing copy. While I shudder at the thought of formulae in advertising (since advertising is still a matter of doing what your instincts tell you to be right, and not what some computer programme tells you), there is no doubt that copy should follow a logical sequence. A sequence that takes its lead from the message in the main headline. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, every headline should contain some kind of offer or promise. At risk of repeating myself, it should contain a benefit along the lines of: Buy this product and get this benefit. If it doesn't do this, then to my mind there is no point in running the ad. As the great Doctor Sam Johnson said, back in the 1700s: Promise, large promise, is the soul of advertising. Ok - assuming that you have written a benefit-ridden headline, it follows that the first line of body copy should reinforce that benefit. It should enlarge upon it. It should take the initial promise and make more of it - much more. In other words, it should be a more verbose rendering of the headline statement. An expansion of what is in it for the punter. It should not, decidedly not, be talking about something entirely different from what is contained in the headline - as a lot of so-called copywriters tend to do. This merely diverts your prospect's attention from your major proposition. Always remember that the reason he is bothering to read your body copy is because he has been intrigued by your headline. He wants to be sure he has understood the message. All right, with the opening para written, the rest should write itself. Your second para should talk about the features of the product. How it works. What it does. How fast it operates - that kind of thing. And if it has a lot of features, expand your writing into a third and fourth paragraphs if necessary. This done, your penultimate para should refer back to the headline - once again reiterating the benefit. After that, all you need is a call-to-action paragraph; one that describes where, how and when the product can be bought. And that, in a nutshell, is how to construct body copy. The formula, however, is not set in stone. Just so long as your first paragraph is always a re-work of the headline message, you can do more or less as you wish with the rest of it. Simple - isn't it? About The Author Patrick Quinn is an award winning copywriter with 40 years' experience of the advertising business in London, Miami, Dublin and Edinburgh. He publishes a FREE monthly newsletter, AdBriefing. Subscriptions are available at: http://www.adbriefing.com j.p@markethillpublishing.co.uk
MORE RESOURCES:
Pakistan-Based MSCopywriters Achieves Outstanding Growth as a ... - PR-Inside.com (Pressemitteilung)
Copywriting - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Progressive Headlines Guide Customers To Buy Headlines are, without a doubt, one of the most important elements in copywriting. As has been said countless times before, if you don't get your readers' attention with the headline, the chance of them reading your copy is virtually none. Headlines That Pull, Persuade and Propel! When writing direct response copy, there are a few things that can maximize the responsiveness of your message. The first and most important element that can turn any website, salesletter or ad into an action-generating mechanism is the headline. Steps to a Writing an Effective Press Releases Want to get the most media attention and spotlight for your business? Then the first place to start is with a GREAT press release. Now I can almost see half of you leaving now, dreading the thought of having to write one of these. Making a Living as a Copywriter; Freelancing Versus Agency So You Want To be A Copywriter?Wannabe copywriters often check out my site for information relating to my services and fees. And quite right too! I still give my competitor's websites a 'gander' every now and then, in case they're doing something that I should be doing. Step One for Copywriters: Understand WHAT to Say Find a passage of poorly written copy, and chances are you will have found a copywriter who never figured out what it was that he or she was trying to say. Whenever I have trouble with some copy, I stop, sit back and then write at the very top of the page. 13 Steps to a Slippery Slope Online Sales Letter Many of the solo professionals whom I coach are people who offer services. They're coaches, consultants, creatives. How to Negotiate Rates with a Freelance Copywriting Expert Lots of people who seek out my copywriting services are concerned about money. Rightfully so. 3 Copywriting Tips - How To Edit For Mass Appeal! Web copy that's intended to sell or generate leads needs to quickly reach out and grab attention and build rapport with a target audience. You can connect with your audience more effectively if you understand something about how people process information, and how they think. Stop Chasing Away Customers! Bad Copy is Your Worst Enemy Every day, more and more of us begin new online business ventures, hoping to make a better living or just a little extra on the side. And every day, more and more of us fail. Copywriting Makeover: Search Engine-Friendly Can Also Mean Visitor-Friendly When it comes to search engine optimization, copywriting plays a big role. You want to have excellent copy that appeals to both your visitors and the engines in order to create pages that will rank highly. Writing Tips for Your Website Now that your website is up and running, it's time to add content. Fresh content will make your site interesting and keep people (and search engine crawlers) coming back. How to Develop a Killer News Hook When you are going to write a press release probably the most important thing you can do is create a killer news hook. A press release without a news hook is just blatant advertising, plain and simple. Lapsed Donors: How to Write a Fundraising Letter That Wins Them Back Your definition may differ, but I define a lapsed donor as someone who has not donated to your organization within the last year, two years or three years. Donors who have not sent you a gift in over three years are not lapsed donors. Dont Be Satisfied With Your First Draft Sometimes it's a struggle to figure out what's the best thing to say. You're writing a heading, the first sentence of an email, the introduction to a newsletter, a short description on a homepage. Copywriting: Drafting Rules for Professionals As a professional contractor who wears many hats, you owe it to yourself and your clients to be as organized as possible. In a previous article, I discussed the importance of delivering an organized draft that your co-creators can easily work from. Grammatical Mistakes DONT Sell When you receive a sales letter with typos or grammar mistakes in it, do you take it seriously? Probably not. As soon as I see a few eighth-grade English blunders in any marketing effort, I quickly decide the author's product or service is not deserving of my time. Copywriting 101: Exclamation Point, Friend or Foe? My name is Ann and I'm a grammar geek. There, it's out and I'm relieved. Can Anyone Succeed as a Freelance Copywriter? This is a question that can be answered in a lot of different ways.But let's start with a perfectly simple and honest answer. The Secret to Drilling Down Deep in Your Target Market Here's another drill ripped out of the Field Guide for my Red Hot Copywriting Bootcamp. There are 20 drills total which take 15 minutes per day (my "recruits" get weekends off). Want a Sticky Site That Sells? Forget Content! An interesting debate is currently raging among copywriters, web designers and content developers about the differences, if any, between writing copy for the web versus writing content.According to prolific copywriter Nick Usborne of ClickZ.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
