Before we discuss the best tips for expert copywriting, let’s just quickly clear the air and define what exactly “copywriting” is, and why it is so important.
“Copywriting” is sometimes confused with “copyright” (guilty). These terms, despite how similar they may sound, are unrelated.
To dispel the confusion, “copyright” is a notice on a work that indicates that it is protected from being copied, published, or recorded without the permission of the company that owns the exclusive legal rights.
“Copywriting,” is the process of writing text or content for the purpose of advertising or other forms of marketing.
This is done to persuade those reading the material to take action, such as make a purchase, inquire about a product or service, book a demo for a software solution, etc.
Now that we are on the same page, let’s dive into why good copywriting is important for any business to succeed.
The Importance of Copywriting
Anywhere you find text in a sales or marketing context, it is more than likely written by a Copywriter. This could be content on a website, outbound email sequences, advertisements, product blogs, brochures for trade shows, posters, customer testimonials, case studies, etc.
Really, in a sense, the act of copywriting can be done by anyone, but it takes a skilled copywriter to actually craft impactful content. Copywriting is an art.
Effective writing skills are central to creating content that actually motivates the reader to take action. A skilled copywriter will know how to frame content in a way that resonates best with the target audience. The more compelling your content is, the odds of driving a response increase significantly, and with that, the likelihood of making a sale.
Expert Copywriting Tips and Tricks
So, you want to improve the messaging your business uses, but don’t want to fork out a couple thousand to hire an expert Copywriter?
No need to! These 50 tips will help you to transform your copywriting skills so that you can be a master Copywriter.
1. Write like you talk
I find that this is one of the most useful tips to improving your copywriting skills. Write the way that all of you awesome people talk! I am sure that all of you are fun, amazing individuals; letting your personality shine through will make your copy more easy to read and encourage a stronger connection.
2. Have a clear call to action
Why even bother copywriting at all, if you don’t have a clear objective for those reading your content? You need to make sure that your reader has a clear direction at the end, since after all, that is the reason why you’re writing.
3. Use simple words
There is no need to get super wordy; you want to write content that is easy to start reading and easy to finish. Trade in more complicated words for ones that are more simple, such as “utilize” for “use.”
4. Lots of white space
Make sure you have lots of white space, as it looks far less imposing. Studies show that good use of white space increases reading comprehension by 20%. You want to use this to your advantage.
5. Make it look good
Use spacing and indent techniques to make your writing look just as good as it sounds! Marketing studies show that people form a first impression in just 50 milliseconds, therefore you have to make sure your content is visually appealing.
6. Highlight results
Providing your readers with solid proof that you can address their pain points has a huge impact. This shows your prospects that not only can you talk-the-talk, but you can also walk-the-walk.
7. Effective headline
The headline is the first thing that your audience reads, so make sure that it is catchy and compelling. Why should the audience keep reading? You need something to immediately perk their interest.
8. Don’t complicate your writing
Remember that you aren’t writing an academic essay, so forget all the lessons you learnt in the past of incorporating insanely complicated words. Make sure things make sense and are crystal clear. Clarity is one of the most important aspects of copywriting.
9. Ask rhetorical questions
Asking rhetorical questions prompts the reader to come to their own conclusion about what you are asking, only emphasizing the point you are trying to make. See the description of Tip #2 to get a sense of how this is done.
10. Aim for an emotional response
According to advertising research, evoking an emotional response in the reader is more effective than the content itself, and increases the likelihood of a sale. People might not remember what you said, but they will remember how you made them feel. Boom, psychology.
11. Know your audience
If you know exactly who you are writing for, you can not only identify and speak to the best value proposition for them, but you can also determine the best way to poke at their emotions.
12. Don’t be afraid to be humorous
Humour enhances agreeableness by emotionally distracting the reader. It “creates an emotional lift by displacing frustration with the joy of the joke and a physiological reduction of stress hormones,” according to psychologist Steven Sultanoff. Like we said in #10, emotion is extremely important, and it makes you seem more human and trustworthy.
13. Bold your main points
Like many of you, I am guilty of skimming through content and only reading the bolded points. Actually, 81% of us are guilty of this. Bolded text is used to illustrate your main points; the key takeaways from your writings. If you get a hasty reader, at least they will know the gist of your content.
14. Introduce value prop immediately
Studies show that you have 10 seconds into the read to communicate your value proposition, otherwise the reader will leave. You need to capture their attention immediately in order to increase the chances they read all your content.
15. Edit your work
Please, just do it. If you are going to use any of these tips, use this one. Just one typeo and all your credibility is gone. That’s a one-way ticket to making your company look absolutely unprofessional.
16. Don’t get distracted while writing
This sounds ridiculously obvious, but it is important to note. This is because statistically, it takes 25 minutes after a distraction to get back on track to your original task. You don’t want to lose your train-of-thought, so when you are copywriting, go to a quiet space with no distractions.
17. Incorporate images
A picture is worth a thousand words. Including effective and relevant images in your content actually has a huge impact on engagement rates; according to studies, posts with images lead to an engagement rate that is 650% higher than text-only posts.
18. Use colour
Colour not only creates a visual contrast, but it is also a factor that contributes to evoking an emotional response. Whether this is just to highlight some of your headings, or emphasize any major points, colour is a good way to make your content not only look better, but also encourage emotion.
19. Read a lot
One sure way to improve your copywriting skills is through reading more content. It would be especially useful for you to read the content of your largest competitors so you can see what they are doing right and what they can improve on (and then capitalize on that!)
20. Research
It is so important to do your research before you start copywriting. You need to know the most impactful value proposition to touch on for the audience you are copywriting for. The more you know about them, the more personal your content will be.
21. Back pocket list of things that have worked
If you are ever stuck and can’t think of what to writer, have a quick list of effective works you’ve done in the past, and plug it in.
22. Share ideas with others
As much as you might believe it, you, in fact, don’t know everything. It is always useful to get a new perspective on things; your copywriting only stand to benefit from some fresh, new ideas from your peers or co-workers.
23. Don’t be afraid to use contractions
If you can’t remember your grade-school lessons like me, contractions are when you use an apostrophe to shorten a form of words, such as “don’t” instead of “do not.” I am sure you grew up learning to never use this in your writing. Well - throw all that out the window and use it! It makes your writing seem more personable.
24. Use an Active voice
Using the active voice in copywriting has a ton of benefits. Two of the strongest benefits is that the active voice uses fewer words, and creates a faster-moving narrative. Both of these contribute to creating an easier and more engaging read.
25. Use testimonials
Including customer testimonials in your copy can significantly impact the likelihood that your reader will take action. Statistically, 90% of prospects claim that positive reviews influence buying decisions.
26. Name drop
Social proof is actually one of the best ways to make a connection with someone who doesn’t know you. According to a study, name dropping a well-known customers can increase conversion rates by 208%, and mentioning several shared LinkedIn Connections can increase rates by 468%.
27. Sell the dream
Build the picture of what their life is right now without your product, and then what their life could be with it. Of course, to do this, you will have to do your research on what makes your target tick. Work to create an emotional response to this dream, as it will make them more likely to take action.
28. Chose a good font
The font that you chose will no doubt have an impact on the readability of your content, and since it will be one of the first things that your reader sees, it will set the tone. Let’s avoid Comic Sans :)
29. Know your audience’s pain points
Knowing the pain points of your audience will help you to determine what your message strategy will be. This will help to frame your content and make an impactful message, which will increase the likelihood that your audience will take action.
30. Create a framework
Having a structured approach to your copywriting is always a good way to make sure you stay on track. Know what the purpose of each paragraph you write serves, and tie it into the next.
31. Mind your tone
Readers tend to read text and make their own assumptions about the author’s tone since they can’t actually hear how it is being said. Be mindful of this and make sure you get others to first look over your copy to make sure that nothing can be misinterpreted.
32. Hyperlink your sources
This will maintain your credibility and also show that you did your research. Always do this!
33. Use short sentences
As emphasize throughout this article, short and sweet is preferable for your audience who will most likely just skim through your content. As best practice, try to keep your sentences between 2-3 a paragraph.
34. Don’t overly use the same words
Keep your vocabulary simple, but diverse. Try to use a variety of different verbs and adjectives. Doing this will keep the read interesting and non-repetitive.
35. Set a word limit for your content
As previously noted, most readers will skim through your copy unless you give them an immediate reason not to by introducing the value proposition early on. From there, set yourself a word limit to make sure you get straight to the point without losing the reader's attention.
36. Tell a story
The best way to tell a story is to provide a short and sweet, high-level overview of a case study that had a major impact for a customer. Be sure to discuss the pain-points of that customer and try to tell it in a way that evokes an emotional response.
37. Emphasize time, not money
A study conducted by Stanford confirmed that prospects respond much better to selling “time” rather than entering in a conversation about money.
38. Put verbs before adjectives
Verbs are more persuasive than adjectives because they emphasize action. Adjectives are mostly used to make your writing more... “fluffy.” You want to cut to the chase, get to the meat of your content, and compel your reader to take action though the use of verbs.
39. Don’t give it all away
You need to give just enough to make the reader wanting more. Don’t play all your cards at once! This will help encourage your reader to take action.
40. Read it aloud
Before you publish or send your content, read it aloud. Doing this will allow you to hone in on surface-level grammatical mistakes that may be easily overlooked when you read silently. (I am doing this right now, and have already caught a ton of mistakes!)
41. Stay up to date
In today’s world, things move fast. You need to fact-check every time you make an assumption to make sure that you are providing (a) relevant information, and (b) accurate information.
42. Be aware of Search Engine Optimization
You need to be aware of the type of informative content that ranks well on Google. By doing a quick search, you can see what type of content users are actually looking for, and make sure you incorporate key phrases that fit the demand.
43. Mobile compatibility
You need to make sure that whatever type of copy you are sending or publishing, that it is compatible with a smartphone. Here are two startling statistics that will emphasize the importance of this: 70% of consumers delete emails immediately that don’t render well on a mobile device, and 57% of users say they won’t recommend a business with a poorly-designed mobile site.
44. It’s about them, not you
When you are writing your copy make sure that you keep in mind that your content should be about them. Frankly, they don’t care about you; they care about themselves and their own problems. If you focus on their pain points, it is more personal to them and will therefore be better.
45. Use their name
If you happen to be writing copy for an email or advertising sequence, make sure that you include the prospects name. This makes them feel as though the content to follow was written just for them. According to a study, personalized calls to action convert 202% better.
46. Use relatable language
People connect more quickly with those who are similar to themselves. Know your audience and then use words or abbreviations that are commonly used in their industry. This will show them that you are “one of them,” which is very helpful since people tend to buy from those they see more favourably.
47. Have numbers to back your points
People like to see supporting data to prove that your assertions are correct. For instance, if you are touching on pain points in the industry, have solid statistics to back them. If you are talking about the benefits of your solution, have relevant numbers and sources to support it.
48. Use a conversational tone
Nobody likes to feel like they’re being sold to, or told to buy something. You just need to *nudge* them in the direction of a sale; don’t be overly pushy.
49. Show the benefits, not the features
When you talk about your product, make sure that it is hyper-targeted to your audiences pain points. Don’t list all the features since some of them might be irrelevant; just touch on the benefits that your solution has to their specific issue.
50. Know your competitors
Make sure you know what the weaknesses of your competitors are (or those that your prospects perceive to be your competitors) so that you can touch on your unique value proposition.
Personally, as mentioned, I think that #1 is the one that I use most. All you have to do is write like you talk, and many of the others listed above will follow. For example, I definitely use contractions when I talk and use simple language, and so by writing how I talk, I can incorporate these without even thinking about it!
An extra piece of advice: be humble and kind in your writing (and in life), and it will translate well in any scenario.
If you use these tips, I am sure that you will be an expert copywriter in no time! Have a question? Let us know by using the chat widget in the bottom right.
