The Copywriter’s 7 Deadly Sins

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Just picture this for a moment: you are ready to launch your new product or service; you have identified your target market; you are now sat in front of the blank screen of your PC with an equally blank mind.

Sound familiar? Where on earth do you start?

Let me give you a clue – ask yourself what your reader is interested in.

The answer is simple – THEMSELVES.

You have to get to know your reader in order to write about your product from their point of view. This is exactly what freelance copywriters do; they get inside the heads of their readers as described in What Are You Thinking About Right Now?

Don’t waste time telling them what it is; tell them what it does for them. Basically tell them how your product will make their life easier, more rewarding and more complete.

So, what are the Copywriter’s 7 deadly sins? Well, they are the keys that you need to tap into your customer’s emotional desires:

Pride – Make your reader believe you by flattering them. Make the suggestion that someone with as much talent for making the right decision as they have ought to be signing up for or buying your product.

Envy – Tell them some people already have it and are benefiting from it and they’ll hate to think they are missing out.

Gluttony – People will always want more of something. If you can convince them they will feel contented when they ‘consume’ it you will be on to a winner.

Lust – Hmm, a tricky one. Try to convince them that this product will satisfy their craving and they’ll snap your hand off.

Anger – The last time I was angry was over my mobile phone’s pathetic battery life. Give your readers a way out of their present frustrations and they’ll thank you.

Greed – A major motivator.

Sloth – We are all inherently lazy, so if your product can save time and effort, wallets will open throughout the land.

Of course we are all human and therefore will try to rationalise our buying decisions. So, all you have to do is provide sufficient objective reasons why buying your product is the sensible thing to do.

People always buy on an emotional basis first so my tip is to make sure your sales pitch firmly presses at least one of the deadly sin buttons and then you’ll be on to a winner.