The Copywriter Aims and Puts on in the Back of the Net

The ambition of every freelance copywriter is to write the greatest sales letter ever written. But when you are sat in front of your laptop carefully crafting your letter, how do you make sure that your message hits the back of the net?

Well, as already mentioned in my earlier posting The Copywriter Scores, the best place to start is the identification of your goals and objectives. Think about what exactly it is that you want your reader to do; what should their reaction be when they read this letter?

Basically you are looking to identify:

What you want your reader to know

Make sure your writing is benefit-led and not feature-led although you will need to tell your reader some facts about what you are selling so that they can then justify their buying decision.

How you want them to feel

This is their emotional response – you want them to feel worried that they’ll be missing out if they pass up this opportunity. The emotional response is not an easy little blighter to pin down at the best of times but if you can tap into your readers’ emotional tank you will be on to a winner.

What you want them to commit to

This is the call to action. It could be ‘buy now’, ‘recommend a friend’ or perhaps ‘book an appointment with an advisor’. Whatever it is it must be specific and direct. You must leave them in no doubt whatsoever about what they should do, how they should do it and when.

Follow those three golden rules and hit the back of the net every time.

Sally Ormond