Headlines!

The headline – it’s the biggy. It’s the element in your copywriting that gets someone interested enough in your advert, article, letter or email to want to read it.

Oh yes, many an hour have I sat at my desk with my head in my hands desperately searching every last grey cell for the inspiration to find that illusive killer headline.

I know I’m not alone – every freelance copywriter in the world has gone through it. One day you’re on fire with headlines pouring out of you, the next, your creative flow has mysteriously dried up.

Get a kickstart

So how do you rehydrate those creative juices? Simple, look around you – books, newspapers anything that has copy can give you enough of a spark to get you going again.

Dave Navarro has written a post on Copyblogger called 5 Sure-Fire Sources For Headline Inspiration. This is a great blog describing how by looking at magazines, ads, email subject lines and Digg you may be able to find the inspiration you need to carry on.

How do you get your inspiration?

Do you find it in an unusual place?

Hey, that’s a thought, I wonder what is the most bizarre place you have been for inspiration….come on, who’s first to share their experience?

In the business world a newsletter is a great tool to keep in touch with your customers to keep them informed with what’s happening in your world and, of course, keeping your name in their minds.

But there are so many companies out there who are getting it badly wrong. In my post about newsletter marketing I gave you some tips about how to use a newsletter. Sadly, many companies are using them as glorified adverts.

That is such a bad idea.

Your newsletter should give added value to your relationship with your client. Granted, that would mean once in a while you may want to convey a special offer or details of a new product. But do that only once in a while.

Adding value is all about reciprocity. Give information, share tips, bring them some news that will benefit them. By doing this regularly you will earn your clients’ trust. In return, they will be more likely to come to you when they need your services.

The temptation to write a newsletter thinly veiled as an advert is too much for some people. I came across this post recently by inbox marketer explaining that Good Newsletters Aren’t Brochures which has some useful tips on this exact point.

Q: What happens if your newsletters are just selling, selling, selling.

A: The recipients will unsubscribe, forget who you are and buy from your competitor who has been providing them useful hints and tips.

I recently wrote a case study about a powerchair manufacture, Dragonmobility,  for one of my clients. But this isn’t any ordinary company.

During my telephone interview with the Managing Director, Dan Everad, I was completely enthralled by his story. Most of us go through school and possibly university and then opt for whichever career we like the look of at the time. But for Dan, his vocation chose him. His daughter was diagnosed with an incurable neuro-muscular disorder at the age of 17 months. Dan was determined to give her the life of high mobility she deserved so she could play, develop and blossom into an independent young woman. So he invented the first commercially available elevating powerchair.

By using his chair young mothers can play on the floor with their children one minute and then elevate themselves to eye level to hold a conversation with friends the next.

To Dan, every customer is unique and as such every powerchair that is produced is tailored to their needs. He is currently developing one for a disabled and blind client that uses sonar technology to navigate a room (as a bat would).

You may be wondering what all this has to do with copywriting – well, quite a lot.

As a freelance copywriter I work with numerous clients covering a broad range of industries. If I adopted the same approach for every project I worked on I would soon be out of business.

The 2 most important questions I need to ask myself are:

What does my client want to achieve?

Who is my audience and why do they need this product?

OK, technically speaking that’s 3 questions (and, yes, before you bombard me with emails, there are many other questions I would also need to ask), but they are vital to understand how I should tailor my writing.

In the same way as Dan looks at each customer individually to ensure his product does what they need, I have to look at my target audience to asses how best to put my clients’ message across.

A copywirter also needs to be a good listener – let your client talk you through a brief, listen to everything they say (and what they don’t say). Ask questions – the more information you can get the better. Fully armed you can then write laser guided copy that will penetrate your readers’ defences.

Email is a quick and easy way to get your message out to thousands of people in one hit.

So what do you need?

Well a copywriter is always a good start, but well written sales copy will only get you so far. Many people make the mistake of thinking that if they get a copywriter on board their email marketing campaign will be a sure success.

But come on, this is the murky world of marketing – nothing is that simple. For a campaign to have the highest possible chance of success (there are no guarantees here) there are several factors that need to be taken into consideration.

• Content

Yes, this is a biggy but it’s not the be all and end all by any means. Your copy needs to be strong, compelling and sales orientated (hence the need for a freelance copywriter) with a strong headline and call to action, but it also has to have a ‘human side’. No one likes to think they are being sold something. The content has to be interesting, personable and engaging to give it the best possible chance of getting your message across.

• Offer

Possibly even more important than the writing (did I really say that?) is the offer you are making. If it’s not irresistible it won’t work. And don’t forget it’s your readers that have to find the offer amazing – your opinion doesn’t count. Let’s face it we all think our products and services are the best, but that obviously can’t be true. It doesn’t matter how great you think your offer is, if your reader doesn’t get excited about it your email will end up in the deleted folder.

• List

You can send out the best offer ever written by the world’s top copywriter, but if you are sending it to a ‘bad’ list it won’t work. You have to carefully research your target market to make sure your message is reaching the correct audience.

• HTML

If you are sending an HTML email, have you tested it? Now I’m not an expert in HTML but I do know that not all browsers/email clients view it in the same way. What might look like a stunning email to one recipient may look like a pile of garbage to another. Test your email to make sure it works otherwise your hard work could either end up in a spam filter or deleted file.

• Timing

Timing is everything. Avoid sending out your mailing on a Monday or Friday. The best time to send is mid morning on a Tuesday or Thursday. Also don’t forget that your recipient has a life too. The reason why your email failed to get their attention may be due to factors beyond your control – too busy, having a bad day, going to the wrong person or simply that you’ve contacted a company at a time when they don’t want or need your product.

I’m sure you can think of many more reasons why an email campaign may not work. But I want to get across the fact that you can’t blame one aspect for failure as there may be multiple reasons.

When embarking on a campaign it should be exactly that – a campaign. One email won’t do it. To be highly effective you need to send a series of emails over a time period. Use them to give information as well as sell. By constantly appearing in your reader’s inbox over a period of time increases your chances of being called when they need your particular product or service.

People will only buy if they need your service. It doesn’t matter how attractive your offer is, if they don’t have a need, they won’t buy.

The good old British reserve seems to be holding back many businesses from getting the exposure they deserve.

A large part of the work I do is website copywriting. When I am sat with my clients going through the copy they need on their website I am often amazed at their lack of ‘shoutiness’ about their company’s achievements. Normally there is the obligatory page of testimonials which often are just a list of waffly quotes. Rarely do you  find testimonials of substance.

Readers don’t want to see that you were ‘nice to work with’ they want to know how your product/service helped – what was the ROI?

Likewise with the ‘News’ pages that companies like so much. The problem is that what is on them is hardly ever news. Here you should list things like:

• Awards given
• Donations to chairty that you have made
• Large contracts you have won
• Success stories

And don’t forget to press release it too! It’s all well and good posting the information on your website but unless you get it out there in a press release who’s going to see it? If you have a blog, blog about it and link it back to your website – this generates those all important back links.

As Jon Morrow states in his recent post The Susan Boyle Guide to Being Loud and Proud, “The true giants of this world aren’t quiet. They are as loud as they are tall.”

So next time your company does something well SHOUT ABOUT IT.