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When it comes to putting a piece of copy together many people end up staring at a blank screen not really knowing where to start.

They may pour hours into creating a suitable headline, but then come to a grinding halt.

Just think back to your school days. Remember those English lessons spent in a cramped class room? What did your teacher tell you were the 3 most important elements of a story?

• The beginning
• The middle
• The end

Well, producing a piece of sales writing is exactly the same.

Tie the body of your copy to your headline

If your headline led with a benefit, get that in your copy first:

Headline: “Miracle Clean gets all stains out first time – guaranteed!”

Copy: “Fed up with washing and re-washing clothes because those stubborn stains won’t come out? Well now’s the time to take action…”

A bit of a corny example, but you get the idea.

Start at the beginning

The beginning of your copy should state a problem that needs to be solved (just like in the above example). This shows your reader exactly what you are talking about and gives purpose to your writing.

The other way of starting is with something pleasurable and desirable – especially if you are selling a product that will make the user more attractive, wealthier etc.

Now for the filling

So you have a strong headline, a great beginning that has drawn your reader in – now you just need a convincing middle.

This is where you introduce the product/service you are offering which will overcome the problem faced by your reader or provide them with the benefit you have talked about (i.e. when your headline was about a product that would give pleasure – making you look more youthful, making you wealthier etc.)

So if we look at the washing powder example again it would go something like:

“Now you can remove all stains first time with Miracle Clean. Second washes and cupboards of extra products will become a thing of the past. Now all you need is one product for ultra clean laundry every time.”

The end of the road

The ending of your copy is where you bring your reader into the story.

Also known as the call to action it is probably one of the most important aspects of any piece of copywriting. It should be commanding – tell your reader exactly what they have to do:

“Get your free sample of Miracle Clean now by calling xxxxxxxxx”

So there you go – copywriting is just like story telling. By following the traditional story format you will be able to create compelling copy.

Sally Ormond, Freelance Copywriter – Briar Copywriting

Me, me, me, me.

I just thought I’d give you a bit of a clue as to what your reader is most concerned about when they are reading your copy.

Whatever you are trying to sell, your reader will only want to know what’s in it for them.

It’s human nature – if you want them to part with their hard earned cash, they have to benefit from it in someway.

Every copywriter should therefore be familiar with 3 market-proved elements that must appear in their copy to make the cash registers ring:

• promise a benefit
• make an offer
• deliver relevant news

Get it in your headline

The strongest headlines will contain all of these elements. which is quite a task.

Let’s start with the benefit. The easiest way to get this into your headline is to use this formula:

VERB + desirable quality (+ additional feature) = BENEFIT

So for example if you were looking to sell an anti wrinkle cream, your headline could look something like:

“Enjoy younger, softer skin in just 14 days”

For the offer you could include details of a reduction in price, or a limited quantity of the product. This will help create urgency – they have to buy or they’ll miss out! And no one likes to think they are missing out on a good thing.

So now our headline would look something like:

“Enjoy younger, softer skin in just 14 days – now with 50% extra free, available until the 31st October only.”

Eek! Quick or you’ll miss out!!! See where we’re going with this? Now suddenly we have created a sense of urgency because the offer won’t be about for ever.

The final stage is to add relevant news. This could be done by adding a question or adding credibility. So if we go back to our headline we would do something like this:

“Enjoy younger, softer skin in just 14 days with the new clinically proven formula – now with 50% extra free, available until the 31st October only.”

So now we have shown that it has been ‘clinically proven’ – we are adding credibility. More information about the approval can be shown in the body of your advert.

So hopefully you can see from this blog how important it is to write headlines that grab your readers attention and interest. If you are ever going to have a hope of them reading the rest of your ad, you’ve got to grab them immediately.

Sally Ormond, Briar Copywriting – freelance copywriter

I first discovered my tendency to worry too much about what other people thought about my writing when I wrote fiction. I was so hung up fretting about what people would think if I wrote a certain way or about a certain subject, I was beginning to stifle my own creativity. It wasn’t until I learned to let go of these hang-ups did my writing abiltiy improve.

A copywriter can go through a similar process. When writing for a client they often get too hung up about how the client will want something written.

I’m not saying that you should go against your brief and write exactly what you want, but you have to remember that you are actually writing for your reader. They are the ones that have to react to your carefully crafted words.

Today when I work with clients, I will always follow their brief but write in a way I know will attract customers. If challenged I will stand up for my writing and explain precisely why it was written that way.

Normally that does the trick and illustrates that I do actually know what I am talking about.

What if your client doesn’t listen and insists in it being written their way?

Simple, you have 2 choices – either walk away or comply but make sure you send them an email or letter outlining why you wrote your initial draft the way you did and that you explained your reasons to them. That way if they come back to you unhappy because the particular piece of sales copy didn’t work you can turn round to them and in the nicest possible way say “I told you so.”

Writers can be very insecure creatures but to create excellent copy you have to write from the heart – forget about wanting to be liked and wanting security – you know what works, so write it!

This particular problem is explained in a great blog by Craig Wildenradt on Copyblogger entitled: “How Your Emotions Are Strangling the Life Out of Your Copy“.

Guess what?

FreelanceCopywritersBlog has done it again.

It has been listed by ReliableWriters as one of the best 73 resources for online freelance writers as an “Excellent blog with tips to make you a better writer. Topics generally focused on copywriting/sales writing but sometimes you’ll find general writing tips, too.”

Thank you so much to everyone at ReliableWriters, it means a lot to have my writing recognised in this way.