Copywriting - the basics

[Agent A]

Hello. We're The Word Department, a group of freelance copywriters based in the UK.

We don't mean to patronise anyone reading who's an expert. So apologies to you copy gurus. But it's surprising how many people start writing without actually setting out what they mean to achieve.

There are just a few simple questions you need to ask (or better still, your copywriter needs to ask you) before getting started with the detailed stuff:


Who are you talking to? What do you know about them?


What do you want to tell the reader?
(These can be bullet points, as your copywriter will elaborate using source materials you’ve provided, answers from you, or from research they’ve carried out themselves.)


Which medium are you going to use?
(For example, writing for a website is very different from a sales letter, radio script or press ad. This could also affect your word count.)


Have you thought about the correct tone of voice to use?
Don’t worry if you haven’t, as your copywriter will address this. Let them know if you need to match the voice to any existing websites, leaflets, posters etc. But don't avoid this issue, it's important.


Finally – and vitally - what do you want them to do?
There’s no point spending time on well-crafted copy if the reader doesn’t know what to with / about the information you've given them. Always remember your call-to-action.

Obviously they're just the bare essentials, and there'll be further, more specific questions relating to your business. But once you've set off with clear aims, your task becomes much more straightforward.


Good luck.




Agent A
THE WORD DEPARTMENT

[Indizine]

Hey there, thanks for the tips! Yes there are plenty of experienced bods here, but equally many people are here to learn or indeed, be reminded of what we should be doing. It's very easy to forget what you have learnt in the past thus then forget to apply it, so your input is very welcome.

[admagic]

Two other important questions...

First a vital question to answer - imagine your customer asking you

Why should I do business with you over anyone else?

This is not a hypothetical thing or an academic excercise in USP - it is important to figure HOW you would answer if a real customer says that!

That is exactly what your customer IS thinking - and it is vital to get someone to "pretend" to be the customer and not let you off the hook until they are convinced by your answer to the question

Imagine the customer responds to everything you say...
So what? or What does that mean? or I dont believe you! - how can you prove it?

Those questions often arrive at a USP...and it is worth the copywriter putting you on the spot and forcing an answer to the question

The first reaction of every business is to use vague ( and totally useless) phrases like "because we have the best quality" - which of course , everyone says!!

The immediate answer is "so what? what does that mean?

Push harder and the business owner says - it means it will last longer!
Push harder still and he will say - I expect it to last 3 years without problems - wever never yet had one fail.

Then ask "I dont believe you , how can you prove it"
After bouncing these questions around eventually the answer comes back,

"I will guarantee it lasts for 3 years" - and there can be the headline AND the USP.

However painful that process is.. it is vital to follow it through.

"I have never yet heard any business owner say...well there IS no reason to come to me, so you might as well go there instead!!"


Another really useful expression to open this up.. is to force the business owner to use the expressions...

"you know how?"....."well what we do is"

"you know how accountants come in once a year to audit your books, and the first thing that happens is they roll up and start looking at files"?

"well what we do is ..before all of that is talk you through exactly how to prepare for our visit, a long checklist that makes sure - everything is how it should be - that way we waste less of your tie, you waste less of ours , and the result is faster and cheaper audits!

So "you know how" "what we do" is a good way to think to draw out differences with competition..


The second important question is...

Once you have identified your customer is - think beyond your own product or service..

If you had god like powers..and could grant your customers the biggest benefit possible ...what would you offer them??

That line of thinking - can lead to finding the irresistible offer , can help discover a product you should offer, and also find a blockbuster headline

Most of all it questions at the most basic level....what am I really selling my customer....and what does my customer really want?

And it can lead you to realise that your product has benefits which arent even obvious at first sight...

For example the ad " THE ULTIMATE TAX SHELTER" - (Ted nicholas) sold a book which said nothing at all about tax ...it was a book about how to form companies

However a massive benefit of incorporation can be the tax status it offers .. and identifying that massive benefit managed to sell 200000 copies of a book at $20 - not bad work, since all he was doing was chucking a small book in an envelope!

[Agent A]

Thanks Admagic - absolutely vital. USP influences an ad or campaign when an agency is working on it. But it also influences tone of voice, being the idea running through the copy, driving it in a particular direction.

For example, everyone always talks about Innocent Drinks - which is fair enough, they've got a great tone of voice. And theirs is born from their fresh, honest approach to their product - their USP. It might not work as well if they were emergency paramedics though; their tone would more likely be directed by urgency, reassurance and skill.

So before you start writing, find the one big idea that influences what you say, and in turn, that will help you find your voice.

Remember though, don't just use a tone of voice you've seen somewhere else. That can just make your business sound false, leading to a lack of trust from your reader.

[rachael24]

I agree...this is some great info that many businesses tend to overlook.

[mjsellars]

Thinking about the customer is absolutely essential, and imagining being in a room with them trying to sell your product or service to them, is a great exercise. The customer should always be at the heart of what you do, as Admagic points out. It's also important not to forget (as those in the business of selling frequently do), that you yourself are a customer. Think of the things you've bought recently. Ask yourself why you chose one brand over another. Look at all the things you own that you don't really need: what compelled you to buy them? Think about all the ads you've responded to positively over the years and ask yourself what it was about them that generated that positive response. You'll find that you're a great source of market research material.