The best copywriters have found the secret of making their work seem simple. Have you ever read someone else’s sales letter and thought, “that doesn’t seem so hard, I should do it?” On the other hand, you may also have actually tried to write a sales letter and discovered it wasn’t so easy after all. The basic principles of copywriting are not very hard to learn. Copywriting is a very useful skill for any internet marketer to have. If you want to sell anything online, you have to be able to convince people to buy it! These are some of the basic rules of good copywriting:
Back in the day, it was ok to use all capital letters in words to really make your point. But as you know, these days it’s generally considered rude and akin to yelling, or shouting. When you want to emphasize certain text in your copy, use the formatting codes for italics, bolding and underlining. Another copy device is using a color such as red for the words you want to emphasize. Also… USING ALL CAPITAL LETTERS IS HARDER TO READ. Right? You can become much more flexible if you experiment and use these kinds of changes in format. Always avoid trying to pressure your reader, but you can effectively create feelings of urgency. Your campaign will be a dismal failure if readers get the slightest hint of “sales pressure.” It’s simple if you recall your own life experiences in sales situations. If a clerk follows you around saying “buy this buy this buy this” you will eventually leave the store (probably without buying anything at all). But you most likely did buy from the person who offered no pressure, explained the product benefits, and who was just polite and friendly.
You can also insert headlines into the text to introduce a new concept. By placing a large, bold headline in the middle of your page, you can introduce the next section of the sales letter and give readers a preview of it. Readers who are browsing your page will also be able to quickly absorb this headline. This is how most site viewers decide if they want to read the body of the page or if they want to click on to someone else’s offer.
Words sell, and pretty much nothing else will. It’s your sales copy that really is the sun around which your business revolves. It does not have to be difficult but it does take some time to learn. Even if you decide to hire a writer to help you, you should have a working knowledge of what that writer does. That way you can do your own copywriting when you can’t afford to hire professional help.