5 Tips to Improve Your Copywriting

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Copywriting is one of the most important (and understated) aspects of a good marketing strategy, and a good website.

In short, copywriting is creating written content to be used for advertising and marketing, typically aiming to increase reach and brand awareness, and to persuade readers to take a specific action. It is a critical form of advertising, as it initially seeks to capture the attention of consumers, and then close in on the deal by directing them to a product or service.

Here are 5 tips you can use to improve your own copywriting skills!

Straight to the point

One of the best things about good copy is that it’s easy to understand and gets straight to the point that you’re trying to make. There’s no point in using jargon, or complex language to try and entice consumers in as it won’t be appealing to them. It can be easy to fall into using industry related terms or over exaggerating what it is you want to say, but realistically, most people aren’t going to understand, or may not have even heard of, the jargon that is related to the company you are writing for.

The idea is for consumers to read the copy, and by the time they get to a CTA (we’ll get to those later) they should have already made their mind up about their next steps, aka following the CTA or not. By using words that are hard to understand, or incredibly lengthy, a barrier is created between the reader and the business, with the reader finding it tricky to follow.

The human attention span is 8 seconds, which is a decrease from 12 in the year 2000, so it’s more important than ever to make sure you capture the attention of consumers and possible customers. The best way to do this is by using an eye-catching and bold headline – if the first line of your text is not intriguing to consumers, then all is lost.

Personalisation

It may seem obvious, but copy needs to be personalised and relevant to the business that you’re writing it for. It should align with their brand values and should convey the kind of brand they are through the tone of voice. Not only this, but there will be a certain demographic of people that are targeted by the brand, so the copy should be able to speak to them directly.

When we did the copy for a doctor who provides filler and laser hair removal in Newcastle, the copy was tailored to the target audience of mature women looking for some rejuvenation, and the tone of voice had to reflect that. By personalising your copy, a level of trust is built between the consumer and the brand, as it can help the consumer to trust the brand more, and can also help to keep them on board, following what you have written, and hopefully convincing them to go ahead with a purchase. In addition, by tailoring your copy to the audience, it shows that you’re listening to their needs, while being able to provide them with a solution to their problems.

Include CTAs

A CTA (call to action) is a staple in any advertising campaign, and is essential across the board, not just with good copywriting. A CTA inspires the consumer to find out more about something, or to ‘close the deal’ and make a purchase. Examples of CTAs are:

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Throughout your copy, you should be aiming to guide the readers towards the point of the CTA, with the CTA hopefully being the final step in getting consumers to make a purchase. They should be short, snappy, and link directly to the sale item. There’s no need for ‘please’ and ‘thank you’, and your initial copy should have already outlined why the reader needs the product or service that is being provided, so just get straight to the point!

Research, research, research

Researching the topic or industry that you’re writing about is a critical aspect of copywriting. As the writer, it’s important that you have an understanding of your client and their target audience, so that you can write the best copy possible. In addition to this, it’s also important to look at the work of your client’s competitors, which can provide added insight into the kind of aspects that your client wants to include.

Of course, this doesn’t mean plagiarising content that another brand has written, but there is nothing wrong with taking inspiration from various sources. For example, our client who works in filler and aesthetics showed us websites that he liked the copy from, so we used them as inspiration to create something that was unique and relevant to him. This doesn’t mean that you have to go in the same direction as competitors, but researching content is a vital step in being able to tailor your copy to fit your client’s needs.

Authenticity is the key

Our final point is all about authenticity. Creating copy that is authentic and that speaks to the reader is critical to improving your copywriting skills. In fact, all of the points that we’ve mentioned link to coming across as authentic, but where it really counts is by being transparent and honest with your readers. It’s important to not over promise and then underdeliver, and your copy should lay out all the facts that your reader will need to make an informed decision by themselves. Making over exaggerated claims, or over inflating a company’s abilities can have a detrimental effect on their customer loyalty and sales, and ultimately doesn’t look good for a business, even if it sounds good.

What’s the takeaway?

A good copywriter can capture the essence of a brand in just a few words. First and foremost, it’s important to acknowledge and research the industry that your client is in, and the people who make up their demographic. From there you can really start to tailor your copy so that it’s relevant and unique to them. You should pay attention to the use of CTAs, and how your copy is going to get readers to that end point, all the while keeping the reader’s attention with text that is direct and easy to follow.

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