Copywriting for Beginners Part 3 of 3: How to Persuade

Write to Persuade 11 lectures 42:59 Give your sales pitch a proven structure When potential buyers read your promotional copy, they expect you to take them on a journey from Point A to Point B using the most efficient route. And they expect you to value their time by telling them only what they need to know. To succeed with today's busy, distracted buyers, you need to give your sales pitch a logical order. Write with features and benefits Customers buy benefits, not features. And yet one of the most common mistake that manufacturers make in their copy is concentrating on features and forgetting about benefits. Good copy uses features and benefits. Good copy not only lists a product’s features, it also describes the benefits of those features. Overcome objections One advantage of copywriting is that you can anticipate objections and answer them in your copy. You can even start your copy with a common objection, and answer it square on. Here are three common objections, and ways that you can overcome them in your copy. Be Specific Lilly Tomlin, the American comic, once said: “When I was growing up, I wanted to be a somebody. Now I realize I should have been more specific.” In copywriting, as in life, specifics sell. Generalities don’t. Learn why. And how. Differentiate You need to decide what makes you different from your competitors, and you need to promote that uniqueness in your copy. Just make sure your differentiator is compelling and actually differentiates you. Think Visually A picture is never worth a thousand words. A picture that demonstrates a product in use rarely communicate everything the manufacturer wants to communicate. Words are needed, either in the form of a photo caption or body copy, to describe or explain what the viewer is seeing. Overcome doubts with testimonials Your copy must overcome three doubts.These doubts are really questions that consumers and business buyers ask themselves as they are reading your copy, while they are deliberating about whether they will buy from you or not. The three questions are these: 1. Can I trust you? 2. Do you understand my need? 3. Will your product or service meet my need? In every piece of copy you write, you need to overcome these doubts or you will not close the sale. And you won’t secure the long-term loyalty of your customer. Get your testimonials right Testimonials are valuable because they say what you cannot. If you say it, you’re boasting. If a satisfied client says it, they are applauding. Here are some tips on using testimonials to make your copy more plausible--and profitable. Give your buyer a deadline Giving your prospect a deadline for ordering, particularly when that deadline is a date and not simply a period of days, will outpull copy with no deadline almost every time. But you need to be cautious about deadlines. Offer a guarantee that hurts The best guarantee to offer your potential buyers is one that hurts. Hurts you, that is. Like you, your potential buyer lives in a rip-off society where merchants sell shoddy products and vendors do not honour their promises. In this kind of selling and buying climate, the best way to increase your response rates and encourage repeat business is to offer a guarantee that hurts you but helps your customer. The more you have to lose, and the less your customer has to lose, the better off you both will be. Here's what I mean. Follow these five tips for better body copy Sometimes the easiest way to improve your copy is to return to the basics. Here they are. Write to Persuade. 11 lectures 42:59 Give your sales pitch a proven structure When potential buyers read your promotional copy, they expect you to take them on a journey from Point A to Point B using the most efficient route. And they expect you to value their time by telling them only what they need to know. To succeed with today's busy, distracted buyers, you need to give your sales pitch a logical order. Write with features and benefits Customers buy benefits, not features. And yet one of the most common mistake that manufacturers make in their copy is concentrating on features and forgetting about benefits. Good copy uses features and benefits. Good copy not only lists a product’s features, it also describes the benefits of those features. Overcome objections One advantage of copywriting is that you can anticipate objections and answer them in your copy. You can even start your copy with a common objection, and answer it square on. Here are three common objections, and ways that you can overcome them in your copy. Be Specific Lilly Tomlin, the American comic, once said: “When I was growing up, I wanted to be a somebody. Now I realize I should have been more specific.” In copywriting, as in life, specifics sell. Generalities don’t. Learn why. And how. Differentiate You need to decide what makes you different from your competitors, and you need to promote that uniqueness in your copy. Just make sure your differentiator is compelling and actually differentiates you. Think Visually A picture is never worth a thousand words. A picture that demonstrates a product in use rarely communicate everything the manufacturer wants to communicate. Words are needed, either in the form of a photo caption or body copy, to describe or explain what the viewer is seeing. Overcome doubts with testimonials Your copy must overcome three doubts.These doubts are really questions that consumers and business buyers ask themselves as they are reading your copy, while they are deliberating about whether they will buy from you or not. The three questions are these: 1. Can I trust you? 2. Do you understand my need? 3. Will your product or service meet my need? In every piece of copy you write, you need to overcome these doubts or you will not close the sale. And you won’t secure the long-term loyalty of your customer. Get your testimonials right Testimonials are valuable because they say what you cannot. If you say it, you’re boasting. If a satisfied client says it, they are applauding. Here are some tips on using testimonials to make your copy more plausible--and profitable. Give your buyer a deadline Giving your prospect a deadline for ordering, particularly when that deadline is a date and not simply a period of days, will outpull copy with no deadline almost every time. But you need to be cautious about deadlines. Offer a guarantee that hurts The best guarantee to offer your potential buyers is one that hurts. Hurts you, that is. Like you, your potential buyer lives in a rip-off society where merchants sell shoddy products and vendors do not honour their promises. In this kind of selling and buying climate, the best way to increase your response rates and encourage repeat business is to offer a guarantee that hurts you but helps your customer. The more you have to lose, and the less your customer has to lose, the better off you both will be. Here's what I mean. Follow these five tips for better body copy Sometimes the easiest way to improve your copy is to return to the basics. Here they are. Give your sales pitch a proven structure When potential buyers read your promotional copy, they expect you to take them on a journey from Point A to Point B using the most efficient route. And they expect you to value their time by telling them only what they need to know. To succeed with today's busy, distracted buyers, you need to give your sales pitch a logical order. Give your sales pitch a proven structure When potential buyers read your promotional copy, they expect you to take them on a journey from Point A to Point B using the most efficient route. And they expect you to value their time by telling them only what they need to know. To succeed with today's busy, distracted buyers, you need to give your sales pitch a logical order. Give your sales pitch a proven structure When potential buyers read your promotional copy, they expect you to take them on a journey from Point A to Point B using the most efficient route. And they expect you to value their time by telling them only what they need to know. To succeed with today's busy, distracted buyers, you need to give your sales pitch a logical order. Give your sales pitch a proven structure When potential buyers read your promotional copy, they expect you to take them on a journey from Point A to Point B using the most efficient route. And they expect you to value their time by telling them only what they need to know. To succeed with today's busy, distracted buyers, you need to give your sales pitch a logical order. When potential buyers read your promotional copy, they expect you to take them on a journey from Point A to Point B using the most efficient route. And they expect you to value their time by telling them only what they need to know. To succeed with today's busy, distracted buyers, you need to give your sales pitch a logical order. When potential buyers read your promotional copy, they expect you to take them on a journey from Point A to Point B using the most efficient route. And they expect you to value their time by telling them only what they need to know. To succeed with today's busy, distracted buyers, you need to give your sales pitch a logical order. Write with features and benefits Customers buy benefits, not features. And yet one of the most common mistake that manufacturers make in their copy is concentrating on features and forgetting about benefits. Good copy uses features and benefits. Good copy not only lists a product’s features, it also describes the benefits of those features. Write with features and benefits Customers buy benefits, not features. And yet one of the most common mistake that manufacturers make in their copy is concentrating on features and forgetting about benefits. Good copy uses features and benefits. Good copy not only lists a product’s features, it also describes the benefits of those features. Write with features and benefits Customers buy benefits, not features. And yet one of the most common mistake that manufacturers make in their copy is concentrating on features and forgetting about benefits. Good copy uses features and benefits. Good copy not only lists a product’s features, it also describes the benefits of those features. Write with features and benefits Customers buy benefits, not features. And yet one of the most common mistake that manufacturers make in their copy is concentrating on features and forgetting about benefits. Good copy uses features and benefits. Good copy not only lists a product’s features, it also describes the benefits of those features. Customers buy benefits, not features. And yet one of the most common mistake that manufacturers make in their copy is concentrating on features and forgetting about benefits. Good copy uses features and benefits. Good copy not only lists a product’s features, it also describes the benefits of those features. Customers buy benefits, not features. And yet one of the most common mistake that manufacturers make in their copy is concentrating on features and forgetting about benefits. Good copy uses features and benefits. Good copy not only lists a product’s features, it also describes the benefits of those features. Overcome objections One advantage of copywriting is that you can anticipate objections and answer them in your copy. You can even start your copy with a common objection, and answer it square on. Here are three common objections, and ways that you can overcome them in your copy. Overcome objections One advantage of copywriting is that you can anticipate objections and answer them in your copy. You can even start your copy with a common objection, and answer it square on. Here are three common objections, and ways that you can overcome them in your copy. Overcome objections One advantage of copywriting is that you can anticipate objections and answer them in your copy. You can even start your copy with a common objection, and answer it square on. Here are three common objections, and ways that you can overcome them in your copy. Overcome objections One advantage of copywriting is that you can anticipate objections and answer them in your copy. You can even start your copy with a common objection, and answer it square on. Here are three common objections, and ways that you can overcome them in your copy. One advantage of copywriting is that you can anticipate objections and answer them in your copy. You can even start your copy with a common objection, and answer it square on. Here are three common objections, and ways that you can overcome them in your copy. One advantage of copywriting is that you can anticipate objections and answer them in your copy. You can even start your copy with a common objection, and answer it square on. Here are three common objections, and ways that you can overcome them in your copy. Be Specific Lilly Tomlin, the American comic, once said: “When I was growing up, I wanted to be a somebody. Now I realize I should have been more specific.” In copywriting, as in life, specifics sell. Generalities don’t. Learn why. And how. Be Specific Lilly Tomlin, the American comic, once said: “When I was growing up, I wanted to be a somebody. Now I realize I should have been more specific.” In copywriting, as in life, specifics sell. Generalities don’t. Learn why. And how. Be Specific Lilly Tomlin, the American comic, once said: “When I was growing up, I wanted to be a somebody. Now I realize I should have been more specific.” In copywriting, as in life, specifics sell. Generalities don’t. Learn why. And how. Be Specific Lilly Tomlin, the American comic, once said: “When I was growing up, I wanted to be a somebody. Now I realize I should have been more specific.” In copywriting, as in life, specifics sell. Generalities don’t. Learn why. And how. Lilly Tomlin, the American comic, once said: “When I was growing up, I wanted to be a somebody. Now I realize I should have been more specific.” In copywriting, as in life, specifics sell. Generalities don’t. Learn why. And how. Lilly Tomlin, the American comic, once said: “When I was growing up, I wanted to be a somebody. Now I realize I should have been more specific.” In copywriting, as in life, specifics sell. Generalities don’t. Learn why. And how. Differentiate You need to decide what makes you different from your competitors, and you need to promote that uniqueness in your copy. Just make sure your differentiator is compelling and actually differentiates you. Differentiate You need to decide what makes you different from your competitors, and you need to promote that uniqueness in your copy. Just make sure your differentiator is compelling and actually differentiates you. Differentiate You need to decide what makes you different from your competitors, and you need to promote that uniqueness in your copy. Just make sure your differentiator is compelling and actually differentiates you. Differentiate You need to decide what makes you different from your competitors, and you need to promote that uniqueness in your copy. Just make sure your differentiator is compelling and actually differentiates you erating about whether they will buy from you or not. The three questions...