COPYWRITING IDEAS

WHAT IS COPYWRITING?

Copywriting is defined as promotional writing with the purpose of persuading the reader to perform a specific call to action (CTA). This CTA may be to purchase a product, subscribe to a newsletter, read a blog, go to a website, read a sales page, or any other action that the writer would like the reader to do. The aim is to convince the reader that it is in his interest to act. This should be done in a friendly, conversational way that does not make the reader feel like he is being “sold.”

WHERE SHOULD BUSINESSES USE SKILLED COPYWRITING

  • Social Media
  • Blogs
  • Emails
  • Web pages
  • Landing pages
  • Enewsletters
  • Sales letters
  • Google ads
  • Anywhere writing is important

There are a multitude of places where a business interacts with potential customers and the rest of the world. It is important that everything written for the public should present information, product, services, and company practices and philosophy in the best possible light. This means good copywriting.

WRITING BETTER WITH LESS

  1. Choose a structure and stick with it. Try using an outline.
  2. Omit needless words and superfluous sentences.
  3. Use the active voice, not passive.
  4. Begin your piece with a lead-in that grabs the reader’s attention.
  5. Ask a rhetorical question, and then answer it.
  6. Use some extremely short sentences. White space is your friend.
  7. Write just like you talk.

THE THREE C’S OF COPYWRITING

To CONNECT with people who are in need of a specific product or service

To CONVINCE those people to give the product or service a try

To CONVERT those people into buyers

IMPORTANCE OF EMAILS

Well-written emails can do several things:

Give the highest ROI for most businesses.

Improve customer relationships—simple and inexpensive way to send messages that build trust and share information.

Send timely messages—snail-mail is too slow in the information age.

Prompt people to take different actions—drive people to your website, encourage them to phone, ask them to watch a video, prompt them to sign up for something, etc.

Make great money—emails are very affordable and are able to reach thousands of people without investing a ton of money, making it easier to score a payoff even with a relatively low number of buyers.

Reach customers in real-time—half of all emails are opened on mobile devices.

ROADBLOCKS TO THE WRITER’S LIFE

  1. Uncertainty. How do you proceed? What do you need to do next?
  2. Self-doubt. Do I really want to do this? Am I good enough to make this a success?
  3. Isolation. Working alone is tough. It is also self-limiting.

The upshot is that it is hard to go alone. Setting up a team, networking, and getting a mentor/coach are critical steps.

YOUR TEAM

People or groups you need to get on your team:

  1. Support and specialists. These are people who have expertise in areas where you do not.
  2. Peers. These are persons who are copywriters, and other people who can offer you encouragement and help to keep you on track. Peer groups allow you to draw on the group’s knowledge and experience.
  3. Advisors. This includes instructors, coaches, and mentors.

USING LINKEDIN

Here are four steps to help you leverage LinkedIn to its fullest:

Open the Digital Drapes

Whether you’ve been on LinkedIn for a while or you’re completely new, it’s a good idea to review your settings; it will help you better understand how the site functions.

For the visibility settings, make sure to select the least restrictive options. Remember, you’re trying to be seen, so don’t limit that.

One setting to be especially aware of is where you can click “Share job changes, education changes, and work anniversaries from profile.” LinkedIn notifies your contacts every time you update your profile. This can keep contacts in the loop as you grow your writing business.

The Online Version of You

Creating a dynamic profile that will attract your ideal client is critical. Here are the most important areas:

  • Photo: Your photo should be professional (no pets), friendly (smile), and be taken by someone else (no selfies).
  • Headline: Your headline appears under your photo everywhere on LinkedIn. You have 120 characters to say what you do and who you do it for in a unique way that stands out from the crowd. Craft a sentence or several phrases separated by | symbols. Include keywords potential clients may search for, and insert them into your title, skills, services, and achievements.
  • About: this is your place to show your personality and tell your story as a writer. In 2000 characters or less, describe who you are and, more importantly, how you can help your client.
  • URL: Use your name, niche, and/or service to create a customized URL that you can use to direct people to your LinkedIn profile from your email, bio, or website.

Profile tips:

  • Make sure to complete the other sections of your profile (job experience, education, skills, and so on) to provide a broad view of your history and talents.
  • Don’t get discouraged. The work you put into your profile will help you become clearer and more confident about your skills and the value you provide to your clients.
  • Don’t wait for a “perfect profile” to start connecting. You’ll continue to refine your profile as your LinkedIn presence expands.

The most direct way to find potential connections is by using LinkedIn’s search function and filters. Try typing in your niche+ “Marketing Director” and go from there. Experiment with this.

Next, put on your detective hat and research your potential connections and their companies using LinkedIn and Google.

When you’ve found someone who’s a good fit for your services, go to their profile page, click Connect, and send them a personalized invitation. The limit is 300 characters. Include something relevant about their company or something you have in common. Ask if they hire freelance writers. Tell them why you want to connect and how you can help them.

When you strike gold and someone accepts your connection request, send a follow-up message to thank them and keep the conversation going.

5 Minutes Well Spent

Use social media basics to make your network large and strong:

  • Look for people, groups, and hashtags in your niche to follow; this will fill the feed on your home screen with relevant posts.
  • Like, comment on, and share posts; use # and @ tags to expand your reach.
  • Whenever you see someone you want to connect with, send a personalized invitation.
  • As your comfort level grows, start creating your own content by posting articles, asking questions, and sharing news.

These activities will demonstrate your writing talents and provide value to your connections. That in turn will attract attention and increase your chances of being hired.

Make LinkedIn a daily part of your business-building efforts, even if it’s just for five minutes a day. And as your network grows, prospects will start coming your way.

 WAYS TO CONQUER DEADLINE STRESS

  1. Schedule your work on a calendar. Write it down and keep to it.
  2. Give yourself plenty of time. Overestimate how long the project will take. Then schedule it into your calendar.
  3. Avoid feeling robbed of your time. If you are going to put in extra hours, schedule them into your calendar.
  4. Don’t make your client/publisher the solution. Unless it is absolutely necessary, do not ask for an extension. This will inconvenience him and he WILL remember you were late. Put in the extra time and get it done!
  5. Start now, not later. Anything you do before you start the project is probably procrastination.
  6. Use the 50-minute focus technique. Set a timer for 50 minutes and work for the whole time, No distractions, period!
  7. Use a progress bar. Set up cards with sequential tasks to be completed within the project and put them in a row when each is completed.

THE COMPLIMENT
                                                                                                                           Dan Brotzel
                                                                                                                           barefootWriter 2020

Often, a new writer feels uncomfortable when someone or a publication offers praise for his work and doesn’t quite know how to respond. Learning how to deal with compliments is an essential part of developing as a writer. Accepting praise will help you believe in yourself more, grow self-reliance, and motivate you to do better. Too often, writers feel like they are undeserving of praise because of insecurity and thoughts of being an imposter. Genuine compliments are meant for you so:

  • Own it. Don’t ignore it, don’t try to give credit to others, don’t look for hidden meanings, or shrug it off as a joke. It was meant for you, so take ownership and pen a nice thank-you note in response. Tell the person you were pleased with your work and that you appreciate the compliment. Don’t downplay your work. You deserve the praise.
  • Return it. In your response, compliment the sender by saying what a pleasure it was working on the project and thank him for their kind words.
  • Bank it. Stow away the feeling with the positive vibe it gave you, so that in the future, you can pull up that memory if you encounter times when you need a little pick-me-up.
  • Build on it. When you get a compliment, it is a good time to build on that relationship. Try to impress on the person who praised you that you really appreciate their thoughtfulness, and that you would love to do more work with them. Ask if they know anyone else who you might enjoy working with.
  • Share it. Now is the time to show others your delight that you received praise by posting on LinkedIn or Facebook. Give positive feedback to others. It probably will come back several times over.
  • Grow it. Ask your complementor if it would be okay with your quoting their compliment in your own marketing materials. You can add that to your collection of valuable testimonials to use, perhaps on your website.
  • Give it back. Make a point to give positive feedback to others. What goes around, comes around.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt to pat yourself on the back in recognition of a job well done. This will surely lift your spirits and spur you on in your work.

FOUR STRATEGIES TO MAKE MORE MONEY WITH COPYWRITING

Strategy # 1

Find clients who value good work such as direct response companies, direct sales online, and professional marketing groups. These types of prospects probably understand the value of a good copywriter, making it easier to negotiate fees and expectations. Even when starting out, understand that your skills are in high demand. Therefore, you can be confident that your expertise will be respected and valued.

Strategy # 2

Target projects with big and immediate payouts for the client. Content ‘how to’ pages probably won’t bring any quick results for your client. Landing and sales pages are more likely to bring immediate and measurable results.

Strategy # 3

Expand the scope of every project. Don’t be passive, and look beyond your first task to see how you can support your client to realize more results. Try persuading your client that more emails will be more valuable than just one, etc. If this is a large company, see if other departments might need some copywriting. It is much easier to get more business from a current client than it is to get new clients.

Strategy # 4

Estimate and invoice your freelance writing projects based on value, not on time. Bill by the job and not by the hour. Offering by the hour opens you up to price shopping and leaves the client not knowing his cost. Billing by the hour also locks you into a situation where it is harder to raise prices when bidding on future projects. Try to determine the perceived value to your client and price accordingly.

Step to arriving at an estimate:

1. Break the job down and research the tasks you will need to complete—including administrative responsibilities.

2. When the job is big and will go on for several weeks, make sure to add a line for administration (phone calls, emails, billing, etc.).

3. Put your total aside and look at it every few hours.

4. Rethink your total and revise it upwards if you think your first one was low (which you will).

5. Then go to bed and sleep on it. In the morning—take one more look at it before you send it off. Invariably you will still think it’s too low and revise it up again.

Bonus Strategy # 1. Build on your best relationships.

When you find good clients, work hard to keep them. Be extra careful to get your projects in on time. Expand your relationships within the company. Ask for a referral from your current client and approach other departments that might need some copywriting.

Seek out similar companies you could work for. Why? You are experienced in the field and can get started sooner without bothering your new client with as many requests for information and handholding.

Bonus strategy # 2. Make it easier for your client to sell internally. Show him how your services could help other departments and generate more money. Make it as easy as possible for him to get the upline permissions that might be required. In general, keep things as simple as possible and keep your proposals to decisions your client is in a position to make.

Bonus strategy # 3. Talk to the person who makes the money decisions. Carefully assess the situation of your contact, discuss with him your proposals, and don’t appear to be going over his head if you need to speak with someone higher up the chain of command. As you get better acquainted with the ranks of your clients and the company decision-makers, you can be better at choosing your proposals without stepping on anyone’s toes.

GET YOUR FEET WET

Five quick ways to get started as a new copywriter:

  1. Emails
  2. Social media posts and ads
  3. Editorial content/articles
  4. Lead-generating landing pages
  5. Blogging

SUCCESS IN YOUR WRITING CAREER
                                                                                Excerpted from “Someday My Prince Will Come”
                                                                                                     by Dan Kennedy in Barefoot Writer

Dan Kennedy feels that there is a myth that permeates nearly every facet of life, and is particularly pervasive in most writer’s approach to their craft. He calls it the, “Someday, my Prince will come.” It is the concept that was the basis of the movie, Field of Dreams—build it, and they will come. If you take this course, success will follow—if you get this or that degree, then success will come your way automatically. He contends that this myth is what holds most writers back from achieving a higher degree of success. Granted, you must become a very good writer, able to convince readers to buy into your writing. He feels that honing your skill is the first essential element required to achieve success. Two others are actually more important.

The second essential element is a source of worthwhile clients. The third is advertising, marketing, and promoting oneself to that place where the worthwhile clients congregate. No amount of superior writing skill can relieve you of these other two essentials and the responsibility of proactively managing them.

ESSENTIAL ELEMENT NO. 2—Establish criteria for worthwhile clients and where to find them. Dan suggests an industry like the “Information-marketing industry. As an example, it has three main criteria for a successful arena to work:

  1. An unending, insatiable need for writing and writers—because, uniquely, the entire business is built on written words. And “new” is needed incessantly.
  2. Incredible diversity, so it’s impossible for any writer not to have relevant background and interests.
  3. A big range of levels of clients—tiny to small to large to giant. With differing levels of savvy and sophistication. Thus, there are clients appropriate for any writer’s level of skill and experience.

Additionally, unlike many other industries, nearly every operator of a business in this industry understands the vital importance of copy that sells.

ESSENTIAL ELEMENT NO. 3—Dan likes this industry because he feels that there is no place better to advertise, market, and promote yourself than in an industry that is entirely about, welcoming of, and interested in advertising, marketing, and self-promotion. In any industry, you must self-promote. Make yourself visible, known, and accepted as an expert. When you do this, there will be a long list of prospective clients waiting for your work.

ENDORSEMENTS

Endorsements must always reflect the honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences of the endorser.

They may not contain any representation which would be descriptive or could not be substantiated by the advertiser.

They need not be in the exact words of the endorser unless the ad says it is. However, it may not be presented out of context or reworded in a way that distorts the endorser’s opinion.

If an advertiser represents that an endorser uses the endorsed product, then the end-user must have been a bona fide user at the time the endorsement was given.

GREAT TESTIMONIALS

The 4 S’s’: specific, short, sizzling, and signed.

Avoid the 4’L’s: long, lame, lazily written, and lacking a point.

TO GET MORE REFERRALS

ASK YOUR CLIENTS ANY OF THESE THREE SIMPLE QUESTIONS

  1. Who do you know in (your industry/your area/your trade association) that I should also know?
  2. Who else do you know who wants results like we’ve achieved together?
  3. Which of your customers could use my help to better market their business, so they can grow and do even more business with you?

BONUS QUESTION TO ASK CURRENT CLIENT

What other work should I be doing for you to better serve you in reaching your goals?

FIVE-STEP PLAN FOR WRITING A GOOD ARTICLE:

  1. Define the specific thought, feeling, or action you want to stimulate in the reader. Think about the purpose of the article. You need to know where the article is headed. Ensure that every word written supports that intention.
  2. Outline how the article will help the reader. This will help you to write the article and the list of benefits will reveal if the article is even worthy of being written. If not, look for something else to write.
  3. Include useful instruction on your topic. Identify some sort of instruction that will help to address his situation. This might be as simple as explaining how a marketing process works and how this process has helped others with similar situations.
  4. Figure out how your reader will connect with the article. As much as you want to engage your reader, you also want him to identify as someone who will benefit from the advice or instructions given in your article.
  5. Anticipate the questions your reader might have. When done in advance, this helps you write the article faster. Be sure to answer them in your article.

When you sit down to write an article, create a worksheet that follows this plan and fill in the details. You’ll write the article faster, and your copy will be stronger.

SYSTEM FOR REVIEWING CLIENTS

Four review criteria for clients:

  1. The people: are they positive, negative, or so-so?
  2. The work: is it stimulating, boring, or average?
  3. The money: is it good, poor, or average?
  4. The values: do they really help anyone, or just make money?

Set up a chart and rate each client on a point system. Be sure to keep the high-raters, perhaps dump the low, and work to upgrade the ones in the middle.

THE UPSELL

As a freelancer, the best time to get your next assignment is when you first get the assignment. Don’t do this only to increase your income but do it to benefit your client also. There is no downside to a legitimate upsell. In addition to increasing your income and offering to provide increased services to your client, offering upsells will:

  1. POSITION YOU AS AN EXPERT. This will show your client that you have a good understanding of marketing strategy and that you have the ability to come up with new ideas to get better results for your client.
  2. LESSEN PRICE RESISTANCE. Your client will likely view an upsell opportunity as getting extra value for their money, even if they decline your offer. They will remember that your aim is to help their efforts.
  3. GIVE YOU AN EDGE OVER YOUR COMPETITION. Going beyond what is asked by offering ideas that will help your client get better results, will give you an edge over other offers that only address the original request.

To determine if there is an opportunity for an upsell:

  1. Be sure to ask what their goal is. You need to know precisely what they want to achieve in order to accurately prescribe a solution.
  2. Examine their current process. Try to discern missed opportunities.
  3. Prescribe the solution. What systems could help them achieve better results?
  4. Always explain the benefits that your suggestion to your client will bring. You will gain his trust, which might open up other opportunities down the road.

RESEARCH RESOURCES

The pet health market— WebMD has a great section on pet health. Also MedlinePlus

The human health market— Eureka Alert, Medical News Today, PubMed

The financial market— Investopedia, Nasdaq website

Anything and everything— Findarticles.com, Google, Google alerts

GREAT COPYWRITING BOOKS

  1. Breakthrough Advertising    by Gene Schwartz
  2. Cash Copy     by Dr. Jeffrey Lang
  3. Olgivy on Advertising    by David Olgilvy
  4. Great Leads    by Michael Masterson and John Forde
  5. Copy Logic    by Michael Masterson and Mike Palmer
  6.  Sales Letters that Sizzle    by Herschell Gordon Lewis

SEO TOOLS

  1. SEMrush.com
  2. KeywordTool.io
  3. Wordtracker.com
  4. Things to research—titles, clickable links, Meta descriptions, headings, mobile compatibility, backlinks

THE ULTIMATE RESOURCE

American Writers & Artist Institute (AWAI) is a great source for information, advice, and instruction for all things copywriting. Go to AWAI.com