Copywriting is the art of writing persuasive, attention-grabbing content designed to draw in a target audience. Examples of great and not-so-great copywriting abound in print and online. As writing professionals, we can attest that it can be trickier than you might suspect to write targeted messaging that makes an impact.
Whether you’re working with an in-house team or flying solo, we’re sharing tips for how to take your written words to the next level:
Understand your audience
Casting a wide net might be a good strategy for fishing but not so much when it comes to copywriting. While it may seem counterintuitive, narrowing down and speaking directly to your ideal client is key to a successful marketing strategy, as it allows you to establish trust, personalize your message and make genuine connections with those who are truly interested in what you’re writing about. Find your voice and maintain consistency; your audience will come to recognize your writing style. Finally, analyze their problems and pain points, and let your writing emphasize how you can help them.
Be succinct
In most cases, less is more. Get to the point. Sometimes the simplest messages are also the most impactful. At the end of the day, copywriting is about good storytelling, and your readers are more likely to read a novella than a tome. While we’re not yet to the era of primarily communicating in memes, a good copywriter should be able to write them, extend that energy to posts, articles and advertising for branded content.
Get the hook
In the age of the smartphone and social media, scrolling is one of the biggest hurdles us copywriters face. Eye-catching headlines help grab readers’ attention and give them an idea of what they’re in for if they take the next step by reading what you have to say. Bonus points if you put in the work to draft headlines and content aimed to garner more clicks via search engine optimization, which is the practice of using keywords to orient your website higher on a search engine results page.
Feeling out of your depth? We’ve got a team of experts ready to jump in and help, and fortunately, copywriting is our jam. Don’t be afraid to call in reinforcements.
If we can help up your copywriting game, reach out to lang@pricelang.com.