Introduction
Writing is hard. Even the pros have trouble with it, and even if you’re a professional writer, putting together a blog post can still be daunting. I know this because I’m both a copywriter and an editor—and sometimes, my words don’t come out right when I sit down to write. But that’s okay! Writing is meant to be fun and easy for everyone, whether you’re just starting out or have been writing for years. So how do you get started? You practice by doing something simple: writing every day (or at least as often as possible). It’s also important to know what kind of writing style works best for your brand or company so that all of your content feels cohesive and on-brand.
How do I write copy?
To get started, you need to know what kind of content you want to write. Writing what you know is always a good rule of thumb when it comes to writing. If you’re passionate about the topic and have experienced it firsthand, then writing about it will be much easier for you than if someone else was doing the writing.
- This means that if your client needs an article on how they can improve their website’s search engine optimization (SEO), then they should hire someone who knows SEO and has worked in this field before. Someone who doesn’t understand SEO may end up creating bad content that negatively affects the site’s search rankings instead of improving them.
It also helps when your target audience is relevant as well—but not too relevant! You need enough distance between yourself and your readers that they can relate but still feel like they’re getting unique information from someone who has more experience with these topics than they do themselves.
When you’re writing for your clients, it’s important to keep in mind that they are paying you to write their content. This means that they should have a say in what kind of writing style and format they want used. It’s not your job to tell them how things should be done; it’s your job to listen and make sure that you’re providing what they need.
What is copywriting, anyway?
Copywriting is one of the most misunderstood and undervalued skills in the modern workplace. In a world where everyone has a blog, it seems like everyone should be able to write well enough for marketing purposes. But that assumption couldn’t be further from the truth.
Copywriting is not journalism or creative writing or technical writing or blogging—it’s its own thing, and it requires its own set of skills. Copywriters help businesses communicate with their customers in ways that are engaging and effective (and hopefully profitable).
Who is your target audience?
You’ll want to start off by identifying the demographics and psychographics of your target audience. Demographics are more straightforward and easier to identify, but it’s important not to make assumptions based solely on this information. For example, if you’re selling a product that targets women over 40 with children who are in school, you might assume that they’re stay-at-home moms with few income streams or financial resources: so unless you want them to feel like they’re being talked down to, don’t use language that assumes this (e.g., “you must be busy”). Psychographics are also important because they help us get into the minds of our readers—what drives them? What are their biggest fears? Why do they buy what they buy? How does what we’re selling compare against other options?
Next, consider the buying habits of your target audience. This could mean anything from where in town folks shop for groceries (if all else fails) up through whether or not certain brands fall within their price range or if there’s any chance whatsoever that their current purchase behavior might change soon due to economic factors outside anyone’s control (like rising gas prices).
Finally–and this one is especially important–know which pain points exist within your target market! These may include problems like high student loan debt; lack of access/awareness about health insurance options; difficulty finding employment despite having an advanced degree; etcetera…
What is the goal of your content?
The goal of your content is to engage the reader. That’s it.
It’s not to inform them, it’s not to persuade them, and it’s not to sell them something. It’s just a means of creating engagement (which can then lead to the other things).
If you focus on creating an engaging experience for your audience, then all the other goals will take care of themselves.
What does the reader want?
- The reader wants to be informed.
- The reader wants to be entertained.
- The reader wants to be inspired.
- The reader wants to be persuaded.
What are the user’s pain points?
Pain point research is all about finding the problems your audience is experiencing and then solving them. People don’t buy products or services because they’re looking for an item; they buy something that helps solve a problem, or makes their lives easier. If you know what problem your audience is experiencing, it’s much easier to create content that will resonate with them. You can also use this knowledge to create sales copy that shows how your product or service will solve the pain point and alleviate their frustration.
Stay focused on what YOU can do for THEM.
When you’re writing copy for a website or blog post, you need to stay focused on what YOU can do for THEM. Don’t assume that your reader knows what they want, needs or cares about. You are the expert on selling something—not them! And if you try to guess how they feel about things, chances are good that you’ll miss the mark (and probably annoy them). So don’t try to read their minds; just focus on yourself and your product/service and how it can benefit them.
Why should they care about YOU or YOUR company?
You need to show them how YOU or YOUR company are the solution to their problems.
They want to know that you understand and care about them, not just about your product.
Here’s how: use testimonials from happy customers, case studies and examples of successful campaigns you’ve run for other companies in the past (if you have any), or even videos showing how you can help people achieve their goals.
Do some research to find out what works.
To optimize your writing, you need to know what the audience wants. These tools will show you the current trends and help you get an idea of what works for others in your industry.
Google Analytics is a free web analytics tool that allows you to track things like traffic sources and where most visitors come from. You can also use it to see which pages get the most traffic or conversions, as well as how visitors are interacting with your content (for example, how long they stay on each page).
SEOquake shows keywords that are driving traffic to your website so you know what words people are using when they find your site organically (without clicking on ads). This will give you insight into what topics people are interested in reading about on those pages so that you can write more articles about those topics in the future!
BuzzSumo is a social media analysis tool that shows which posts go viral on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram—it even tells whether these were original posts or just re-shared from another source such as Reddit! Which means this tool can tell us which types of content perform best online no matter where it came from originally — making them ideal candidates for creating engaging blog posts ourselves.”
SEMrush is another useful tool because it helps marketers understand their competition better by providing information about competitors’ websites including keywords ranking positions etcetera — all within one easy to-use interface.”
What kind of writing style best suits my brand?
The best way to ensure that your writing is consistent is by using a style guide. A style guide is essentially an outline of the rules you follow when writing for your brand, and it helps everyone on the team stay on track when creating content.
A style guide should include all of the following:
- The tone you want to use (formal/casual or somewhere in between)
- How you should use punctuation (comma before “and” vs. no comma)
- How many spaces there should be between paragraphs and sentences
Keep it short and sweet.
There’s a reason the first Google result for “keep it short and sweet” is a quote from Abraham Lincoln: he knew what he was talking about.
The more you can keep your copywriting down to just a few sentences, the better. Short sentences are easy to understand, and they make your copy more digestible without sacrificing meaning or impact. The same goes for paragraphs—try not to go past three-to-four sentences at most in any given paragraph (except in case of an urgent sale).
This doesn’t mean you have to dumb down your language, though! You should still use words that are appropriate for your audience, but don’t go overboard with long words or jargon terms just because they sound fancy—that will only confuse people who aren’t familiar with those particular terms already. Remember that when we say “short,” we mean concisely written so as not be distracting from the main point(s) being presented here–not necessarily simple or unsophisticated sounding!
Maintain an active voice and a friendly tone.
You may be wondering, “Why should I use active voice?” Active voice is more direct and concise. It paints a picture that is clear and easy to understand. The reader can follow along with what’s happening, instead of being left hanging with a passive voice sentence like:
- The man was hit by the truck.
- The car hit the man (active).
- He was hit by the car (passive).
Be concise and avoid unnecessary words.
There are certain phrases that you should avoid when writing a headline. You want to use active voice, not passive voice; friendly language, not stuffy or formal language; as few adjectives as possible, and no adverbs at all.
Don’t write: “I want to share with you the best way of finding the best outcomes.” That’s too many words for one sentence! Instead do this: “Here’s how I found the best outcome for my client.”
In general, shorter is better because it leaves more room for imagination in the reader’s mind. Shorter also makes things easier to read and understand quickly—which is why good headlines have fewer than 10 words on average (though they can be up to 12 words long).
Writing is not as hard as it looks, especially if you know what you want to say!
Writing is a skill that can be learned. Many people think it’s something you either have or don’t, but that’s not true. Learning how to write well takes practice, but with enough time and effort, anyone can become a good writer.
The first step in learning how to write is knowing what you want to say and why you want to say it. If you don’t know what your message should be, then how can anyone else? The best way I have found for communicating this information is with an elevator pitch—a short sentence or two describing your product or service in the simplest way possible. This will help keep things clear and concise throughout the rest of your copywriting process!
Conclusion
Writing copy is a skill that can take time to develop, but it’s also something that anyone can do with the right guidance and practice. Remember that you don’t need to become an expert overnight; instead, just keep learning as you go along!
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