Copywriting 101: 10 Tips to Killer Copy

Ten insider tips to powerful, effective copywriting--and better marketing results.

By Shel Horowitz

To put together good marketing, you need to write strong, persuasive copy and create attractive, effective visuals. Whether you're writing an ad, direct-mail letter, web page, pr press release, these lessons are important.

Effective Copywriting

Many experts cite the AIDA formula: Attention, Interest, Desire, Action. I've expanded this to ten points. Great copywriting--and you should almost always do the writing before the design:

1] Catches the reader's attention with something relevant;
2] Addresses the reader's fears, anxieties, and/or aspirations--not yours;
3] Offers to solve the reader's problem, in the most specific terms possible;
4] Stresses specific benefits to the user--not the features that lead to those benefits;
5] Shows the consequences of a failure to act;
6] Provides the reader with a chance to acquire something of clear value--but (according to most theories) only for a limited time;
7]Pulls the reader toward an immediate action step;
8] Includes solid, substantial validation of your claim by someone else (a customer, an expert);
9] Backs up claims with comparisons to competitors; and
10] This should be obvious--provides the necessary order form, address, website, and/or telephone number to allow the reader to move forward.

You probably won't get all ten in every marketing document, but strive to include as many as you can.

My book, Grassroots Marketing: Getting Noticed in a Noisy World, goes into a lot more detail about how specifically to use these ten points in every marketing document you produce.