Posts Tagged ‘copywriting’

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Do You Believe in the Products You Market? The Better Way to Write Ads

Tuesday, June 28th, 2011

A few, crisp, relevant & witty words can be like a golden wrapping on your product; attracting users to it as if it was a gift! A company uses advertisements to market its product and influence purchases if possible. But are the advertisers there yet? Can a few words really change your mind about a product? They ought to, as many dollars are spent on them but does budget alone decide the success rate of your ad campaign? No it does not! The words and the concept in your online ad matter the most.

When creating an ad copy, don’t go filling more air in the balloon, keeping it simple and light is the key. For example,

“Our food is fresh. Our customers are spoiled.”

This ad belongs to Fresh Direct which is an online grocer that delivers fresh food on order. Their ad says they sell fresh food which can spoil you. Isn’t it so apt! It’s a one-liner, witty & crisp and does demand both attention and action or a likelihood of action. And what really makes it unique and shining like a bright star is the conviction that comes through so naturally.

Successful advertising is NOT a complex bundle of words. You do need to impress your audience but confusing them will get you nowhere. Use creative copywriting as your tool to break through the onslaught of other messages that consumers are exposed to day in and day out! All that you really need to achieve this are the two things:

1) Know the Product
2) Trust its Goodness

So the lesson to learn here for the copywriters is to believe what they’re selling like its their own. And ads will automatically appear to strike the bull’s eye or the customers’; depends whoever is drawn to it first. :)

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You Write What you Are or Do You?

Tuesday, June 14th, 2011

Remember Descartes? The 16th century philosopher who dropped a philosophical bomb with his “I think, therefore I am” and inspired quite a few of existential affirmatives over the following centuries. He did get it right, our existence is defined to a certain extent by what we do and how we do it.

The one for us reads like – I tweet, therefore I am or I FB therefore I am and they’re those whose worlds are their vritual lives. As a copywriter doing 3000 – 4000 or more words a day, can you replace think with write in the original Cartesian assertion and do it without blinking?

If you blinked then there may be more to you than just being passionate about words. This is not that bad a thing per se because the copywriting tribe is as such doubly disposed – familiar with the classic Killer and the Poet Ogilvian split?  Read more at: http://www.copyblogger.com/get-rich-copywriter/

May be I am, therefore I write could be more appropriate for writers.

Think, Be & Write
Our thoughts make our being – that’s what Descartes said in the 16th century and defined existence.
When we write, we think and become, not necessarily in that order. There’s a correlation in thinking, being and writing and if  you want you can go be whatever and write whatever. A faculty that comes in very handy when you writing a sales copy or content for websites, in other words -


When Writing to Sell
We can’t let go off either the marketer or the artist in us while creating persuasive copies for products or services. A writer having multiple ‘selfs’ must ‘be’ what he or she is writing. We write but before the keypad is punched or the pen finds the paper, we think and become. And who we are is what makes our copies and eventually the influence it exerts on its readers.

A writer’s thought-process and the self he/ she dons is very powerful and can actually transform a nonchalant copy into one that can trigger a buying revolution. So don’t push aside your thoughts even when you have to deliver 10 articles in a day. I know it gets very hard to keep the mind sharp as a saw after draining on 10 different topics but if you don’t stop and think, you’ll lose on all that made your copy readable, better-than-others and unique. Also a copy that is mechanically written is likely to have more errors than the one written with a cogent thought and personality behind.

What to Remember
A sales copy or online content written to engage readers is not Post-Modern poetry wherein any and every thought goes and may be kept in a Post-modernist museum. Content is a well crafted message that communicates information useful for the readers and is vital to their making buying decisions.

A writer who thinks like a user or becomes the user can hit bulls eye in his or her copy. I know it’s hard to be all of them at the same time but once you ace it, that creative drive won’t dwindle.

So what does your Cartesian statement read like – ‘I think & write, therefore I am’ or something else?

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Expert SEO Copywriting Tips

Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

Search Engine Optimization is what puts your website/ product where everybody on the Internet can see it and know about it. It gets you among the top ranks in organic searches (which is not half-bad at all) and attracts relevant eye-balls.

SEO copywriting is one essential element of search engine optimization and one that ensures that no greatness is lost to the explorers of the web world. So what does it (SEO copywriting) involve? Only keywords?

There is something beyond the general rule of thumb about using keywords in SEO writing – the secret ingredient – that actually makes the ‘check out button’ on your website used more often.

The Secret Ingredient – Applying mind & common sense

Any kind of writing even SEO copywriting must never be without its slice of uniqueness and creativity. So while the standard must be followed, the sensational and shock should not be sacrificed. In other words, let the story impulse still be the guiding metaphor. On one hand, the content on the websites must be wisely and strategically infused with keywords that helps a website go up in search engine ranking but on the other it must be interesting enough to make the reader stick to it like a bear does to honey. Search engines love good content but readers love exciting content.

The SEO Aspect

Now we can’t leave behind the SEO out from the SEO copywriter, so here goes. Content with relevant information and keywords, intelligent formatting and zero grammatical errors is what search engines are looking for. Optimized content means content that is not only for the readers but for search engines as well. The keyword density in any copy must neither be too much nor too scanty. Stuffing keywords can get your web page penalized as it may be perceived as spam by the ever-so-vigilant search engine bots.

Need help? Check out ‘the’ 7 SEO Copywriting tips

SEO copywriting should begin and end with one mantra – “Content is King”.

  • Create flawless content – no grammatical errors, spelling errors.
  • Use H1 tag – for your title tags and ALT tags for internal hyperlinks.
  • Keep in mind the keyword density.
  • Bold, italicize and underline content that requires the reader’s notice. Don’t overdo it or for keywords.
  • Use keywords in meta tags and then use the same keywords in the first line and the description tag of the content.
  • Interlinking and hyperlinking is a must.
  • Use Google Adwords Keyword Tool to look for your post related keywords.

Writing for the readers and keeping the search engines happy at the same time can be a task for a copywriter! But with correct measures, a little more confidence and may be coffee, you can get to the treasure at the end of the rainbow and create that elusive top ranking copy.

P.S – Unlike paid/ sponsored listings, SEOed copies can be created for free or for very less money. So don’t let this slip out from your fingers!

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Read & Proofread

Wednesday, May 18th, 2011

Do you leave your copy’s fate in the hands of a spell check?

Proofreading is one of the most important aspects of successful copywriting. Any article that you write for the purpose of sharing with people, make sure it is properly spell checked. And by spell checked we mean, you do it yourself! How can you trust your machine to understand what you wish to write.

Better explained:

Your sentence says: ‘His pen fell’ but you have mistakenly spelled ‘his’ as ‘is’. Your machine’s spell check will still approve it as ‘is’ is a word. The same way if your sentence says: ‘Let me wear that shirt’, where ‘wear’ has been written as ‘ear’, the spell check would approve it hands down! This is because it is just a machine that has a software to check your spellings and not what you mean to write in that particular sentence.

Trust only yourself!

Reading and editing your copy on your own is very important. It not only helps in making changes in the content but also helps in pointing out wrong spellings. Using correct tenses, articles, form of verbs, punctuation marks, contribute in making a copy worth a read if not millions. You may consider it the most basic of the entire job, but trust a copywriter’s word, it is the most important job in creating a high ranking copy.

Keep the search engines happy..

If you are writing for the web, even the search engines do not appreciate a poorly written copy. Spelling errors and grammatical errors are the worst thing that can or should happen to your copy! Start proofreading now! Once the copy is done don’t stay away from it, sit back and think about the fate of your copy.

A copywriter’s word – Do not leave it in the hands of your machine’s spell check. Lightning can struck anyone. :)

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Important Punctuation & Formatting Rules in Copywriting

Wednesday, May 18th, 2011

Punctuation marks have the power to change the meaning of a sentence. Whether it’s your blogs or press releases, twitter updates and even product descriptions. A small punctuation error here and there can change the entire meaning of your sentence. From wrongly placing a comma, an exclamation mark or a harmless hyphen to putting a question mark at the end where a full stop would have sufficed and saved your grace – an incorrect punctuation mark can make more than just an expression go wrong.

Important punctuation and formatting rules to live by:

  • Quotation Marks – Important quotes, facts and references are always written inside quotation marks. Don’t use them to highlight just anything that you feel is important in the sentence. Also, a punctuation mark in the quoted sentence should always be inside the quotation marks. For example, “I am hungry,” Samantha said and not “I am hungry”, Samantha said. The former is the correct way to use quotes.
  • Semicolons – These are not necessarily required in copywriting. Use of semicolons should be minimal when creating a copy for the web.
  • Exclamation Marks – Limit yourself for the use of exclamation marks. Never use too many of them in the same paragraph. A single post should not have more than two exclamation marks. Somehow, the writers feel that excessive use of exclamation marks makes you sound excited, urgent and full of gusto which is not always the case, is it? Even if it is, using too many exclamation marks will only make your copy appear like an SOS for help.
  • Capitalization – There is absolutely no need to capitalize unnecessary words in a post. You have to be careful of this one especially in the headlines. Do not capitalize words like of, on, to etc. in the headlines. Also, never capitalize keywords in a post to highlight them. Important keywords are better hyperlinked than highlighted. The latter looks like an old school SEO technique. Stuffing keywords and capitalizing them in the post is a big NO while creating a copy.
  • Commas – Commas are used to express pause between clauses. A comma should be used according to the rules of its existence. Never be afraid to use commas in your sentences especially if they’re pretty long. If it fits the sentence, use it. Just a small rule to take care of. Don’t put a comma before ‘and’. For example, blue, purple and grey instead of blue, purple, and grey.
  • Hyperlinks and Hyphenation – Hyperlink important links and keywords in your post as a rule. Don’t add too many hyperlinks in a post as it may look like spam content. A link should be properly defined and cleanly linked. Also, use a hyphen wherever required – separate words with a hyphen that are either combination words or neologisms. And remember, e-mail is always separated with a hyphen.

Writing a sentence with correctly placed punctuation marks is like offering a free meal to someone who is hungry. As it will make for a savouring reading experience. I’m sure you would want your readers to enjoy what you’ve written rather than baffle their minds with a confusing maze of words!

Even if your post is not an extraordinary one, it would still be liked if it is correctly put together. Make use of correct grammar and punctuation to leave your readers wanting for more.

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Why Brevity is the soul of Wit

Monday, May 16th, 2011

“The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do”, a quote by  Thomas Jefferson says it all but is it applicable all the time? Read on.

Your job doesn’t end once you’ve created a post. It is just the begining. Once the post is complete, let it rest. Get back to it after sometime to see it afresh.

Go through the post with a fresh mind and a fresher perspective. See where you can make relevant changes, use better words, re-phrase sentences. This will help take your copy from being just a draft to a copy that sells.

Redundancy can help sometimes

Editing a post includes deleting redundant words and sentences. But it isn’t as straightforward as it seems. Even to omit, one needs to think very wisely because the words are linked together. So in a way being redunant can, sometimes be useful because it forces you to better your copy.

Write what readers like to read

It is not always about being grammatically correct. A lot of times conversations on the Internet are dominated by colloquial language instead of high grammar. This is because colloquial language is the language of the people which allows bending grammar rules. For example couple words are commonly used. These are redundant and many grammarians classify them under wrong usage. However, their use is so common that now the right and the wrong hardly matters for the simple reason that everyone’s doing it.

Words like ATM machine, added bonus, end result, past history etc. are examples of couple words. You may have heard them slide even through perfectly constructed exchanges.

Brian Clark, founder of Copyblogger has put together a great post on how brevity is a killer sometimes. Read through it at: http://www.copyblogger.com/bad-brevity/.

Brian’s post is contrary to the glorification of brevity you’ll find here but it still makes sense to read the post in continuity to this one to understand the relevance of balance and what does it take to make brevity the soul of wit. :)

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Creative Writing for the Consumers – The Art and The Technique

Saturday, May 14th, 2011

“Writing is a form of personal freedom. It frees us from the mass identity we see all around us. In the end, writers will write not to be outlaw heroes of some underculture but mainly to save themselves, to survive as individuals.” – Don DeLillo

And copywriters know a thing about surviving in the big bad world of words, ROIs and referrals…. and love it, don’t we?

Creative writing is omnipresent, and forms the backbone of the consumerist world. Anything that is not on a doctor’s note, newspaper (yes), legal documents and contracts is a piece of creative writing. On the web, blogs, articles, product descriptions, advertisements, twitter updates, novels, stories, verses etc – all fly out from the umbrella of creativity with the objective to gather readers who buy.

As a receiver of million messages everyday, readers find some standing out among the rest while others simply blown away in the stream of commonness. The ones that stick to your mind are obviously creative but what about those that whiff away with just a single sigh, aren’t they? They too are but may lack in core elements. Don’t know what those core elements are? Read below to find out.

What does it take to go that extra mile when writing creatively for your consumers?

Connection – Your copy from the first word itself must establish a connection with the target receiver/ reader.

Condition – It must address the condition that the reader may be in and how can your product/ service enhance or better it.

Experience – The message must communicate the experience that your customer is likely to enjoy using your product/ service or lack in if he or she does not.

Novelty – Be as novel as you can. Even if you’re marketing for a 150 year old brand; do it the 21st century way and not what people would have liked 150 years ago.

Results – Paint the picture of the afterward i.e after your products and services have been used. And by painting the picture we mean a realistic one. Remember, you may fool by an advertisement but not in actual usage. So it’s always better to stick to the truth.

Now how you do all this and achieve what you set out to accomplish is where the real deal is. How you work your mind around those top-of-the-hat metaphors, mindblowing analogies and those contagious call-to-actions and create a copy that not only brings in the readers but happily buying and paying customers :)

And when you’re up to it, make sure the confidence, happiness and that the spirit is not amiss because words mirror more than you expect them to.

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