Want to write killer copy for your business? Think of your words like the art of Burlesque. It starts with something to get your attention, and then slowly … piece by piece … all is revealed. It tantalizes, tempts and gets you wanting more.
Good copy doesn't just stand there shouting, "Here I am – come and get me". It entices you and is a lot more subtle in its charms.
So how do you follow the essence of the tease with your words? There are thousands of psychological tricks and triggers to get your reader's attention. Here's just a few to get you started.
The opening headline is the most important line in your whole document. Think of your headline as the grand entrance, where you first see the sizzling costume and the come-hither attitude. It needs to wow you from the first glance.
So what makes a great headline? Go to your nearest newsagent and check out all the trashy magazines. The front cover is full of headlines! "Arnie's Secret Lovechild" – everyone loves to know the secrets behind things. "Fat burning miracle" – people hope for a miracle in their day-to-day life. "From Unemployed to Millionaire in 3 months!" – people love rags to riches stories.
Most headlines (or scenes) can be drilled down to just a handful of the most powerful:
How to ... People want to know how to do something. Your headline promises the solution to their particular problem.
Benefit headline. People are always fascinated to read about things such as how you can earn $5000 per day in your pyjamas.
Story headline. Tell a story in your headline "They laughed when I sat down and the piano, but when I started to play ..." starts one of the all time highest selling ads.
News headline. This is where you have a breakthrough or a new product "Hair loss treatment breakthrough ".
Fear headline. Some people buy on fear "Are your friends whispering about your dirty blinds".
Question headline. Asking a question can be a great way to grab attention "Do you know the early warning signs of a heart attack?"
Guarantee headline. This is where you lead with your business guarantee "Play guitar in 7 days or your money back".
Personal revelation headline. This is where you share something about yourself such as "How a 40 kilo overweight man married Miss Universe".
Timeframe headline. "Give me 7 days and I'll make you $1000".
Testimonial headline. "How a broke window cleaner made $1.5 million in 48 hours"
But headlines are only part of the story. If you have a great headline, but a dud act, people will leave, so you need to keep people reading by moving into a brilliant performance. This is done through building a connection with your reader.
You need to use rich, emotive words to trigger an emotional response. Words such as gut wrenching, liquidated, phenomenal, colossal, whopping, stupendous, frantic, little-known, inflamed, easy, lazy-man's, greatest, confessions, dare and scandalous, all create the desire to keep reading and find out more.
And other hot words? 100% money back guarantee, astonishing, breakthrough, exclusive, exceptional, innovative, miracle, jam-packed, jump-start, money-saving, profitable, sensational, special offer, free, tried and tested and unconditional.
You need to make your words sizzle. Write your copy and then go back and raise the temperature of your words through adding in sizzling language to your copy. Look for every word that is bland and add in some spice.
But, if your performance is jerky or disjointed, you will lose people in the transitions. That's why you need to find ways to seamlessly connect ideas between paragraphs or sentences within paragraphs. You need your words to flow together like molten chocolate.
That's why you use the versatile copy connectors: After all ...; And that's just the beginning; And the result?; Better yet; But, that's only half the story; Here's the most important part; Here are the details; Here's the deal; In fact; Let me explain; Let's face it; Listen; Now, here's the next step; Suppose; You see; and … but wait there's more!
Finally, the most powerful way to hook your reader's interest and keep them wanting more is to tap into their mind. Weave a story, full of suspense and magic, where they can cast themselves in the leading role.
Use words such as imagine, just think about it, picture this - all these conjure up images in a person's mind and place the person in a slightly trance like state where they want to hear more.
So, make a grand entrance, slowly reveal piece by piece, manage your transitions and carry on tantalising the imagination. And above all … keep them wanting more.
HR Tip of the Week: Using Copywriting Techniques to Boost Your Job Ad Results
It is surprising how many recruitment ads start by listing out the features of a job such as 38-hour week, CBD location, and then list all of the tasks to be undertaken in a role. While these features are important, it is just as important in a candidate-poor job market to list the benefits of the job.
The lesson from marketing is that people do not buy features ... they buy benefits. What I mean by that is, people don’t wake up one morning and say, "I have to go get a 38-hour week job in the CBD". What they do say is "I want a job that gives me more time for my family, which is convenient to public transport so I don’t have to use my car and helps me build my skills".
So, when you are writing your job vacancy ad, list down the key features of the role. Then take a few minutes to think about how these features potentially could benefit an employee.
Service of the Week: Direct Mail Sales Copy
Direct mail sales copy is the loud and boldly extroverted cousin of regular sales copy or web page copy. I like to think of it as an infomercial on paper (or web pages).
It is the home of "but wait there's more", " and "if you ring within the next five minutes ..." and "but don't send any money you can try for the next 14 days for free."
Its whole purpose is to get someone to buy or take a single specific action. It is packed full of emotive power words, killer connectors and loaded to the gunnels with proof. And ... it takes a whole different set of copywriting skills to craft.
Direct mail sales copy is brilliant at selling goods (and even some services). You just need to ensure the writing style matches with what you are selling. For example, copy for most accountants in Australian does not easily fit with the direct mail approach.
We are brilliant at writing direct mail sales copy - either for the web or for traditional mailing campaigns. Just take a look at the copy we use for our Instant HR Manual to see what we can do - powerful results without the sleaze!
If you are interested in direct mail - either for your website or mail campaign, contact us to find out how we can help you get the results you are are looking for.
A core part of direct mail sales copy, is reducing the perceived risk to buyers. One strategy is through the use of guarantees. This is an extremely well known fact ... and yet in comparing the refund guarantees of most of the Australian group buying sites, only one site actually has used the strategy.
And if you ever buy a deal on one of these sites ... you need to read the excerpts from the site terms I include in this blog post - it will change the way you buy!
Legal stuff: This newsletter is intended as only a general guideline for Australian businesses. You should seek specific advice for your situation rather than relying only on this newsletter
Earnings disclaimer. Some of the content may include advertorial information, which means I may receive financial compensation for the products I recommend. But - unless I know and trust the product, I will not recommend it.
Hi Ingrid,
While your point about refund policies is well made, it is worth adding that Cudo and most other sites of that nature I have looked into also have a very "loose" Privacy policy, the upshot of which is that you basically allow them to use your contact information to pass on/sell to other DM operators. My information on this is about 4 months old, when I did question Cudo on their policy (and received no reply), so it is possible they changed it (although I doubt it).
Hi Chris - Great point. It certainly makes reading T&Cs vital (My IT lawyer would be so proud - people are actually starting to read her work).
The CEO of Cudo @billytucker100 using his Twitter name, answered a Tweet about the refund policy. It may be worth touching base re the privacy policy to see what he says.
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Direct mail sales copy is the loud and boldly extroverted cousin of regular sales copy or web page copy. I like to think of it as an infomercial on paper (or web pages). 
