Writing Copy: The Basics
Learn to write better on me
Friends! I’m so pleased you’re here! EEEEEK! My heart is literally jumping for joy right now.
Cos’ Substack is a new platform for me, but my gut feeling says it’ll be good.
Why am I writing here, though? On this space? Why Substack?
Well, truthfully, I’m SEO’d out. No really!
I haven’t written a post I’ve wanted to write for over three years now, thanks to ‘only’ writing posts that are more likely to rank on Google.
And what a freaking BORE that is. A way to stifle the creative juices flowing, that’s for sure.
Friends, take my advice - your mental health is way more important than getting a few eyeballs on your blog or sales page. SERIOUSLY.
Which is why I’m moving over here.
To release me from the algos n’ bots n feeds - basically, everything run by Silicone Valley.
Yet I live in the wilds of rural Warwickshire, a few thousand miles away, and want more than anything to ESCAPE the digital world for good.
I want the freedom to share what I want to share, which ultimately helps YOU. The one reading this post.
Sounds good, right?
Copywriting Basics
So, for my first post here, let me share with you some bog-standard basics of copywriting.
AKA how to write good copy that converts.
Convert is the word you need to tune your ear into. Ignore any gurus who tell you anything different. Convert means: Action was taken by the reader, whether that’s a click, a sale or a sign-up to an email list or lead magnet.
I won’t overwhelm you too much here; rather, I’d like to make my Substack more of a step-by-step, hand-holding experience when it comes to writing copy.
So I’ll share 3 top tips only per post, which will keep you (hopefully) focused and open to using the tips in your business.
Top Tips
1: Write from your heart
Sadly, copywriting has become over-technicalised. Simply because people who aren’t natural writers still want to write for their brands, of course.
So, the easiest options are these plug-and-play templates or copy-and-paste solutions that don’t require any effort - yet usually bomb big time if used.
Instead, step away from the ‘rules’ of copywriting and ask yourself: “What does my reader really want right now?”
If your product solves their wants and desires, you simply need to write for that.
Easy? No. But no one said it was easy, did they?
2. Simple - every time
While scrolling my inbox earlier today, I came across a Black Friday sales campaign from a well-known coach - she’s pretty famous for having several membership options with PLR products and the like.
Her team had created this intricate, snazzy sales page with different names for the products, all related to cocktail drinks, which took around 10 minutes to scroll through (no joke - and I only read the headers), and on there were no less than six individual offers.
SIX!!! WTF?!
Talk about confusing. So what’d I do?
Move. On.
3. Describe the details
Not to be confused with waffling on or writing simply to fill a white gap on the page.
To explain this, check out the two sentences here:
“Our soaps are made from 100% natural ingredients.”
vs:
“Our soaps are made from 100% natural lavender buds and oil, harvested unrefined from the warm Tuscan fields of central Italy.”
See how the second one transports you away for a second? That’s called an emotional pull. That’s what I mean when I say write with the details in mind.
Bye for now
So that’s me out for the night, friends. Hope this has been helpful and that you’ll stick around for my next Substack contribution!