Firstly, let’s get this out of the way- ‘copyrighting’ and ‘copywriting’ are two completely different spheres. ‘Copyrighting’ involves patents and other intellectual property rights, while ‘copywriting’ is the art of persuasive writing.
Imagine a set of words strung together to form such a compelling statement that it sells your product. Yes! That is exactly what copywriting is. But what is copy?
Remember what was written when you landed on your favorite shopping website? That was copy.
Remember when the last time a Facebook advertisement offered you to sign up for the webinar? That was copy.
Remember when Zomato sent you notifications to order from your favorite restaurant? That was copy.
You are surrounded by copy everywhere, whether online or offline. And when you’d clicked on ‘add to cart’ or ‘buy now’ or ‘sign up’ or ‘donate now’ or ‘read more’, you were under the spell of good copywriting tactics.
As the digital world progresses, the need for good copywriting skills has become a necessity. What will set you and your business apart from the rest is how well your copy converts visitors to buyers. Good copywriting skills will help your business to:
– Persuade prospective buyers
– Attract visitors
– Inform new audience
– Convince audience to take action
Copywriting may sound like an intimidating skill but it really is not. You do not need to be Shakespeare or Shashi Tharoor to be a good copywriter. Neither do you need to be a professional writer nor have an extensive vocabulary. In fact, statistics have shown that most people have the vocabulary range of a student of class five! What you need to focus on is:
Grammar and sentence structure
A strong grasp of grammar is a necessity simply to establish your credibility. Nobody is going to trust your copy if you mess up ‘who’ and ‘whom’. Moreover, how you frame your sentence is a skill in itself. A well-constructed and crisp copy is what will attract readers.
Concise writing
Your copy needs to convince people in as few words as possible. Long copies are both tedious and the audience will most probably lose interest. So, keep it short and be clear. Joseph Sugarman, the founder of JS&A Group, says it perfectly in his book ‘The Adweek Copywriting Handbook’, “In the editing process, you refine your copy to express what you want to express with the fewest words.”
Understanding the difference between features and benefits
There are two approaches to a marketing strategy- either focus on the features or focus on the benefits. A good copy focuses on the benefits. The reason is simply the fact that a viewer would resonate on an emotional level with what the product will do for him than simply knowing what the product is.
Creative headlines
Catchy headlines are what will attract the audience. If your copy is brilliant but with a boring headline, it is most likely that the brilliant copy is not even consumed. Thus, creative headlines are a must.
Practice
Like any other skill, copywriting requires an immense amount of practice. Make writing a habit and make sure to make your writing public. Accepting feedback and improving on it is the only way to grow.
So, pick up your pens and start writing!
