What is Copywriting? – The Ultimate Guide To Craft Copies

Do you know that marketing copywriters earn upto 250$ an hour and are in high demand? Needless to say, copywriting is an age-old art that has become an indispensable part of contemporary marketing.

As all businesses need creative promotional content to stand out and grab their buyers’ attention there’s always the need for copywriters who know their craft well. Do you think you are one of them? 

All you need to make money through copywriting is a good command over your language and a creative mind! 

Interested? In this copywriting guide, we’ll give you a complete tour of copywriting with the basics of the art, examples, skills required, types of copywriting along with top strategies. So stay tuned. 

What Is Copywriting?

Let’s start with a detailed answer to the basic question- What is copywriting? So, it is time to define copywriting!

Copywriting is an art that involves writing text that drives people to take action. The primary purpose of copywriting is to get your audience to buy whatever you sell or sign up for your newsletter.

In other words, copywriting formulas are a style of writing that promotes a product, service, or idea with the aim to persuade readers to buy into something.

But you can also use it in many other ways, like persuading people who don’t know you yet (like when you’re trying to get a job) or making someone feel a certain way about something (like convincing them that voting for your candidate would be a good idea).

People often ask copywriters questions about how they write their copy and why they use specific words and phrases. Their answers tend to focus on sales tactics, psychology, and plain old common sense—but these answers only scratch the surface of what goes into successful copywriting.

Why is Copywriting important?

After knowing what is copywriting, let’s see why copywriting is so important,

It Builds Trust

When a company or brand engages with an audience through compelling copy, it demonstrates that they have taken the time to consider their target audience’s needs and wants deeply. Even better, when a company articulates a clear strategy and offers a consistent message, it allows the reader to believe what they are reading is likely to be useful and relevant to them. 

Helps Build Brand Image

A good web copy helps build a company’s brand image as it is the first thing that leads come across when searching for a business online. It leaves a lasting first impression and showcases your brand in a good light. 

Increases Conversions

Copywriting allows businesses to create content that is more likely to inspire action. When someone visits a web page, they usually have specific goals or intentions. You can convert that initial interest into a qualified lead with the right copywriting approach. This might simply mean getting the person to visit the website or page, make a purchase, or, at the very least, enter their details into a form. 

Copywriting Statistics You Need to Know

Want to know some intriguing facts & figures related to copywriting? Here you go!

1. 8 out of 10 people only read headlines – copyblogger.com

This means that you have to work hard on making your headline look captivating, or else all your effort in writing the copy will be futile.

2. 74% of readers look at the copy’s quality of spelling and grammar – realbusiness.co.uk

Proofreading your copy is, therefore, essential, or you will lose a lot of potential customers. No matter how good a copywriter you are, get your writing checked before it goes live.

3. Adding a social proof can increase newsletter signups by 20% – Unbounce

You can increase your credibility by backing your claims with social proof, such as the current number of subscribers. People will find you credible if the number is high and sign up to your newsletter. 

4. According to 60.8% marketers, visual content is important – Impactbnd

Adding great images to your copy can help you get more conversions. Nothing can beat the power of an image, not even your copy.

5. The ideal length for a headline is 6 words – Buffer.com

This is a reality check for copywriters who write lengthy headlines. Copies that are not more than 6 words long get more traction.

Who Is a Copywriter?

Now that we have answered “what is copywriting”, it’s time to know the people behind it! Copywriters are the people who create the required words and content for ads, sales pages, websites, and other marketing materials. Copywriters are responsible for writing words and content for ads, sales pages, websites, and other marketing materials.

As seen in the copywriting definition, copywriting is the art and science of strategically delivering words that get people to take some sort of action. It’s one of the essential elements of your marketing. And copywriters are those who apply this concept to create written content that aims to raise brand awareness and ultimately persuade a person or group to take a particular action.

Where Do Copywriters Work?

Copywriters work in-house, as freelancers, in advertising agencies, marketing firms, and marketing departments of companies.

Copywriting is a high-income skill that has grown with the rise of content marketing. A copywriter can write all sorts of things: traditional ads and brochures; digital ad campaigns on social media; video scripts; podcasts; sales email pitch; landing pages…the list goes on!

Steps to Become a Copywriter

Copywriting is a high-income skill, but more importantly, it’s also creative and marketing-based. Here are some steps to build a copywriting career from scratch-

You first need to develop your literary and creative skills by reading regularly and gaining relevant qualifications in the language, followed by regular practice of writing on diverse topics. 

Gaining marketing knowledge and reading the best copywriting books will also help you in your copywriting endeavor.

Then, you may look for small freelancing tasks to build your portfolio and create a resume highlighting your copywriting skills and experience with examples.

Next, you must look for job opportunities and slowly build your career by gaining experience and looking for better opportunities. Here are some areas that you can contribute as a copywriter-

1. Writing diverse promotional content to convert prospects to customers by guiding them through your sales funnel until they make a purchase or subscribe to your service with their email address (capture).

2. Writing content for advertising campaigns (such as billboards) to create an emotional connection with the viewer so that they can’t resist the offer.

3. Writing brochures and leaflets so people read them instead of throwing them away after reading only two sentences (print & digital marketing).

4. Writing press releases sent out by companies hoping that journalists will pick them who will then report on what has happened within those companies using their quotes from these news items (public relations).

Read our curated list of the top copywriting books.

How Long Does It Take To Get Good At Copywriting?

Learning copywriting is an ongoing process, and there is no end to it. You will keep learning new things in your journey when you come across new concepts and products.

The speed at which you learn also varies from person to person because some people have the gift of coming up with great words while others have to figure it out. 

It is a time-consuming task indeed and the first step is to master the English language. You can build your ability to write great copy by reading other ad copies and writing your versions. Practicing this way will help you improve your skills. 

Your willingness to learn and dedication are also crucial in deciding how fast you can learn copywriting. You can’t sharpen your skills in one day, but with a learning mindset, you can do it more quickly than those who do not want to invest their time in gaining knowledge. Also creativity is another factor that works with copywriting. 

If you are waiting for a quantifiable time required to learn copywriting and start your career in it, here you go – You need 6 months to level up your skills and one year to become a pro! (but this is quite subjective)

Traits of Good Copywriting

Knowing ‘what is copywriting’ is not enough, you must know the traits of good copywriting.

It is simple and adds value

It is easier for the audience to connect with your copy when it is easy to understand. A good copy has a clear message. It can highlight the product’s or service’s strengths and show how relevant your offering is. Avoiding filler words is the key to creating crisp copies. Another thing you should be careful about is the use of jargon. Steering clear of it helps make the copy more readable. 

It targets the right audience and medium

A good copy is one you customize for the target audience and is suitable for the chosen medium. There are different requirements for different platforms, such as the copy for web pages may be different for a social media post, and so on. Therefore, a good copy is well-researched and adapts to the target audience’s needs.

It maintains brand voice 

A copy is suitable only when the tone of voice aligns with the business’s mission and vision. A copy with a consistent brand voice across all the platforms makes it easy to identify the brand, and the audience relates better to it. 

Is optimized for search engines

Copywriting is closely associated with SEO as the aim is to rank high in SERPs, which is impossible unless you use the right keyword in the copy. A good copy is well-optimized for keywords to enable higher ranking.

It is structured

When a good copywriter would know how to present their thoughts logically, the output would be a well-structured piece of content.

The purpose is set

 Before starting their work, copywriters ask for additional details to know the purpose of the copy. That’s why a good copy has a clear purpose.

It is conversational

There is no use of complex jargon, but at the same time, there is no excess watering-down. A conversational & friendly tone is all that matters in impressing the target audience.

Is original 

A good copy is fresh and different from all the existing copies around similar topics. Most copywriters would see what a product’s competitors have written and then choose a different route. 

The 4 Core Objectives Of Copywriting

Here are the core objectives of good copywriting, 

1. Creating interest

The first objective is to create interest in your product or service. To do this, you must write a persuasive description of what makes this it special. You then must encourage the audience to act or think in a certain way & you can do that by appealing to their intellect or emotions. 

2. Build trust

When you’ve created interest in your product, you can then build trust. To establish trust, you have to appear as an expert, and provide social proof of your brand’s achievements and credentials. You can also include specific facts, figures, or references to outside sources in your copy. 

3. Convince the reader to buy your product

Once you’ve created interest and built trust, you can convince the reader to purchase your offering. To do this, you write a persuasive description of all the benefits the reader will get from using your solution. Remember: the more benefits you can think of, the easier it will be to convince the reader.

4. Bring the reader back for more

With all these benefits in mind, you must try to bring the reader back for more. In other words, write a compelling copy that makes your offering unique and encourage them to know more about it.

What is the Difference Between Copywriting, Content Writing & Content Marketing?

To understand the difference we must ask “What is copywriting?”, “What is content writing?” and “What is content marketing?” and then analyze the key differences.

Copywriting

Copywriting is a form of writing used to promote or sell a product or service. It’s often referred to as “selling with words” because the purpose of copywriting is to convince people to buy what you’re selling.

Copywriting demands a strong understanding of your audience. You should know what affects or moves your audience. In the case of ad headlines and CTA buttons, you only have 2-5 words to grab that reader’s attention, making them believe – each word is vital!

The most commonly used emotional hooks in copywriting are fear, superiority, gratification, trust, and happiness. It takes a master wordsmith to convince a reader that their life will be immensely better with your offering.

Content Writing

Content writers are responsible for creating content such as articles, blog posts, and other written pieces for websites and blogs. They create interesting content that informs or educates readers while providing them with helpful information they can use immediately (or even later).

Content writing incorporates storytelling, branding, knowledge, and SEO. To get your content discovered by people, you need a voice that suits your target audience. Additionally, understanding when to use logic vs emotion is the key to getting the audience hooked to your article.

The best content writing focuses on helping the audience. The key questions to ask are-

• Are you solving a problem? 
• Are you giving your audience something they need? 
• Does your content achieve your business goals? 

If you can’t answer these or can’t easily explain the purpose of your content, you probably shouldn’t publish it.

Check our blog post on – Copywriting vs content writing

Content Marketing

We have seen what copywriting & content writing are. It is now time to understand what content marketing is. 

Content marketing involves creating and distributing useful, relevant content in the form of blogs, newsletters, social media posts, emails, ebooks, videos, infographics, and more to attract, engage and retain the target audience. It is a marketing strategy that helps increase brand awareness and establishes thought leadership along with helping your brand stay on top of the audience’s mind. 

Check out another blog post on Copywriting vs Content Marketing.

We hope you understand the difference between the terms now. 

The Fundamentals Of Copywriting

Here are some fundamentals that you have to bear in mind while writing your copy 

1. Nobody cares about your copy

Nobody cares about what you have written in your copy; this is the first point you must bear in mind. There is a barter system here, as in return for the time they invest in reading your copy, you must add value to them or give them something worth the time they spend. Focus on creating a short, crisp, honest, interesting, and useful copy with a bit of humor to make it worth reading.

2. Convey more meaning in a few words

Taking a cue from the point above, you must convey your message in as few words as possible. It should be easy to understand and not have filler words because nobody is interested in reading long stories that add no meaning to the content of the copy. You can do this by writing the draft and then reducing the word count without affecting the meaning of the copy.

3. Answer what, why, who, when, where, how

Answer a few questions before writing your copy (especially for ads), and here they are

What do you want to sell?

Find out what the USB of your product is and how it beats your competition. You have to add your USB in the copy by turning the features into benefits.

Why are you writing the copy?

Understand why you are writing the copy & find out what is the goal of the copy such as selling the product and increasing brand awareness for launching a new product. Knowing your goal will make it easy to frame your copy. 

Who are you targeting?

Now answer who you are targeting. Know the demographics and preferences of your target audience with other details to understand and how to write your copy for it to resonate with them. 

When and where is the copy going to appear?

Understand where your copy will be placed and write it based on its placement. Even the timing matters here, i.e. on which day the copy is going live.

How do you want a reader to feel? 

Understanding what kind of emotion you want to invoke in the potential customer. It can be anything from fear and happiness to anger. Relate the feeling with your product and write your copy accordingly. You have to choose the emotion that will make the leads convert faster. 

4. End with a CTA every time

When you engage the target audience with your copy, leaving without telling them what to do next is illogical. Always add a CTA to keep the ball rolling so your relationship doesn’t come to an abrupt standstill. Also, it is worth noting that if you target only those who need your product or service and find it helpful, you will never have to look for clients again because you will have them for life.

So, these are some fundamentals you must keep in mind when writing your copy, and you can expect great results!

Also read: Difference between copywriting & Content Marketing.

Top Copywriting Tips & Best Practices To Write A Compelling Copy

You can become more confident writing compelling copies when you learn how to apply the correct writing techniques. The good news is that you don’t have to be a professional writer. You can always learn.

Here are a few expert copywriting tips that will help you write copies that sell effectively,

1. Focus on the Buyer Persona

Your target audience is your reader. You can’t appeal to everyone, so you must figure out who you’re writing to. To do that, you must know a little bit about them. Start by asking yourself questions to determine who your target audience is. The answers to these questions will determine how to start your writing journey.

2. Keep it short and crisp

No matter how many times we repeat this, it is not enough. You have to keep your copy as short as possible because nobody has the time to read lengthy stories. The truth is that most readers scan through the webpage, and a long paragraph in front of them will turn them away. It is always better to craft a straightforward copy that conveys the message instantly (readers are lazy & don’t want to work hard). Distill your words as much as possible so that the message is concise. 

3. Use active voice

This may remind you of your middle-school English teacher! But the point is using passive voice in your copy can make it harder to read. Active voice is more direct and helps you connect with the potential customer, as they are the main highlight here. Active voice makes the potential customer imagine themselves in the spotlight, and there is a higher chance of them getting engaged. 

4. Create a sense of urgency

If you want readers to convert faster, you have to wake them up from their sleep, well, literally! If your copy makes them feel that the offer will always be there and they have time to decide whether to go for it or not, they will never convert. There are even chances that they may lose interest in you. 

To counter this, you have to start using words that create a sense of urgency, such as ‘last chance’, ‘limited stocks!’, ‘Time Limited deal!’, and so on. Such phrases would make them feel they will miss out on an opportunity if they don’t act fast. So, the whole thing boils down to one point: not letting the prospects enjoy the luxury of time to think over the offer. You have to do your best to persuade them to act fast, which you can do with the magic of words. 

5. Use statistics wherever possible

If you’re writing about a new product/service, you can use statistics to lend credibility to your claims. When used appropriately, statistics can add credibility to your arguments and help prove your point without requiring too much effort. Quantifiable facts in copies make them look more convincing. 

6. Write catchy headlines

Most people read just the headlines of the body of your copy, which means you have to put more effort into crafting a headline that will get readers’ attention. It should be such that the readers click it open when it appears in Google’s search results. You can make your headlines look better by telling readers what they will get by reading the body. Also, add the target keyword and try to encash readers’ emotions.

7. Be Persuasive

In most cases, writing a compelling copy requires combining several skill sets. In some instances, you will need to be able to structure your information so that it is easy to follow. In other cases, you might need to persuade readers to perform the desired action. As a writer, ensure that you put your spin to get them to convert, and this is where you must use your persuasive skills.

Copywriting for Different Sales Funnel Stages

The sales funnel has five stages: awareness, interest, decision, action, and attention. 

Awareness

This is the first stage where the potential customer learns about your brand. It can be through a Google search or an ad on social media. You must bear in mind that, at this stage, the focus is on providing informational content. 

You can write blog posts that add value, social media posts, infographics, or create a web page (home page & about us page) or use lead magnets like templates, checklists, and ebooks. As the aim here is to create engagement, your CTAs would usually be to leave a comment or share a post on social media. At this stage, asking the potential customer to purchase is not advisable as they have just got to know you.

Interest

After the awareness stage, you have the interest stage, where the prospect starts engaging with your business and shows an interest in what you offer. They may start off by subscribing to your newsletter or following you on social media. 

For this stage, you have to focus on blog posts again, offer lead magnets with additional information, provide product demo videos and share testimonials to show how credible your product or service is. 

Decision 

This is the stage where the potential customer understands that they need to find a solution for their problems, and your product appears as a good option. They will compare your offering with your competitors and get into the details to make a choice. The intent here is to analyze whether to make a purchase or not. 

In short, they compare the pricing, features, benefits, and the USP. 

For this stage, you must focus on case studies, testimonials, and comparison guides. The CTA would be to drive potential customers to dedicated landing pages instead of the homepage because they need to know the specific details of your pricing and what you have to offer. 

Action

The potential customer is ready to take the plunge and purchase your offering at this stage. However, there’s no guarantee that they would convert. So, you can focus on giving them trials, more case studies, exciting offers, and material related to your product to increase the likelihood of them closing the sale.

Retention

Many marketers feel that the action stage is the final stage of the sales funnel, but there is one more that you have to consider, and that is retention. You can earn more from your existing customers and turn them into your patrons at this stage. In this stage, you can work on maintaining your relationship with the new customer so they don’t feel left out after the sale. You can reassure them that you are always there to help them. It will help you earn their trust, and they may turn to your loyal customers and even recommend you to their near and dear ones.

Also read: Email Marketing Funnel

What Skills Do You Need as a Copywriter?

Here are the most crucial skills required to become a successful copywriter:

1. Writing Skills

The first and foremost complex skill a professional copywriter needs is, without a doubt, strong writing skills. Copywriters are responsible for creating different types of copy, ranging from longer forms of content like articles to short product descriptions and advertising slogans. Ultimately, the ability to convey ideas via writing that can persuade an audience to take specific actions is a skill that all copywriters must have.

2. Hands-On Technical Skills

Copywriters must have technical and computer skills as they work closely on digital marketing and advertising projects. Therefore, the ability to work on content management systems, create web pages, and apply basic formatting are some of the skills one needs to be a successful copywriter.

3. Creative Skills

Copywriters must have creativity and imagination. Creative thinking skills can range from building connections between concepts to finding innovative ways to promote brands and businesses. Hence, creative thinking becomes an essential part of a copywriter’s skill palette.

4. Rational Thinking

A copywriter’s main job is to solve problems. Consequently, this is a necessary skill for copywriting.

for the profession. A copywriter working for any advertising firm constantly relies on problem-solving skills to stay within a project’s budget and timeline. You can do this to develop the most effective strategies to benefit your current and future business goals. Moreover, problem-solving becomes highly important when working on different types of writing projects as well.

5. Research Skills

Strong research skills are a must-have for any copywriter, and when it comes to more complex writing projects like white papers or technical guides. Additionally, there’s always a level of research involved when creating new advertising or marketing material. For example, copywriters creating promotional materials may turn to competitors to find out what kind of advertising works. This helps copywriters build an attractive writing outline or strategy that can reach out to customers.

The Pros and Cons of Copywriting as a career

Copywriting offers diverse opportunities but also has its downsides. Here are its key pros and cons-

Pros:

• It is a flexible job; you can work for companies directly or freelance. While a corporate position gives more stability to your career, freelancing can offer more flexibility! 
• You can work from home. This increases opportunities as you don’t commit yourself to a single business.
• Lots of different companies hire copywriters, so there are plenty of opportunities for you to write about what you’re interested in.
• You can achieve a high income through dedicated copywriting as you gain experience.

Cons:

• Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee of getting projects if you choose to freelance. A company can lay you off if there isn’t enough work for its employees. 
• As a freelance copywriter, you must always be on your toes to find new projects, one right after the other, which isn’t always going to happen.
• Copywriting can be hard work! Especially if you’re writing every day all day long, it can be draining and overwhelming. So make sure that when you start as a writer, you have the right work-life balance set up so that your job isn’t taking over all aspects of your life (and vice versa).

How has Copywriting Changed Since The Beginning of Digital Marketing?

Going back to the history of copywriting, we can easily say that the art of writing copies was very much in existence, even before digital marketing came into being. And that was many years ago.

In those days, copywriting was for traditional forms of marketing, which included writing copies for physical flyers, ads, billboards, and posters. With the advent of the technological era and marketing going online, copywriting has seen changes but has never become obsolete. 

Today, in digital marketing, you need copywriting to get your potential customers’ attention. However, it is worth noting that copywriting is not only about getting people to recognize a brand; it is much beyond that. For example, it can help bring a change in the minds of people. 

Now, as we are advancing in terms of technology, digital marketing is becoming essential and will overpower every other form of marketing. In the years to come, copywriting will work in close alignment with advanced digital marketing and help people to take action and drive people to take action. Combining both makes it possible to create a successful marketing strategy.

Types Of Copywriting

You may have heard about different copywriting types, such as web copywriting and print copywriting. While there are many other types, let’s look at some of the most popular ones:

Web copywriting

Want to convince visitors to buy products or subscribe to your newsletter? Web copywriting is your best bet. Used on websites, it differs from print because it needs less emphasis on facts and more emphasis on storytelling. In fact, it is referred to as “storytelling” rather than “copy” by many people. Moreover, when it comes to web copywriting, you’ll want to sound natural but also persuasive. This ensures that you don’t come across as someone who is only concerned about their sales.

SEO Copywriting

SEO copywriting focuses on ranking on the Google SERP and growing one’s organic traffic by writing content for keyword-optimized websites. This is crucial for any marketing that focuses on developing a digital business.

The first and most crucial step is identifying and using the right keywords. Tools like Google Keyword Planner, Semrush, or Ahrefs can help you with that. Additionally, looking at what your competition is doing and understanding the advantages and flaws of their model can help improve your content. This approach will surely help you improve your copywriting for SEO.

The next thing you’ll need to do is check out what the ranking websites are doing, their method of formatting pages, what other keywords are being targeted, and what topics they are focusing on.

Product copywriting

This type of copywriting focuses specifically on featuring your product. You’ll need effective product copywriting for product pages, feature announcements, and product descriptions. Therefore, the best way to approach product copywriting is by having customers in mind. That means writing something appealing to their desires, solving their problems, and speaking directly about how the product fits their needs. Additionally, when you’re describing a product, keep in mind to focus on the benefits, not just the features.

The features or benefits you stress will vary depending on whether the company you are writing for is B2B or B2C. This leads us to the following two kinds of copywriting on our list.

B2B copywriting

B2B stands for business to business. These companies sell products or services to other businesses. For B2B copywriting, you should write copy that can appeal to people who are representing other businesses. 

The biggest thing you should remember is that your audience are still people, not businesses. Hence, you still need to ensure that you’re engaging your audience, being persuasive, and encouraging action. But, at the same time, you must work on addressing pain points.

B2C copywriting

B2C stands for business to consumer. These companies retail their products or services directly to people who need or want them. Think about the stores you see, the stores you frequently visit, the store from where you buy your commodities, or even giants like Amazon, Flipkart, and Snapdeal all come under the B2C umbrella!

The goal of B2C copywriting is to convince the buyer to take any action, which is most often to make a purchase. Also, to one’s advantage, consumers are quick to make a purchase, unlike businesses. So, “what’s the key to effective B2C copywriting?” you ask? The answer is pretty simple. You must know your audience well and sell directly to them.

Direct response copywriting

What makes direct response copywriting notable is that it emphasizes immediacy. This type of copywriting encourages readers to take action as soon as they finish reading the text. The sense of urgency the writer conveys here is crucial.

To craft a compelling direct response copy, you can make it urgent by referencing time with your words. For example, include words like “now” or “today.” You can also set a deadline, and it can be a specific date or a vague one that indicates that the offer isn’t available for long. For instance, phrases like “Expiring Soon” or “Claim before DD/MM/YYYY” will work well.  

Ads copywriting

Ads creative copywriting is another type of copywriting that you’ll encounter as a marketer. This type of copywriting generates a lot of opportunities. It could require you to write billboard taglines, descriptions for boosting social posts, video scripts for podcast ads, headlines for Facebook Ads, etc. There are so many kinds of advertising that you can do as an ad copywriter!!

Social media handles, newsletters, and podcasts are some of the most common areas for ad copywriting.

Ad copywriting has a word limit. And this means for excellent ad copywriting, you must be able to capture attention, speak to your audience, and convey value quickly and concisely with your words.

Also read our blog post on Sales Copywriting.

Social media copywriting

When you’re posting from your business account to share content and engage with your audience on social media, that’s social media copywriting. An important thing to remember is that it can be both formal and informal. According to a Zazzle Media study, posts with emoji have a 57% higher like rate, a 33% comment rate, and a 33% higher share rate.

The most important thing to remember for copywriting for social media is understanding the platforms: Facebook vs Twitter, Instagram vs LinkedIn, YouTube vs TikTok. Each of these platforms has a different set of audiences. Figure out what works best for you and constantly improve your strategies. 

Email Copywriting

Compelling email copywriting is one of the best ways to reach your targeted audience directly. You can apply various tricks to write great email copy work with your marketing campaigns and customers, such as-

• A creative subject line
• A thoughtful preview sentence
• An intro sentence for the body of your email
• A compelling CTA
• An engaging and personalized body text

Email copy can be both educational, as with newsletters and roundups, or more sales-oriented, like a direct response or free trial promotion.

People subscribing to your email list are valued prospects. They subscribe because they want to stay informed on your business’ new products and services. Cold email copywriting involves trial and error, but direct communication with your subscribers is invaluable during a marketing email campaign.

Be careful with your email sales pitch as it decides whether the recipient will purchase or not. Also learn about the email funnel marketing.

Top Copywriting Strategies

This blog has answered every possible question about copywriting starting from “What is copywriting” and “Where is it needed” to “How you can become a copywriter”. But the trick to finding true success in copywriting lies in the use of the right strategies. 

So, here are some key copywriting strategies that every marketing copywriter should apply while writing promotional copies-

Understand your audience

Focus on understanding the buyer persona before you write. for it. This includes analyzing the needs, desires, problems, lifestyles, and thinking of the target audience. Once you do that, you can craft your copies accordingly so that the audience finds them relevant and are more likely to convert. 

Write for the reader

Once you understand the audience, you must decide the writing style that would cater to them. Writing content the audience easily understands and relates to will help them connect with your brand better. Additionally, avoid writing about yourself and keep the spotlight on potential customers by showing how your offering can help them.

Use the right tone, voice, and words.

You must carefully set the tone, voice, and word choice based on the persona of your audience. If you use the words they often use, it is more likely that they will relate with you better. Also, it is best to keep the copy conversational just like how you talk to a friend. Doing so will go a long way in building a rapport with your audience. 

Use the right structure, length, and format of content.

It is important to structure and format your content so that it is easily readable to both humans and search engines. You must also set the ideal length that is not too long but covers all key points sufficiently. Nobody has the time to read long blocks of text, especially when it is a sales copy, so it is best to be to the point. 

Include images to enhance your message and boost readership.

A picture speaks a thousand words! You would agree that images can add life to your written content and attract the readers’ attention while helping to boost website traffic. So, include relevant images in your content to attract and engage readers.

Bonus: Use InstaCopy To Write Compelling Copies

InstaCopy is your go-to tool for copywriting. It generates plagiarism-free copies in under minutes, minimizing your writing effort and eliminating writer’s block.

You can use InstaCopy to generate headlines for ads, write copies based on PAS, BAB, and AIDA copywriting formulas, write YouTube video scripts, craft tweets, and even help you brainstorm product names. Sounds amazing, but wait, there’s more! It is even possible to generate long-form blog content using InstaCopy, making it the best tool for both copywriters and content writers. There are separate monthly plans for $39 and $49, respectively.

Try our tool for free – Sign up!

Best Copywriting Formulas

Instead of writing copies from scratch each time, you can use tried & trusted copywriting formulas that work like a charm,

1. AIDA 

AIDA  stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, Action

Attention – Grab the Reader’s attention 

Interest – Provide interesting information that resonates with the reader 

Desire – Emphasize the benefit of the product/service with proof.

Action – Drive the user to take action.

It is the most commonly used copywriting formula for emails, sales pages, landing pages, blog post intros & more. 

Here’s an example,

2. BAB 

BAB stands for Before-After-Bridge

Before – Show the prospect their current world with the problem.

After –  Let the reader imagine how the world would be after the problem is solved.

Bridge – Specify the way to get into that world

This formula is perfect for blog posts (especially intros) and is a super simple way to grab the readers’ attention. Therefore, it is also the best choice for email copies.

Check out this example,

3. FAB

FAB stands for Features – Advantages – Benefits 

The basis of this copywriting formula is that you have to sell the benefits before focusing on the features. 

Features – Specify what the product can do.

Advantages – Mention what makes it better than competitors.

Benefits – Mention the tangible and intangible benefits of using the product.

Take a look at this example,

4. PAS

PAS stands for problem-agitate-solve.

You can frequently discover this PAS copywriting formula on social media posts.

Here’s what its structure is:

• Identify the problem
• Agitate the problem
• Solve the problem

Look at this example on how to use PAS copywriting framework,

5. The Four C’s

Your copy should be clear, concise, compelling, credible. These are the 4 C’s of copywriting and your copy should have all of these in it. 

Clarity is crucial when you are trying to convert the reader; the same goes for conciseness because nobody has the whole day to read long tales written by people they don’t know. Also, the writing has to compel readers to take action & be trustworthy at the same time.

Check this example out,

 6. The 4 U’s

This copywriting formula says that your copy has to be – Useful, Urgent, Unique, and Ultra specific

Useful – The reader should find your copy useful.

Urgent – Try to create a sense of urgency in your copy.

Unique – Show the uniqueness of your offering.

Ultra-Specific – Be ultra-specific with the previous three U’s.

The formula is the best for social media posts as you have only a small amount of characters to convey your message.

Take a look at the example below,

7. Star – Story – Solution

This formula has a star, a story, and a solution. It grabs readers’ attention with a high-drama storyline and presents your product/service as the solution. This isn’t a new formula and dates back to the days when advertising was a new concept. It is quite helpful in increasing sales which is why most copywriters swear by it. 

Here’s an example,

8. Star – Chain – Hook

Like the previous formula, Star-chain-hook has a star, a series of benefits (the chain), and a CTA (hook). Your star must be worthy of grabbing attention, followed by a chain of facts/benefits merging into one another to build a desire for the offering. Then comes the clear call-to-action to help the reader get the benefits you promised. This framework works well when you want to write a copy where you want to get the reader’s attention. 

Here’s an example,

Though we have come to an end of our list of best copywriting formulas, this isn’t exhaustive.

Top Copywriting Secrets

We’re spilling the beans to help you become an amazing copywriter. Here are a few well-kept copywriting secrets:

Avoid profanity

One of the worst sins you can commit as a copywriter is overloading a word or phrase with too many vulgar words. Try to stay as far away from using them as possible, as they are not traits of a respectable writer. If you do find yourself using this type of language frequently, it might be a good idea to take a break and re-evaluate the quality of your work. Overusing profanity can also make people judge your writing as being in poor taste. 

Leverage the power of humor

While we would all like to think that our product or service is the only one that exists in the world, the truth is that there are thousands of similar products or services that your customers might have already tried. So, to stand out, try injecting humor into your marketing and advertising content as often as possible. After all, people tend to appreciate the humor more than your sales pitch, and that’s all you need to keep your reader’s attention. 

When used effectively, humor can help establish a closer connection with your audience and make them feel as if you understand their needs and concerns. In addition to establishing a connection, you can also use humor to make a point about your product/service without sounding too salesy. 

Avoid the jargon!

The biggest mistake a business can make is writing an article about their industry and using industry jargon without explaining what it means in plain English. We saw this before too, but it is worth mentioning again. Using jargon makes the reader feel that the writer doesn’t care about the average person who is reading the article. When writing, avoid jargon and complicated language – it makes your writing appear unprofessional and irrelevant. If you are unable to write in simple, everyday language, then perhaps you should consider working in that department.

Wasn’t it good to know the above? Here are a few more secrets of copywriting.

What Are The Best Examples Of Copywriting?

Here are a few examples of copywriting,

BarkBox’s Audience Understanding

BarkBox knows its audience well. It uses its target buyer’s language to sell directly to the buyer’s dog(s)! BarkBox is often imitated but rarely duplicated.

People want to feel understood by brands before they invest in them. So, it doesn’t matter what industry you’re in. Keeping the voice and the tone relatable to the reader becomes essential.

Try articulating this both in your copy and other marketing materials. Moreover, if you express their goals, desires, expectations, and fears better than them, your products will be off the shelves before you can restock them!!

Brooklinen’s Wordplay

Brooklinen employed a genius marketing strategy of using wordplay to get ahead of its competitors. Brooklinen turned a bland marketplace of bedsheets into a brand worth discussing. 

With catchy wordplay like “zero bull sheet” and “holy sheet,” Brooklinen manages a delicate balance between humoring loyal advocates and offending new prospects.

If you are a brand in what many would consider a “boring market”, employing a little wordplay can do wonders in grabbing buyer attention.

Death Wish Coffee’s Process Description

There’s something attractive about adding the specifications of a product’s process. This includes the originality of the process, the inclusion of descriptive adjectives, and its journey from the initial idea to the finished product. All this makes the buyer know how far and wide you go to bring the product to them!

Death wish coffee gives you an extensive insight into how they process their coffee instead of using overused terms like “finest” or “purest”. This makes the buyer appreciate your efforts.

Tuft & Needle’s Landing Page Copy

With the upsurge of online retailers like Casper, many direct-to-consumer copycats have shown up. And with that, it’s become more challenging for established brands to distinguish themselves. 

Tuft & Needle is one of Casper’s biggest competitors. They use their landing pages to answer your “Why?”. “Why should I invest in this brand?”, “Why do I need to buy from them?” etc. They help the buyer figure out and solve problems that they ignore.

Therefore, if you sell expensive products in a competitive industry, you know prospects are likely to have questions before investing a significant amount in your company. So, don’t be afraid to create dedicated landing pages to overcome objections.

Useful Copywriting Templates

Here are a few copywriting templates that can get you started with writing your first copy.

We have categorized them for you,

Templates to write winning headlines

1. Little-Known Ways to [blank]

Example – Little-Known Ways to Get a Glowing Skin on a Budget

2. Get Rid of [problem] Once and For All

Example – Get Rid of Grammatical Errors Once and For All

3. Here’s a Quick Way to [solve a problem]

Example – Here’s a Quick Way to Lose Weight

4. [Do something] like [world-class example]

Example – Write Poetry like Shakespeare

5. Have a [or] Build a [blank] You Can Be Proud Of

Example – Build a Website You Can Be Proud Of

Email Subject Line Templates That Work

As subject lines are the first element of your email that a recipient views, they have to be catchy. Here are few templates for you,

1. BTW, <name_ of_ mutual contact> asked me to contact you
2. <Prospect’s name>, do you want to increase revenue?
3. Your competitors effectively use these 11 hidden industry tips (but you don’t)
4. Ideas to grow your email list 10 times faster
5. Hi {{prospect’s name}} Do you have 5 minutes?

Email Marketing Template You Can Use

Marketing emails have to be captivating & persuasive at the same time. Here’s a template for you, 

Subject Line: The weird solution to your [pain point]

[Name],

Just like you, I had a tough time with [pain point].

The constant [problem 1] and the [problem 2] were quite tough.

And my heart goes out to anyone else going through it!

However, there’s a way out.

One day, while [doing a task] I suddenly got an idea to solve the problem. I got to work & [mention action]

And the result was outstanding!

It worked so well that I couldn’t believe my eyes.

But it was for real!

It has worked for me, so it will for you.

You can visit [website name] & do the same thing with [product name]

But don’t miss the special deal that is only till midnight.

Get your hands on it & watch your problem disappear.

[Your name]

Welcome Email Template

When a potential customer forges ahead in your funnel by subscribing to your blog, you have to welcome them to make them feel important. Here’s a welcome email for you.

Subject line: Thanks for subscribing to [blog name]

Hi [Name of subscriber],

Thank you for subscribing to our blog. You will now receive exclusive content from the experts in [industry name] every [sending frequency].

In case you have any questions or want to share your thoughts, feel free to drop us an email and we will get back to you ASAP.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

Cold Email Template

You send a cold email with the aim of connecting with a person who doesn’t know about your product/service and whom you have not contacted before. While anyone can send a cold email, its maximum use is in sales. Here’s a template for you to help you write cold email that gets the conversation rolling.

Hi {{name of the prospect}},

Congratulations on the sanction of funds for your company.

Most often, when this happens, {{ value proposition }} becomes essential. Therefore, I thought of connecting with you and sharing how we helped {{ competitor}} to {{benefit}}.

I understand that you may be occupied at present, but if you want to learn more about {{product name}}, let’s have a quick phone call.

Here’s my calendar link – <link>. You can choose a date and time that suits you the best.

Regards,

{{Your name}}

These were the templates for copywriting. Now let’s look at the outlines.

Outline for blog posts

Here’s a blog post outline that will be helpful to you. It is basically the structure that you can follow and is specific to each title you are working on. 

• Introduction (Mention the angle of your post)
• Main point 1
  • Subpoint 1
  • Subpoint 2
  • Subpoint 3
• Main point 2
  • Subpoint 1
  • Subpoint 2
  • Subpoint 3
• Main point 3
  • Subpoint 1
  • Subpoint 2
  • Subpoint 3
• Conclusion
• CTA (optional)

Ebook Outline

When you create an ebook, you have to keep the following outline in mind,

• Begin with a striking & elaborate introduction
• Add Table of contents
• Add Chapters
• Summarize your ebook
• Add references & sources
• Add the author bio
• Include a CTA

Tools for Copywriters

If you are looking for AI copywriting tools that help you save time, share the load of writing copies and form your strategy, you can use the following tools:

1. InstaCopy

InstaCopy is an AI-powered content creator that lets you make short-form and long-form content in just a few seconds. You can get over writer’s block and get imaginative with the help of the tool. This makes it easy to create quality content faster. It’s a copywriting tool that helps you write content for blogs, sales copies, social media, online ads, and more. The best thing about this tool is that the content is original and free of plagiarism, so you can post it online.

Pricing – The Copywriter plan starts at $39 per month and the Content Writer plan costs $49 per month. You can sign up for the free trial to test the tool. 

2. Wordtune

Wordtune is an AI content copywriting tool that can help with tasks like changing the length of a sentence and rewriting an entire blog post. This could be great for marketers who want to reuse content on different platforms and need help rewording their content piece.

Once you add the Chrome extension, you can use it directly from within Google Docs, Twitter, Grammarly, and LinkedIn, making it a convenient tool for content writers and copywriters. Overall, it is one of the most useful tools for copywriting and checking grammar out there.

Pricing – The plan costs $24.99/ month for monthly billing.

3. Grammarly

If you are looking for a tool to check your grammar mistakes and fix your spelling, there is nothing better than Grammarly. As a copywriter, you understand that even minor errors in your sales copy can have a significant impact on your bottom line. That is why you require tools like Grammarly to check for mistakes. However, the effectiveness of the tool also depends on how you use it.  We have also seen that there are times when Grammarly suggests the removal of words and phrases that add uniqueness to the copy and make it stand out. So what you can do is just ignore those suggestions and take up the legit errors that should not be in the copy. This is the main reason why AI can’t replace humans entirely. 

There are three versions of Grammarly currently-Free, Premium and Business. You can choose one as per your needs.

4. CoSchedule’s Headline analyzer

This is the free tool that is worth mentioning here. As the headline of your copy is the first thing that people read, you have to make it striking by all means. If people don’t find the headline convincing, they will simply skip reading your content. Moreover, attention spans have hit rock bottom, which means that you have to be more careful while writing your headline.  And if you need a tool to help you with that, you can use CoSchedule’s headline analyzer. You just have to enter the headline you thought of and it will give you a score that determines how effective it will be to drive traffic and increase shares.

5. SpyFu

SpyFu is a tool for marketers to conduct competitor analysis. If you type a domain into the SpyFu search bar, you’ll be able to see their most popular pages and a complete list of the ads they’ve run on Google. SpyFu simplifies the task of examining how other businesses in your industry use copywriting to produce great ads and web content. The tool has other features as well. It helps with building backlinks, performing keyword research, doing rank tracking, comparing domains and conducting SERP analysis. 

Pricing –  Their paid plan starts at $33 per month for annual billing. 

Buckle up to become the best copywriter in town!

This is the end of our copywriting guide. You would agree that it is the best time to get into copywriting currently. Businesses are increasingly getting aware of the importance of good copy, and opportunities are on the rise. Whether you’re just starting as a freelancer wanting to build a copywriting career or looking for a new position in-house, this industry has many jobs to offer, including content marketing, content writing, email marketing, blog post and social media post creator, and much more. 

Copywriting can indeed get you a high income. But if you want to get hired, you must know how to curate a compelling sales copy. 

We hope this ultimate guide on “What is copywriting“ has provided an overview of everything you must know about the field, from copywriting definition and copywriting examples to its most effective strategies.

And remember: when it comes down to it, copywriting isn’t about tricks or gimmicks. It’s about telling stories that help businesses sell their products and services while being honest with your audience. That’s the mantra for copywriting for sales.

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