The Most Important Factors in Writing Copy

If you want to make sure your sales copy will work, consider these benchmarks to insure your message is persuasive and to the point. These are an important part of the process I and other professional copywriters use and you might want to do the same.

Attention-getting headline and supporting lead-in

Studies have shown that 80% of the impact and success of just about any type of ad is contingent on the effectiveness of 20% of the wording. And that 20% consists of the headline and lead-in or opening equivalent. When you think about it, doesn’t this make perfect sense? The headline is the “ad for the ad” and the lead-in is the confirmation that whatever you promised in the headline will be delivered.

Therefore, it’s imperative that you spend enough time on developing a good headline and lead-in. Give yourself (or your copywriter) two deadlines: One for the headline and lead-in, and one for the rest of the piece.

When you or your copywriter has crafted the best headline and lead-in, it’s time for a little subjective testing. Separately show your headline and lead-in to at least four unrelated people and ask them to grade your work on a scale of 1 to 4, with 4 being the best. Here’s what you want to know:

1. If you had the problem addressed by the headline, would it get your attention and cause you to read the lead-in?

2. After you read the lead-in, would you want to know more?

If you don’t get at least a 3 from everyone on both questions, get some constructive suggestions. Ask what they thought they’d read after the headline (as opposed to what they did read). Ask them why they would read further after the lead-in.

This exercise is important because copywriters are only human and as such they have their own life experiences to guide them. Sometimes a copywriter will write from his own perspective rather than from the point of view of a qualified prospect. It’s always a good idea to get a subjective read from third parties to validate the direction of a promotion before you invest a lot of time and money in it.

Reasons To Believe

Once you’ve decided on the headline and lead-in, it’s time to credentialize the benefit claims you made. This is known as “proof.” In other words, you or your copywriter must now prove to the audience that you will deliver on your promises.

Ideally, it’s best to make one strong promise and then support it with as much substance as you can, However, this is not always possible because often you can’t know for sure what benefit is the most important until you do a little testing. Studies have shown that people will get confused if you discuss more than three benefits up front. So keep your benefits to one to three.

Now make sure that each benefit is supported by at least three types of proof. These could be based on research, testing, personal or customer experience, etc. The more specific and quantifiable your proof statements are, the better they will be believed.

Call to Action

The final portion of your promotion should be to ask people to do something. This is your call to action. Many top copywriters create their call to action first, and then they write their headline, lead-in and the rest of the ad. Think of the call to action as a destination and the rest of the copy as the journey. You must know where you’re going if you want to plan the best route to get there. It’s the same with advertising.

Your call to action should be specific: “Call Now!” “Visit our Website Now!” “Come in Today!” And if all possible you should create a sense of urgency by adding a “kicker.” “Call in the next 24 hours and get a free bonus of X, a $Y value.”

Take a look at the last advertising piece you or your copywriter created, and then use the three benchmarks above to help you get the most from your efforts.

For assistance with copywriting and marketing strategy that can help you reach your goals contact Ben Edwards today at 617-670-1888, ext. 1. Ben uses a proven system that guarantees more effective advertising copy.