Google

5 Ways to Instantly Improve Your Copy


1. Isolation technique

It doesn't matter how good your copy is if they don't read it. Put blinders on and read each line (including the headlines and subheads) as if they exist in total isolation. Ask yourself if it makes sense on its own. For example, I was looking through Esquire Magazine and saw an article on a celebrity. The headline was "That Voice." Does that headline compel you to read on? It didn't do it for me. A mistake many copywriters make is to write too cleverly, insisting that "if you only read the rest of the copy, you will understand my masterful headline." Uh - wrong. Make it clear enough to stand on its own.

2. Hire child labor

It's okay if little Johnny isn't old enough to vote. If he's old enough to read, he has the potential to work under you as a mini entrepreneur. Here's what you do. Find a child between 8 and 12 years old (much younger or older and this trick won't work). Have him or her read your copy out loud. Every time little Mary stumbles or doesn't know a word, pay her a buck. If the prospect has to think about what a word means, you risk taking him or her out of the "reader's trance" and losing the prospect forever. Use short words and sentences and you'll save a lot of money with this test.

3. Show it happening NOW

Use active voice rather than passive. In other words, make your subject do things rather than have things done to him or her. The copy reads more dynamically that way.

Example of passive:

"Over 500 qualified prospects were sent an invitation to the meeting."

Example of active:

"We sent out over 500 invitations to qualified prospects."

4. Get headlines and subheads to work harder

Sometimes you only need to change a word or two to vastly increase your conversion rate (the number of online visitors who convert to buyers).

I've seldom seen one that couldn't be tweaked for more impact.

Example,

"Put music in your life"

Versus

"Puts music in your life"

Simply adding the "s" increased conversion over 400%. Do the isolation technique on those heads and subheads. Then ask yourself after each one, "So what?" If it makes you want to read further, good. You're on the right track.

5. Add lists

Some of the most highly read parts of any copy are the bullets or numbered lists. They are bite-sized and easy to understand with one quick glance. (Whether online or offline). So make it easier on your prospect by spoon feeding him or her Here's a tip. Be put your strongest bullet first and last. When a prospect scans, those are the two most thoroughly read positions. the information. Hey, you're reading one now!

Special Requirements for Reprint: we ask only that you include Lorrie's name and resource box, and keep all hyperlinks as live links.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

World class copywriter, Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero of Red Hot Copy educates entrepreneurs in the art of increasing sales with powerful copy. She has been interviewed by the Christian Science Monitor, Studio City Sun and many national radio stations. Get f*ree copywriting tips from her weekly ezine http://www.red-hot-copy.com/ezine.htm.

MORE RESOURCES:

RELATED ARTICLES

Web Copy - How Much is Enough?
These days, there's widespread acceptance that a website is an integral part of the marketing plan of any business. Likewise, it's commonly accepted that web copy is a vital component of any website.
How To Become A Freelance Copywriter In New York
As a freelance copywriter in New York, your work is never done.What?Do you mean to say that it is hard to find regular freelance writing jobs, even here in New York City?For those looking to succeed, employment is hard to find only because we lack the knowledge of where to find the work we want.
How Not to Write a Press Release
Several years ago, when I was working for an agency, I was fired from an account. What that means is the client didn't want me writing for him anymore.
Internet Marketing 102: Copy What Works
Internet Marketing- Forget the experts, latest software program or even that book that someone is selling to get on the "best seller list" and the 200 free ebooks they are offering you. Here is what REALLY works, and it's something that you learned in kindergarden.
How You Can Find Freelance Children's Writing Positions That Will Last
Freelance children's writing positions are always advertised. Rather, the schooling to learn how to write for these jobs is advertised.
7 Powerful Sales Copy Writing Techniques!
Your sales letter is the most important component in your web site or marketing campaign. It will introduces your products or services to your visitors and how people react (buy, bookmark, leave) is 80% entirely depends on your sales letter.
Copywriting 101: Exclamation Point, Friend or Foe?
My name is Ann and I'm a grammar geek. There, it's out and I'm relieved.
Copywriting Secrets Of Indias Mystics
Hi everyone,Been ruminating on this one for a little while now but it's probably one of the most profound discoveries of my life. It all began with a little book about music and it's had such a deep influence on my copywriting and small business, indeed my whole outlook on life, I'd like to share it with you all now.
Writing for People and Search Engines
Writing for the search engines is much different than writing in any other medium. Search engines are finicky, but they love text, so you're talking their language.
Copywriting: Engage Prospects By Involving Their Senses
Imagine a bland, colorless existence. Where food had no taste, silence surrounded you and everything smelled the same.
Designing for a Non-English Audience
Having worked as a digital publishing specialist at a large corporation at my previous job, I did not think being in charge of foreign language typesetting would be too difficult. After all, the layout and the images are already prepared and I only need to flow in the text - how hard could that be? I was sure that a simple Copy and Paste, or text importation, would do everything.
The Five Rules Of Influential Web Writing
Building a professional reputation requires a campaign founded on your words: the positions you endorse, the motions you advocate, the accuracy of your vision. Writing for the Web can either establish your expert credibility or destroy it.
Your USP is Useless
One of the keys to writing good marketing copy is to differentiate your product or service from the competition with an effective selling point. And it is on precisely this element that many otherwise competent writers flounder and flop - and so does their copy.
How to Build Benefits from Features Fast and Easy with the Solution Approach
Every salesperson and fledgling copywriter hears the harangue: DON'T SELL the FEATURES of a product - SELL the BENEFITS those features bring!!!The concept's important but it confuses a lot of people. Many sellers don't understand how to build a benefit from a feature.
10 Tips for Writing Web Copy
One of the most important aspects of a website today is the webcopy - sometimes called the sales letter.In days gone bye, banners and graphics were all important but now it's the words that do the selling.
Boost Your Conversion Rate In Three Steps
When I critique, edit or rewrite sales copy, I discover that many clients commit common errors. Granted, not all of them are writers.
Real Estate Professionals Need You to Write for Them!
Ask yourself these questions:Are you an experienced writer?Do you want to stay at home to write?Do you want to work for yourself?Do you learn new things quickly?Are you interested in a broad number of subjects?Do you feel like you're being pigeonholed with your current writing and you want to branch out?Do you have a flair for marketing?If you answered "yes" to any of these questions - or even better - several, you may have found a new career!It's more important than ever for real estate professionals to market themselves legally considering the laws regarding email and telephone sales seem to change daily - depending on which court is hearing the case. Many experts speculate though that eventually some sort of anti-telemarketing law will be enforced and while it's much more difficult to regulate email, it's still being made more and more difficult to use this form of marketing and sales.
So Youve Decided to Hire a Freelance Copywriter - A Guide to the Collaboration Process
Whether you're an executive or a small business owner, chances are you will have to hire a writer somewhere along the line to create your marketing material. Here is some insight into the process, what is expected of you, and how to get the most out of your investment.
What A Ghostwriter Needs To Do To Earn Top Dollar
The huge demand for writers online is really for ghostwriters. A vast majority of the available online writing jobs for an online writer are for ghost writing projects.
Advice From Successful Freelancers: Starting & Maintaining A Freelancer Career
For the e-book, Advice from Successful Freelancers: How They Built Their Careers & How You Can Too!, I asked ten questions of freelancers who were living their dream life. Following are some of their answers.