Some are live workshops, others are e-courses, some focus strictly on one type of copywriting leaving all others by wayside, some are correspondence courses while others are downloadable. But because they all appear in response to query "copywriting course," they all have potential to take sales away. Even if your site falls into coveted #1 position, others on page could potentially grab some of your sales.

So how do you get surfers to click on your site's listing? Your title and description have to be first rate.

If your copywriting course has a specialty (sales letters, search engines, catalogs, etc.) say so. Choose most powerful benefit and a way to set yourself apart (your USP) and use those in tags for your search results along with your keyphrases. Simply having keywords in your title and description might get you ranked with engine but it sure won't entice anybody to click to your site.

Other Options

There are options and substitutes for practically everything in world. If people don't want to pay for a computer and Internet access so they can send email, they can write letters or call their friends and family. If customers decide cost of groceries is out of control, they can plant a garden and eat a vegetarian diet. There are even alternatives to cars: taking a cab (as most do in New York), bicycling (very popular in London) or walking (great exercise). All of these alternatives can be competition for you.

To overcome pull of other options, when you write copy be sure emphasize why those other options really aren't viable. The sheer act of writing letters takes time in and of itself. Then you have to mail letter and wait. If person wants to respond, they have to get motivated enough to sit down and write a reply and mail it. Then you wait again. The phone? Yes, people could use phone to talk like they always have, but what about when you want to show person you're talking with something? A picture of your new grandchild or your new car can't be shown over phone. You get idea.

Drop egotistical viewpoint that you have no competition and take a good, hard look around. Once you've realized that there is always an alternative to buying what you offer, you'll be in a better mindset to write copy that outlines why yours is only option prospect should consider.

Tired of endlessly searching the ‘Net in hopes of finding the latest copywriting techniques? Need an up-to-date directory filled with the best ways to learn copywriting? Visit http://www.learn-copywriting.com today for the widest collection of the most popular copywriting resources available.

- boosts immunity

Notice that each bullet follows same format: action verb, object of verb. To stray from this format is to do a disservice to bullet. Paralellism also works in a sequence separated by commas. “I like pie, I like cake, and I like pudding.” Another example: “She enjoys climbing, hiking, and fishing.” The incorrect version of this sentence: “She enjoys climbing, hiking, and to fish.”

Avoid wordiness. Eliminate following words and phrases from your vocabulary, and feel better about yourself: very, unique, being that, utilize/utilization, a lot, needless to say, it goes without saying, in back of, without a doubt, at some point in time, as to whether, it seems to me, oddly enough. They’re just filler, and they’re in same category as their credibility-stealing cousins redundancy, double negative, and passive voice.

Go easy on prepositional phrases. “The girl who was sitting on porch of house that was up on hill, felt breeze as it was gently blowing through her hair.” Eegads, what a mouthful! Correct this problem by breaking up your ideas into separate sentences. "The house stood atop hill, and as girl sat on porch she felt breeze blowing through her hair."

Use adjectives sparingly. “What? But my English teacher taught me...” Forget about what your teacher said. You’re running with big dogs now. Which is more interesting? “The boy skipped happily and grinned openly,” or “The boy skipped down hill, a grin playing about his face.” Don’t repeat words. I repeat: don’t repeat words.

Avoid hyphenating words that shouldn’t be hyphenated. What is this new trend that’s sweeping nation? “Put-on your coat.” “Please check-in before 9 pm.” Hyphens are used to join two words that, when used in conjunction, take on another word form. “Put on your coat” doesn’t require a hyphen because you can also say “Put your coat on.” ‘Check-in’ would require a hyphen if sentence read like this: “Check-in is at 9 pm.” This is because check and in work together here as a noun. Hyphenation is tricky, I admit; even as a grammarian I must consult my styleguide from time to time. I suggest you do same.

For Love of God, SPELLCHECK! Enough said.

Don’t over-exclaim or use excess punctuation marks in formal writing or advertising. And for God’s sake please don’t slip emoticons in to help you convey a feeling. That’s what vast English vocabulary is for. When people see you dropping exclam-bombs everywhere, they’ll think you’re cheap, tawdry and lacking design capabilities. Remember, you can use big bold fonts to make certain buzzwords jump right off page.

Dashes – and – ellipses... are not acceptable ways to finesse a poorly constructed paragraph. There’s nothing wrong with having two separate sentences instead of one that’s broken up into sections. Dashes and ellipses are a copywriting crutch. I’m tempted by them just as much as next guy. It’s so easy to insert a little pause in my rambler of a run-on using those three cute little dots. The ellipse... I love it! But I must control myself. Make a simple statement, punctuate with finality, move on to next idea. Don’t underestimate power of period. We all need a break now and then!

Don’t be afraid to use contractions. More and more I come across emails written by people who are either too lazy to use contractions, or they are simply fooled into thinking it is going to make them look smart. What’s wrong with sentence I just wrote? Contractions such as it’s, I’m, we’re, you’re, they’re, couldn’t, wouldn’t didn’t, doesn’t, aren’t etc. are a way to sound conversational in writing. That’s how people talk. What if you were making a formal speech? If you eliminated all contractions, you’d sound pretty robotlike, wouldn’t you?

One space will do. Those who are behind writing times still type two spaces after an end punctuation mark. Modern word processing programs have eliminated need for this, as they can sense need for a skoche more room after periods, question marks and exclams. So as much as I applaud you for being fastidious in your space insertion, you can stop it right now. Do your clients a favor! They’re not doubling up on spaces in their websites, so when you submit writing for them, don’t you do it either. This article is lengthy, but every single sentence holds weight. Read, and heed these words! Don’t be an advertising amateur; if you really want to wow ‘em with your wordsmithing wizardry, memorize and hold true to writing rules outlined here. Above all: practice, practice, practice! Master these tactics, and you’re sure to establish yourself as a writer with valuable insights, expert information and a powerful message to world. And a writer like that gets taken seriously.

Copyright 2005 Dina Giolitto. All rights reserved.