Copywriting that Sells

Written by Amrit Hallan


The first thing I learnt after writing my first copy was – it all boils down to how much your copy sells. No matter how good it is, no matter if it beats Hemingway and Dickens inrepparttar efficient employment of language, if it does not sell, it is worthless.

Whenever you sit down to work on a new copy or edit an old one, just keep one thing in mind: how you can deliver “the message” in minimum words. Remember that literature written forrepparttar 108200 sake of promoting a product or a service needs to be succinct and direct, and above all, understandable. The average reader of your literature is a person who is in a hurry. He/she is bombarded with similar messages already (and he/she might be cynical).

Keeprepparttar 108201 end result in mind and createrepparttar 108202 copy around that. Relinquish your inherent proclivities and biases, and just focus onrepparttar 108203 message. Presentrepparttar 108204 copy in a way that it is highly informative, convincing, and compelling. Before sitting down to write, think of your target readership. Are they children? Are they housewives? Are they teenagers? Are they hardcore technocrats and scientists? Formulate your language and presentation according to that.

A method I find useful is, make a list of allrepparttar 108205 words that can be associated withrepparttar 108206 current copywriting project. It is fun, and it helps you create supersets, sets and subsets of your project.

I have seen many copies whererepparttar 108207 creative writers lose focus, get carried away with their “creativity”, and end up creating a message that can win accolades as a piece of art, but makes no sale forrepparttar 108208 client. The way you present your message should not dominaterepparttar 108209 actual message. Your writing style should not impederepparttar 108210 actual message and end up creating a distraction.

I myself am a writer. It is often extremely hard to resistrepparttar 108211 temptation of sprinklingrepparttar 108212 powder of my style onrepparttar 108213 copy, but I have to resist it forrepparttar 108214 sake ofrepparttar 108215 message (and my income). I have learnt to become detached. I keep telling myself: it’s just a copy for my client for which I’m getting paid, and it is not a piece of literature that I’m creating to furtherrepparttar 108216 cause of my art.

This isrepparttar 108217 age of information. I don’t know if it is true or not, it used to take an entire life-time inrepparttar 108218 eighteenth century to processrepparttar 108219 amount of information we process in a single day. With so much information (most of it is junk, byrepparttar 108220 way) around, it becomes difficult both forrepparttar 108221 reader andrepparttar 108222 writer to pinpointrepparttar 108223 right tone and pitch. With so much fraud around, it becomes difficult to establish credibility.

Copywriting for the Non-English-Speaking Audience

Written by Amrit Hallan


The power ofrepparttar Internet lies in its global pervasiveness. It is practically everywhere. People of all languages accessrepparttar 108199 Net from all overrepparttar 108200 globe. Just think of it as an infinite vastness for your business and marketing possibilities. Your marketing potential is directly proportional torepparttar 108201 number of people who can understand your message.

Keeprepparttar 108202 following points in your mind while writingrepparttar 108203 copy for a non-English-speaking audience:

==> SHORTER SENTENCES <==

Keep your sentences short. Keeprepparttar 108204 language simple. Don’t use phrases that depend onrepparttar 108205 previous knowledge of English, such as “leapfrogging”.

==> AVOID COMPLICATED WORDS <==

Heavy or slangish words intimidate people who do not speak much English. Ifrepparttar 108206 language becomes hard to understand, it drawsrepparttar 108207 attention away fromrepparttar 108208 intended message. Use words that are very common and require no endeavor onrepparttar 108209 part ofrepparttar 108210 reader. But don’t use them in a way that people who have sufficient knowledge of English end up feeling offended. Be simple, sound natural, but do not condescend.

==> USE LOCAL EXAMPLES <==

Regional nuances play an important part in brand awareness. Try to stir up feelings intrinsic torepparttar 108211 local populace. For instance, if you are preparing a copy forrepparttar 108212 Chinese audience, use some Chinese anecdote while explaining something. I remember when Pepsi came to India they tried to associate themselves with many local products and occasions. Most of their products couldn’t compete withrepparttar 108213 local brands (withrepparttar 108214 exception ofrepparttar 108215 soft-drink), butrepparttar 108216 localization surely helped. The same happens with your copy.

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