Some Copy Tips From An Old Hand

I have been in the ad game for a long, long time. I have trained hundreds of writers, and I've been responsible for moving of millions £ & $ in product worldwide. Here are just a few tips that I hope will help you do a better job, and make a bigger name for yourself.

One.

Whatever copy job you are working on ? brochure, mailer, sales letter, press ad, website ? always include a headline. A pertinent headline. A selling headline.

This headline will be, or should be, powerful enough or intriguing enough to draw your target into the compass of the body copy. If it can do that, you are on a winner.

To put it simply, your headline should be a snapshot of your sales message ? a précis of your offer or promise. In other words, a headline that says: Buy this product and get this benefit.

Two.

Always remember, people don't buy products, they buy the benefits of owning those products. A man doesn't buy a sportscar because it is precision engineered or aesthetically designed. He buys it because of the ego-boost it gives him. It shows the world that he has made it.

Likewise, a woman doesn't by a cocktail dress by Camille of Paris simply because of the cut or the exquisite stitching. She buys it for the cachet that is attached to the label. She would probably look as good in a dress from a High Street department store, but she wouldn't feel as good. And that's the benefit.

Three.

Around 30% of all copy headlines are both useless and irrelevant. The worst of them often take the form of puns or are re-workings of current film titles or song titles. Puns are fine if they are appropriate, which they seldom are. And the writer who tries to demonstrate how cool he is by working his product message into a film or song title is usually doing a lot for the sales of movie tickets and CDs, but very little for his client.

The moral is this. State your sales proposition cleverly, wittily, stridently or emotively, but never ever employ a device simply because it's the easy thing to do. If you can't be original, at least be positive.

Four.

If it doesn't quack, it ain't a duck. And if your copy doesn't make some kind of selling proposition, it isn't advertising ? it's an announcement. So many writers these days fail to understand that copy is nothing more than salesmanship in print. They play with words for the sake of playing with words. They lose sight of the fact that they should be trying to sell something. Thus, copy must use the psychology of the salesman; and it must say, right up front: Here's what's in it for you.

Five.

Always be a little circumspect about experts who try to tell you how to write better copy. And that includes me.

Patrick Quinn is a copywriter, with 40 years' experience of the advertising business in London, Miami, Dublin and Edinburgh.

Over the years, he has helped win for his clients just about every advertising award worth winning.

His published books include:

The Secrets of Successful Copywriting The Secrets of Successful Low Budget Advertising The Secrets of Successful Exhibitions Word Power 1-2 & 3 He also publishes AdBriefing, a free on-line newsletter. http://www.adbriefing.com

---

Custom Writing Services: Market Overview

Market identification Custom writing services market is a sector of the e-commerce industry. Custom writing services are fee-based.Market size The precise size of custom writing services market... Read More

How To Write Direct Mail That Really, Really Works!

So, you have something you want to sell. It may be a product, a service, or a cause. It could be a membership, a subscription, or a... Read More

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... Read More

10 Eye Popping, Jaw Dropping Ad Copy Secrets

1. Use a hand written letter on your ad copy instead of text. Write the ad on a piece of paper, scan it and publish the ad... Read More

Want a Sticky Site That Sells? Forget Content!

An interesting debate is currently raging among copywriters, web designers and content developers about the differences, if any, between writing copy for the web versus writing content.According... Read More

When Panic Attacks Writers

If you write for a living, you deal with deadlines. Sometimes you will have several jobs on your plate at the same time.On top of that, your... Read More

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... Read More

A Copywriting Lesson from Dr. Seuss

Looking for inspiration for your next marketing communication? Try the children's bookshelf.Dr. Seuss has entertained young (and old) audiences for nearly 50 years with titles such as... Read More

Sticky Homepage Copy in 30 Seconds

Yes indeed, that's all you've got, 30 seconds to make your website visitors decide to stick around...The internet has changed how we think about the customer, the... Read More

Its Time To Start That Swipe File

Just as great fiction is an art, so is great copywriting. Beneath the art, however, there's a foundation of basic knowledge and skills. The craft that goes... Read More

19 Secrets to Making Your Ad Copy More Effective

The sales letter is the key; the sales letter is the key - echoes through the Internet marketing mountains.Ad copy, sales copy, sales letter, copywriting or whatever... Read More

Writing Effective Sales Copy

Whether you run a home-based business or Microsoft, one thing is always true: products do not sell themselves. So what makes customers buy? Words.Marketing gurus learned long... Read More

Direct Mail Sales Letters Flow Better With Subheads

A subscriber to my newsletter asks: "Got any good pointers on writing great sub-heads?" Yes, I do. Here they are.Use subheads to draw attention to your copy... Read More

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. But, there is often a large lack... Read More

Content is King

IntroductionA pencil. Yes, a pencil. In my opinion, every great idea has started with a pencil. Sure, lots stay in someone's head, but to me a great... Read More