Copywriting is nothing but Persuasion in Print.  To be a great copywriter, you need to constantly practice and work on your craft.

If you wish to get into advertising, you should definitely start working on copywriting from day one itself.

In order to improve your copywriting skills, here are 8 tips you should keep in mind.

RESEARCH LIKE YOU DO YOUR DISHES, CLEAN & SHINY

The best copywriters are the most tenacious researchers. Like miners, they dig, drill, dynamite, and chip until they have carloads of valuable ore. – Legendary copywriter Gary Bencivenga

WRITE A THOUGHT-PROVOKING HEADLINE.

Your content may be great, but if it does not catch the attention of the reader what is the whole point?

A good & catchy headline can grab one’s attention and all you need is a person’s attention.

If you cannot write a good headline, write the body copy first and then go back to working on your headline.

THE RIGHT WORDS, IN THE RIGHT CONTEXT

Context is a spoken or written statement that introduces or follows a specific word or passage.

It is a situation that surrounds an event that explains a circumstance. How will you understand the second paragraph of a chapter if you do not read the first paragraph? 

The context needs to be intact so that readers understand the next line and are able to relate to the topic

MAKE IT ABOUT YOUR AUDIENCE – WRITE WITH YOUR CUSTOMER IN MIND.

Always treat your audience with respect. Do not put them off by talking down to them or by being condescending

Ensure your copy is reflective of this. After all, you need them more than they need you when trying to close a sale.

Do not address your readers as a group. Pretend you are writing only for one person at a time. YOU is the keyword here.

WRITE OFTEN. EVERY DAY IF POSSIBLE.

Writing is like learning to play an instrument. They both require disciplined & dedicated practice. Like exercising your fingers when you play the Guitar or the Piano.

Research & learning can only get you so far. Eventually, you have to sit down and write, and the more often you do that, the better you will get at it.

“Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.” – John Steinbeck

SIMPLIFY YOUR CONTENT FOR A BETTER READER EXPERIENCE

When you write in plain language, your target audience can easily read, understand and take action the first time they read your content.

Writing plainly erases vagueness. You save your readers a lot of time and effort, which means your customer support team spends less time clarifying confusing content

Use words people would say out loud.

Try words like “use” instead of “utilize,” “about” instead of “approximately” and “try” instead of “attempt.”

Rely On Visuals

Gone are the days of text-heavy pages with dense paragraphs and wordy explanations. Today, leading brands subscribe to the theory that a picture is worth a thousand words. 

ASK QUESTIONS – SOLVE PROBLEMS AND CREATE/ PROVIDE VALUE

Questions are quite magical — they interact with our brain in an entirely different way than statements. They engage us & get people to do things we want them to do.

As a writer, your most important responsibility is to capture & keep the attention of your readers. That is why it is important to vary the length of your sentences, so you keep it interesting & easy to read.

USE A POWERFUL CALL-TO-ACTION

Make it irresistible by using clever call-to-action that inspires a reader to react. Powerful words, affirmative statements or questions, and subtle closing lines are all necessary for great copywriting.

Here are some examples of clever call to action options.

1.) Netflix – Call to action button – Join free for a month

Netflix uses persuasive text to guide you to their free trial. They let you know how convenient their product is with the ability to watch anywhere as well as the ability to cancel if you are not satisfied.

2.) Ikea

Pop-up Call to Actions are more in-your-face way to get visitors to convert. They normally lead to newsletter sign-ups, downloads, or blog subscribe forms like IKEA does here.

3.) Uber- CTA Buttons: Sign up to drive | Start riding with Uber

Uber’s looking for two, very distinct types of people to sign up on their website: riders and drivers. Both personas are looking for very different things, and yet, the website ties them together really well.

4. Instagram – CTA Buttons: Download on the App Store | Get it on Google Play

Since Instagram is a mobile app, you will see two black Call to Actions of equal size: one to download Instagram on Apple’s Store, and another to download it on Google Play.

The reason these Call to Actions are of equal caliber is that it doesn’t matter if someone downloads the app in the App Store or on Google Play. A download is a download.

CONCLUSION

Copywriting is a skill that can take you a long way in the advertising world. 

The good news, however, is that there is a huge resource of copywriting tips available online.

Just keep practicing and follow these tips and you will definitely see a huge improvement.