Search on Google and you’ll find hundreds of thousands of pages devoted to copywriting secrets, tips, tricks, and techniques.
Go through them all and you might get the impression anyone can become a great copywriter … just by using a few of these “killer techniques!”
Like painting by numbers. But with words and phrases.
Nice idea. But no.
While these techniques can definitely help your copy, they don’t deliver the easy wins some people hope for … They won’t turn dirt into gold.
In fact, there are times when you should either not use them at all or, if you do, use them with care.
Let’s go through four of these techniques, one by one.
Killer Technique #1: Close more sales by creating a sense of urgency
Instilling a sense of urgency is helpful because people love to procrastinate, and generally wait as long as possible before making up their minds.
Give those people a deadline and a decent proportion of them will get off the fence and buy.
But you have to be careful how you do this.
For example:
Recently, I was helping a fellow copywriter with the draft of an email she had written for a local lawn care company.
The offer was that the company would come and “put the garden to bed” before the onset of winter. Yard cleanup, some pruning, mulching, and so on.
Toward the end of the email, she wrote:
“Offer ends midnight on Friday, so call us NOW for your FREE appointment!”
Fair enough. But …
This is a local business. The homeowner may have met the person who sent the email. Their kids may go to the same school.
All of a sudden, that clever direct-response urgency sounds off. It doesn’t feel right. Neighbors don’t talk to each other like that.
She might have done better by writing something more along the lines of:
“By the way — winter is coming, and soon we’ll have our first hard frost. After that, it will be too late to put your garden to bed. So please call us soon to make that appointment.”
Urgency … but real urgency, based on the changing seasons.
Not made-up blah blah blah.
When using urgency as a technique to close a sale, make it fit the tone, voice, and context of the rest of your message.
Killer Technique #2: Grab people’s attention with bullet points
As copywriters, we do like to sing the praises of bullet points.
And, yes, they can be useful. Really useful.
They give us an eye-catching and punchy way to deliver a sequence of points.
And when you have a list of things to share, bullet points are much more reader-friendly than a long, meandering sentence with lots of commas.
But lists of bullet points can backfire in certain types of copywriting too.
This happens when they look and feel like … um … lists.
Because, almost by definition, lists are boring.
Shopping lists. To-do lists.
In the words of the late, great copywriter, David Abbott:
“If you believe that facts persuade (as I do), you’d better learn to write a list so that it doesn’t read like a list.”
Great advice.
For myself, when a series of bullet points begins to feel like a list, my eyeballs free fall to just past the final bullet, without reading a single word along the way.
Which kind of defeats the purpose of bullet points.
Killer Technique #3: Tap into the power of asking questions
Do it right, and asking questions is another great way to engage with your readers.
But I see a lot of copywriters get this wrong, for one of two reasons.
- They think they know how people will answer the question. But they don’t.
- They ask a closed question and not an open-ended question.
Let me explain.
First up … not knowing the answer.
Let’s start with this headline:
“Nothing beats relaxing on the beach at an all-inclusive resort, right?”
You want and expect me to say “yes.”
But I won’t.
Because I hate resort vacations. Can’t stand them.
When you open with that question, you’ve lost me. I’ll stop reading immediately.
When you use questions, you need to be super-confident that 99 percent of your true prospects are going to answer in the way you expect them to.
The other problem with that question is that it’s closed. The answer is “yes” or “no.” Which means that even if I say “yes,” you’ve given me very little incentive to keep reading.
Perhaps your headline should have been more like:
“Which of these 5 Caribbean water sports would you try first?”
That’s an open-ended question — and doesn’t even mention resorts — so maybe I’ll keep reading to find out which water sports you’re talking about.
And who knows … if I like a few of them, maybe I’ll change my mind about hating resort vacations!
An open-ended question is an example of an open loop. (Also known as the Zeigarnik effect, named after the Russian psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik.)
Open loops stimulate the brain’s natural desire for completion.
Whether in the form of a question or a statement … when the story or promise is incomplete, the brain wants to fill in the gaps and find the answer.
In other words, if you want your readers to engage more deeply with what you’re writing, give them an open loop to chew on.
And that’s exactly what an open-ended question can do for you.
Just be sure to pose a question that’s going to work for pretty much every reader, and keep it open-ended.
Killer Technique #4: Connect with your readers by using conversational language
I totally agree with this. In fact, I devote a lot of my time to promoting conversational copywriting.
But a lot of people get it wrong.
They equate conversational with being chatty and overfamiliar.
Conversational language is incredibly engaging and disarming. It makes the reader feel included, and safe.
Chatty and overfamiliar? Not so much.
Each week, I receive a few emails that open with a salutation like: “Hey, Nick …”
Like we’re best buds. But we’re not. We’re strangers.
Then they slip into outright BS, like:
“I was thinking about you this morning. I know you’re interested in the UltraCool Academy, but you haven’t signed up yet.”
No, you weren’t thinking of me. That’s a lie. It’s all automated. I’m stuck in your sales funnel.
There’s a ton of copy like this out there. It sounds conversational, but it isn’t.
Conversational copy is open, honest, and transparent.
This chatty, pretend stuff is the opposite.
Use your tips and tricks with care
Tips and tricks don’t replace good copywriting. They augment it.
You still need to put in the hard work of crafting great copy.
Grab your readers’ attention, draw them in, engage their interest and motivate them to act.
If you add a few tricks and techniques to add some extra power to your copy … do it carefully, and seamlessly.
Don’t be like that local lawn care company, switching from neighborly language to full-on direct-response shouting.
Copywriting “secrets” work at their best when they are invisible to the reader.
First write some great copy, and then see how you can use one or more of these techniques to make it even stronger.
Reader Comments (20)
As a new copywriter I appreciate learning some of the nuance of these techniques. I read this article a couple times to let Nick’s expert insights sink in. Thank you!
You’re very welcome. And if you’re just starting out, this is the perfect time to learn not only the techniques, but also how to avoid misusing them. : )
Nick, I never knew how to describe conversational copy that missed the mark. Chatty and over familiar are perfect.
Thanks for the tips
You’re welcome. Another way to describe it is the “pretend friend” approach.
Awesome post, Nick! I have seen abuse of these techniques as well. I think part of the problem is that writers often forget about their readers. It becomes all about the message, not about the audience. We need to think more about how we would feel if we were the recipient of messages that shout, or that lack authenticity. I bet we would change our writing if we did. Thanks for the reminder to consider how we’re using these techniques, in order to make them more effective!
Great feedback. Thanks! One simple test is to read your copy out loud. Does it sound like something you’d say to someone, face to face? If not, it’s time to try again. : )
IMHO, I think that most of us new to copywriting are still learning the best approaches and best practices to take when writing copy and content. I think that it takes practice, hard work and experience to get it right. Just my two cents here. 🙂
Agreed. the best copy is always the result of hard work. And while you’re learning various techniques, just be aware of the negatives that can come with them.
#1 is the ultimate wake up call for bloggers; you see what you’re doing from scarcity, and what you’re doing from abundance. I avoid time deadlines. I do not want to scare someone into a sale or to use fear to manipulate. More detached dude I am, saying folks can buy if they want, whenever. I don’t fear missing out on a sale which is the only reason you’d scare someone into a sale. Mirror effect. Super post Nick.
Glad you liked the post. I think urgency and scarcity messages can be ok, so long as writers don’t use them as blunt instruments. Also, when deadlines are credible and real… that’s much better than when they are simply made up for the purposes of the promotion.
Ah yes, the old “treat people like they’re stupid” trick. Amazing how rarely that works, isn’t it? (Be sure to answer “yes.”) I love reading your stuff, best bud Nick.
I appreciate the feedback… best bud Michael. : )
Great tips. Simple. Clear. Effective. Thanks!
You’re welcome!
Thank you, Nick. I really enjoyed the post. These are all great guidelines to have in mind when we are writing. Adding interest and variety with well thought out questions and lists draws readers in. Avoiding the “chatty and overfamiliar” tone and the high-pressure close are important to avoid turning readers off. It’s always important to treat your audience as the intelligent people they are and to respect their time and attention.
Great summary! Thanks Lee. : )
The common thread when using these techniques the wrong way is being focused on yourself/message instead of your reader’s needs and interests. Like Nick said, write great copy first, then consider using the techniques…you don’t have to use them.
Thanks Yolanda. I’m not against the techniques… I use them myself. Just use them in the service of a great message, not as a replacement for a great message.
Nick,
Your post made my day! 😉 I will check out your guide and manifesto on conversational copywriting.
As a former purchaser, I am bit “allergic” to the pushy tactics that are used by some copywriters and marketers on the Internet.
Best Premises,
Martin Lindeskog
Great post, Nick! This was my favorite part: “Copywriting ‘secrets’ work at their best when they are invisible to the reader.” Sage advice. Thank you for sharing!
This article's comments are closed.