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RssExpert tips for writing great letters, ads, brochures and more without professional help
By Kim T. Gordon
Do you consider yourself a great writer? If you're like most business owners, writing anything–from a brochure to a newspaper ad–probably isn't your strong suit. That's why "copywriting" is often left to professionals. But what happens when you need to create your own sales letter, online ad or marketing postcard without the help of a copywriter? Or suppose you're not flush with funds to hire outside help?
Here are some tricks of the trade to get you through basic wordsmithing. Put these five writing tips to work and watch your responses increase.
- Write one-to-one.
Even a magazine ad that reaches millions of readers is seen by only one person at a time. People read marketing copy as individuals, not as a group. One of the most common mistakes newbie writers make is to write as though they're presenting their "pitch" to a room full of prospects. Instead, imagine you're sitting at a table directly across from your best prospect, looking him in the eye and discussing how you'll meet his individual needs. To increase your marketing response rates, address your prospects on a personal level, as if you were having a one-on-one conversation. - Make your message "outer-directed."
Unless you're writing a letter to your mother, never write all about yourself. It's a clear sign of an inexperienced copywriter when marketing materials such as sales letters, company brochures and direct mail are written predominantly about what "we offer," instead of what "you'll get." As you write your materials, make a practice of changing most of the sentences that use the words "our" and "we," to revolve around the words "you" and "your." Outer-directed language has much greater appeal. For example, you'd change "We provide on-call 24-hour service," to "You'll get reliable, on-call service 24 hours a day." See the difference?
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