Are you committing copywriting sins?
A copywriting sin = ignoring proven copywriting principles.
Perhaps, the biggest reason why copywriters miss the mark is because they don’t include tried and true principles of copywriting in their writing.
The easiest and safest way to write knockout copy is to learn, study and APPLY battle-tested copywriting principles that were discovered (and perfected) by the masters before us.
When you stick to proven copywriting principles …
You will effortlessly write persuasive copy that gets read, “clicked”, and opens wallets.
Plus, it will be much easier to write with confidence and score eye-opening results for your clients.
In this blog post…
I’m going to explain what a copywriting principle is, why it’s important to your success and the 5 main copywriting principles every copywriter must apply to their writing.
What are Copywriting Principles?
“A principle is a fundamental truth, concept, or guideline that serves as the foundation for a system of beliefs or behavior.” – Webster’s Dictionary
Copywriting principles are time-tested “laws” of writing successful copy.
They are founded, perfected and taught by the godfathers of copywriting.
The pioneers of copywriting who have paved the way in this industry through hard work, testing and selling billions worth of products & services through their pen game.
Why Should You Use Copywriting Principles in Your Writing?
The best copywriters stuff their brains with copywriting principles and abide by them religiously in their writing.
As a direct result…
They have the power to charge sky-high fees, work for the best clients and command total control over their careers.
If you don’t follow copywriting principles, you are playing the game on DEATH MODE.
It will be an extremely lonely, confusing and broke journey.
Instead…
Use the principles of copywriting as your handy compass to guide you in the right direction and to jump over common challenges, avoid creativity dry spells and slip out of painful selling ruts.
The 5 Main Copywriting Principles to Use in Every Piece of copy you write
Copywriting Principle #1: The Only Goal of Copywriting
It’s not to get applause, sound clever, make your readers laugh or even please your clients.
The SINGULAR goal of copywriting is to generate a response.
What kind of response?
99% of the time: sales or leads.
This usually unties beginner’s shoelaces and trips them up… but… good copywriting is NOT good writing.
It’s good salesmanship.
Copywriting is sales multiplied (instead of selling face-to-face to one person, you are selling online to thousands at a time).
The same principles that salesmen use to sell to prospects apply to copywriting.
These 5 copywriting principles were all founded by copywriters who understood this, studied salesmanship and figured out how to apply it to their writing.
Copywriting Principle #2: Write to Your Ideal Reader
This is probably the most important principle of copywriting.
Why?
Because everything you write must be aligned with what your ideal reader wants.
You are not writing to a crowd.
You are writing to one person (Your client’s ideal buyer.)
And to write effective copy that elicits a response, you must research your ideal reader like a madman.
Find out what they want, what problems they face, what they’re currently going through, what conversations are playing inside their mind… and… let all of this vital info guide every word that you write.
If you do, you will write copy that is engaging, interesting and persuasive to your IDEAL READER.
Copywriting Principle #3: Grab Your Reader’s Attention
After you know WHO you’re writing to and have done enough research, the first step to writing great copy is to write an attention-grabbing headline.
Listen good, my salty friend:
The ONLY job of your headline is to grab your ideal reader’s attention and get them to read your first sentence.
That’s it.
How do you achieve this?
There are hundreds (if not thousands) of headline techniques.
However…
Let’s make it simple.
Here are 5 of my favorite ways to write attention-grabbing headlines:
How-to Headline
The How-to headline offers your readers something they want and can get from you.
What is the biggest benefit of your product?
What does this main benefit DO for your readers?
What new life will they live now that they’ve gotten what they want most?
Once you figure this out…
Simply start your headline with the words “how to”… then… follow with the desired result.
Template:
How to [achieve desired result]
2 examples from successful ads:
- How to win friends and influence people
- How to launch your own business for under $1,000 and make $25,000-$50,000 a year!
The Curiosity Headline
Arousing your readers’ curiosity is an extremely effective way to grab their attention and drag their eyeballs to your next sentence.
4 idiot-proof ways to add curiosity to your headlines:
- Tell readers what NOT to do
- List common mistakes they’re probably making
- Give controversial solutions. (I.E. how to achieve desired result by doing something they think would not possibly work.)
- Reveal SECRETS (everyone loves secrets, they wrench on our curiosity)
2 examples:
- "The secret of making people like you"
- "What not to do on airplanes"
Question Headlines
Questions act like giant red stop signs to our eyes.
The next time you write a headline, ask a relevant question your readers would like to see answered.
Ask relevant questions related to what your reader is interested in.
Question headline examples:
- "Who else wants a screen star figure?"
- "Do you make these mistakes in English?"
Numbers Headline
Capture your reader’s attention by listing the number of benefits, mistakes to avoid, reasons why to act now, etc.
Begin your headline with numbers, like this:
- 10 ways to…
- 8 reasons why…
- 3 mistakes to avoid…
- 25 benefits of…
Examples:
- "76 REASONS WHY IT WOULD HAVE PAID YOU TO ANSWER OUR AD A FEW MONTHS AGO""
- "7 Ways To Collect Your Unpaid Bills"
News Headline
We crave “new” like Homer Simpson craves donuts.
New is exciting!
Look for new concepts, features and stories when researching your client’s product and company.
When you find something “new”, use it in your headline to grab your reader’s undivided attention.
Start your headline with words like:
- “Introducing”
- “Announcing”
- “New”
- “Breaking”
- “Now”
- “At last”
- “SHOCKING”
- “Breakthrough”
THREE examples:
- "161 NEW WAYS TO A MAN'S HEART --- IN THIS FASCINATING BOOK FOR COOKS"
- "HOW A NEW KIND OF CLAY IMPROVED MY COMPLEXION IN 30 MINUTES"
- "ANNOUNCING...THE NEW EDITION OF THE ENCYCLOPEDIA THAT MAKES IT FUN TO LEARN THINGS"
Copywriting Principle #4: Sell Benefits, Not Features
Another timeless copywriting principle is to sell the benefits of your product, NOT the boring features.
A feature is the characteristic or attribute of a product that describes what the product is and what it is made out of.
A benefit explains how the features of a product directly translate into something positive for the customer.
However, it’s much deeper than this.
Often, copywriters will add benefits throughout their copy (which is a must) but they will never tap into the REAL benefits that sell like hotcakes.
Meaning:
They’ll find the direct benefits from a feature.
Which are simply cause and effect.
You take a diet supplement. You lose 5 pounds.
But the direct benefit is not what motivates your readers to buy.
You have to sell on emotion and paint a bright vision of their new life.
It’s what this direct benefit DOES for them that matters.
For example:
Direct benefit = you lose 5 pounds
The REAL benefit = you will find true love at last!.... or… you will feel confident again in your skin… or… you will get others to notice you and shower you with compliments.
These benefits are EMOTIONAL.
By uncovering the REAL emotional benefits that your product/service DO for your readers, you will instantly write more persuasive copy.
Copywriting Principle #5: Ask for Action
So many copywriters write AMAZING, persuasive copy.
But then, they shoot themselves in their pinky toe because they fail to tell their readers what to do next.
Copywriting is all about getting ACTION.
To do so…
You must add a call to action (CTA) at the end of your sales message.
Here’s some quick tips to boost response rates:
- Tell them exactly what to do next. Give them step-by-step instructions.
- Make it stupidly simple to take the action you desire.
- Give them an incentive to act NOW – discount, limited number of products available, re-framing everything they’ll gain or miss out on.
The key to turning readers into buyers is to give direct, clear and concise instructions on what to do next.
Want more tips on how to write powerful CTAs? Click here.
Conclusion
By following the evergreen copywriting principles, you will instantly boost readership, sales and receive hefty paychecks from clients.
The more you sell, the more you make.
Want to discover HUNDREDS of copywriting principles to transform your skillz?
Click this link to uncover the top 10 copywriting books every copywriter MUST READ.
Also…
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