Copywriting
Create Content That Promotes
Action
What We’ll Be Talking About
Have you ever read a really bad marketing
piece? Have you ever looked at the copy on your
website and thought “who wrote that garbage?” In
this class we’ll share some tips from our copywriting
team to help you create amazing content that gets
people to act. You’ll learn about:
•Push vs. pull marketing
•Readability
•Persuasion principles
•Tone and voice
•Retaining your personality
Push vs. Pull Marketing
• Push Marketing – you are bringing the
message to your prospects and customers
– Examples: Radio and TV ads
• Pull Marketing – you are bringing your
prospects and customers to the message
– Examples: Content Marketing and Social Media
Readability
• Readable = Understandable
• Don’t talk above or below your audience’s
reading comprehension level
• For most people that means 9th – 10th grade
reading level
• The higher the reading level, the less people
will understand it
http://www.readability-score.com
Example 1:
Average Score:
10.1
Example 2: Imitrex
IMITREX Tablets contain sumatriptan (as the succinate), a selective 5-hydroxytryptamine1
receptor subtype agonist. Sumatriptan succinate is chemically designated as 3-[2(dimethylamino)ethyl]-N-methyl-indole-5-methanesulfonamide succinate (1:1), and it has the
following structure:
The empirical formula is C14H21N3O2S•C4H6O4, representing a molecular weight of 413.5.
Sumatriptan succinate is a white to off-white powder that is readily soluble in water and in
saline. Each IMITREX Tablet for oral administration contains 35, 70, or 140 mg of
sumatriptan succinate equivalent to 25, 50, or 100 mg of sumatriptan, respectively. Each
tablet also contains the inactive ingredients croscarmellose sodium, dibasic calcium
phosphate, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, and sodium bicarbonate. Each
100-mg tablet also contains hypromellose, iron oxide, titanium dioxide, and triacetin.
Average Score:
16.7
Example 3: The Little Engine
That Could
A little steam engine had a long train of cars to pull. She went along
very well till she came to a steep hill. But then, no matter how hard she
tried, she could not move the long train of cars. She pulled and she
pulled. She puffed and she puffed. She backed and started off again.
Choo! Choo! But no! The cars would not go up the hill. At last she left the
train and started up the track alone. Do you think she had stopped
working? No, indeed! She was going for help. "Surely I can find someone
to help me," she thought.
Average Score:
2.9
Persuasion Principles
1. Reciprocation
– The IOU principle
2. Commitment and Consistency
– Justification comes after the decision
3. Social Proof
– We want to find out what other people think is
right
Persuasion Principles
4. Liking
– We are more likely to buy from someone we
like than someone we don’t know
5. Authority
– We are more likely to do something when we
are told to by an authority figure
Persuasion Principles
What’s this worth?
$1,700,000
Scarcity
• The perception or reality that something isn’t
readily available
• We are more likely to act when we are told
we might be losing something than if we are
told we are gaining something
Tone and Voice
• The personality of your brand conveyed in
the written word
• Things to consider:
– Are you being consistent in your tone
– Is your tone appropriate for the audience
– What is the “personality” of your business?
• If someone else is writing the copy take it
and make it your own
Proofread
Proofread
Proofread
FINISHED FILES ARE THE RE
SULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTI
FIC STUDY COMBINED WITH
THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS..
How many F’s are in this sentence?
6
Commas Save Lives
"Let's Eat Grandma"
- OR -
"Let's Eat, Grandma"
Hyphens Make All The Difference
"Beware: Man-eating shark!”
- OR -
"Beware: Man eating shark!"
Stuff That Won’t Show Up In
Spell Check
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/misspelling
Copy Reviews
Work by yourself or with a partner