What I’ve learned from Writing Copy
What I learned from an exercise in writing Copy.
I am currently participating in this awesome program called Praxis. Part of what we are working on this week is writing Copy, in this instance: cold emails sequences.
I have never written Copy before, and generally I delete any that I receive without ever glancing at them.
For this reason, I really couldn’t tell you what it looks like, or how it usually impacts its readers.
This means that my opportunity to learn and grow with Copy is endless.
What is Copy?
As I understand, Copy is any writing, text, or images included in marketing or sales emails.
I’m not yet sure if it is explicit to email, however I do know that it is most common and effective in email.
What does Copy look like?
Unlike formal writing, copy does not have to be grammatically correct, nor does it need to fit into any specific structure.
It is intended to be free flowing — like speech. And it should have the same effect as a conversation would.
It’s not rigid, or emotionless, but instead moving and inspiring. Well written Copy will have the reader chomping at the bit to complete the CTA at the end.
What’s a CTA, did you ask?
Call To Action
Every good Copyends with one — and only one — clear, concise call to action.
This is pretty self explanatory, meaning it is calling the reader to one specific action. This CTA is the end — the purpose — that the whole message is directing to.
Getting someone to complete this call to action is harder than you think, as it requires great Copy.
What goes into writing great Copy?
Great Copyis more difficult to write than you think…
It takes a lot of thought, time and energy.
Every thought is weighed out…
Every word carefully considered — deliberate.
Clear. Concise. Compelling.
Clear — Your thoughts should be pristinely clear. The reader should never have to guess or infer what you are meaning. Instead, it should be explicit, and written so as to elicit the desired response. Superb Copy is Clear.
Concise — Excellent Copy walks the fine line between clear and short. You’re not here to waste the readers time, but to convey the right amount of information in the most concise words possible. Every word is weighed, remember? Then, so too is the word count, as well as every sentence’s length. Excellent Copyis Concise.
Compelling — Great Copy compels the reader towards its Call to Action. It grabs the interest of the reader, and holds it hostage — like a thief. It commands the thoughts of its readers without them realizing it, and guides them towards it’s CTA. In fact, phenomenal Copy compels the reader to initiate the CTA before they are even aware of it.
Copy is broken into 3 important sections: Subject, Body, CTA.
Subject
This is the subject line of the email. All said and done it should be no more than 20–40 characters. It cannot be so long as to lose the reader’s interest but it also cannot be so short as to sacrifice valuable information.
If possible, it is best to personalize it — make it about their first name, location, company name or reference something that connects the two of you.
Some of the best subject lines instill a sense of urgency, whether this be an “exclusive offer,” “flash sale,” or “just for you,” is entirely up to you. I would caution against over-using this, or including this in anything other than sales emails.
A great subject line will specifically highlight the usefulness and relativity of the product or service. It should do this in an authentic way that strikes the readers as genuine and open.
One strategy for writing good subject lines is to force yourself to write 20, and then choose the best from there. You will be astounded with what you can produce.
Body Copy
Body Copy is the main section of the email, newsletter, or post, beginning with the opening.
The opening should be all about the reader. Don’t waste any time with the “Hi, my name is…” This information is not yet relevant to the reader. First, they need to know what it is you’re offering, what’s in it for them, and how to get that. If done well, great Copy will leave the reader asking all those questions without you ever having thought to offer them. The opening to great Copy should get straight to the point — their time is valuable, and you don’t want them to close your text without making it through the first sentence or two.
Body Copy should be short and concise — like everything about Copy , its main goal is effectiveness. For this reason, it is best for it to be real and authentic — casual and conversational. Some tools to help with this are to keep it contextual. Remember who you are talking to, and speak to this individual. Personalize it with their name, recent events and demographics. All this information is online and free to the public, just remember — you’re here to sell them something — not stalk them. Keep that and mind so you don’t cross the line into the creepy stalker realm.
It should be written to the level of a third grader. You want it to be easily skimmable by your readers and to not lose their interest with extra words, details or irrelevant information. It’s best to keep it between 50–125 words, and end with your email signature that has something attention grabbing next to it. Whether that be a funny GIF, or a cool logo is your choice. The point here is that your readers are sure to read your name and start building that trust and rapport that is so imperative to any and every sale.
Call to Action
You’re here — the end of your Copy. You’ve killed it so far and your readers are itching to complete your call to action. And so, in a casual, even flow manner, you mention your one, easy, call to action. This should be something that requires little to no energy on their part, increasing the probability of them completing it. It should be in line with the energy and flow of the Copy so as not to blindside them.
Your body copy needs to answer one question and one question only:
What is in it for the reader?
What problem does it solve?
Who have you already helped?
Why are you their best solution?
Conclusion
Compelling Copy is harder to write than it initially sounds.
It is challenging in many unforeseen ways, however I have found it to be an extremely fun and engaging challenge. It allows me to tap into a creativity that I otherwise would not have much use for.
Where else are you able to knowingly and deliberately manipulate your readers emotions and thoughts? No where! At least… not without serious repercussions and backlash. For this reason, Copy has been an excellent tool for me to use to develop my persuasion and communication skills.
I have only just begun writing it, yet I have already found Copy vastly efficient at improving my communication. So, I will continue to practice — striving for improvement everyday.
I know I have a long road ahead of me, professionally, and Copy is one way for me to accelerate and develop my future. It is an excellent tool I have found to grow my skills and I am excited to use it.
And here’s my question to you: how are you going to use this knowledge of Copy to be a stronger communicator?
