Whether you write copy for your own business or you’re a freelance copywriter who writes for others, when you sit down to write copy, you’re a copywriter.
Embrace it.
Embracing it means adopting the copywriter’s mindset. First, and most important, is honesty.
Too many copywriters believe they must put on the “trickster marketer” hat when they sit down to write. Copywriting isn’t about tricking or deceiving. It’s an honest conversation with your reader.
If you think honesty is easy, just look at how many people struggle to be vulnerable in their writing.
Next, the first words your reader sees should make them a promise. No, not a promise about your product and its benefits, but a promise for reading your piece. Give your reader a reward for reading.
As he makes his way through your copy, your reader should be thinking:
This is interesting.
This is different than other things I’ve read.
I’m glad I’m reading this.
Whether he buys your product or not, he should walk away with no regrets. It was time well spent.
(You now realize the importance of targeting the correct reader.)
Your copy should inform and entertain, it should be both humble and confident, and it should be personal — written from one human being to another.
Your reader should feel as if he’s reading a letter from a long-lost friend, someone who has his best interest at heart.
Very little of the copy you come across today checks these boxes. Most copywriting is so bland anyone could have written it. Most copy is more interested in the company than the customer.
You’ll have trouble checking these boxes, too, if you’re new to copywriting. It’s not easy. But it’s the aim that matters, not perfection, and you now have a clearer target.
