7 Simple Yet Effective Copywriting Tips to Start Writing Better Copy

What is Copywriting?

Copywriting refers to creating content in the form of text, also known as ‘copy’, that persuades readers to take a specific action. Copy can be long, like blog posts and articles, or short, like a slogan or tagline for an advertisement.

While copywriting traditionally referred to writing advertisements (paid content), it’s now often used interchangeably with content writing (unpaid content). In this article, we’ll use “copywriting” to refer to both types.

Copywriting plays a vital role in creating persuasive marketing content that engages readers. It communicates what your business offers and why your audience should choose you over competitors.

When done well, a good copy can lead to positive results, including increased web traffic, product sales, and email sign-ups. However, there is an art to copywriting that may be hard to grasp at first, which is why this article will go in-depth into how you can start writing better copy.

Key Elements of Copywriting

Some of the key elements of good copywriting include the following:

• Know your product inside out. Understand who it’s for, the problem it solves, the benefits it offers, and how it stands out from competitors. — who it’s targeted at, the problem it solves, its benefit to your audience, and what differentiates it from your competitors.
• Know your audience. Identify who your target audience is, including what they need, how they think, and what they are passionate about. Reflect this in your copy, and your audience will feel like you genuinely understand their problems and, more importantly, how to solve them.
• Use your copy to show your audience that you understand their struggles.
  Source: https://mytopicals.com
• Write compelling headlines. The majority of your readers won’t read beyond your headline. For this reason, you should write headlines that captivate the reader and make them want to keep reading. A compelling headline should give your readers an idea of what the service, product, or message is, but leave them curious enough that they want to know more.
• Have a good understanding of SEO to ensure your article can rank well. When writing for the web, your copy must help your website rank at the top of Google’s search results. This would require you to use some SEO writing tips, particularly including SEO-friendly keywords in your writing. Remember, there is no point in having the best copy in the world if no one is going to see it.
• Include a strong Call-To-Action (CTA). Ensure that your copy contains a clear CTA, ideally only one at a time. A good CTA must be brief but clear to your readers. It should be clear what the reader should expect once they go through with the action.
  A good example of a clear CTA.
  Source: https://www.equinetacademy.com 

Tips to Write Better Copy

Good copywriting is a skill that can be learned with time, practice, and proper knowledge. Here are seven tips you can use to start copywriting:

1. Stick with simple copy first
2. Use storytelling as a hook
3. Revisit your copy after a break
4. Make use of odd numbers
5. Use compelling language
6. Long-form copy
7. Write conversationally

1. Stick with Simple Copy

You may think that using complex or complicated words makes you sound more professional and have more impact, but that’s not always the case. Sometimes, the simpler the copy, the better.

Your main goal should be clarity. Simple, direct language not only improves understanding but also makes your message more impactful without sacrificing creativity.

Here are some tips to keep your copy simple:

1. Use fewer adjectives. While it’s always best to use adjectives to describe what you’re selling, try not to overdo it and stick to 1–2 per sentence.
2. Cut out unnecessary words. Your copy should be clear and concise, so cut out words where possible.
3. Write short sentences. Readers often skim through text, so shorter sentences will make it easier for them to digest and fully comprehend.
4. Avoid jargon and technical terms. Use language that is familiar to your readers.

Simplicity in copywriting reduces the stress on your reader’s working memory, otherwise known as cognitive load. A high cognitive load can interfere with one’s thought process and increase the likelihood of misunderstanding or forgetting the information.

A simple copy should be:

1. Specific, as it directly communicates the message and ensures that the message leads to action.
2. Efficient, since your readers don’t always have much time to spend reading.
3. Inclusive since it is intended for a wide and varied audience.

2. Use Storytelling as a Hook

Storytelling is essential in copywriting to capture the reader’s attention, incite emotion, and entice the customer to take action. A good story can increase the reader’s attachment to a product or service as it gives them a chance to picture their life with or without the product.

Good stories can also increase engagement with ads because they resonate with readers on a deeper level, thus creating trust. Creating an emotional connection is powerful—people are more likely to act when they feel emotionally engaged.

Various storytelling techniques can help make your story more engaging. One of the most popular techniques is making the story relatable to the audience based on their demographics, values, interests, lifestyles, and goals. Using a relatable story can incite emotions such as empathy, hope, or even suspense.

A story can describe a hypothetical scenario, personal experience, or something that happened in history. You can also use testimonials from past customer experiences detailing a specific problem and how they overcame it. Whatever story you tell, make sure it focuses on the customer’s needs.

3. Revisit Your Copy After a Break

Take a quick break from writing when you feel stuck. Sometimes, writer’s block simply means you need to rest. A break can be as short as an hour, as long as a day, or even longer, as long as you peel yourself away from the writing and keep it out of mind for a while.

Taking a break gives you some time off to get a more objective perspective on the content of your copy. It will also give you time to reflect on your ideas and view them from an alternative perspective.

After getting adequate rest, you should become more alert and productive. You can then get back to edit, critique, and improve the copy with a fresh pair of eyes.

4. Make Use of Odd Numbers

Try to include odd numbers in the headline to make your copy more attractive and memorable to the readers. Surprisingly, our brains tend to be more drawn to odd numbers.

Research suggests that odd numbers impose more cognitive load, causing our brains to take up to 20% longer to process them than even numbers. Since even numbers are less taxing to the brain, they tend to have a lower attention-seeking capability.

As humans, we tend to prefer things with symmetry subconsciously. That is why we find even numbers more normal and comfortable than odd numbers. However, we retain information better when it’s different, unusual, or abnormal, making us more likely to remember odd numbers.

Since one of the primary purposes of copywriting is to capture the reader’s attention, try using odd numbers to attract attention and make your copy more memorable.

5. Use Compelling Language (Power Words)

Always use compelling words in your copy to capture the reader’s attention and persuade them to take action. People generally lose concentration after 8 to 10 seconds, so you must make the most of the first few words in your copy to grab their attention and entice them to read on.

Power words are persuasive words that trigger emotional responses. You can make your copy compelling by using power words like ‘now’ and ‘quick’ to trigger psychological and emotional reactions in the reader. You can also use power words to set off a wide range of emotions in your reader, such as curiosity, trust, and vanity.

A compelling word like ‘experts’ can incite a sense of trust in your readers.
Source: Good Housekeeping 

Power words are especially crucial for ad copy, where you only have a few seconds to grab your audience’s attention. For more tips on making your ads more compelling, check out our post on the best practices that make your ads more engaging.

Lastly, ensure that your sentences have a good rhythm and distinctive flow that makes them enjoyable to read.

6. Long-Form Copy

Writing long-form copy is often beneficial because it enables you to include more information about the product or service you are advertising. It also gives you more time and opportunities to sell to your reader.

Long-form copy is especially suited for new products or companies, as the customers tend to have more questions about the unfamiliar. It’s also the perfect opportunity to engage your readers and relate to their emotions.

Additionally, using long-form copy is excellent for SEO. Even without keyword placement, search engines love long-form content as it keeps the reader on the site longer. If you also use other SEO tactics like keywords and frequently asked questions, you will vastly increase the chances of your site ranking in search results.

While long-form copy has many advantages, you must remember to make the copy engaging and enticing to read. Readers tend to skim through articles and rarely read them thoroughly. This is why you should also organise your long-form copy in a way that allows readers to get the general idea without reading every word.

Simple tricks like using bullet points and short paragraphs are great for making your long-form content easier to digest. Techniques like bolding key phrases help make your article more skimmable and easier to absorb at a glance. If it presents value to the reader, they will read your content in more detail.

7. Write Conversationally

Conversational writing means writing like you’re having a one-on-one conversation with your reader. Your writing doesn’t have to be overly formal—it can be casual, as long as it remains professional. Use simple, straightforward language and speak directly to your reader using the second-person pronoun, “you”.

Make your copy about your customer by speaking in the second person.
Source: Apple UK 

Research by Neil Patel has shown that using a conversational tone in writing increases readership by 247%. A conversational tone is more appealing to most people and increases the chances of the reader understanding your message and reading it to the end. It also identifies with the reader, resulting in a deeper emotional connection with your content.

Source: Wordstream 

Of course, how conversational you are will depend on your target audience. For example, the tone used in copy meant for teenagers will differ from that for corporate lawyers.

Conclusion

A good copy is critical to communicating your brand message to potential customers. Given how competitive the space is for readers’ attention, use these tips to improve and optimise your copywriting to be powerful and effective for your readers.

Always aim to write a copy that resonates with your audience and builds a genuine connection. A good copy must always be simple yet compelling to the reader. This way, your brand will start gaining loyal customers, and conversions will soar.

If you want to learn more about copywriting and content writing, sign up for the WSQ Copywriting and Content Writing course. We also host a wide range of digital marketing courses here in Singapore, and a Certified Digital Marketing Strategist V2, which covers the following modules:

• Digital Marketing Foundations (Fundamentals)
• Digital Advertising
• Social Media Marketing Strategy & Optimisation
• Digital Content Creation & Content Marketing Strategy
• Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Strategy
• Email Marketing & Marketing Automation
• Digital Marketing Analytics & Optimisation (Google Analytics 4)

Learners who complete these modules will be awarded a Certified Digital Marketing Strategist v2 certificate. Our courses are WSQ-accredited, and eligible learners can receive SkillsFuture subsidies.