Persuasive Copy for Online Copywriters
Just Because You’re Writing for the Web Doesn’t Mean You Shouldn’t Write Strong, Persuasive Copy
By Rebecca Matter
In many conversations with copywriters, in discussions at writing events, in the articles that appear on this site, I’ve emphasized that copywriters need to develop skill at writing for the web.
It seems I haven’t underscored enough that the reverse is true.
Web copywriters absolutely need to know the secrets of writing powerful, persuasive copy.
You don’t have to become a traditional copywriter before beginning your career writing for the web. You don’t even have to spend your time writing long form copy. But you do need to know how to write strong copy that can persuade the reader to take action.
A good copywriting foundation is key to writing the best web copy you can copy that makes conversions and gets your clients calling you back for future projects.
Many successful web writers like Nick Usborne and Heather Lloyd-Martin and Jay White began their careers as copywriters.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that knowing how to write good, strong copy will land you more projects because you’ll be better at marketing yourself and because you’ll deliver better results for your clients. You’ll also be able to charge more.
The ability to write good copy affects every web channel…
Email – Your email messages won’t get opened if they have lousy subject lines. They won’t get read if they have weak leads. They won’t get results if they don’t have a strong call to action.
Landing Pages – Landing pages with weak headlines and leads will have visitors clicking the back button before they even see your call to action.
SEO and PPC – A good understanding of sales copy helps you target the right people with your campaigns and to understand how your copy should change depending on where a reader is in the buying cycle.
Social Media – You have to capture attention, engage your reader, and ultimately persuade them to take action-all copywriting principles.
Once you know how to write good copy, it will make learning to write for the web a slice of pie. You’ll just take what you already know about copy and apply it to the various marketing channels you want to work in.
Beat your competition …
Knowing how to write copy could be the key factor that sets you apart from every other “self-proclaimed” web writer out there. You’ll know how to answer questions like…
How are you different than the other SEO experts?
Not only can I bring more traffic to your landing pages, I can actually re write the pages so they stay and take action, increasing your conversion rates.
Why should I hire you for my PPC campaign?
“Pay-per-click campaigns are based on keywords and phrases. The words you bid on must be relevant to your ad copy, landing page, and your offer. But, it’s more than just relevance that is going to convince a random web surfer to sign up and enter an email address. It takes well-written, benefit-oriented copy. And you can only get that from a copywriter.”
– Andrew Palmer, AWAI Advisory Board
What can you do for me as a social media marketer?
“Copywriting skills are invaluable to building a targeted audience in social media. Knowing how to make crisp, concise benefit oriented, attention-getting statements can help you build your brand and attract more clients quickly. Your words are what others see long before they get to meet you, either on the phone or in person.”
– Jim Turner, Copywriter and Social Media Strategist
So, in the interest of writing good strong copy, here are three tips for taking your web writing to the next level …
#1: Never stop learning-start studying good copywriting principles and keep at it. The landscape changes regularly. Commit to this and you’ll always be
ahead of the curve.
Tip #2: Learn from multiple sources-getting the different takes of different experts can help you get a well-rounded understanding of copywriting.
Tip #3: Write every day-every single day. Commit to this and your writing will get stronger and your confidence will grow… and so will your success!
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