In order to learn how to get the maximum conversion rates possible, we are going to look at copywriting tips from some of marketing’s best copywriters. Since it is much easier to test whether a piece of copy is effective on the internet as opposed to a print ad or mail campaign, copywriters have gotten a bit lazy, putting less effort into their copy.
However, if you apply the same principles for writing traditional copy to writing internet copy, you will find your conversion rates increasing sharply. Here are some of the most important principles in offline copywriting, adapted to online copywriting to help you write explosively powerful copy.
Research, Research, Research
Both John Carlton and Gary Bencivenga, definitely both top 50 copywriters in the history of direct marketing, harp incessantly on the importance of research. If you spend half your time on any given project on research rather than writing, your time will be well spent. The facts that can titillate and draw people in, and the shocking things that only someone looking closely would find, all add up.
Most copywriters only do cursory research. As a result, their copy lacks the substance to back it up. If you spend 40 hours on a project just doing research before you write a single word, consider that time well spent.
Writing the Headline
Another well-known axiom amongst traditional copywriters is to write at least 50 to 100 headlines for every piece. Pour careful attention into each of these headlines, as if that were the headline you were eventually going to use. At the end of the copywriting process, ruthlessly cut your headlines until you have the final one that you will use. This headline will be both attention-catching and powerful, because it was the best of the best.
There’s really no other way to do it. Even the world’s best copywriters couldn’t come up with a stellar headline every time they sat down. If they needed to write 100 headlines to get to a home run, most likely you will, too. If you want the conversions, it will make a difference if you put in the effort to write a stellar headline.
The Editing Process
Before publishing any piece of copy, let it sit for three days. Then come back to it with a fresh set of eyes and edit ruthlessly. Cut out anything that is unnecessary and edit as if your life depended on this sales letter’s success.
Show your copy to a few friends and acquaintances. Then show it to other copywriters and marketers. If you don’t know any, post your draft on one of the many copywriting boards online, and take feedback from more seasoned copywriters seriously.
Finally, show it to people in your target market and see what they say. If they say that it is a good sales letter, that means your test failed. If they ask you where they can buy your product, that means your sales letter was a success. This is often called the “Gary Halbert Test,” invented by the late Gary Halbert.
These are a few copywriting tips, extracted and condensed from some of the best copywriting minds in history. Do your research extensively. Write a spectacular headline by starting with 100. Then edit ruthlessly and apply both tests before publishing. Follow these three tips and your copy will truly shine.
