Simple Copywriting Secrets: How to Write Killer Sales Copy

1. Introduction to Simple But Super-Efficient Copywriting: Hello. I'm Mirka Pohjanrinne. I'm a professional copywriter and co-founder of the NorthLing writing agency. Writing in many different forms has been my bread and butter for more than 20 years already. I've worked as an in-house copywriter for global companies like Polar and Nokia, and I've also created copy for major brands like Reebok, and many other companies too. In this class, I want to share with you some of the simplest but super-efficient copywriting techniques I've learned along the way. And when you learn to use them too, you can get the reader to do what you want them to do and take action, which is the ultimate purpose of copywriting. To break down this method, we're going to do a lot of writing together. We're going to look at four key elements of powerful sales copy and how to write them: the copywriting brief, where you ask all the relevant questions about your copy, the features and benefits part, which gives you the basis for your headlines and your body text. Then we're going to look at how to write attention-grabbing headlines, and finally, how to write an irresistible call to action to seal the deal. And as your class project, you get to practise these techniques and write your own piece of sales copy. It can be an email, a brochure, or a sales page for your website, or anything where compelling copy is needed. And I'm going to show you how to do it step by step. So there are a lot of exercises and examples included in each lesson, and finally, we're going to put these, bring all these elements together for the finished piece of your sales copy. This course is ideal for beginners and for anyone who wants a straightforward and easy method of writing powerful sales copy. It's great for small-business owners and entrepreneurs who want hands-on training of how to write sales copy for marketing materials. So if you're new to copywriting, this is a great place to start. And if you've been doing copywriting for some time already, this class is a great way for you to sharpen up your writing process and make it a whole lot easier. Once you put these lessons into action, you'll learn what to write and how, how to find the key message. how to structure your arguments, and how to speed up the writing process, and how to develop and sharpen up your copywriting skills. And what I really hope you get out of this class is that when you practise and put these lessons into action, you'll see how this method will eventually develop into a mindset that becomes an inherent part of your creative process. I hope you enjoy this class. I can't wait to see you there and your class projects. And please remember to review this class and let me know what you think about it. So let's get started. 2. What Is Copywriting?: So what exactly is copywriting and why it's so important right now? Copywriting in its broad sense is the kind of writing you do when you want to advertise, promote, market, or sell something. This quote by Judith Charles sums it up pretty nicely: "A copywriter is a salesperson behind a typewriter." So essentially, copywriting is salesmanship with written words, were the ultimate goal is to get the reader to take action, and that action could be buying a product, calling a number, filling out a survey, ordering a service, or getting in touch with a company And to serve that mighty purpose, every sentence in the copy must drive the reader towards that action. So where would you come across copywriting? Well, it's actually all around us. Just think of all the content you see or hear every day. Web sites, ads, brochures, emails, social media posts, billboards, videos, radio commercials, and much more. So why is copywriting so important right now? Right now, copywriting skills are in higher demand than ever before, and no wonder. There are millions of pieces of content across the web, and the numbers are growing all the time, day by day. More and more brands want to be, and have to be, visible online. So the competition is getting tougher day by day. And it's also getting all the more difficult to stand out from the crowd. That's why the words you choose and the techniques you use have never been as important as they are right now. But how to use the right kinds of techniques to attract the right kind of attention? And how to inspire the readers to take action? That's what we'll learn together in this class. 3. How Simple Techniques Help Create Super-Efficient Copy: First of all, let's dispel one popular belief about copywriting. You don't have to be an exceptionally creative writer to become a good copywriter, as it has so much to do with learning the right techniques. But of course it helps if you enjoy writing at least a little bit, and are curious to learn about the techniques that copywriters use. But even though we are talking about techniques, copywriting is not meant as a paint-by-numbers mechanism that you can rinse and repeat without giving it any thought or effort. But as copywriting is so much about the right techniques, they certainly help you get started with your writing and organise your thoughts and find your key message to create powerful sales copy. So, as our class project, we're going to look at the four key elements we need to start creating powerful sales copy, and we're going to start with the copywriting brief, which is the backbone and outline of your sales copy. 4. Lesson 1: How to Write a Copywriting Brief: A carefully thought-out brief helps you understand your audience better and also what you're really trying to achieve with your sales copy. It also helps you eliminate all the unnecessary elements that prevent you from seeing the big picture. It's like your guide map that helps you navigate through the entire writing process and stay on track. Typically a copywriting brief would include quite specific details and requirements about the project, about the client, what to include and what to leave out, the unique selling point or the value proposition of the company, and also some metrics that are going to be used to measure how successful the campaign or the project eventually was. And the more accurate and detailed the brief, the better the results. Even though it may take some time and research, and even some soul-searching from the client's side, it's definitely worth the effort. In this class, as we're going to write a relatively short piece of sales copy, I'm going to use a fairly simple copywriting brief as my example. 5. Worksheet 1: Copywriting Brief: So as we go along, I recommend you either download or print the worksheets included in each lesson, so you can fill them out as I'm filling out mine. And I have printed out the copywriting brief template here with all the questions, and I'm going to use my imaginary client, an imaginary company called the Butterfly Eco-Homes as my client, as my project example. So the name of my client is Butterfly Eco-Homes. It's my imaginary company that I'm going to use throughout this class as an example. And they sell energy-efficient eco-friendly tiny homes that you can expand over time. And my task is to write a landing page for their website, where they advertise their homes and the overall concept. And the purpose of my sales copy is... As this is still a startup company, they are still building their customer base. They want the readers to give their e-mail addresses, and names and other details, so that they can gather information about the people who visit their website for later marketing purposes. The audience is first-time homebuyers, who want an environmentally friendly home. As for the tone of voice, it should be friendly, obviously, down to earth and human, and useful, but also trustworthy. That's very important. What is the biggest pain point my readers might have? Well, they are not the wealthiest customer segment for sure, so they fear it's too expensive to buy or build their own home and live a greener life, so they have to continue living on rent. And the biggest benefit of Butterfly Eco-Homes is that they can help these people become homeowners earlier in life and build a green home they can actually afford, and expand their home over time as their needs change. And as for the main features of this product, the Butterfly Eco-Homes are economical, expandable, and sustainable, and much faster to construct than traditionally built homes. And as for evidence, as this is a startup company, they don't have any testimonials yet. So we are going to show some statistics of how the price is 50 percent lower, they're much faster to build, there are clear savings on electricity bills, and much less construction waste, and the best of all, all the building materials are recyclable. Just one tip before you start filling out yours. Try to answer all these questions as shortly and clearly as possible, and then share them with others in the project dashboard if you like. 6. Lesson 2: Features and Benefits: So, now it's time to take a closer look at the features and benefits, as they are the foundation of your sales copy, your headline, and your body text. The very first thing to do is to shift your point of view and step into your potential buyers' shoes. That way you get a better understanding of what they need and what they want. Many copywriters use the "So what" technique. Basically what you do is you take the top features and ask the "So what" question for each of them, and your answers will give you the benefits. To make your copy more relevant and interesting for your readers, turn the features into benefits, and tell your readers directly what's in it for them. That is the question your copy must answer. There are also some other questions you can use which help you define the actual purpose of your copy. For instance, "How does this help me?" "How does it make my life better?" "Which problem does this product or service solve?" "Why do I need it?" and "Why should I care?" Remember this: make your sales copy more about your reader and not you. So focus on them and not yourself. There's one great technique to test this: Whenever you use the words "we" or "us" or "ours," try rephrasing those sentences with "you" and "yours," and see what happens. Your copy becomes immediately much more engaging for the reader. 7. Worksheet 2: Features and Benefits: Okay now, I have my features and benefits worksheet here with me. And remember those key questions we talked about that your copy must answer? So, now you need to step into your readers' shoes and tell them what's in it for them. Okay, as my first feature here I have economical, which means that you can stop paying rent and become a homeowner early in life. The second feature is expandable modular homes, which means that you can start small and add more space when you can. The third feature is eco-friendliness. And that means you get a healthier life in a green home and you get to choose a sustainable lifestyle with a smaller ecological footprint. The ready-made components, the fourth feature, are quick to set up and that turns into a clear benefit: instead of waiting for months, your home can be built in a couple of days with less waste and lower labour costs. So now we can start fleshing out the text to make it more readable and link the key features to the top benefits with connecting phrases, like I have done in my example. So the first feature was economical, and this is how it turned out. "Butterfly Eco-Homes are an affordable choice for first-time homebuyers because our smart energy-saving designs bring down your living costs considerably." And the next feature was expandable modular homes. And this is how that turned out: "With the expandable modular building units you can add more space as your needs change and grow over time." And then we had eco-friendliness as one of the key features. "Choose an eco-friendly home and you will live a healthier life with a smaller ecological footprint." And then we talked about the ready-made components, and how quick they are to set up. "The ready-made components will help you build your home in just a few days." So as you can see, we used the connecting phrases to bring together the features and the benefits, so that it immediately becomes more relevant and interesting for the readers when they see what's in it for them, and how this product will make their lives better. Now it's your turn. Print out or download the features and benefits worksheet, and list the top features and key benefits of what you are promoting, and try to tackle each of the questions we've talked about, and explain with every feature why they matter. And then link these two with the phrases in the middle, if you like. 8. Lesson 3: Six Gangbuster Headline Formulas: The headline is the most important element of your sales copy. It is the crucial first impression that either draws the readers in or drives them away. So, you may wonder why we talked about the features and benefits section first and not the headline. Well, actually many copywriters start with the headline first and start toying around with different ideas. And... well, for me personally, I like looking at the features and benefits first, because that's really a great way to get to know the product or service I'm writing about. And at the same time I get some really great ideas for the headline, too. And it's not carved in stone in any way, so just try out both ways, in whichever order you like, and see what works for you best. So the purpose of headline is clear: it needs to grab the readers' attention and make sure they read the next sentence. A strong headline piques the readers' attention immediately. When you give them something they can relate to, like a big problem or a bold promise, they can't help but keep on reading. There are dozens of great headline formulas out there, but just to keep it simple and not to overwhelm you with too many choices, I've picked six different headline types, which I think work really well, and which we can try out together. 9. Worksheet 3: Headlines: Okay, now we have the headline worksheet here. What you can do now is go back to your features and benefits section and take out the top benefits once more, and see if you could use them as inspiration with the example formulas below. So, let's have a closer look at the formulas I have listed here for you. As the first formula, we have the news headline with two examples: "At Last a Page Builder Plugin That Fully Supports SEO – More Subscribers Guaranteed" "Introducing the New Surface Laptop 2 – Now Available in Black" So, words like "new," "introducing," "at last," "guaranteed," "now," they work really well with the news headline. So I wrote a couple of headlines using this formula for my imaginary company: "Introducing a Green Tiny Home That You Can Easily Expand" "Finally an Eco-Home You Can Afford and Build on in the Future" So, as you can see, I've incorporated both the benefits and also the feature. The benefit of eco-friendliness and how you can afford it and how it benefits you in the long run. And next we have the how-to headline, which is really, really popular among copywriters. And the simple reason is that it just works so well. So we have two examples here: "How to Quit Smoking Forever with the New Doctor Fresh Method" And then the next one: "How to Get Fit at Home in Just 10 Minutes a Day" There are quite bold promises with both of these headlines. Quit smoking forever. And then there's also the company or the method name mentioned, "Doctor Fresh Method." There's also the word "new." And then in the next one we have a bold health promise, "How to Get Fit at Home in Just 10 minutes a Day." So the promise relates to better life and quick results. So I tried out this formula, too, and came up with this: "How to Build a Butterfly Eco-Home in Just Five Days" So you can see that the promise of the easy building process is included in that headline. And also the brand name. And the third formula we have here is the list or reason-why headline. "5 Facts Why Our Customers Stay on the Safe Side of Economy" "3 Burning Reasons to Renew Your Subscription within the Next 24 Hours" Numbers are used in both examples, and they give specific information and also imply that these are quick to read. And also, there is a sense of urgency when there is some kind of a time dimension used. So, I had a go with this one as well and wrote: "5 Facts Why Butterfly Eco-Homes Are the Smartest Choice for First-Time Homeowners" In addition to the five facts, the name of the company is mentioned again, and there's also quite a bold promise of the smartest choice, and the target audience is clearly addressed here too, first-time homeowners. And the fourth one on the list we have the question headline, which is also a widely used formula. "Do You Make These Four Common Mistakes with Your Teenager?" "Are You Paying Way Too Much for Your Energy Costs?" These formulas work really well because they address their audience right away. We can see with the first one that it speaks directly to teenagers' parents or guardians. And my version for the question headline is: "Do You Dream of a Green Home But Think You Can't Afford It?" It clearly addresses the target audience. It talks directly to them. And the next one on the list we have the command headline, which is also a very efficient technique. "Answer These 10 Questions and Work out the Date of Your Death" "Knock 20 Years off Your Age with Our New Age-Defying Diet Programme" Especially with the first one... it's a bit shocking even. So it's definitely grabbing attention. And also the second one appeals to a certain audience of a certain age, and that's why it works really well. And my version of this formula was: "Live in a Green Home That Grows with You – And in Value" So the benefit here relates to the expandability, and how it's a good investment in your future, and how you can expand your home in time. And then as the last one we have the why, when and how headline. "Why This Is the Best Mattress Ever for Back Pain" and "How Working from Home Can Save You $4,000 a Year or More" So obviously, if you are having back problems, you might be really intrigued to read on with the first headline. And then the next, the second one contains a bold promise about big savings when working from home. And I had two tryouts here as well. "Why Butterfly Eco-Homes Is the Smartest Investment in Housing" "How Butterfly Eco-Homes Can Save You $4,000 a Year in Living Costs" As I had outlined my features and benefits, I could easily bring in the top benefits and also some features into my headline examples and variations and create quite compelling versions of them. So now it's your turn. Go back to your benefits and try out the different variations by using these examples. And if you like, you can share them with others in the project dashboard and ask them to vote for the best ones. 10. Lesson 4: How to Write Irresistible Call to Actions: So, as we've established, every single sentence in your sales copy must lead towards the call to action. If they don't, just leave them out. When the reader reaches the end of your sales copy, you need to tell them what to do next. And you also need to tell them what they get in return. The call to action or the CTA contains the words with which you can urge your reader to take action, so that's why they're often written as commands, like submit, click here, or sign up, or learn more, or fill this form. I'm sure you come across call to actions like these all the time. You can and you should actually be more specific. In print marketing, the call to action is often asking readers to go to a website or call a number, and as for websites, the call to action is typically a button or a link at the end of the page, and the reader needs to click it to perform the desired action. So the CTA always asks or even demands response or reaction, and you must have a call to action in your sales copy. If you leave it out, your copy becomes inefficient and incomplete. So let's look at a couple of examples of how to do it. So now let's take a look at a couple of examples of call to actions. Here's a popup from Optinmonster's website, where the call to action button clearly states the benefit, "Increase my conversions." Even though it's not exactly clear what happens when you click the button, it takes you to a page where you can download the optimisation tool kit, but it does arouse your curiosity. Plus, the supporting copy with the high number of websites, over 700,000 using Optinmonster, is quite convincing. This example is from Brian Tracy's website. He's a business consultant, offering a free e-book with a compelling title "The Power of Habit: 7 Steps to Successful Habits" As you can see, all of the entries in the introductory list on the left are actually written as subheadings using the same headline formulas we just looked at and manage to grab attention. Also the call to action on the right, "Download Now," is quite standard, but it's very simple and straightforward, and the number of total downloads, over 68,000 downloads, below the CTA button is quite an impressive number, so that works as a great piece of evidence. And here's another example from Moz with a very clear command as the headline, "Drive more customers to your website," followed by a short second line of copy, "With Moz's all-in-one SEO toolset and the world's most accurate SEO data." And finally, the CTA button is written in the first person. "Start my free trial." So, very straightforward again. Finally we have this very simple, but also very effective example from Neil Patel's website, where he grabs attention with a very simple but yet irresistible question: "Do you want more traffic?" And, well, who wouldn't want more traffic? So all you need to do is give your website address, and you get crucial data in return about your website. So now after seeing these examples, let's break down the techniques they used, and see what your call to action needs to do. First of all, you need to clearly state what you want your reader to do next, and you also need to clearly tell them what they will get in return. Focus on the benefits and highlight the reward. Support your button text with a punchy second line of copy, like a testimonial, a unique offer, a guarantee, or how this action is risk-free. Keep it short and use short action verbs. Be specific. Create a sense of urgency using words like "now" or "today," or some other time limit for an expiring offer, for example. And write the button text either in the first or the second person. I guess it's a matter of taste whether you choose to use the first or the second person, but studies have shown that using the first person in the button text is actually a bit more efficient. 11. Worksheet 4: Call to Actions: Okay now, so let's take out worksheet number four, "Call to Action." Now the very first thing you need to do is go back to your brief. What was the goal of your copy? What is the action you want your reader to take? So, in this worksheet we have some examples that you can use for inspiration to help you get started with writing your CTA. Fill in all the columns and write as many call to actions as you like. Here on the left we have command action. Then in the middle the supporting copy, and then on the right the actual button text. So I've written down a few examples here. "Create an Online Store Quickly and Easily" is the command action or the headline of the section. And then the supporting copy says: "Start your free 30-day trial today. You can cancel any time." And the button text reads: "Get Started Now" The next example is: "Do You Want More Traffic? "Get more traffic with recommendations for your blog." "Yes, I Want More Traffic!" is the button text. The headlines of the CTA section use the same formulas that we looked at earlier. There is either... there can be a big promise, which ties in with with the big promise you mentioned earlier, or there is a question, that is relevant for your overall copy or the key message. Remember that your copy and your CTA must support the key question that your reader might have, which is, "What's in it for me?" 12. Lesson 5: Wrap Up Your Sales Copy: So now it's time to wrap up your sales copy and bring all the copy elements together in the final worksheet. So go back to your worksheets once again, choose your best versions for each section, and piece the elements together. And when you are done, I'd love to see the completed sales copy in the project dashboard. 13. Worksheet 5: Wrap-Up: Now we have the final worksheet here where your sales copy will appear. So, let's go through it together. As your primary headline, you should use the one that best elevates your big idea. So in my version I wrote: "Do You Dream of a Green Home But Think You Can't Afford It?" So it's a question headline addressing clearly the target audience. And below the headline you can add an intro paragraph or short description text to elaborate on the headline. And I wrote... "Think again. With Butterfly Eco-Homes you can." ...as a direct answer to the question headline. And then I wrote a short description text to elaborate on the headline even more: "If you're dreaming of an environmentally friendly forever home, we're here to help you get it." "Butterfly Eco-Homes are beautiful, modular houses that you can expand and adapt to your changing needs over time." So, now let's go back to the benefits you listed. Pull out a subheading for each benefit and make sure each of them is as powerful as your "hero" headline. Focus on one benefit per paragraph and write a short, compelling story around each one of them. Remember, we did this in the features and benefits worksheet, where we combined the features with the benefits with the connecting phrases. Before I move on to talk about the benefits in more detail, I wrote a lead-in subheading introducing the benefits, just to make sure the reader keeps on reading and to make it a bit more interesting. So I wrote this this subheading: "5 Reasons Why Butterfly Eco-Homes Are the Smartest Choice for First-Time Homeowners" And again, as you can see, these were the headline types we looked at in the headline worksheet, and I could directly use it from there. So the first benefit is "Stop Paying Rent." "Our smart energy-saving designs bring down your living costs considerably." And then I added the "Add More Space" subheading: "When your special needs grow over time, you can expand your home with our modular building units." And then: "Build Your Home in just a Few Days" "With our ready-made components, you can set up your home in a few days instead of waiting for months." And finally: "Live a Greener Life" "Choose an eco-friendly home and you will live a healthier life with a smaller ecological footprint." So these lines sum up the main benefits, addressing the right audience in a very simple and straightforward manner. And I could take these directly from my features and benefits list that I outlined earlier. And in this area, I introduce the products themselves, in other words, the different home models, the three home models that Butterfly Eco-Homes is promoting. With a short descriptive text below each subheading. And then we have the evidence section, and I've written another headline here or subheading here: "How Butterfly Eco-Homes Save Money and Nature" And then I've listed the most important facts and numbers that support this claim: 15 percent lower price, faster construction, big savings on electricity bills, much less construction waste, and recyclable building materials. So those are all very strong arguments. And then as my call to action, we need to push the reader to act with a call to action. And now it's time you return to your big promise, problem, or solution once more, and bring out your biggest benefits. You can either state the price of your product or mention a guarantee, if you can give them. So... this is what I wrote: "Ready to See What Your Dream Home Could Look Like?" "Get your copy of the Butterfly Eco-Homes brochure and start planning your dream home today." "This brochure will tell you everything you'll want to know about our different housing options and their prices." "If there's anything you want to ask, we're here for you." "We'll help you choose the home that's just right for you and guide you all the way through the building process." So, as you can see, I've used a very friendly, trustworthy tone here, like I outlined in my copywriting brief initially, and then I asked the readers to give their name, email address, phone number, and location. And then, when they hit the send or "Yes, Send Me the Brochure Now" button, they will get the brochure in their email. So, that wraps up my sales copy and my landing page for Butterfly Eco-Homes. Now I can go back once more to my copywriting brief and check that I've covered all the main points and key questions. I used... I have an attention-grabbing headline there, using the question formula, Then I listed all the key benefits and used a subheading for each benefit. Then I also tied them in with my main features, using the connecting phrases to make it more readable, and to make the text flow nicely. And, as proof to back my story, I used some key statistics, and then finally, I pushed my reader to take action with the call to action, where I returned to my big promise. So, that's my final piece, and I'm really looking forward to seeing your versions in the project gallery. 14. Thank You : Now we've covered all the key elements needed to build powerful sales copy, and the simple but super-efficient copywriting techniques behind them. And I promise you, the more you practise these techniques, the more powerful your writing becomes. It's kind of like the analogy I've used with my imaginary company name, The Butterfly Eco-Homes. Just like a caterpillar develops into a butterfly, I hope this method will have the same effect on you. When you start taking these lessons into action, you will see how your writing evolves and becomes much more powerful. So I really hope you enjoyed this class and I can't wait to see what you come up with. You can use the checklist included in the resources to finalise your copy. And please remember to review this class, I'd love to hear what you thought about it. So with that, thanks and enjoy your copywriting project.