How to write winning copy which sells

By Nicholas Keith

Now you have reached the moment of truth, and it is time to sit down and write. Before you start, keep in mind some of the basic points outlined in previous articles, such as:

• focus on your objective when you are preparing to write
• address your copy specifically to your target audience
• keep the style of the copy simple and appropriate
• use your common sense on English grammar

11 Winning Ways for Writing Good Copy

1) Write with Passion
Express yourself with passion and feeling whenever you can. Passion will engage and enthuse your audience. Your feelings cannot hurt other people, while opinions cmay.

You are encouraging people to engage with you; to have confidencein you ; and then to take action and buy. So the style and language of your copy will create credibility and build exciting pictures in the readers' minds.

2) Put yourself in your audience's hearts and minds
Turn the word ' I' into 'You' as often as possible. Your readers' main interest is how and what they or their company can gain. You are writing for normal people who naturally care mainly about what is best for themselves, their businesses and their loved ones.

Winning copy must address and answer the question in the reader's mind: "What's in it for ME?"

3) Offer benefits to your audience
Write about their wants and needs rather than the attributes of your products or services. People tend to buy what they want and not what they need. Benefits should be in a ratio of at least 3:1 with product information.

4) Solve problems
People want to improve their lives, their businesses, and overcome difficulties and challenges in life. So find the problems of your target audience and offer to solve them.

5) Style and language
This is partly a matter of personal choice and learning to use your own voice. Start from a simple base, with words and phrases which are calls to action. Use powerful and descriptive words to describe the benefits of your product or service. Use your Roget's Thesaurus to help you with your vocabulary, -- very few people can remember all the strong words -- and know exactly what the words mean.

So when you find a powerful word in the Thesaurus, check the meaning in a modern dictionary. And ask friends or relations whether they understand the word of phrase. You may find that other people have a completely difference interpretation of what a word means, or no understanding at all. In that case, find another word or phrase.

6) Headlines
Sales copy works best with a strong headline. Spend time and effort working on it. Ted Nicholas, the American copywriting genius whose teachings are followed by most of the successful online marketers, advises spending 80% of your time writing a headline.

The headline will contain a benefit or offer - once again, ask yourself "what's in it for the reader?". Here are 12 of Ted's key headline words and phrases from his "Magic Words" audio tapes:

• Announcing
• At last
• Breakthrough
• Discover
• Free
• Here
• How to...
• New
• Now
• Only
• Secrets of
• You

7) The opening sentence
Keep the first sentence shorter than usual: for writing copy online, try to keep below 12 words; in printed direct mail no more than 16 words are recommended.

Start with an idea which will catch the reader's attention. Ideally it will follow from the headline, or support the headline.

8) Length
Keep the number of points to a minimum - between three and five in one sales letter is considered best.

Allow enough space to tell the whole story, if it is interesting. It is a proven fact that long and interesting sales copy works better than short versions.

Look at the websites of modern online marketers who publish what they call a one-page website. That one page is an online version of the traditional sales letter, although it will go on for page after page - selling benefits. For example, visit -

• Corey Rudl: www.marketingtips.com
• Jonathan Mizel: www.cyberwave.com
• Marlon Sanders: www.amazingformula.com

Here are three guys who are making serious money through online marketing. They all believe wholeheartedly in the long sales letter.

9) Encourage the reader to take action
Online sales copy is most likely to be part of a two or three step sales process. Most people will visit your website for...

     .....Information

You are unlikely to close a sale in your letter, let alone your online content.

Make it easy for people to respond. Above all, capture their name and email address in a n opt-in box or guest book,. This ishow you get permission to keep them in touch with your offers (free and paid for). End the copy by saying what will happen next. Make it clear what action will be taken by you.

10) Use a P.S.
This is the most read part of online content and sales letters after the headline. You can repeat a variation of the main benefit in the P.S.

11) Follow up
You will have to follow up the letter, and do that more than once - in sales and marketing there is said to be a a 7-step series of contacts before you make a sale. So, be persistent. Say you will call in a few days, and allow options - do not seem to impose.

Summary: All this can be remembered in the letters PPS; Passion, Persistence, Sumplicity. Until next time...happy copywriting