Notes on The Fundamentals of Writing to Sell Presentation
Introduction
Presentation titled "The Fundamentals of Writing to Sell."
Aimed at members of the Copywriting Collective Discord Server.
Summary of important points learned over a few years in marketing.
Importance of Copywriting
Copywriting significantly impacts a business's sales.
Example: Increased average net daily sales from £124 to over £600 using copywriting fundamentals.
Proven system for writing high-performing copy across various mediums.
Presentation Goals
Provide a practical system for writing effective copy.
Cover theory and provide concrete answers for research, writing, and editing copy.
Focus on principles of writing to sell and persuasion.
Core Concepts
Problem with Modern Copywriting
Many marketers fail due to writing for the company rather than the prospect.
Emphasizes persuasion starting with the ad's recipient, not the creator.
Importance of Direct Response Advertising
Direct response ads aim for immediate measurable action.
Indirect response ads focus more on brand awareness and are less effective for direct sales.
Direct response advertising is crucial for demonstrating measurable success.
Rule of One (Rio)
Focus on One Reader, One Idea, One Offer, One Action.
Keeps messaging focused and prevents overwhelming the reader.
Stages of Awareness
Prospects fall into five stages: Unaware, Problem Aware, Solution Aware, Product Aware, Most Aware.
Objective is moving prospects through the stages to become ready to buy.
Tailoring messaging based on the stage of awareness improves effectiveness.
Consumer Psychology
Five general rules: Immediate categorization, confidence decreases with decision time, herd mentality reliance, logic is secondary, decisions are emotionally based.
Emphasizes emotional decision-making and joining existing conversations in prospects' minds.
Research Process
Product Research: Become an expert on the product, understand its features and benefits.
Competitor Research: Understand competitors' strategies and identify market gaps.
Market Research: Gather indirect voice of customer data to understand market desires and problems.
Translate research into useful insights for crafting copy.
Writing Copy
The Process
Use research to plan and write focused copy.
Five Subconscious Questions: Ensure copy answers how it's relevant, unique, beneficial, trustworthy, and actionable.
Copy Structure: Lead, Body, Close.
Lead: Hook the reader, make an emotional decision.
Body: Focus on fighting objections and reinforcing the main idea.
Close: Clearly present the offer and ask for action.
Techniques
Adapting Voice of Customer Data: Incorporate direct quotes and common phrases from research.
Dimensionalization: Make benefits and pains relatable and vivid.
Editing Techniques
Cub Method: Identify and fix confusing, unbelievable, or boring copy.
Swappy: Justify every line, ensure it's relevant and provable.
Other Considerations
Attention Span Fallacy: Short attention spans don’t necessitate shorter copy; relevance is key.
Testing Copy: Test significant changes (screams not whispers) to determine effectiveness.
Improving Copywriting Skills
Practice hand-copying successful copy, annotate and analyze it.
Read widely and stay informed about different perspectives and media.
Maintain curiosity and empathy to improve understanding of audience needs.
Conclusion
Emphasize fundamentals: understanding the audience, focusing on relevance, and structuring for persuasion.
Stay dedicated to continuous improvement and testing to refine copywriting skills.