Copywriting is the one skill that all professional speakers should learn. We communicate through words — on our websites, in our promotional material, during our presentations, and when we write emails or proposals to others. Just as in a speech, if those words aren’t effectively conveying our message, then we’re shooting ourselves in the foot every single time we connect with somebody!
Here are a few copywriting tips that I think will be helpful to you:
Know Your Target Market ~
Good copywriters know exactly who they’re writing for before starting. As we do with professional speaking, they speak directly to ONE person and keep that same person in mind at all times. If you try to reach too many people with your copy you’ll end up missing your target altogether and not reaching anyone at all. Before starting, know exactly who you’re writing your copy for and stick to it.
Use Headlines That Intrigue ~
Use clear headlines throughout your copy to guide the reader. Your main headline should be in bold and large letters to grab the reader’s attention. It is often the headline that can either make or break your copy. Use a benefit-focused headline, which explains in powerful detail how your product or service can help solve the customer’s problem. Then use sub-headlines throughout the copy to keep the reader intrigued so they will keep reading.
Don’t Use Big Words ~
Online writing is different from the writing we did in English class. Throw out the text book and forget all those rules your teacher taught you! Online and promotional writing is casual, and needs to convey emotion and a clear purpose. We should speak to speak to the person as though we’re sitting down with them and chatting over lunch. Stay away from big words and long adjectives… or risk boring (and losing) potential clients! (OH! And be sure to use contractions when you write! Nothing makes a promotional piece feel less sincere than when the writer does not — doesn‘t — use contractions. It’s too formal! You wouldn’t do it when speaking, so why do it with the written word?)
Be Persuasive ~
If we love ourselves, that’s great! …but it’s also a bit biased. Our customers want to hear from other unbiased people who have used our services successfully. It’s always a good idea to include customer testimonials. But not just any testimonial will do — the more information we can include, the better. Try to include the person’s full name, city, state, website URL, and if possible, a picture of that person. The more information included in our testimonials, the more persuasive and believable they are.
It’s NOT All About You! ~
In fact, it’s not about you (or me) AT ALL! Effective copywriting is concerned with the needs of the reader. The writer doesn’t really matter… Of course, you may need to add a little personal information about yourself in order to gain trust and to explain why your customer should trust you, but even in this case it’s all about what you can do for them. Go through your copy, does it contain a lot of “I’s” then it’s time for a serious re-write. Go back and change most of those “I’s” to “You’s.” Any kind of promotional writing should always be about the customer.
Don’t Forget the Call ~
The call to action, that is! We must guide our readers and tell them what we expect them to do. If we want them to click a button and purchase our new product, we should say so… and say so in a clear way which promotes all the benefits of our speaking services or product: “Click here to learn how Cynthia can teach your sales team 10 Tools for Increasing Commissions by Next Week.” Being precise in your wording and always including a clear call to action will put you miles ahead of the competition. Most marketers don’t do this!
There’s a whole “science” to writing effective copy. One of my favorite books is “CASH COPY: How to Offer Your Products & Services So Your Prospects Buy Them”
OK… get busy… start writing! :o)
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As the publisher for the 997WaysToBeAGreatSpeaker.com resource website, Cynthia Lay is passionate about marketing & public relations. She offers website design services tailored to new and seasoned professional speakers, and can help you create a strong web presence to build your client base and increase product sales & speech bookings. If you need a new website, please contact here at theButterflyHerder.com.
Ms. Lay is also the “Chief Butterfly Herder” for World Champions’ EDGE, an advanced public speaking coaching program featuring several World Champions of Public Speaking, and a National Speakers Association Hall of Fame award recipient. If you’re interested in taking that “next step” as a speaker, click here to get a 30-day “test-drive” for just a buck!
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