A beginner's guide to Copywriting - 10 most valuable lessons.

Following is a collection of notes I took while learning Copywriting.

I am still learning, but this is what I learned till now.

What is Copywriting?

Copywriters goal should be — getting readers to take action. A copywriter is more of a salesperson than a writer. 

Copywriting is persuading readers using words, and invoking the right emotions to sell a product or an idea.

Understanding what makes people tick/work. Or what motivates people.

Continuously answer any doubts/questions that may pop up in customers’ minds while reading.

Invoking emotions on social media.

What types of posts go viral on social media?

Posts that invoke some kind of emotion tend to work best. Following are some of the main emotions/themes that work.

Funny, angry, cute/Ewww, crazy, now I get it, things everyone is thinking and you say it out loud, great news: type of posts.

Some copywriting formulas.

There are many copywriting formulas(I found around 40 different ones). But most of them are the same. The following are a few main ones.

AIDA, PASCO, BAB, KISS, 4P’s, FAB

Purpose of each element in copy.

All the elements in an advertisement are primarily designed to
do one thing and one thing only: get you to read the first sentence of the copy.

The first sentence.

Most important — everything we did till now is to get the reader to read the first sentence.

The headline.

Spend a lot of time writing the headline. At least 30% of the time you take to write the whole copy. 

Make at least 10 or 20 different versions of headlines and choose the best.

The Slippery Slide

Creating the slippery slide effect -

Your readers should be so compelled to read your copy that
they cannot stop reading until they read all of it as if sliding
down a slippery slide.

Seeds of Curiosity

At the end of a paragraph, I will often put a very short sentence that offers some reason for the reader to read the next paragraph.

Copy as Emotion.

We buy on emotion and justify with logic.

Less Shakespeare more Hemingway.

Use simple words, and simple sentences, and avoid adverbs. 

Use the Hemingway app online to test the readability/difficulty of your copy. And make sure the score is below 6.

Practice, Practice and how to practice.

The best way to learn is by doing Copy work —copying great copywriters by writing their work using hand and pen/pencil.

Rule — focus.

Copy should focus on one idea, one desirable promise, 1 story, 1 emotion, and 1 action.

2 main types of copy.

Direct response copy — The goal is immediate sales.

Indirect response — create awareness.

Copywriting — Connect your product to your prospects dominating conscious desire.

Building Tension.

Following are some tips to build tension and keep readers engaged.

• Tension from at a to b
• Micro tensions. 
• Hooks and loops 
• Not selling on first mail — the audience should not know where it is going
• Storytelling — build suspense, cliffhanger, waiting and expecting,
• The customer is the hero in their story.