Below are 10 tips to ensure you produce effective copy. (Excerpt from article posted by PeteSavage.com)

 1. “You” can make a difference. The word “you” is perhaps the most important word in copywriting because it involves the reader with your message. So instead of writing about what your company offers, write about what the customer gets. [Instead of: “We offer the most advanced…”, write: “You get the most advanced…”]  

2. Features tell, benefits sell! Good copy clearly communicates the benefit that your product or service delivers to the customer. Poor copy merely lists features. Here’s how you avoid that trap.  As you write about the attributes of your product, ask yourself, “So what?” Your answer will lead you to the benefit.  

3. Keep your message clear. Focus your message on [only few key] benefits that deliver the highest value to your customer. Otherwise, you’ll overwhelm the reader.  Write (just) about the main benefits [the product / service] helps deliver to the customer.  

4. Energize your copy with action verbs. Action verbs help readers picture themselves using your product or service. “Our expert investment advisors provide reliable advice,” is dull. “Get expert guidance from our investment advisors and watch your assets grow,” is much more exciting.

5. No grades for grammar. Good copy not only avoids many conventional rules of grammar, it torments the daylights out of them! This means you can do things that would make your third grade teacher squirm. 

6. Reinforce your USP > Unique Selling Point. Make sure you remind customers of the reason(s) why they should buy from you. Your Unique Selling Point (USP) is the characteristic of your product or service that sets you apart from the competition.  

7. Prove it! …with testimonials. Naturally, new prospects may be skeptical of your offer, especially if they have not heard of you before. One of the best ways to overcome this skepticism is with testimonials. Make sure the source of the testimonial is someone the reader can relate to.

8. “That’s” a problem. When you’ve written your copy, look it over for all occurrences of the word “that” [and delete]. You can often make a sentence much more readable [with this simple trick].

9. Tell your reader what to do. Your ad or promotional piece must have a call to action, which tells the reader what to do. Some examples are: “Call today for a no-obligation quote.”, “Call now while supplies last!”, “Visit our website and enter this password for your free subscription!”  

10. Ask for help. Everyone needs an editor. When you’ve created your copy, have someone you trust review it. This person need not be a fellow employee; in fact, look for someone who reflects your target audience (a friend, spouse, business contact, or client). [Give it to them "cold", listen to feedback, edit and start again.]

Read entire article at PeteSavage.com >>

If you have additional tips, we’d like to hear from you!