Copywriting 101: How & Why Copy Converts
Hello Friend!
We’re so glad you’re here. If you found your way through the vast interweb to this website, you are probably curious about copywriting. If that’s you, awesome. You’re in the perfect place. Let’s dive right in.
What Is Copywriting?
There are many different types of copywriting, so the answer to this is usually a 20-page report (like this one). Don’t worry, we won’t do that to you.
The simple answer is any writing that will appear in print or online to create engagement with the people you want to sell to. Copy is specifically related to business.
They are best friends.
If you want to sell something, the truth is, you can’t do it without copy.
Even if you’re talking to someone in person about your business, your conversation will go much smoother if a copywriter lived behind the scenes figuring out exactly what you need to say and how you need to say it.
Your copy needs to explain what your offer is, what kind of people you’re selling to (and the pain they experience without your help), and the promise you are making about the results of your help.
When we explain it that way, it might sound simple—if only it was. The truth is, there are a lot of complicated ideas that live behind the copy that deal with ideas based on the well-funded world of sales psychology.
The amount of learning that goes into becoming an expert copywriter is weighty, for sure. But why do people learn how to write copy? Why is that so important? Well, let’s take a look…
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What Does Copywriting Do?
Well-written copy will cause action. That’s the goal. Whether you’re trying to increase
engagement for your brand to build awareness or trying to get your dream client
to click on the “buy” button, copy is what it all happen.
Words are chosen carefully—copy creates the foundation of ideas your business is built on…all inside the minds of the people you want to serve.
Your dream clients!
But what really matters when someone is writing your copy? Is it all sales psychology?
You might be surprised by the answer.
Is Does Grammar Matter In Copywriting?
As a bunch of grammar nerds and copyeditors for books, we wondered if we could combine our
love for correctness with the wonderful world of copy. At first, people told us
that copyediting and copywriting were unrelated. But we decided to test our theory.
Which was?
The superpower of editors is that they can take complicated ideas and simplify them. They are the diffusers of confusion. The clarity creators. The communication-gifted.
We knew that we could take our editing-based skills and create clear, correct, copy that would convert much
better.
As it turns out, yes, grammar does matter.
According to Neil Patel’s research, when women in a study found grammatical errors or spelling errors in copy, they were 81% less likely to purchase that product or service. 81%! That’s a big number.
That’s why we harness our powers of grammar-precision for copywriting good. Does that make Literary
Symmetry special as an agency? Yes, it does.
Nerd powers for the win.
So, now that you know what copy is and does, you probably want to know what different forms
it can take. Right? Well, we don’t want to leave you hanging.
What are the different types of copywriting?
When you were planning out your business, did you ask the next new person you met to be your partner? No. Why? Because if you need to be able to trust that person you need to get to know them first.
Engagement driving copy is made up of the words you use to build connection between you and your dream client. What forms does this type of copy take?
Anything that gets viewed by people who don’t already know you or your brand. Like social media posts, YouTube videos, blog articles, social media bios, and even first-level advertisements like Facebook ads.
The goal is to create engagement between you and the person you serve, hence the name. Engagement is so important because it uses the seed planted by that first moment of connection and nurtures it so it can sprout and grow into a relationship.
When you have a relationship with someone, you naturally want to trade meaningful stories. It is our superpower to help you take your personal stories and choose which ones will best create connection with your chosen audience. One way to do that is through social media posts.
People like social media managers live and breathe engagement, even though a lot of people don’t consider them to be copywriters. I would say that they are writing to create future sales, so they are writing copy.
At Literary Symmetry, we do offer social media writing services, but if you are looking for someone to take care of all of your social media, AKW Writing is our favorite to social media management business to work with.
This is the type that people always think about when you hear the word “copywriter.” When people ask us what our agency does and we tell them, if they know anything about copy, they usually make a Don Draper reference at that point.
Yes, sales copy can be written to do things like sell nefarious products (we don’t take clients who want to do that). But it can also do amazing things like let you know that your favorite brand of
oatmeal has gone organic (score!).
Sales-driving copy is in your life in some form every day. Whether you’re watching TV and a commercial comes on, or you’re looking at the bold new font on your favorite orange juice label, copy is influencing you and everyone else in the world all the time.
Sales copy is anything written with the intent to cause some sort of action (which is where the phrase Call To Action or CTA comes from). Copy could be something as simple as “Buy Now.”
A skilled copywriter will make sure that the person reading or watching goes through all the different thoughts needed to get enough information and emotional motivation to make the purchase.
In copy, the audience is the most important ingredient. Without people, there can’t be an offer.
Copywriters spend time researching the different audiences for a product or service before they write. We think about an audience in terms of temperature. Are they cold, warm, or hot?
Cold means the customer doesn’t even know they have a problem yet, while hot means they know they have a problem and that you have the best solution. Hot means they are ready to buy.
We’ll talk more about audience mindset in a minute, but this one principle shows you how much thought and skill are required to write copy.
It’s about so much more than slapping words on a page.
The last type of copy deals with keeping customers. If someone already knows they have a problem and they trust you to solve it,
you can sell to them quickly with less effort.
Who doesn’t want that?
But if you don’t invest time and words into maintaining that relationship, the person who used to trust you to help them will find some other help.
Everything in business is built around relationships, and if you don’t maintain those relationships, you can’t keep selling to those people, period.
This is where emails come in handy and why you should invest in creating and nurturing a list. But there are other ways of making sure your customers know you’ve got them covered.
When you buy a pair of Zenni glasses (our favorite frames happen to come from the Iris Apfel collection) and you look inside the case, you see bright white words in a happy font that read, “Trendy Not Spendy.”
This is genius because it reminds you why you like Zenni. You got awesome looking glasses for a great price. And next time you go to buy a pair, you’ll remember that Zenni is the place you love to buy from.
If you keep the case out to put your glasses in whenever you take them off, you will see this message almost every day! Now that’s what we call copy that retains.
Are You Ready To Get Your Copywriting Dialed In?
How does copywriting drive traffic?
Now that you know about engagement, audience temperatures, and the importance of relationships in business, it’s time to talk about the three A’s of copywriting.
Awake, Aware, Action
These As are aware, awake, and action—and they have everything to do with driving traffic.
The best way to get people to your site or shop is to make the aware of your existence. If they don’t know who you are, they definitely won’t know how you can help them.
Aware, awake, and action—they have everything to do with driving traffic.
Awake, Aware, & Action Continued…
Once you’ve started the conversation, you ask your audience to start thinking about the pain they feel. This makes them wake up.
Like copywriting expert Christa Nichols always says, “Whomever mirrors the pain best wins.”
But you don’t want to leave them in their pain, after they’re aware, you want to show them
what action to take. This is when you present your solution.
All of these ideas, working together, will drive traffic. People will want to hear from you and pay for your help.
Because this is such a huge need for businesses, people are looking to outsource it, to the point that a lot of copywriting AI has popped up.
But is using software really as effective as hiring a person?
Can I replace my copywriter with AI robots or swipe files?
The truth is, copywriting AI can be useful. Yes, you can get ideas about what is trending from this kind of software. But you can’t replace the nuanced understanding of your audience avatar or brand voice completely with bots. And bots can’t learn how to take people through the awake, aware, action process.
So, what is an audience avatar and what does brand voice mean?
Tone, attitude, and emotional connection will all influence what kind of customer you attract.
If you start writing out of once voice, but then suddenly change it, your customers won’t continue to be drawn to you. They’ll stop trusting your brand. Inconsistency = dishonesty in the minds of consumers.
In order to create a brand voice that will actually serve your dream clients, you need to know who your audience is. If you’re trying to sell glasses to people who don’t need corrective lenses to see clearly, selling traditional glasses doesn’t make sense.
The person you’re talking to must have a need for the solution you offer.
This is why copywriters will help you create an avatar based on the audience who will respond to your offer.
An avatar is an imaginary person who stands in for the kind of individual who needs your help.
And your audience is made up of people who identify with the same things that your avatar does.
Your brand voice will be customized not only to your avatar, but also to the personality you want your business to have. But if you don’t make sure those two things are compatible, you’ll end up with a huge disconnect.
This is why copywriters will usually start with a messaging report.
They need to research what you offer, who your audience is, and how you can cultivate a brand voice based on the personality
of your business that will connect to your specific audience. And that brings us to the next question you probably have.
What is the first step a copywriter will take with a new client? The first thing any experienced copywriter will do is establish your USP (your Unique Selling Proposition) or refine it if you already have one.
Next, they will a create consistent brand voice based on your desired avatar (yes you can pick what kind of people you draw to
your brand) and business personality.
Finally, they will determine what pieces of copy you need in what order to create consistent, scalable growth.
Are you ready
to hire a copywriter?
Do you want to target clients who are naturally empathetic and helpful?
That is our specialty.
If you’d like to know what Literary Symmetry can do for your business moving forward, we’d love to hear about your amazing products and services. And more than anything, we’d love to help you use the art of personal storytelling to help you grow your business.
Don’t wait to get your business messaging dialed in. Book your call with one of our expert team members today!
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