What is Copywriting?

Stellar copywriting grabs your attention, pushes your buttons, and persuades you to buy a product or service. Good copywriting gets you hooked when you read the first word, but great copywriting is what keeps you reading until the last.

So what is copywriting? It’s more than just putting a bunch of words together on a page. It’s the copy – also called sales copy – used in marketing and promotional materials. There’s a lot more technique to it than the report writing and essay writing they teach you in school. Here’s a closer look at what copywriting is… and what makes it so enticing.

Copywriting Speaks to You

Copywriting is like hearing the voice inside your head speaking to you. You’re having a conversation with the page. The copywriter did a lot of research before writing the first word to really understand you, the reader, and what you’re looking for.

The copywriter carefully crafted the headline to capture your attention and grab your curiosity. You want to know the answer the headline is asking.

Like a trail of breadcrumbs, you’re drawn to the heading, then you read the first sentence to find out more information. But it doesn’t stop there. That first sentence knows exactly what you’re thinking. You had a question, a problem, or a pain point on your mind and that first paragraph just stated what you’re thinking. So you keep reading.

You keep reading that paragraph, and the next and the next until you’ve reached the end, when it asks you to take action and sign up or buy something and you do. The copy is convincing because it understands you.

The Real Nuts and Bolts of Copywriting

It seems seamless and magical, the way the words flow, but there is a technique to crafting killer copy. First, the copywriter researched their audience. They want to know them and what’s on their mind. They’ve asked themselves, “What keeps my reader awake at night?”

When you understand your audience’s pain, you can push their buttons and evoke their emotions. Copywriters tell stories that relate to what their audience has been through, whether it is struggling with finances, business, self-esteem, or relationships.

Second, copywriting is concise and skimmable. The words are short and conversational, without jargon or corporate speak. Copywriting also backs up claims with reputable sources. It claims to have solutions to financial or relationship challenges, and provides evidence that if you take action, what you want can be achieved.

Finally, copywriting has a way of creating urgency. The reader needs to take action, and take action now or miss out. It’s the reader’s chance to solve the problem that’s been on their mind.

Key Takeaways

If you’re wondering, “What is copywriting?” the short answer is copywriting is sales copy. Its purpose is to sell and the techniques are subtle. Copywriting is like reading a conversation with a friend who understands a problem that’s on your mind. It’s this understanding and a sense of urgency that persuades you to take action to find the solution that you need.

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