Copywriting is not writing. It is assembling.
The best copywriters collect the varied parts of their research and assemble those parts into a true story that resonates with the particular worldview of an audience.
Then that story is tested, tweaked, and deployed again. A story that enters the conversation an audience is already having, can be a story that travels.
The assembly of these parts is key.
Though you’ll never know if a headline, or a collection of bullet points, or a call to action will resonate with your audience — not until you let it out into the real world and test it — there is one commonly overlooked practice that’s turned out to be the best copywriting advice I’ve ever put to use …
Shut up and listen.
- Listen to the creator of the product you’re selling. Let her talk (for hours if necessary) about what makes it work, why she built it, what she hopes it will do for her customers. This practice alone can give you the bulk of your copy.
- Listen to your audience. What are they telling you — directly or indirectly — about what they really want and need? If social media has given us anything, it’s an unprecedented ability to hear the demands and desires of real people, in real time.
- Listen to your competitors. It’s wise to have a view of the entire field. What’s working in your market? What’s not working? What can you learn from others’ success and failure (and from the language that got them there)?
If you’ve built a useful and/or captivating product or service, you don’t need to sweat and agonize over dreaming up some dumb marketing campaign.
Real people will tell you precisely how to assemble the various parts of your copy … many times they’ll even give you the actual bullet points and headlines that you’ll end up using, word for word.
This is not laziness; it’s wisdom in practice. Talk less, listen more.
Humble yourself and serve your audience, listen to their needs and desires, listen to the language they use.
If you listen carefully, your audience can eventually give you everything you need, including much of your copy. Oh, and remember …
Shut up and listen.
Image source: Eugenio Mazzone via Unsplash.
Reader Comments (10)
Also, don’t pad your word count. Say what you need to say, then stop talking. Robert Bruce just demonstrated how.
Hey Robert,
Copywriting can be easy if you learn to analyze your audience and what they want. It’s all about providing the content people need.
“Shut up and listen” I totally agree with your point. Whether it’s about creating a content for the product promotion or to start your writing career, you should listen, analyze and then start crafting.
~Ravi
Great tips for writing a better content and I agree totally with your point to listen what your audience needs and tells. And of course product sellers know the product than you so it is advisable to discuss with the owners to gather lot of information.
Thanks Micheal for the awesome tips.
Peace \/
This is sound advice. It encourages and inspires those just starting out like me.
Great guns there James! Awesome article, wish you’d written it 5 years ago 😉
Anyways, I’m going to subscriber your newsletter to get future updates in my inbox 🙂
Great work!
I want a book collection like that.
Agreed with Michael’s point that word-count although important for other factors might not plays a big role in writing an effective copy.
Write whatever is needed, not more and not less. It is this art that needs mastering. Thanks for a great article Robert, cheer.
Robert, I loved this article. Short, precise and to the point.
Like you say, to be a successful copywriter, you must be a good listener – it’s as simple as that.
It’s a really good piece of advice.
We have to publish content what our audience want and need.
By the way, thanks for this short and informative article.
Love the assembly metaphor for copywriting.
Another benefit: if you’re having trouble with one section, say the call to action, concentrate on the bullet points, or the headline, or the testimonials.
Brilliant piece, Robert. Thanks.
“A story that enters the conversation an audience is already having…”
That is so true. If you know your audience, and truly know their wants and needs, you can frame your copy as a natural segue to the solution to the problem they’re having.
Great stuff… thank you.
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