Be Personal

Copywriting, whether in print or web, is basically selling. A copywriter may not personally promote a product or service to a perspective buyer, but its method of convincing is the same as any other conventional sales work. In order to win the hearts of customers, copywriters need to create a personal connection. Salesmen who close million-dollar deals are those who were able to successfully empathize with people, and copywriters need to follow their example.

There are several ways on how to connect with people. The most common, and often neglected by novice copywriters, is speaking directly to one person. When doing a face-to-face sales call, a salesman will not speak to hundreds of clients at once. He will meet the need of one client at a time. The same principle holds true for web copywriters. Those who write copies intended to be read on the Internet have to make their message personal.

Knowing the target audience is the primary step in communicating on a personal level. Know their age, social status, gender and peculiar need. After which, when its time to write the copy, a copywriter should remember to use “you” or “your”, instead “we” or “us”. Second person pronouns make statements look friendlier. Instead of writing “We will greatly benefit from this new computer software,” write, “You will greatly benefit from this new computer software.” A web copywriter must learn the vernaculars and jargons of its target audience. Customers are drawn more to copies that speak exclusively to them.

Don’t Beat Around the Bush

Online readers will be eternally grateful for web copywriters who were able to give what they want through clear and concise texts. As what has always been said, online readers somehow take on a different persona when they are in front of a computer screen. They tend to become impatient. Looking for a product or service in Internet is not like shopping in the mall; where one can sift through racks of clothing without feeling restless. Because of the strain computer screens can do to the eyes and the attention-grabbing websites of different companies, online readers find it hard to relax and remain focused when they are trying to buy something from the Internet.

Web copywriters can make online shopping easy and enjoyable for everyone by producing copies that are short and direct to the point. More than avoiding complex words, web copywriters should also refrain from using anecdotes, metaphors or other lengthy phrases tangential to the main topic; these phrases will only frustrate readers and compel them to look at other websites. Indirect beginnings can work on novels and other forms of literary pieces, but not on contents intended to be read on the web. People on the web are hasty in getting what they want, so web copywriters should adapt accordingly to their harsh demands.

Many web copywriters fall into the trap of believing that using indirect introduction can show intellect and sophistication. They are to be pitied because they are not aware that using such an introduction only shows superficiality and lack of basic knowledge in web copywriting.

Let Your Headings Attract

Much of the success of a website depends on its headings. A good heading will entice readers to finish the whole article; bad ones will repel readers to other websites, losing potential buyers. People will usually come across your article in a crowded webpage – where it is hardly noticeable – or worse, in a page full of search engine results. Your only chance of getting noticed in a page full of websites screaming for attention is by having a powerful heading. Website copywriters only have a few seconds to capture the attention of readers. In those few precious moments, the heading becomes the center of focus.

Writing headings for web articles is a skill not many copywriters possess. It has been said that four out of five people will not read past the headline, so when a copywriter was able to entice a reader to read the whole content using his headline then he is considered exceptional. Web copywriters should perhaps look up to newspaper writers as examples, because nothing sells a newspaper better than the compelling front-page headlines these writers create.

When writing a headline, copywriters should keep their word count to eight words or less, and should include important keywords. The use of extravagant phrases will only distract readers from the actual message of the website. If a reader failed to get a quick idea of what the page is all about, they will not hesitate to leave. A clear and concise style of writing will be greatly appreciated by online visitors, or rather potential customers.

Keep It Short and Simple

It’s time to elaborate the Less is More principle of web copywriting.

Long and convoluted sentences may read well in print, but will appear forbidding on the computer screen. To attract customers, web copywriters should keep their copies short and simple. Flowery words and lengthy sentences will only distract readers from finding the message of the website, and will also give readers the impression that the copywriter is a showoff.

The use of short stories, metaphors or anecdotes at the beginning of web articles is not appropriate. Online readers are hasty in finding the information they want to know. If the web page failed to satisfy their want because of unnecessary sentences and phrases, they will not hesitate to go to other websites. Readers will only give each web page ten seconds to capture their interest, meaning they will scan right past an article that doesn’t have an attention-grabbing introduction. Web copywriters should introduce a product or service with short and clear statements.

A call to action in a short and simple copy will attract traffic and ultimately create sales. In order to encourage a reader to buy the product or to avail the service of a website, a web copywriter should learn to create urgency by using phrases such as for limited time only, limited supplies, or free registration within June. When creating urgency, however, it is important to keep one’s credibility and honesty. It is downright wrong to offer a discount that has already expired or to offer a gift that is no longer available. Destruction is the eventual end of a company that practices dishonesty.

Web copywriters are not writing to impress but to communicate. The aim of copywriting is about getting the information across with the fewest words possible. A single copy should have fifty words or less, with its sentences limited only to 15 to 20 words and its paragraphs limited to 40 to 70 words.