Can Honest Copywriting Succeed?
I confess--I'm a marketing heretic! I've built my career on breaking all the
rules--and one of the rules I break is that I don't hype. Do I put the best possible "spin" on the truth? Of course! But I refuse to
deceive my readers into action. What are some of the common copywriter tricks that I *leave on the
table?* Here are a few to start:
* If you order in the next 24 hours, you get... (face it. If you come back
tomorrow, the offer will almost always still hold)
* Get all these bonuses, valued at $999, for FREE with your $100 order
(yeah, right! And who set the value of these gifts? And are they for sale,
anywhere, on the open market at these prices?)
*Here's the information you requested (a GREAT statement--IF it's true--
but I get five or six a day in my e-box, from companies I've never heard
of)
* Hi there, long-lost friend (and you sent it BCC?) So why don't I like the copywriter's lies? And how do I write copy without
resorting to these deceits? Well, first of all, I believe that if I want my words to sell a product, that
product should be strong enough to do so without tricking the buyer. I
know that if I trick someone, I may make a sale--but I've lost a customer
for life! Whereas if I show the merits, back up my claims, and focus on
the way this product solves a problem, eases a hurt or fear, or satisfies a
need, I will build that lifetime relationship. Oh, and one more thing. I like to look in the mirror and see someone
who is doing good for the world--and I don't think lies and trickery will
accomplish that. I happen to have a gift for writing, and I use that gift to
make the world better. That includes being honest with my self and with
my readers. Much of the work I do is in the publishing industry. And here, the
competition is fierce. Roughly 175,000 new books are published in the
U.S. each year. Most of them will fail. My job is to help my clients' books
stand out in this dense crowd. Example: I wrote a press release for a book on electronic privacy issues.
Here's my headline and lead. (Another rule I broke--never use the
headline as the lead sentence. It's the only time I've ever done it that
way, but in this case, I think the repetition made the point stronger.
Names have been changed to protect the author's privacy.)
It's 10 O'Clock--Do You Know Where Your Credit History Is?
HIBBING, MN: It's 10 O'clock--Do you know where your credit history is?
How about your employment records? Your confidential medical
information? How would you feel if you found out this sensitive and should-be-private
material is "vacationing" in computer databanks around the world--
accessible to corporate interests who can afford to track down and
purchase it, but not necessarily open to your own inspection. According to electronic privacy journalist and technology consultant
Mortimer Gaines, this scenario is all-too-common?
No falsehoods, no hype--but a whole lot more captivating than the usual
"New Book on Electronic Privacy Released by Publisher." Without tricking people, I want to capture interest...move the reader to
action...and still feel good about myself in the morning. Yes, it can be done! I do it for clients every day, and have done so for
more than 20 years. Shel Horowitz, author of *Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People
First,* *Grassroots Marketing: Getting Noticed in a Noisy World,* and
four other books, offers affordable, effective copywriting and strategic
marketing planning to clients on three continents. He is the originator of
the Ethical Business Pledge Campaign to change the World at http://
www.principledprofits.com/25000influencers.html. His sites at http://
www.frugalmarketing.com and http://www.principledprofits.com offer
hundreds of useful articles for entrepreneurs and marketers, including
the complete back issues of his FREE Monthly Frugal Marketing Tips.
Shel will be glad to help you create your next press release, sell sheet,
web site, or other marketing material. He can be reached at
shel@principledprofits.com, 800-683-WORD.
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Writing Online In Two Syllables or Less
About once a month I fly off somewhere to give a one-day workshop on writing for the web.
Stop Chasing Away Customers! Bad Copy is Your Worst Enemy
Every day, more and more of us begin new online business
ventures, hoping to make a better living or just a little extra
on the side. And every day, more and more of us fail.
Help, Help, Help, Sell
Here's a fundamental difference between copywriting offline and copywriting for the web...
Prevent Procrastination With Positive Pressure
My wife and I recently bought a house.
5 Rules for Effective Written Sales Communications
Most salespeople have great ideas, but when it comes to putting those ideas on paper for their prospects, they ramble on for pages and quickly lose their readers' interest. Why do brilliant salespeople often have such a difficult time writing effective sales materials? Quite simply, these professionals haven't mastered the 5 rules of effective written business communications.
Working on the Internet: Role of Proofreading and Copy editing OnLine
When one is in a creative state, rarely can one also be in a detail state. Thus, mistakes in correct grammar, spelling and continuity of all details, may happen. Also, proofreading our own work can be very difficult, for all of us. This is because the same mental processes that went into composition are the ones we use to correct our work. Hence, so many websites are launched every year but so many of them fail to work perfectly as these sites have not been tested with a Proofreader's fresh eyes and impartial knowledge of English.
Writing for People and Search Engines
Writing for the search engines is much different than writing in any other medium. Search engines are finicky, but they love text, so you're talking their language. When writing your web content, it's important to keep the following three things in mind.
To Start Making Cash from Your Online Writing, You Must Draw Blood First
Writers write just like painters, paint on canvas. This is one of the reasons why it is important that you launch your writing career by getting some freelance writing work that you can get paid for doing.
Six Reasons You Don?t Need a Technical Writer (and Why They?re Dead Wrong!)
I know, I know. Times are tough. You have to make due with the staff you have. It's a common and valid lament in today's workplace. You've got to do more with less, so an obvious place to cut costs is in your documentation efforts. After all, writers and editors are a luxury in lean times. You're a small company and you can produce your documentation in-house, right? Think again. Hiring the right freelancer to do the job correctly the first time around could save you hundreds or thousands in help desk calls, service calls, document revision, and distribution. Here's why.
How You Can Find Freelance Children?s Writing Positions That Will Last
Freelance children's writing positions are always advertised. Rather, the schooling to learn how to write for these jobs is advertised. But, there is often a large lack of employment vacancies actually available. Many of these companies offering to train individuals in these positions claim that there are quite a few companies offering employment or that will publish their work. In fact, it is up to the individual to find these positions themselves, and as it turns out, it is very difficult to get published. So, when the opportunity for freelance children's writing positions becomes available, it is essential that good care be taken to ensure that the relationship lasts.
Website Advertising: 10 Tactics To Make Your Ad Copy More Impactful
If your ad is not generating a lot of sales, the
reason may be because it is not effective.
Copywriting FAQs
One of the biggest challenges a copywriter faces is to make future clients feel confident in his or her ability. You know you can deliver, but your clients don't know that... yet! In my own experiences as a freelancer, I've noticed that the most hesitant potential clients often ask the same questions. Following are answers to help allay their fears.
7 Formulas for Articles That GET READ!
Many of us have been asked to write an article at one time or another. Maybe it's a contribution to the company newsletter. Or a promotional article to gain publicity for ourselves or our companies. Some of us write articles regularly for clients.
SEO Copywriting: 7 Tips
So you finally built a website for your home-based business. How exciting is that!? Now you just have to let people know you're out there. The best method is to use an SEO copywriting strategy, which optimizes your web content using popular keywords.
Dont Forget The Copywriting
Copywriting And Content Creation
Ad Copy - Your 12 Point Inspection!
You're ready to launch that new product or promotion, & you're really counting on a piece of advertising copy to come through for you.
Long Copy versus Short Copy
When I show some people my advertisements, I sometimes get the feedback: "I'd never read that. There's too much writing. It needs to be simpler, and cleaner."
Step One for Copywriters: Understand WHAT to Say
Find a passage of poorly written copy, and chances are you will have found a copywriter who never figured out what it was that he or she was trying to say.
Writing Tips for Your Website
Now that your website is up and running, it's time to add
content. Fresh content will make your site interesting and
keep people (and search engine crawlers) coming back. In
order to achieve optimal web success, your site must be
informative, relevant and written the way that people read
the web. Here's a few tips to get you started.
A Quick Free n Easy Content Writing Course
I do not pretend that a one-stop shop solution to content writing exists, but my experience has taught me, that working toward a 100% effective writing formula isn't a complete waste of time.
|