One of the biggest copywriting mistakes is not having a clear goal for your copy. What do you want your readers to do after reading your copy? How do you want them to feel? What problem are you solving for them? Without a clear goal, your copy will be vague, unfocused, and irrelevant. To avoid this mistake, you should always start with a clear goal and write your copy around it. Use the SMART framework to define your goal: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
Another common copywriting mistake is not understanding your audience. Who are you writing for? What are their needs, wants, pain points, and motivations? What language, tone, and style do they prefer? How much do they know about your topic? Without understanding your audience, your copy will be generic, boring, and ineffective. To avoid this mistake, you should always research your audience and create buyer personas. Use tools like surveys, interviews, social media, and analytics to gather data and insights about your audience.
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Too often we write from our own ego. This is a fallacy because for copy to be understood, it needs to use the language of your customers. How do you find that? My ultimate hack is aggregating customer testimonials and discovering the common phrases - then turn around and use those exact phrases in your copy.
A value proposition is a statement that summarizes why your offer is valuable, unique, and desirable for your audience. It's one of the most important elements of your copy, as it tells your readers what's in it for them and why they should choose you over your competitors. However, many copywriters fail to communicate their value proposition clearly, concisely, and convincingly. They use vague, generic, or exaggerated claims that don't resonate with their audience. To avoid this mistake, you should always craft a clear value proposition that answers these questions: What do you offer? How does it benefit your audience? How are you different from your competitors? Use the 4U formula to write your value proposition: Useful, Urgent, Unique, and Ultra-specific.
People are skeptical and distrustful of advertising claims. They need proof and credibility to believe your copy and trust your brand. However, many copywriters neglect to provide proof or credibility in their copy. They rely on their own opinions, assumptions, or hype instead of using facts, data, or testimonials. To avoid this mistake, you should always back up your claims with proof or credibility. Use the 3E formula to provide proof or credibility: Evidence, Examples, and Endorsements.
A call to action (CTA) is a phrase that tells your readers what you want them to do next. It's the final step of your copy that drives your readers to take action. However, many copywriters write weak or unclear CTAs that don't motivate their readers to act. They use vague, passive, or timid words that don't create a sense of urgency or value. To avoid this mistake, you should always write a clear call to action that follows these guidelines: Use action verbs, be specific, create urgency, offer value, and make it easy.
The last common copywriting mistake is not editing or proofreading your copy. Even the best copywriters make typos, grammatical errors, or spelling mistakes that can ruin their copy and damage their reputation. Moreover, editing and proofreading can help you improve your clarity, flow, and readability of your copy. To avoid this mistake, you should always edit and proofread your copy before publishing or sending it. Use tools like Grammarly, Hemingway, or ProWritingAid to check and improve your copy. Also, ask someone else to review your copy and give you feedback.
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Don't be redundant with your visual(s). Often, less is more. Advertising relies on visual storytelling, so it's important to understand just how much copy is needed (if any) on a given piece. Don't restate something that's already clearly communicated in the featured visual. Make sure that your copy only adds to the storytelling, advancing it in some way that clearly expresses the key insight in your marketing message while driving your audience to a clear call to action. The best advertising provides the shortest distance between impression (seeing), cognition (understanding), and reaction (responding). Too much copy can get in the way of that.
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These are all good points/comments. I also focus on the point that I am not writing to an audience, I must write as that audience. It is all about knowing, connecting and being. Understand the audience's passions and purpose–what they share with the brand. Don't try to convince people, be truthful, transparent and authentic. When you develop real trust, audiences don't think of messages as advertising, but real, one-to-one communicaiton.
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