3 High Leverage Research Tips to Write Better Copy in Less Time
A defining trait of exceptional copywriters is curiosity. The reason is: curiosity helps them perform effective research, one of the key leverage points for strong-performing copy. Great copy requires research into the market, the product/service, the competition, and more. Research could consume every waking minute and more, but writers have limited time. So I’m going to share three high leverage research tips that will help boost the response and power of your copy, without needing to devote your whole life to it.
But first, here’s a story for ya…
Back in December 2008, I had to write a 15-20 page final paper for my philosophy of science class. I had two weeks to pick a topic, research it, and write the paper. I could’ve worked full-time for two weeks on it. The problem? I had 4 other final exams to prepare for at the same time.
At the time, I was finishing my last semester at Cornell University. I had to take a philosophy class to fill an elective requirement, so I picked one on the philosophy of science. The class itself was fascinating and useful. It helped understand how science advances, and how to think about science.
But the final paper was a headache. I had to pick an original topic, do the background research, and write an original 15-20 page paper within two weeks. And I had 4 other finals to study for at the same time.
To pick the topic, I tried flipping through the dense books we’d been assigned for our class. I read academic journals. I scheduled a meeting with my professor to talk about it.
But finally, I decided to just save the time on reading through the books, and I started reading my notes from the class. I’d taken a notebook full of notes, and perused it until I found a topic that was intriguing (the Structure of Scientific Revolutions, by Thomas Kuhn, in case you’re interested).
I read everything the professor said on the topic, and came up with my own ideas about it. I showed the professor what I came up with, and he suggested a couple of other sources to study. So I read through them, and wrote my ideas down, along with quotes and links from the books. It came out to 17 pages. I turned it in, and the professor sent an email the following week saying I got an A.
The key point here is: I didn’t have time to do all the background research I could’ve done. I just found a high leverage way to research (in this case, the notes I’d taken for the class), talked it through with my professor, and organized my thoughts into written words. It was still serious work, but I got it done efficiently and effectively.
And now, as a professional copywriter, I use a similar system for high leverage research. The key idea is: you can spend every waking minute doing research for your copywriting or marketing projects. But the 80/20 principle applies to research: there are a few key leverage points you can research that are responsible for most of the power of your copy. If you focus your research on these few key leverage points, you’ll be able to research much more efficiently while still uncovering what you need to know to write effective copy.
Here are three of them:
1) Your market’s RAS triggers
Research what is important to your market, what will catch their attention in spite of all the various distractions they encounter. In persuasion terms, attention is the single most important factor - if you lose the reader’s attention, they’ll delete your email, close your website, ignore your messages, and go on to something that does catch their attention.
And in psychology terms, the reticular activating system (RAS) is a system in our brain that sorts through all the stimuli entering our brains, and draws our conscious attention to what matters to us. So learn your audience’s RAS triggers: what matters to them, what’s important to them.
2) The “big idea” behind your solution
Understand the one, key, overarching principle behind your solution. A strong big idea includes the core factors behind effective persuasion: it shows your reader your solution is safe, gives them an opportunity to grow, and will help them belong to something bigger than themselves.
For example, the big idea behind LinkedIn is “business and employment-oriented professional networking, online.” This big idea shows customers LinkedIn is safer than some of its job site competitors, since it links people one-to-one using their real-life identities. It gives customers an opportunity to grow professionally, and helps people belong to groups or communities bigger than themselves.
3) Stories, proof points, and offer
Plan which stories, proof points, and offers you’ll include with your copy. For stories, the key idea is: you don’t want to tell stories just for their own sake. Tell stories that help readers trust you, feel confident about working with you, and show you have the ability to lead them (more on this next week). For proof points, keep in mind that customers are skeptical. They’ve been ripped off before, and want to see historical, factual, or social proof behind any claims you make. And for the offer, consider your price, bonuses, and any systems you have that will help guarantee the results of your solution.
That’s it. Instead of spending every waking minute doing research for your copy project, devote your research to these three high leverage points. Understand your market’s RAS triggers, the big idea behind your solution, and the stories, proof points, and offer you’ll make to them. Do this, and you’ll maximize the power of your copy, while spending less time crafting it.
About Scott McKinney: I’m a professional writer specializing in B2B software. I write marketing materials that help my clients attract and retain wonderful long-term customers. Unlike other writers, I come from a mathematics background, so I’m able to tackle technical topics and translate them to what the reader needs to know. Need a writer? Email me at [email protected]. I’m currently booking for 2021.