What 4 Years of Copywriting Has Taught Me?

I started writing professionally in college, working with clients I got from Facebook groups. Blog posts and informative articles are what I primarily wrote, that come under the domain of content writing.

Simultaneously, I was looking out for opportunities for better and high-paying work. This is when I got introduced to copywriting. It was like a dream come true. I was writing with the knack of creativity that I always treasured. While content writing restricts me from showing my creativity, copywriting welcomes it.

Fast forward 4 years, and I am now a full-time SEO copywriter. Here are my takeaways from these years of hands-on experience for someone who wants to know what impact copywriting can have in your business and how one can pursue this field.

What Copywriting Really Is

Understanding Your Customer

Understanding your target audience comes first when copywriting.

I have learned that it all comes down to how well you can establish a relationship with the prospect you are dealing with.

Be it writing a sales letter, email, ad copy, or website content - establishing an emotional connection is paramount in all formats.

The way I used to do it was to run down some degree of research before I started writing. I researched what my target audience was like. What were their interests, behaviors, and most importantly, their pain points that I am supposed to address?

It's common sense that we cannot expect a person to trust us with their money for a product that we sell. The guy doesn't even acknowledge you, leave aside knowing you!

Hence, understanding your prospects is the very first time in crafting an effective copy.

Selling is Not the First Priority

Once you know who your target audience is, you pitch your idea and try to get them converted, right?

WRONG!

You never sell at the front.

That's the golden rule of copywriting and every business should know it as well.

You cannot sell before you have gained the trust of the other person on how a particular product/service will solve their problem.

Today, businesses don't sell a product but they sell solutions to customer problems. Hence, the role of a copywriter is to translate the solution and its benefits to the prospect in the best way possible.

Telling is selling!

Empathize with your prospects on a problem they are dealing with and how your product emerges as a hero to solve that problem.

The better the problem you solve, the more chance your copy will convert.

Copywriting frameworks such as PAS, FAB, BAB, and AIDA are great in terms of structuring your copy on the elements that matter the most.

Just make sure that your copy does not sound like a cheesy sales pitch.

Personalization is the Key

Throughout the copy, an element that should persist in your entire copy is personalization.

Do you know the problem with billboard ads? Everyone passing the road sees them, even if they are not interested in that product. Hence, billboard ads are generalized to appeal to the masses.

Here's how copywriting is different.

A copy is super-targeted and focused on a single person. Though it is shown to thousands or even millions of people, it is still targeted to a single segment that possesses similar interests and behaviors.

With email marketing, you are literally addressing one person! Hence, personalization becomes of utmost importance there.

Your goal as a business should be to connect with your customers as a well-wisher friend who always has the best in mind for them. A copywriter will help you achieve this by personalizing the copy for the target audience.

Sell the Benefits, Not the Product

Businesses don't sell products, they sell solutions. Though we have touched upon this previously, it's still crucial to understand what this truly means.

Here is an example. A smartphone company selling a flagship model of their new phone can take the following route to advertise it.

The product-oriented approach will consist is introducing the product's features such as a 6000 MaH battery and a Snapdragon 685 processor.

While the specs are great, they are only constrained by what the product has rather than what the customer gets through these features.

Another approach is the problem-oriented approach. This tells the customer the problem that they face with their current phone running out of juice all the time and loading apps as slow as a tortoise.

Once they know what they are missing out on, we pitch the solution that our product brings to the table.

Customers need their problems solved at the best price. Hence, copywriting should always revolve around solving a problem and selling the benefit rather than features.

Continuous Learning is the Star of the Show

A copywriter never stops learning. As technology improves, the attention spans of humans shrunk even more, and AI gets even more sophisticated, we have to learn to adapt.

Grabbing the focus of the other person and making them really realize the need for something is the job of a copywriter.

While it's 20% talent, it is still 80% practice.

If you wish to thrive in this field, you have to get the creativity worm inside you. Read advertisements and sales letters of big fortune companies. Learn what approach they follow. How they write. Get to know everything that makes a piece of content impactful.

For businesses, a copywriter is the best investment you will make. Your marketing chores are taken care of, prospects are taken care of, and customer retention is taken care of. All you are left with is sales and supply chain.

Thank you for reaching out to the end. You are a hero if you made it this far. Share this article with business owners, marketing professionals, and aspiring copywriters.

Cheers!