I’m not sure where I heard it first, but something that really drives my copywriting – especially what they call “body” copy – is to enter the conversation already going on in my readers’ minds.
If you’re writing in a niche market you’re already familiar with, that’s probably pretty easy to do, since you’ve probably had the same internal conversations that they’re having now. But what if you’re writing for a market you’re unfamiliar with?
One of the best ways to deal with this challenge is to create a fictitious person who has the attributes of your target reader – age, sex, interests, income, habits, etc. Really define this person in great detail. Put yourself in their shoes and start thinking about what they ask and tell themselves on a daily basis.
photo credit: garryknight
Better yet, go to forums in your target market and read some of the posts. These are actual glimpses into the internal conversations going on in the minds of those people. Start pooling some of them together to create a new persona that might say those very things to themself.
Then, start using those exact words in your copy.
Keep in mind the entire world of your reader – their home, their relationships, their age, everything.
For example, if you’re talking about snoring, chances are they’re reading your page because their snoring bothers someone they live with, or perhaps is causing sleep apnea and making them extra tired during the day. Talk to them about these issues, do a little research.
“How many times has your spouse or significant other punched you in the back to get you to roll over onto your side and stop snoring?! Have you ever tried the old ‘tennis ball sewn into your pajamas’ trick? You’re probably sick and tired of feeling like you can’t control your own snoring, right? Well, now you can.”
That’s just a quick passage to show you what I’m talking about.
Use their language, especially when it comes to different age groups. If you’re writing to seniors, I don’t recommend using the word “dude” a lot. You can probably figure out the best language to use yourself, but it is something to be aware of.
But what ELSE can you write about? Don’t you have to make some big, long sales letter?
Well, longer can be better, but it doesn’t have to ramble on forever.
The best way to keep your copy moving and add some volume is to tell stories – in vivid, emotional detail. Use LOTS of paragraphs, quotes, short sentences, etc.
You do NOT need to follow your high school grammar rules any more, OK?! I hereby give you permission to throw those out the window when writing for the web.
“Last night, I must have counted 4 separate times when my wife punched me in the kidneys to get me to roll over. Why?
Apparently, I was snoring.
Well, that’s what she tells me anyway. I don’t know, because I can’t hear it.
I swear, I TRY not to snore – I really do. I visualize not snoring. I start out sleeping on my side or stomach. I really have the best intentions.
But somehow I end up on my back, sawing logs and waking up my wife.
Believe me, I’ve tried everything I could think of, including all the old wives’ remedies…”
OK, you get the picture. Go into every little detail. Really paint the picture – pain, effort, expense, emotions – everything you can think of.
Then, be sure you gently guide this whole story to its logical conclusion – purchasing your product or service!
Next time, we’ll talk about a magical little trick for leading people hypnotically from one sentence and paragraph to the next. It’s so simple, but almost amazing in its power.
Yes, this blog post is a cliffhanger 
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