April 22, 2010
3 Rookie Copywriting Mistakes To Avoid
It doesn’t matter what you’re writing, really. There are some basic tenets of copywriting that will serve you well whether you’re writing a sales letter, a cover letter accompanying your resume, or a query letter pitching an article idea.
You should ignore them at your peril; the best copywriters know that closing the sale is all about human psychology, which is why these rules are timeless. Double-check that you haven’t committed any of these common but costly mistakes in whatever you’re writing:
1. It ain’t all about you. I saw this a lot back when I was editing clients’ cover letters and resumes. “I feel this job would be an excellent step for me, because…” The company doesn’t care at all why the job would be good for you; it cares about what you’d bring to the company. Remember that your reader is always looking at your writing from a WIIFM (“what’s in it for me?”) perspective.
2. Don’t get all fancypants. As lawyers, we’re taught to write in circles to a large extent, to use big words when little ones would do, and to try to come across as educated and important. Good copywriters do just the opposite – they write in clear, unpretentious, conversational language. Sometimes it’s not even grammatically correct, which goes against everything we’re taught, but it works.
3. Remember to hit the benefits. Copywriters often talk about features (what a product has, is, or does) and benefits (why the features are a good thing). Rookie copywriters tend to focus on the features to the exclusion of the benefits, which is a mistake because the benefits are what really sell your product.
To take a simple example, the features of a wristwatch could include a leather strap, a winding mechanism, and a face that’s 1.5″ across. Some of the accompanying benefits would be:
* All-natural materials – breathable and sustainable
* No battery needed – will never let you down at a crucial moment
* Large face means it’s easy to read at a glance; no straining or squinting
The benefits are harder to write about because they require an additional level of thinking, which is why they can get overlooked, but if you don’t do this work for your reader (and explain it clearly – refer back to #2 above), it’s going to be incredibly hard to close the sale.
