May 10
21
#1 Copywriting Tip
There are many important elements and guidelines for effective copywriting. And there are different viewpoints on which would be the most important.
In my experience writing and executing large direct mail and email campaigns, “the offer” is the most vital. The offer is how you are presenting what it is you are selling (product or service). Although some might argue that the headline is the most important element of copywriting because it is the first point of contact with potential visitors, in my experience, no matter how many individuals you drive to your offer through an effective headline, you will not capitalize on that traffic without an effective offer.
Conversely, if you have a weak headline for an email or direct mail piece or print ad, you can still convert the visitors that do arrive to your offer – as long as you have an effective offer!
Of course the headline is very important, and it would not make sense to craft a weak headline and a strong offer. The point is that focusing on and testing different headlines for their value in determining which is the best headline to attract visitors, should be done in conjunction with testing which offer is the most appealing to your visitors. In fact, a heavier emphasis should be given towards testing the offer.
Here are a few traditional components for crafting an offer:
1) Presenting Something New
Rightly or wrongly, consumers are more interested in “new” stuff as opposed to old stuff, even if old stuff might be better. What can you present as “new”?
2) Sale
Positioning any product or service for a reduced cost is the surest way to boost sales.
3) Premium or Bonus
Including bonuses for “buying now” are an effective way to sweeten any offer.
4) Limited Time Offer
Making any offer available for a limited time will inspire some potential customers who are sitting on the fence to “Buy Now,” which is always a good thing, since so many transactions that don’t occur “now” will simply never occur.
5) Free Trial
If you can introduce people to your products or service for free, so they can experience the real value you are presenting, you will eliminate the major obstacle that potential customers have when considering a purchase: “Am I going to get ripped off?” Of course, a percentage of those users who take advantage of your free trial will never become clients or customers anyway, but the percentage of those that DO give you money for your offer will be higher overall.
6) Buy Now, Pay Later
“Multiple payment” options, and “buy now, pay later” also lower the barrier of uncertainty among potential customers. This tends to work best for large ticket items: the perceived cost is reduced by breaking up an expensive purchase into multiple smaller payments.
Of course, the best offer includes many of these ingredients. In fact, whenever I write a sales letter for a client, I will attempt to include as many as possible to craft a number of powerful offers, and then test them to see which is the best!
