Copywriting In A Week

Be A Great Copywriter In Seven Simple Steps

Rob Ashton, Robert Ashton

• Publisher: Teach Yourself
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9781473609419
• eBook ISBN: 9781444159097
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Business Writing
• Index: Business

Great copywriting just got easier
It's strange to think that there was a time when only the privileged few could read or write. The rest of us relied on the spoken word. Storytelling was used to pass knowledge on from one generation to the next. Now, most of us are literate and use the written word to gather information and inform our decision making. Increasingly we do this online, with social media and messaging enabling rapid, spontaneous global
communication. But rather than freeing us from the need for clear, effective written communication, it actually makes good communication even more important. The less we communicate face to face, the greater the opportunity for misunderstandings. Of course, all writing communicates your message to people you cannot see and may never meet. It means you can influence more widely; it also means you must take care not to make assumptions aboutyour reader, especially those who see your public postings. Successful copywriting is constructed from carefully selected words, each with a clear purpose. It is written to prompt feelings, thoughts or actions. It is clear, concise and at times comforting. It is also comprehensible, even to those not yet confident users of your language. Reading this book, and following the techniques it introduces, will make you a more effective writer. Expertise in grammar is not needed as all the necessary jargon is simply defined and, anyway, some forms of business writing deliberately ignorerules. This book is for people who want to write for results. Each of the seven chapters in Copywriting In A Week covers a different aspect:
- Sunday: Focusing your message
- Monday: Using layout, pictures and colour to make words memorable
- Tuesday: Writing effective letters
- Wednesday: Making advertising work for you
- Thursday: Communicating clearly with the media
- Friday: Preparing promotional print
- Saturday: Composing proposals and presentation visuals

Advertising is perhaps the most exciting form of copywriting. The space you purchase to deliver your message is usually expensive and must not be wasted. You do not know exactly who will read your words, so each one has to work really hard. Your writing must be clear, compelling and follow a logical sequence. You want your reader to follow your flow and get the message.

Even more important is the need to stimulate responses. While many advertising experts talk about the importance of raising awareness, prompting action gives results you can measure.

Today, you will:

• consider a range of types of advertisement

• explore the language of advertising

• practise writing advertising copy

• discover how to construct effective display advertisements

• consider unusual advertising opportunities, for example posters.

Why do we advertise?

Advertising is used where your prospect cannot readily be identified and written to as an individual. It also has a role in building awareness and confidence in the product or service you are promoting. Raising awareness is particularly important with consumer products, where the manufacturer will advertise to create consumer desire. The retailer then supports this ‘campaign’ with in-store material (termed ‘point-of-sale’), and the design of the packaging does the rest.

However, awareness-raising advertising is usually (and best) prepared by professional advertising agencies. This chapter will help you to prepare advertisements that you place to generate a direct response.

Here are some possible advertising opportunities that you might encounter.

Type	Opportunity
Classifieds	Selling a second-hand car
Recruitment	Finding new staff
Tenders	Seeking new suppliers
Directories	Listing your product/service next to those of your competitors
Exhibition catalogues	Encouraging visitors to your stand
Display advertising	Attracting new customers

You may be able to think of other advertising opportunities; some more are explored at the end of this chapter. It is fair to say, though, that the techniques you develop today will help you to prepare any kind of advertising copy. We will explore each in turn, for each demands different things from you, their writer.

The brief

Before you start writing, the one thing you must have is a clear brief. Until you know exactly what you want to say, why and how you want the reader to respond, writing good copy will be impossible. If you are writing the ad for yourself, you will probably know the full story of what, why, when, who and why. But if you are writing the copy for your boss or a colleague, you might need to help them give you a clear brief first.

This is what professional copywriters always do. It avoids confusion and potentially costly mistakes.

Here are some good questions you should always ask your client (or yourself) before you write a single word.

• What is the offer? What makes it better (for this audience) than the alternatives?

• Who is the target audience?

• Which attributes of the offer will appeal most? Is there evidence to support this?

• Why should the reader do something now? Urgency is vital to success.

• When will the ad appear or be read? At Christmas? Morning paper or evening pa...

Table of contents

• Cover 
• Title
• About the Author
• Contents 
• Introduction
• Sunday: Focusing your message
• Monday: Using layout, pictures and colour to make words memorable
• Tuesday: Writing effective letters
• Wednesday: Making advertising work for you
• Thursday: Communicating clearly with the media
• Friday: Preparing promotional print
• Saturday: Composing proposals and presentation visuals
• 7 × 7
• Answers
• Copyright