Every Writer Should Learn Copywriting
There are three main reasons why every writer should learn copywriting:
You learn what people consume
How to get their attention
And how to make them believe in what you write
For those who don’t know what copywriting is: it’s a kind of writing that tries to sell you something. Whether it’s a service, product, or an idea.
When you see an ad on Facebook about the benefit of a herb for hair loss, that’s copywriting. Ted Kaczynski was a mathematician who killed 3 people from 1978 to 1995 by letter bombs. Why?
Because he thought technological progress would destroy the human race. He wrote 35,000 pages of a manifesto sharing his views on the destruction brought by technology.
He promised the New York Times that if they published his manifesto, he would stop killing people. What he wrote in his manifesto was also an act of copywriting. He tried to change people’s minds about science and progress.
Any text that aims to persuade people is copywriting. Whether you are a fiction or non-fiction writer, you need to learn the concepts of copywriting. Because…
You can learn what people consume.
The majority of copywriters sell products. But before this, they learn as much as they can about what their customers’ needs or desires are, or what problems they face.
By tapping into their needs, desires, and problems they write a persuasive message that tells people: “Here’s why you should purchase my product.”
Copywriting will show you that all of us are influenced by certain desires. We desire some things more than others. Food and sex are the two most dominant desires, because they help us survive and pass on our genes.
Restaurants and grocery stores will always be profitable to run because everyone needs food. Makeup brands and gyms (anything that helps you get a mating partner) will always thrive.
There’s a hierarchy in our desires. By learning about these desires, you can understand if your content fulfills any of these desires.
Lots of writers get confused about what to write. This can solve that problem.
The second reason you should learn copywriting is because it will teach you…
How to get their attention.
Once you know what they need or desire, you can use the right words to hook them into your writing. There are several principles in copywriting for this. For example, if you’re writing an article, your headline should either appeal to their interests or make them curious.
e.g. “Make $10,000 a month from home.”
If you want to improve this, make it more specific:
“Make $9,890 a month from your kitchen table by spending 45 minutes a day.”
There are other ways to get their attention, like adding a “how to” in your headline.
“How to lose 20 pounds of weight with a simple cabbage soup.”
I could go on all day, but you see how copywriting can help you become a better writer? And lastly, copywriting will show you…
How to persuade them.
Whether you are writing to sell a product. Or get them to read your article. You’re trying to persuade them. You’re like a rancher trying to get the horse to come to you by holding some hay in your hand.
You’re holding the carrot in front of the donkey’s nose, trying to make it move in your desired direction.
In short, you want to make them believe what you have to say. Copywriting will help you do that. For example, it shows you the power of storytelling. If you want to persuade an obese person it’s possible to lose weight with your program, tell him a story of another man who lost a lot of weight by following your program.
Let’s say someone wants to hire you for a graphic designing service, but he’s not sure you can do it. Then you can show him a video of your previous clients praising your skills.
This will remove his doubts. It’s called social proof.
How do you stop people from using mouthwashes if you aren’t a health expert? Well you take an article from a trusted organization that shows how regular mouthwashes kill the important bacteria in your mouth, leading to tooth decay, bad smell, and gum diseases.
This works because people trust authorities.
You will learn all these concepts from copywriting. If you’re interested in learning this valuable skill, read these books:
Cashvertising
The Copywriters Handbook
Robert Collier Letterbook
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Your friend,
Ali