Sep 9, 2011
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From a sales letter to a web page or an email marketing message– no matter what type of copy you need to write, getting to the point quickly by grabbing attention before the reader’s attention is lost are the most essential elements to keep all your written copy fresh, interesting, and likely to get read all the way through to the last line.
By following the below tips, there’s a fair chance you will pique the readers interest right from the start and more of your online content will get read… right through to the end.
Publish Useful Tips or Facts
One of the first ways you can contribute is to share useful information. This is always welcome when it’s given from a fresh perspective. And it’s a great way to grab the attention of the people you want to reach.
The Title
The natural place to start is with the headline, or title, of your copy. This is the most important text you will write because if the headline doesn’t grab someone’s attention, they are unlikely to scroll down and read the content.
Three good ways of writing headlines that get results are; posing a question (Do You Know How to…), stating a call to action (Save Money Today By…), or posting a snippet of a customer testimonial (Sports Legend Calls Our Equipment “Fantastic”!).
The Meta Description Or Subtitle
Next, spend some time crafting a good meta description or subtitle for your blog post, article, or web page. This should expand on the information included in the title and focus on teasing the reader into finding out more.
Maybe your blog post title reads “Do You Know How to Save Money on Groceries”? A good meta description, which will appear on search engine results pages and in the archival listing on your site would be “Using these 10 tips is guaranteed to trim your monthly grocery bill by $100 or more”. Who wouldn’t want to read more about that?
The Body
The body of your letter, message, blog post, or article contains the real ‘meat’ of your marketing efforts. This is where you provide the information teased in the headline and subtitle. Always give the reader a hint of what follows in the very first paragraph.
Don’t make the mistake of going on and on about how great your company is before you finally get around to writing the text that offers value to the reader. You can – and should mention this, but keep your sales pitch to a minimum and focus on the benefit to the consumer instead.
One good approach is to use a case study. Going along with sample given above, you might tell the story of a neighbor with six kids who was constantly in debt due to the large amount spent at the grocery store to feed all those children. Then relate how this person used the tips in your eBook to save enough money to start a college fund for each one. Most people can relate to this situation and they will want to learn more – and hopefully buy your book.
Another approach is to treat your copy like a press release or news story. Present the situation (an award given to your company, an act of benevolence, a new product) and then answer the traditional reporter’s questions of what, when, why, how, who, and where.
You can’t go wrong by writing about interesting subjects or providing valuable information in all your online copy. Remember the value proposition to prospective clients. Show how your products or services will enhance their life in some way, and get to the point quickly.
Practice making use of the above guidelines and your marketing material will maintain the reader’s interest. As an internet writer, you need to supply content that is interesting as well as educational.