Copywriting is no longer an option.

As a marketer, you can´t afford to not master this skill and you´ll discover why at the end of the article.

For now, you´re just looking for some copywriting tips. Welcome, you´ve landed on the right page.

In a few seconds, I´ll show you 12 simple, time-tested copywriting techniques to help you stand out in the marketplace and create outstanding results for yourself or the company you work in.

By the way, there will be a bonus tip at the end.

Nod your head if you´re ready to impress everybody with what you´re gonna learn here.
Let´s roll.

#1 – Do The Research

If you study the master copywriters, you´ll discover they all talk about understanding your audience as the number one priority before attempting to write any copy.

Look, this first step is vital, you can´t get lazy here!

You need to know everything about the audience you´re writing copy for. Without proper research, all the following copywriting tips won´t mean anything.

I recommend you get a copy of Dan Kennedy´s book, The Ultimate Sales Letter. He breaks down a list of smart questions you need to ask in order to properly understand your market.

#2 – Write Ad Copy In A Good Mood

This might sound weird, but I promise you it´s the most effective copywriting technique you´ll ever see.

You probably already know there´s a connection between your brain and your fingers. The tip of your fingers are very sensitive areas and can pick up the emotions you´re experiencing in your mind.

Sound weird, doesn´t it? Just try this…

• First, write a short paragraph to a loved one when you´re angry and frustrated.
• Then, write that same paragraph when you´re happy and grateful.

What you´ll find out is that when you write in a positive state of mind, your words are also positive and flow better.
Human beings cannot be fooled, your prospects will pick up your emotions when reading your ad copy.

Now, a little weird trick I use because I don´t want to wait until the stars align to write, is to commit to writing.
That´s right! The simple act of committing to it will make me more positive and help me write better copy.

I can´t say for sure this will work for you as well but give it a try!

#3 – Be Authentic

You´ve probably heard this somewhere at some point, perhaps even multiple times.
As a marketer, being authentic in your copywriting is so important!

You just can´t force someone to believe in something you don´t believe yourself.
Authentic people are admired because their message is transparent, honest and they project how they feel without reservations.

This is exactly what you need to do in your copywriting, even if your message is controversial and shocks people´s belief system.
Remember that nothing converts better than the truth.

#4 – Talk To A 7 Year Old

Trying to look and sound smart in your copywriting is a huge mistake. Look, you´re not in high school anymore, people don´t care about your impressive word selection.

Sometimes, marketers push so hard to sound smart they lose the prospect´s interest.
Write your copy as if you were talking to a 7 year old. Make it simple to understand.

You´re not gonna write a contract here, you´re going to craft a piece of ad copy. Something that helps your prospects take the next step and potentially solve a problem.

#5 – Choose The Right Words

I´m not sure if words are mightier than the sword. What I do know is that words are powerful.

Much like in a battle where sword selection is vital, in marketing and advertising, word selection is critical.
The words you choose can either turn your prospects off or have them pull out the credit card instantly.

These are some examples of persuasive words you can use in your marketing communications:

Use these words in headlines and also throughout the body copy.
They´re very effective and have been used by some of the best advertisers for many decades.

#6 – Your English Teacher Won´t Like It

One of the reasons people are not good at ad copy is that it´s not taught in schools.
However, copywriting is a skill anyone can develop.

In school, you´re taught to play by the rules, to respect punctuation and grammar. To craft successful copywriting materials, you´ll need to throw that out the window!

Oftentimes, your copy won´t make sense because you´re trying to use perfect grammar. Don´t make that mistake.
Focus on your message not on grammar. It´s ok to have a misspelling here and there and to go against what you know about traditional communication.

Make your ad copy as easy to understand as possible, even if that means breaking some grammar rules.

#7 – Focus On The Headline

David Ogilvy, the godfather of advertising once said:
“On average five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent 80 cents out of your dollar.”

This is such great advice and I think it´s pretty much self-explanatory!

I´m not saying you should disregard the rest of the ad copy, what it means is that you need to spend more time on the headline than the body copy.

A great technique used by master copywriters is to write several headlines, let them rest for a while and come back to them and write some more.
I promise you, the 50th headline you write will be a lot better than the first one.

#8 – Be A Storyteller

You already know this.
Facts are overrated, anyone can access them these days. Stories, on the other hand, are much more persuasive.
In fact, that`s how human beings learn, through stories.

Think of ways to incorporate a story in your copywriting or marketing materials.

When I talk about storytelling, doesn´t mean you´re gonna write a novel. A story could just be a paragraph you weave into the copy.

• For example: “Jenny walked pass me and couldn´t believe how great I looked. I feel like a million bucks with my new fitness routine.”

You can include a testimonial in the middle of your ad copy to make a point about something else, that´s also a form of storytelling.

#9 – Overcome Objections

If you´ve done your research properly, in tip number 1, you already know what could prevent your prospects from buying your product.

It´s essential that you take those objections and tackle them in your ad copy. Sales pages are the place where you see this the most.

However, don´t limit yourself to just sales pages.
The goal here is to create outstanding results, not average. I´d say, overcome objections everywhere. In your ad copy, headlines, landing pages, sales pages and other types of marketing communications.

You want to have a tool stack to help you increase conversions. Overcome objections, even the most insignificant.

#10 – Complicate But Not Too Much

“Complicate? What the hell are you talking about? You said I need to make my copywriting simple!” – you´re thinking.

Yes, I know what you´re thinking. Let me explain.

This is an advanced copy technique, it´s easy to understand but takes a while to master. In essence, you simplify complex products and “complicate” simple products.

In other words, simple products like a cabinet, for example, can be made a bit complex if you start explaining what types of wood it´s made of, where it was originally built or its functionality.

At the other end of the spectrum, products like a luxury watch have tons of features that can overwhelm even the savviest consumer.
In this case, you want to emphasize the advantages and benefits of the watch so that it´s more simple for the prospect to understand.

#11 – Let It Rest

I´ve mentioned before you should write your headlines and let them rest for a while.
The same is true for the rest of the copywriting material.

This process might actually take a couple of days or even weeks but it will be totally worth it.
I challenge you to test this: write a piece of copy that you push out to the marketplace immediately vs one that you wait a week and come back to it to improve. The results will not lie!

#12 – Get Your Copy On A Diet

Ok, you´ve done your research, wrote the most simple copy possible, let it rest for a while, now it´s time to get it on a diet.

At the end of the writing process, you´ll need to trim the fat to create the most outstanding copy.
Here´s what I mean…

When you go back to the copywriting piece you wrote, you´ll flesh out words and paragraphs you no longer need.
The goal at this stage is to have the most persuasive copywriting material with the least amount of words possible.

So, when do you know your copy is ready?
When you can´t find a single word to remove. By the way, get rid of the word “that”, in most cases, it´s not necessary and phrases will still make sense without it.

Bonus Copywriting Tip – Read It Out Loud

The final step to creating great copywriting is to read it out loud.

The purpose here is to find out if it makes sense. You´ll be surprised to see that some of the things you wrote actually don´t help to make the ad copy better.

Then, you might refer back to the previous tip, which is to flesh out even more words, or add a few words to make the copy alive and flowing.

So many marketers skip this step. Please, don´t make that mistake, it will cost you and your company money.
There´s a lot of power in reading things out loud, it triggers other senses and different emotional responses, compared to just writing.

Your best insights and opportunities to improve your copy will come from this last step.

Marketers Without Copywriting Skills Are Worthless

This might sound a bit harsh to you but it is the truth!

Imagine for a second the world we live in.
We´re living in the information age, companies are looking for people great at different skill sets. Being great at just one thing will make you less valuable, these days.

As a modern marketer, you can´t afford to not learn copywriting on top of everything you already know about marketing.

Commit to learning this critical skill, it will serve you well not just in the workplace but in your personal life as well.

We´d love to hear from you, what are your favorite takeaways from this article?