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3 copywriting tips to use at work

Copywriting in action

Have you ever been distracted from an article by a clever advertisement? Or been surprised to find you read a report all the way through and were actually entertained?

If so, then you have experienced the phenomenon of听good copywriting. This is a skill used heavily in marketing but also leveraged in other industries. Done well, it should come across as flawless and effortless. But don鈥檛 be deceived: Crafting compelling and concise copy is harder than it looks.

3 copywriting tips to implement today

Whether you鈥檙e a marketer or copywriter who wants to improve the quality and speed of your output, or you specialize in a different field, like SEO, but recognize the value of good writing, the following听copywriting tips听can help.

1. Hook your reader

We鈥檝e all heard the stats around attention engagement. Some reports claim you have听听to snag your target customer鈥檚 attention. Others put it at听. Either way, you have to move fast.

That鈥檚 why听you need a great hook. Something concise that draws your reader in and makes them want to keep on reading.

OK, but how do you write a hook? Here鈥檚 where to start:

  • Offer a quick take on a situation that鈥檚 out of the norm. For example, I once started a social media post with, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want attention. I鈥檇 rather have influence.鈥 That claim made people stop 鈥 and they engaged.
  • Ask a question that makes people pause and think. This could be related to your content in even the most tangential of ways. For example, I opened an article that chronicled a person鈥檚 weight-loss transformation with the seemingly out of left field: 鈥淒o you know how a diamond is formed?鈥 Readers weren鈥檛 expecting that, but the metaphor worked. Each line in my introduction built on that concept, and it segued perfectly to the article.
  • Provide an eye-opening statistic. A great example of this is: 鈥.鈥 That headline makes readers stop scrolling 鈥 especially if they have a side hustle!

Of course, a good hook will only get your readers through one or two paragraphs. Here鈥檚 what to do next.

2. Tell stories that sell

Great copywriting includes great storytelling. It鈥檚 as simple as that.

Stories are what bring copy to life. They give readers something to connect to, and that is how a relationship is built. You want your current and potential customers to听feel something听when they read your words. This not only cultivates a sense of satisfaction in readers but also encourages them to, you guessed it, keep reading.

There are two ways I uncover and develop the best stories: the story archaeology process and the IE3 method. Let鈥檚 define both and see how you can use them.

Story archaeology process

Story archaeology can take one of three pathways:

  • Story mining: This is when you draw from your own experience to share something you鈥檝e learned, usually an important or seminal experience others can learn from as well.
  • Story observing: This can include something you lived, but the story and experience are really someone else鈥檚. As the copywriter, you observe the situation and gain from the lessons lived by others.
  • Story exploring: This is where you actively search for good stories. These aren鈥檛 stories you experienced yourself, but you can find them online, in your community or neighborhood, and through podcasts, books, blog posts and other resources.

IE3 method

Once you鈥檝e identified stories you can use, it鈥檚 time to leverage them to foster a connection with readers. There are four ways that I鈥檝e found work best, and they make up what I call the听IE3 method:

  • Inspire: Stories that are motivational or transformational.
  • Educate: Stories that teach and share information.
  • Entertain: Stories that use drama or humor and are easy to digest.
  • Entice: Stories that act as testimonials and calls to action to close the sale.

Now, just put it all together. Use your hook and keep them reading. As you do, reveal a great story and make sure it hits on at least one element of IE3.听

Then, watch how your audience reacts to your copy!

3. Leverage AI copywriting tools

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been dominating conversation in most industries these days, with more than a few people worried about how it will听affect their current positions听and long-term careers.

The same is true with copywriting and marketing. Further, it is becoming readily apparent that AI copywriting tools could make a writer鈥檚 role even easier. But not the way you might think.

On its own, AI-generated copywriting has a听. So, rather than rendering writers obsolete, AI can be used to听expedite the overall process. You can use it to generate outlines for blog posts or social media copy, assist with research, optimize for SEO and even create copy ideas for anything ranging from podcasts and videos to webinars and landing pages. Then, you buckle down and do the work of actually writing.

After all, customers want that听human touch. We already get annoyed when a human being doesn鈥檛 answer the phone. Do we really want more of the same with our content and advertising?

Besides, if everyone is pulling from the same AI data, content is poised to become pretty boring and homogenous. Your own stories and experiences are what set you apart; they are your greatest asset as a copywriter!

How different professions rely on copywriting skills

鈥淭ell me a story.鈥澨

That鈥檚 what my director would always tell me when I wrote a report. This was an audit report, mind you.

It wasn鈥檛 work I was used to 鈥渢elling a story鈥 with. However, my director wasn鈥檛 talking about just any story.

I was to听tell a story with our findings. She wanted me to use the data we uncovered to paint a picture and provide a solid basis for our recommendations.听

Storytelling was a crucial element in my auditing career. Using听plain language to describe complex programs听and convey in-depth concepts allowed a variety of stakeholders to use (and understand) what we did.

This same is true in many other industries as well. You could听use storytelling in healthcare听to describe how a specific diagnosis was made in a patient鈥檚 journey.

What about听architecture? You could tell the story of the idea behind a building and encourage readers to lean in as you break ground.

As you see, copywriting and storytelling can be used as a way to 鈥渟ell鈥 your work to readers in any industry. It鈥檚 all in the way you convey it.

In this case, for example, I鈥檓 selling you copywriting tips and information that I hope will help you in your career. And I must鈥檝e done something right, because you made it to the end.

Hone your copywriting skills at 七色视频

If you鈥檙e looking to become a better copywriter, 七色视频 can help. The University offers a听Bachelor of Science in Communication degree and a听Bachelor of Arts in English degree. These programs include听a wide range of听communication courses听designed to help you enhance your copywriting skills. Visit phoenix.edu to learn more about how UOPX can help save you time and money on your degree.

  • Bachelor of Science in Communication:听This degree is twofold, providing students with information on crafting logical arguments and effective听storytelling. It also covers the business side of communication, including the fundamentals of social media communication and public relations. Graduates will be听equipped听with skills to听pursue听careers like copywriter and media relations specialist.听
  • Bachelor of Arts in English:听This degree prepares graduates for creative opportunities in a variety of professional settings by exposing students to different rhetorical situations and genres of writing. Students can learn how to use the composition and rhetoric of literature to make a creative difference in industries like technical writing and digital content. Classes cover research and writing for professionals, writing for social media, technical writing and more. Graduates will be prepared to pursue careers like听technical writer,听copyeditor and proofreader.听

If you鈥檙e interested in taking a single course from the University to hone your copywriting skills, check out the available options.听

[1] Prerequisite required

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

David Domzalski is an entrepreneur, copywriter and storyteller. He鈥檚 an effective communicator with a passion for helping people better their lives financially. His writing has been featured on multiple outlets including AOL, FanSided, Forbes, GOBankingRates, MSN, Nasdaq and Yahoo 鈥 along with his blog, RunTheMoney.com. He lives in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, with his wife and two children.

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