First off - what the heck is Copywriting?
In its simplest form, Copywriting is simply just writing with the intention of getting the reader to perform an action.
In this lesson, we will cover what exactly copywriting is, the primary principles behind it, and examples of it in effect.
Copywriting is essential to learn. (Not all copy you write on X is to sell something) But these points can be used in any area of business or growth.
Keep in mind we aren’t writing fiction books here, Copywriting is also nicknamed sales copy. The majority of the time it’ll help you generate more sales.
But remember, the best way to learn copywriting is by actually doing it!
In this course, you’ll learn how you can transform words to make people want what you have to offer. You’ll learn how to target their emotions, beliefs, and desires, and ultimately write in a way that’s easier to understand & relate to.
Sounds exciting?
To get started, you NEED to understand the most basic principle that separates lame, monotone copy into something much more attractive.
That is, positioning our offer in a way that benefits the reader, not around the offer itself.
There are two primary ways we do this:
A. Writing our content around the outcome, not the offer.
B. Delivering our offer in a way that benefits the reader.
Now let’s cover an example from each.
In principle A, we will cover what the reader actually wants to hear, which isn’t even our offer.
In basic terms, people don’t care what you have to say. Sounds a bit weird, but think about it - we are all in our own little worlds… Nobody really cares about anything if it doesn’t affect them in some shape or form.
So, how do we get past this using our copy?
To do this, we need to place ourselves in THEIR world. We need to hunt our prey (which we will cover in the second section) and understand who they are and what they want to hear.
By doing this, we shift our copy from what our offer is to how our offer changes their lives.
❌ Here’s an example of what NOT to do:
Our sunscreen uses SPF-50 protection, blocking up to 98% of UV rays.
Let’s be honest, most of you don’t even know what SPF means. If 100% of your copy can’t be read by a 5th grader, you need to start again.
You’d be surprised - People are dumber than you think. (Except you because you’re taking this course)
A lot of people expect good copywriters to use a bunch of complicated & fancy words. Truth is, the best copywriters use the simplest language possible so that it’s understood by everyone.
✅ Let’s re-write this offer with simplicity in mind, while keeping it around the outcome, not the offer:
The sun contributes to 80-90% of all signs of aging. Avoid wrinkles & sunburns and keep your skin young and healthy using our sunscreen!
We aren’t talking about our SPF meter anymore. We are telling our readers WHY, and most importantly WHAT they’ll get out of it.
Which sounds more appealing? SPF-50 or young & healthy skin?
Humans are emotional creatures. Because of this, we make all of our decisions with feelings first, then logic later.
In this case, we don’t care about justifying what SPF is when we buy it. All we want to know is if it’ll protect our skin from the sun or not. In copywriting, we learn to bounce off of these emotions, leaning toward our feelings instead of technical terms.
When writing social media content on X (The top of the funnel), you should always prioritize addressing emotions over reasoning.
In principle B, we will cover framing, and how we can deliver our offer in a positive & optimistic format to our readers.
The way you deliver your words will always be more important than the words themselves. In this case, we need to “frame” our words, or structure them properly so they give the best impression possible.
A famous example of positive framing used in copywriting is the doctor’s message.
It goes like this…
Two doctors have entered your hospital room to deliver your test results. You’ve been quite sick, and you and your family are worried about what the tests have discovered.
The first doctor pulls out a piece of paper:
"Mr. Smith," the doctor begins, "we have found a serious illness based on your test results. But, because we have discovered it early, I'm pleased to inform you that you have an 80% chance of living.”
On the other side, the second doctor pulls out his results:
"Mr. Smith," the doctor begins, "we have found a serious illness based on your test results. I’m afraid to tell you that there is a 20% chance you’ll die from this disease.”
If you look, both doctors are giving the same results: 80% of living, 20% chance of dying.
That being said… Which one feels more comforting to hear?
In most cases, you obviously would like to hear there’s a good chance you’ll live, compared to them telling you there is a chance you’ll die. While it’s the same thing, doctor #1 delivers the message in a much more positive format.
In our copywriting, we can transform our message to sound as good as possible to our readers. This is ethical manipulation. We aren’t lying in any way, we are just pointing out the good (or the bad) in a more appealing way.
While the doctor’s message shows positive framing, we can also frame the negative outcome for our readers to shine a light on the positive path.
In this case, we would remind them of the pain they’ll face by NOT using our product. We will reinstate their reality if they continue living how they are.
Let’s use the sunscreen as our example.
In a positive frame, we could share with them the positive outcomes they will receive using our product:
Ex: “Keep your skin young and healthy using our sunscreen”
But in a negative frame, we can remind them of what they will face by NOT accepting our product:
Ex: “Your skin will age 90% quicker and you’ll be at a higher risk of skin cancer by going without our sunscreen”
Both of them are compelling in their own ways. Do not mix up framing with something that always has to be positive. Sometimes, people need to be reminded of what they’ll face by staying the same.
Within our copywriting basics, we covered outcome & framing in writing, two key principles you must understand when getting started!
What do both of these relate to?
Focusing on our reader, NOT our offer.
That is the number #1 key lesson behind copywriting
In our next section, we cover how to “Hunt Your Prey,” and fully understand your reader…
Which is the backbone that makes this key lesson come alive.
