18 Oct Copy That Kills: 8 Tips in 88 Seconds

Here are eight tips to make sure your copy is hitting home and making an impact.

1. The biggest copy mistake companies make is introspection. They want to talk about themselves! Companies should focus on what the customer needs to hear, not what they want to say. It’s always about the customer and how you can make their life better.
2. People don’t read ads. They read what interests them. Sometimes, it’s an ad. If your product can improve their life in a tangible way, they’ll read your copy…even if it’s long.
3. Adjectives are copy killers and cause readers to glaze over. They should be used with discretion.
4. Verbs are copy lubricants and drive engagement. They should be used generously.
5. Grammar is negotiable. Persuasive copy is always conversational.
6. If you put your competitor’s product under your headline then it isn’t specific enough.
7. It’s not necessary to tell the whole story in each communication. in fact, it’s a bad idea. Wanting your target to discover the whole story is the goal.
8. The medium shapes the message. Make sure the tone matches the medium you’re writing for.

Thank you for reading. To reward your effort, we’re going to share the video that inspired the title of this post.

Secret Bonus Content

P.S. This blurb isn’t relevant to understanding how to create killer copy. In fact, it’s just search engine fodder. Because having the world’s best prose is what we aim for, it’s meaningless if your content can’t be discovered by people who are searching for what you’re writing about.

So while we covered the 8 tips in 88 seconds, let’s call this a bonus tip.

9. For truly killer online content, search results matter. So even if it means doing something as silly as adding content to the bottom of what you just wrote (see above), it’s a worthwhile way to finish your writing.