Seven Secrets of Writing That Sells
Seven Secrets of Writing That Sells
Even in today’s tech-savvy world information is spread through the written word. Customers have to know what your product, service or idea can do for them—or they won’t buy. So whether you’re writing brochures, Web text or anything in between, you need clear, concise, benefits-oriented copy that really sells.
Sounds easy, but you’re not sure where to start? Just follow these seven simple guidelines to begin writing words that sell.
1) Know Your Audience
Before you can sell someone a product, you have to know who they are, what they do, and what their problems are. Why? Because the best way to attract someone’s interest, and business, is to show them how you can solve their problems. So begin by describing your target market, and their needs, in two or three sentences. This will help you keep your writing focused.
2) Grab Their Attention
Create relevant headlines that are short and to the point. Once you understand your audience and their main motivations—from spending more time with family, to increasing revenues—you can tailor your headlines to appeal directly to their needs or goals.
3) State Ideas Clearly
Avoid cute or overly clever wordplay. You might get the joke, but if readers have to work too hard to understand what you are saying, they probably won’t read further. Instead, concentrate on writing clear, concise sentences that are easy to read.
4) Avoid Visual Overwhelm
Keep paragraphs brief and most sentences short—18 words or less. And don’t list more than three items in a sentence or paragraph. Create a separate list of eye-catching bullet points instead.
5) Add Oomph
Whenever possible, choose powerful action verbs over static verbs. For example: use act or acting instead of “to act”, grab or grabbing instead of “to grab”.
6) Sell the Benefits
Promote benefits, not just features. Features are the specific details of your product or service: what it’s made of, how fast it runs, etc. Benefits are what these features can do for your customers. Try this exercise: make a list of features, then for every feature, ask yourself, “So what? What’s in it for me?” The answer is the benefit.
7) Ask for the Sale
Don’t forget a call to action. Invite customers to call you, include a limited time offer, or provide a free service or item. Always include your contact information with your call to action.
©2002-2007 SuccessStream. All Rights Reserved. www.success-stream.com
Seven Secrets of Writing That Sells - To learn more about this author, visit Stacy Karacostas's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
Do your marketing materials make people stop, read and take action?
Even in today’s tech-savvy world information is spread through the written word. Customers have to know what your product, service or idea can do for them—or they won’t buy. So whether you’re writing brochures, Web text or anything in between, you need clear, concise, benefits-oriented copy that really sells.
Sounds easy, but you’re not sure where to start? Just follow these seven simple guidelines to begin writing words that sell.
1) Know Your Audience
Before you can sell someone a product, you have to know who they are, what they do, and what their problems are. Why? Because the best way to attract someone’s interest, and business, is to show them how you can solve their problems. So begin by describing your target market, and their needs, in two or three sentences. This will help you keep your writing focused.
2) Grab Their Attention
Create relevant headlines that are short and to the point. Once you understand your audience and their main motivations—from spending more time with family, to increasing revenues—you can tailor your headlines to appeal directly to their needs or goals.
3) State Ideas Clearly
Avoid cute or overly clever wordplay. You might get the joke, but if readers have to work too hard to understand what you are saying, they probably won’t read further. Instead, concentrate on writing clear, concise sentences that are easy to read.
4) Avoid Visual Overwhelm
Keep paragraphs brief and most sentences short—18 words or less. And don’t list more than three items in a sentence or paragraph. Create a separate list of eye-catching bullet points instead.
5) Add Oomph
Whenever possible, choose powerful action verbs over static verbs. For example: use act or acting instead of “to act”, grab or grabbing instead of “to grab”.
6) Sell the Benefits
Promote benefits, not just features. Features are the specific details of your product or service: what it’s made of, how fast it runs, etc. Benefits are what these features can do for your customers. Try this exercise: make a list of features, then for every feature, ask yourself, “So what? What’s in it for me?” The answer is the benefit.
7) Ask for the Sale
Don’t forget a call to action. Invite customers to call you, include a limited time offer, or provide a free service or item. Always include your contact information with your call to action.
©2002-2007 SuccessStream. All Rights Reserved. www.success-stream.com
Seven Secrets of Writing That Sells - To learn more about this author, visit Stacy Karacostas's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 | |
 |
No article feedback found. |
| |
Leave Your Feedback |
 | |
| |||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. |
 | |
|  |
Subscribe to Stacy's articles
 |
|
Marketing Junkie - Offers tips and strategies on how to market your small business.
|
|
 |
 |
|
Stacy Karacostas Video - Stacy Karacostas brings you another free small business marketing tip. This time Stacy shares important statistics on marketing through a recession or poor economy, and a few more reasons to keep your marketing machine cranking no matter what!
|
|
|
 | |||||||
|
 | ||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
|
| ||
 |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
|
|
 |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
 |
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"
Click Here To Learn More |
|
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
|
|
 Customer Retention / Attraction Partner Questionnaire Salesperson Selection Managing Generations Accessing Capital |
|
 | ||
 |
Guide To ERP Software
Business Management Software | |
 |
The Top 10 ProBlogger Posts
Best Posts for Bloggers | |
| ||
 | ||||
| ||||
|
| ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
|
|
|
| ||||||||||
|
| ||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||