Convince Your Readers with Persuasive Copy
There may very well be no more fundamental task for a content provider than to be persuasive with your copy. Sounds easy, right? Right until you’ve tried it, perhaps. You will discover a reason top copywriters get paid the big bucks. Never fear yet. You needn’t break the budget to hire your own Shakespeare just yet. There are several basic components of copywriting with persuasion which will make a huge difference, and best of all, you can learn them!
4 Essential steps to persuasive copy
- Be sure it’s scannable – We hear constantly how nobody reads on the internet anymore – they scan. It is sadly very true, and since these are the cards we’ve been dealt, here are a few ways to ensure that your copy is read by the scanning surfer set on leaving your page. Use plenty of white space, bullet points, sub-headlines, bolding and color, and compelling images to reel them in and hold their interest.
- Write conversationally – Write as though you’re talking with a friend. Nobody wants a lecture. So no matter what the subject, and just how technical it could appear, be sure you write as you talk. It really helps in building the trust you are seeking to build with your reader, especially if you are hoping to induce them to buy anything in the near future.
- Structure to your outcome – We all love to be told stories, and you can use this to your benefit almost every time. We process information most efficiently when the content is presented in a narrative stream, so don’t be shy about telling your story! Use a beginning, middle and end, lead inexorably to a climax, which would be to get the reader to take whatever action you’re requesting.
- Ask for what you want! – It’s tough to imagine that we actually have to say this, but so often copy is lean on the asking side. It’s as if they don’t wish to come across as too pushy in actually requesting the sale. The truth is that if you don’t sell the ask with enthusiasm, you’re in fact disappointing and probably confusing the reader. It’s expected, so ask. Never write anything without having a strong call to action!