First, a definition of conversational copywriting.
To me, it means writing in the same way you would speak persuasively to a friend over the kitchen table.
Imagine you’re trying to persuade a friend to go hiking with you at the weekend. You’re in conversation, but you’re trying to be persuasive as well.
Because it’s within the context of a real dialog between two people, your language is natural and conversational. Emotional at times.
I get into conversations with a lot of freelancers, many of them just starting out.
And one thing I notice again and again is that freshly-minted freelancers often struggle to articulate exactly what their specialty should be.
It’s important to have answers to these questions. Without answers, you’ll often feel you have no real foundation. It becomes hard to articulate your position and your value to prospective clients.
In other words, if you aren’t completely clear about where you stand, and what you stand for as a freelancer, you going to have a lot more trouble marketing yourself and finding good work.
Recently I’ve been seeing a surge in the number of companies jumping on the “story” bandwagon.
A few days ago I was traveling back from the UK. At the airport I saw three references to story. One on a poster, one in a duty-free flier that was thrust into my hand just after I got through security, and the one you see in the photo above, on the pages of an in-flight magazine.
All mention story, but not one of them actually told a story.
It’s as if the writers believed that just using the word “story” would make some kind of difference.
It doesn’t.
If you want to tap into the true power of storytelling in your marketing, you have to actually tell and share a real story.
And to give your story power, it has to get three things right…
This question is from Charlotte, who took my course on How to Write Better Headlines.
She asks, “What is your thinking process as you brainstorm, formulate, play with, and analyze your headline creations?”
After writing headlines for 35 years, it’s quite the challenge to deconstruct the process I go through.
But here’s a broad outline of what I do…
A practical note… I work with a pen and pad of paper first. Don’t ask me why, but I do. Just for the headline.
OK… the process and sequence…
This question is from Malcolm, who took my 21 Copywriting Hacks course.
He asks, “I’ve taken your course and am using the final checklist you provided. My question is: Can I add some hacks of my own to the list? Things I have found work well for me?”
Absolutely you can.
First – for anyone who isn’t familiar with this course – the 21 Copywriting Hacks course was created to help you improve your own sales copy… at that point just before you submit it to your client.
This question is from Denis, who took my 21 Copywriting Hacks course.
He asks, “I love your 21 Copywriting Hacks. Super-helpful. My question is… could I use these as a ‘system’ to improve on a company’s EXISTING sales pages?”
Great question. And yes.
First – for anyone who isn’t familiar with this course – the 21 Copywriting Hacks course was created to help you improve your own sales copy… at that point just before you submit it to your client.