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TOP ONLINE COPYWRITING TIPS
... if
you can't afford to hire a pro
By Debbie Weil
I'm
always taken aback when people label me a copywriter.
Technically, I'm not. I am not formally trained as a direct
response copywriter.
I do write about effective copywriting for the Web and email.
And I do write all the copy for my site. I find "sales"
copy particularly challenging. Perhaps because I am
formally schooled as a journalist and was taught to sniff
out "hype."
Like many of you, I can't afford to hire a pricey professional
copywriter for my Web site. So I'm always looking for great
tips on how to craft more "persuasive" copy -
particularly for the WordBiz
Store.
I decided to toss out the following question to a bunch
of my favorite copywriters:
| If
you don't have the budget to hire a professional copywriter,
what are the top 3 tips you'd offer a non-writer who's
charged with developing results-oriented copy for a
Web site or e-newsletter? |
The
answers I got are so useful I've compiled them into a Clip
& Save Guide. Read on to get a list of close to
50 tips from 14 well-known pros, including Bob Bly,
Donna Baier Stein, David Garfinkel and Nick
Usborne.
Their top tip? Write an attention-grabbing headline...
[MORE]
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AFRAID
TO RAISE YOUR PRICES?
The
biggest barrier to increasing your prices:
your beliefs. Learn what’s wrong
with “My clients can’t afford
higher rates,” “I’m just
starting out” and other self-defeating
rationales for low prices. Download Marcia
Yudkin’s Charge
More and Get It - an exclusive
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PUBLISHER'S NOTE |
|
More about PDF newsletters
| I'll
announce the winners of the Naming
Contest next week. Thanks to all who took
the time to submit a title for my new e-report
on the WordBiz E-newsletter Seminar. You gave
me hundreds of suggestions! Plus it sparked a
blog exchange with Seth Godin. Debbie
-> Seth |
Last
issue's article about
PDF newsletters seems to have touched a nerve.
Reader Alex Beal of Accenture's Institute for Strategic
Change wrote to ask, "Why is it such a problem
to send an e-newsletter as a PDF? I get attachments
in my personal email all the time."
"Best practices" in email marketing caution
against sending any kind of attachments. The thinking
is they will activate spam filters or virus protection
built into corporate firewalls or used by the major
ISPs
I put Alex's question to several well-respected email
vendors and to one e-publishing expert. Attachments
are dicey, they agree. Plus you lose the ability to
track reader's response...
[MORE]
Great list of words for high impact
emails
This
article is free for just three more days. Only the
folks at MarketingSherpa could come up with
something this good.
It's a looong list of how to tighten up your writing
and substitute one punchy word for wordy phrases.
(For example, say "verified," instead of
"determined the truth of.")
READ
THE ARTICLE
Speaking
of keeping it short, that's it for today.
Yours in the business of words online,
Publisher & Editor, WordBiz Report
P.S. Got a story idea or want to contribute an article?
Drop
me a note.
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Need
Expert Advice for Your E-mail Campaigns?
Want
to learn what the experts know about B-to-B
e-mail marketing? Now you can with E-Mail
Marketer Insight, a weekly e-newsletter
by Crain's BtoB Magazine. Every
issue is filled with expert advice including
best practice case studies and an "Ask
the Expert" column. Look for Debbie
Weil's contributions in upcoming issues!
Sign
up free!
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Best
e-newsletters about copywriting
This
is a selected list of non-hypey newsletters with solid tips.
If you know of other great newsletters about copywriting,
let
me know and I'll add to it.
Jack Forde's Copywriter's
Roundtable
Nick Usborne's Excess
Voice
Bob Bly's Direct Response Letter
Donna Kozik's Corporate
Communicator
Linda Alexander's Write2thePoint
Suzan St Maur's TIPZ
from SUZE
I-Copywriting
Dianna Huff's The
Marcom Writer
Stevie Ann Rinehart's Got
Copy (alas, no longer published, but you can access
the archives; I really liked this one.)
ADDED:
Lee
Marc Stein's e-newsletter
|
| WORDBIZ
SPONSOR |
WORDBIZ
SPONSOR |
Can Power Words double your
sales? Find out step-by-step how
to write effective ezine articles
in this new e-book. Download
now
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FREE website review! ($200 value)
Sign up for our newsletter and enter
to win a free review of your website
by Debbie's Web designer.
Subscribe
now.
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Reach
over 12,500 WordBiz readers with a mini text ad
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Make
$100,000 a Year as a Graphic Designer.
A
once complicated profession is now something
you can do on a standard computer - even if
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And if you decide this career suits you, we
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WHO
SAID THIS?
"I
would have written a shorter letter but I didn't
have the time."
I wanted to add this quotation to last issue's
article: PDF
newsletters: retro or a smart move?
Roger Parker made the point in our interview
that writing for a PDF layout limits the number
of words he can use. He finds this improves
his writing.
When
I searched on Google I discovered the above
quote has been variously ascribed to Mark
Twain, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham
Lincoln and the French writer Pascal.
I know you've heard it before or seen it on
someone's PowerPoint presentation.
If
you can supply the correct attribution for this
quote, let
me know! I'll give you full credit in the
next issue.
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