Guest Post #5

Author: Rachel Published: over 6 years ago
Tags: marketing, copywriting, advertising, power words, key words, linking words, creative writing Category: Writing tips

What is Copywriting & How Can it Help Me?

This week it is my pleasure to welcome guest blogger Rachel Timmins to The Write Flourish. Rachel is a copywriter and photojournalist, and she has some great tips to share with us about copywriting.

So what is copywriting? Is it the same as ‘copyrighting’? The short answer is ‘no’. Copyrighting guards against plagiarism. Copywriting is altogether different.

The fact is that copywriting is a useful tool for many needs. Whether you realise it or not, you can benefit by applying this tool to many of your day-to-day writing activities. For example, suppose you wish to invite lots of people to an event. You write an email with all the information they could want and hit ‘send’. How many responses do you get back? If you’d like a greater response, then you can use the skills involved in copywriting.

In advertising, copywriting is part of marketing strategy. Encouraging a potential customer to take an action of some kind such as responding to a free offer, is the goal. This collects the details of said customer for mail-outs, potentially turning into future sales. The term ‘copywriting’ basically means: researching, gleaning information and rewriting it.

For you personally, copywriting could help you land a job, encourage responses to emails, improve your writing in general and even help you to evangelise more effectively. Copywriting skills can be used verbally, as well as in writing.

It’s all about combining:

  • linking words
  • power words
  • key words; and
  • creative writing

in a winning combination that draws a response from the recipient.

Linking Words

Let’s look at linking words. People are lured to continue reading by simple little words like:

  • As you can imagine (this one is a huge draw)
  • But rest assured (another powerful seller)
  • Then
  • The trick is
  • Naturally
  • Which of course
  • Fortunately
  • Which is why
  • Unlikely
  • All in the one day
  • Have you ever wondered?
  • As well as
  • Whenever
  • That’s why
  • Although

If you go back to the beginning of this blog, you will see how I’ve employed these kinds of words. Every time you use a linking word, it gives the reader the impression that there is new information coming after it. Even if I were to repeat the same sentence, but reword it, the effect is the same. See?

Asking a question straight up is a powerful attention-getter. Make it personal. I used this technique for the title of this blog.

Power Words

As well as linking words, we have power words. These are strong marketing tools. There are 27 top power words. By the way, always use odd numbers if you want people to take notice of figures. Ready for the power words?

  • Introducing
  • Welcome
  • Unique
  • Special
  • You
  • Now
  • Discover
  • New
  • Results
  • Guarantee
  • Proven
  • Easy
  • Care
  • Simple
  • Family
  • Love
  • Children
  • Save
  • Money
  • Win
  • Cheap
  • Free
  • Reduced
  • Sale
  • 50% off
  • Discount
  • Special offer
† Not to be used for your website tags and headings.

Key Words

And now for key words. You already know heaps about those. No, really. Suppose you are writing about the hearing impaired. Your keywords would be things like: hearing, ear, hearing aid, sound, volume and audible.

Creative Writing

You are no doubt well into the creative writing side of things? As you know, this comes from the heart and imagination of every writer. It’s your God-given talent. Your unique personality and giftings will shine even brighter now you’ve unlocked the secrets of copywriting. (Example of the sucking up technique and a really cheesy advertising style).

If you’ve read through this whole article, then I’ve done a good job using my ‘linking words’ to keep you reading. If not, then I need to try new approaches until it holds your interest. Have fun giving copywriting a go in your next email!

Want to Find Out More?

If you’d like to see more of Rachel’s work, she has over 140 articles on the Weekend Notes site. You can also follow her on Facebook or Twitter.

Bio
Rachel Timmins is a freelance copywriter and photojournalist with two years' experience, based in Toowoomba. She's had poetry, blogs, devotionals and articles published in: Weekend Notes, Penned from the Heart, Poetica Christi, Footprints, The Mozzie, Studio - a Journal of Christians Writing, The Voices Project, Valley Micropress, Christian Writers Downunder and the Sunday Mail.

Her poetry has generally been cathartic and she hopes others will also find it helpful. As a Christian, she believes there is help, healing and deliverance for every difficulty. She also hopes to have her childrens’ fiction published someday. She has a poetry magazine on the back burner.

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